MFT and IBM MQ connection authentication

Connection authentication allows a queue manager to be configured to authenticate applications by using a provided user ID and password. If the associated queue manager has security enabled, and requires credential details (user ID and password), the connection authentication feature must be enabled before a successful connection to a queue manager can be made. Connection authentication can be run in compatibility mode or MQCSP authentication mode.

Methods of supplying credential details

Many Managed File Transfer commands support the following methods of supplying credential details:
Details supplied by command line arguments.
The credential details can be specified by using the -mquserid and -mqpassword parameters. If the -mqpassword is not supplied, then the user is asked for the password where the input is not displayed.
Details supplied from a credentials file: MQMFTCredentials.xml.
The credential details can be predefined in a MQMFTCredentials.xml file either as clear text or obfuscated text.

For information about setting up an MQMFTCredentials.xml file on IBM® MQ for Multiplatforms see Configuring MQMFTCredentials.xml on multiplatforms.

For information about setting up an MQMFTCredentials.xml file on IBM MQ for z/OS® see Configuring MQMFTCredentials.xml on z/OS.

Precedence

The precedence of determining the credential details is:
  1. Command line argument.
  2. MQMFTCredentials.xml index by associated queue manager and user running the command.
  3. MQMFTCredentials.xml index by associated queue manager.
  4. Default backward compatibility mode where no credential details are supplied to allow compatibility with previous releases of IBM MQor IBM WebSphere® MQ
Notes:

  • The fteStartAgent and fteStartLogger commands do not support the command line argument -mquserid, or -mqpassword, and the credential details can only be specified with the MQMFTCredentials.xml file.

  • [z/OS]

    On z/OS, the password must be uppercase, even if the user's password has lowercase letters. For example, if the user's password was "password", it would have to be entered as "PASSWORD".