How to use the communication examples

The example-configurations describe the tasks that are carried out on a single platform to set up communication to another of the platforms. Then they describe the tasks to establish a working channel to that platform.

Wherever possible, the intention is to make the information as generic as possible. Thus, to connect any two queue managers on different platforms, you need to refer to only the relevant two sections. Any deviations or special cases are highlighted as such. You can also connect two queue managers running on the same platform (on different machines or on the same machine). In this case, all the information can be derived from the one section.

On UNIX, Linux®, and Windows, before you begin to follow the instructions for your platform you must set various environment variables. Do this by entering one of the following commands:

On Windows:
```
 MQ_INSTALLATION_PATH/bin/setmqenv
```
where MQ_INSTALLATION_PATH refers to the location where IBM® MQ is installed.
On UNIX and Linux systems:
```
. MQ_INSTALLATION_PATH/bin/setmqenv
```
where MQ_INSTALLATION_PATH refers to the location where IBM MQ is installed. This command sets the environment variables for the shell you are currently working in. If you open another shell, you must enter the command again.

There are examples in which you can find the parameters used in the sample configurations. There is a short description of each parameter and some guidance on where to find the equivalent values in your system. When you have a set of values of your own, make sure that you use those values when working through the examples in this section.

The examples do not cover how to set up communications where clustering is being used. For information about setting up communications while using clustering, see Configuring a queue manager cluster. The communication configuration values given here still apply.

There are example configurations for the following platforms:

IT responsibilities

To understand the terminology used in the examples, consider the following guidelines as a starting point.

System administrator: The person (or group of people) who installs and configures the software for a specific platform.
Network administrator: The person who controls LAN connectivity, LAN address assignments, network naming conventions, and other network tasks. This person can be in a separate group or can be part of the system administration group.
In most z/OS installations, there is a group responsible for updating the ACF/VTAM, ACF/NCP, and TCP/IP software to support the network configuration. The people in this group are the main source of information needed when connecting any IBM MQ platform to IBM MQ for z/OS. They can also influence or mandate network naming conventions on LANs and you must verify their span of control before creating your definitions.
A specific type of administrator, for example CICS® administrator, is indicated in cases where we can more clearly describe the responsibilities of the person.

The example-configuration sections do not attempt to indicate who is responsible for and able to set each parameter. In general, several different people might be involved.