WebSphere MQ messages

A WebSphere® MQ message usually contains a message descriptor, one or more message headers, and a message payload. WebSphere MQ provides programming interfaces that can help your applications to process WebSphere MQ messages.

Components of a WebSphere MQ message

A WebSphere MQ message contains one or more of the following components:
  • Message descriptor: The message descriptor contains standard message properties, applicable to all WebSphere MQ messages. For example, the message descriptor contains the message identifier and the correlation identifier (similar to the JMSMessageID and the JMSCorrelationID). Every WebSphere MQ message contains a message descriptor (MQMD).
  • Message headers: A message header usually contains additional message properties applicable to particular types of message. For example, WebSphere MQ messages sent to the CICS® bridge include a CICS bridge header (MQCIH). One exception is the "WebSphere MQ rules and formatting header 2" (MQRFH2), which can be used to contain message properties for various message types, including JMS message properties. Which headers (if any) a WebSphere MQ message contains depends on the intended recipient.
  • Message payload: The message payload is the data (if any) that follows the last message header, or that follows the MQMD if there are no message headers.

For more information about WebSphere MQ messages, see the WebSphere MQ documentation. For detailed information about the contents of the message descriptor and the message headers, see the WebSphere MQ Application Programming Reference.

WebSphere MQ implementation of a JMS message

WebSphere MQ provides a programming interface called the Message Queue Interface (MQI). This interface allows applications to process the components of a WebSphere MQ message using a variety of programming languages. WebSphere MQ also provides a JMS programming interface which allows applications to process a WebSphere MQ message as a JMS message. WebSphere MQ supports JMS by using the MQMD and the MQRFH2 to contain JMS message properties and header fields. The JMS message body is usually the WebSphere MQ message payload, but can include WebSphere MQ message headers. For details of WebSphere MQ support for JMS, including details of how WebSphere MQ stores JMS message properties and header fields in the MQMD and the MQRFH2, see the WebSphere MQ Using Java™ documentation.




Related concepts
Differences between service integration and a WebSphere MQ network
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Last updated: Aug 29, 2010 6:22:59 PM CDT
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