Migrating and upgrading IBM MQ
Maintenance, migration and upgrading
- Migration is the process of updating queue manager data to match a newer level of code. This occurs the first time a queue manager is started with the newer level of code.
- Maintenance is the application of a fix pack, interim fix or program Temporary Fix (PTF). The installation can be restored to its previous level and queue managers or applications continue to work. Migration is not required after applying maintenance. However, you should test applications with the new level of IBM MQ code.
- Upgrading is the process of taking an existing IBM MQ installation and upgrading to a new level of code. Unless the upgrade is applying a fix (and not enabling new function), an upgrade must be followed by migration.
- Once migration has occurred, the queue manager can no longer be started by an earlier code level. On most platforms, queue manager migration is not reversible. The exception is z/OS®, where you can reverse queue manager migration, but only if you have not enabled new function.
IBM WebSphere MQ / IBM MQ Migration Guides
- For an introduction to the guide and its contents, see the IBM Developer blog article IBM WebSphere® MQ / IBM MQ Migration Guide.
- To view the guide in your web browser, click the following link: IBM WebSphere MQ / IBM MQ Migration Guide - HTML version.
- To download the guide as a PDF file, click the following link: IBM WebSphere MQ / IBM MQ Migration Guide - PDF file.
- For an introduction to the guide and its contents, see the Support page IBM WebSphere MQ / IBM MQ for z/OS Migration Guide.
- To view the guide in your web browser, click the following link: IBM WebSphere MQ / IBM MQ for z/OS Migration Guide - HTML version.
- To download the guide as a PDF file, click the following link: IBM WebSphere MQ / IBM MQ for z/OS Migration Guide - PDF file.
Where to find information about system requirements and prerequisites
From IBM MQ 8.0, you can use the Software Product Compatibility Reports (SPCR) tool to find information on supported operating systems, system requirements, prerequisites, and optional supported software. For more information about the SPCR tool and links to reports for each supported platform, see the System Requirements for IBM MQ 8.0 web page.
For links to system requirements information for all releases of IBM WebSphere MQ or IBM MQ, see the System Requirements for IBM MQ web page.
For information about limitations and known problems for IBM MQ 8.0 and its maintenance, see the product readme file, which is available from the product readmes web page.
Migrating from a release of IBM WebSphere MQ before Version 7.0
Getting started with migrating and upgrading
- The Introduction to IBM MQ migration section: use these topics to find out more about the concepts that you must understand before planning migration tasks, including the difference between maintenance, migration, and upgrading and which migration paths are supported.
- The IBM WebSphere MQ / IBM MQ Migration Guides: use these guides to find more information about planning the migration process for your release and platform.
Some of the changes have a migration impact, because they affect the behavior of existing applications or the automation of management tasks. This subset of the changes is listed in Changes that affect migration. Study this list of changes to plan what migration tasks you must perform.
If you prefer to use the IBM MQ 8.0 product documentation offline, you can download it through the links on the IBM MQ documentation library page, either as a downloadable package or as a set of PDF files.