IBM MQ Console: Setting up disaster recovery

You can use the IBM® MQ Console to set up disaster recovery for a queue manager. You set up a disaster recovery configuration by setting up a primary and secondary queue manager.

Before you begin

You must connect the appliances together via a network before you can configure a queue manager for disaster recovery (DR). See Configuring the hardware for disaster recovery for details.

About this task

When you configure disaster recovery, you specify that an existing queue manager on your main appliance is the primary queue manager. When that command completes, it outputs a further command that you run on your recovery appliance to create the secondary queue manager. You then run that command on the recovery appliance to create another instance of that queue manager and specify that it is the secondary queue manager.

You must ensure that there is sufficient free disk space for the snapshot of the queue manager data that is required for disaster recovery. For example, a queue manager created with the default 64 GB size requires a further 64 GB of free space to be reserved for the snapshot of the queue manager data.

You set up disaster recovery for standalone queue managers, or high availability queue managers.

Procedure

  1. In the manage view, click the Disaster recovery tab.
  2. Locate the queue manager that you want to configure disaster recovery for. It does not matter if the queue manager is running or stopped, the console handles stopping and restarting as necessary. If you are setting up disaster recovery for an HA queue manager, ensure that its status is not Running elsewhere.
  3. Select Configure DR from the menu Shows the menu icon.
  4. Click the Setup DR primary button shows the setup DR primary button.
  5. Supply the following details:
    Standby appliance name(s)

    Specify the name of the appliance that will host the secondary instance of the queue manager.

    If you are configuring disaster recovery between two high availability (HA) configurations, specify the names of both appliances in the recovery HA group, separated by a comma.

    Standby appliance IP address(es)

    Specify the IP address of the appliance that will host the secondary instance of the queue manager.

    If you are configuring disaster recovery between two high availability (HA) configurations, specify the IP addresses of both appliances in the recovery HA group, separated by a comma.

    Disaster recovery port
    Specify the port that will be used for data replication on both appliances. The port number must be between 1025 and 9999 (do not use port 2222, it is reserved by the appliance).
    Floating IP address
    Optionally specify a floating IP address. This is used where you are setting up a DR configuration for an HA queue manager. This IP address can be used to replicate data to the DR appliance, regardless of which HA appliance the queue manager is currently running on. (You cannot specify a floating IP address if you configuring disaster recovery between two HA groups).
    Replication type
    Specify whether to use asynchronous or synchronous replication. If you are configuring disaster recovery between two HA groups, only asynchronous replication is supported)
  6. Consent to the stopping and restarting of the queue manager and click the Save button.
  7. A window opens, displaying the command that you must run on the recovery appliance. Click the copy button to copy the command.
  8. Open the IBM MQ Console on the recovery appliance, open the manage view and click the Disaster recovery tab.
  9. Click the shows the create DR secondary button.
  10. Enter the command that you copied in step 7. (Alternatively, you can click Enter details manually and enter the details requested.)
  11. Click the Create button shows the create button.

Results

The main and recovery queue managers are paired, and their DR status can be view on the Disaster recovery tab.