JMS contexts
A context is a set of bindings that associates names with objects stored in a naming and directory service.
JMS clients (Java applications that use the JMS API) use contexts to look up the names of the JMS objects in the naming and directory service. Every context has a naming convention associated with it.
For more information about LDAP naming considerations, see Configuring the JMS administration tool.
Initial contexts
For each location in the naming and directory service, you need to specify an initial context to give a starting point from which the JMS client can resolve the names of the objects in that location of the naming and directory service. JMS clients access the objects in the naming and directory service through the Java Naming Directory Interface (JNDI); the location in the naming and directory service that is defined by the context is known as the JNDI namespace.
When you specify an initial context in IBM® MQ Explorer, the full contents of the JNDI namespace are displayed but, in IBM MQ Explorer, you can edit only the IBM MQ classes for JMS objects that are stored there. All of the initial contexts that you add to IBM MQ Explorer are displayed in the Navigator view in the JMS Administered Objects folder, as shown in the following figure.
In
the figure, File System Initial Context is the initial
context for a location in the local filesystem: C:/JMSAdmin/JMSAdmin1 and LDAP
Initial Context is the initial context for a location on
an LDAP server, on a computer called hiss with
the distinguished name cn=JMSData,dc=ibm,dc=uk.
When you have added the initial context to IBM MQ Explorer, you can create connection factory objects, destination objects, and subcontexts in the JNDI namespace.
Subcontexts
A subcontext is a subdivision of a JNDI namespace and can contain connection factories and destinations as well as other subcontexts. A subcontext is not an object in its own right; it is merely an extension of the naming convention for the objects in the subcontext. You can create multiple subcontexts in a single context.
In the following figure, the subcontext called A Subcontext is bound to the
initial context called File System Initial Context. In the file system where the
context and subcontext are stored, the subcontext is a sub-directory of the initial context; other
JNDI implementations, such as LDAP, might store
subcontexts differently.
You can create connection factory objects, destination objects, and other subcontexts in a subcontext.