Starting a CICS-MQ connection

If the CICS®-MQ connection is not started at CICS initialization, you can start the connection in several ways.

Before you begin

Before you can start the CICS-MQ connection, you must configure your CICS region appropriately and install an MQCONN resource definition. Setting up the CICS-MQ adapter tells you how to do this.

About this task

To set the CICS-MQ connection to start at CICS initialization in the future, specify the CICS system initialization parameter MQCONN=YES, or include the DFHMQCOD program or your own equivalent program in your CICS PLTPI list. For instructions to do this, see Setting up the CICS-MQ adapter.

Procedure

You can use any of the following methods to start a CICS-MQ connection:
  • Using the CICS-MQ adapter control panels

    You can run the CICS-MQ adapter control transaction, CKQC, and then start the CICS-MQ connection from the CICS-MQ adapter control panel.

  • Issuing CKQC START from the CICS command line

    You can start the CICS-MQ connection by issuing the CKQC START command from a command line.

  • Using a CICS application program that issues EXEC CICS SET MQCONN

    You can start the connection to WebSphere MQ by issuing an EXEC CICS SET MQCONN command in a CICS application program.

  • Using a CICS application program with linking to DFHMQQCN

    You can start a connection to WebSphere MQ by linking to the CICS-MQ adapter connect program, DFHMQQCN (or CSQCQCON, which is a previous name for the program), from a CICS application program. Although this method of starting the connection is maintained for compatibility, using the EXEC CICS SET MQCONN command is the preferred method of starting the connection from a CICS application program.

  • Using the CICS CEMT transaction

    You can start the connection to WebSphere MQ by issuing the SET MQCONN command in the CICS CEMT transaction.

  • Using the CICSPlex® SM web user interface

    You can start the connection to WebSphere MQ from the WebSphere MQ Connection view in the CICSPlex SM web user interface (WUI).

  • Using the CICS Explorer®

    You can start the CICS-MQ connection from the CICS Explorer. The CICS Explorer provides a functional equivalent to the CICSPlex SM web user interface and the CEMT transaction.

Results

When the connection between CICS and MQ has been established, CICS will start MQ monitors that have been installed with attributes AUTOSTART(YES) and STATUS(ENABLED) if the user ID associated with the task that set the MQCONN resource to CONNECTED has sufficient authority to start the associated transactions.