Message exchange through a WebSphere MQ link

A WebSphere® MQ link connects to a specific foreign bus that represents a WebSphere MQ network, and enables messaging engines on a service integration bus to exchange messages with queue managers on the WebSphere MQ network.

The following figure shows a high level view of the function of a WebSphere MQ link. Subsequent figures add more detail to this simple representation.

Figure 1. Exchanging messages between WebSphere Application Server and a WebSphere MQ network.
The graphic shows an application server with service integration, connected to a WebSphere MQ network.

A WebSphere MQ link is a service integration technologies administrative object that describes the attributes required for a messaging engine to establish channel links to a WebSphere MQ queue manager or (for WebSphere MQ for z/OS®) queue sharing group.

The messaging engine that connects to WebSphere MQ using a WebSphere MQ link is known as the gateway messaging engine. The WebSphere MQ queue manager or queue-sharing group to which a WebSphere MQ link connects is known as the gateway queue manager. To service integration, the gateway queue manager, and any other queue managers connected to it, appears to be a foreign bus. To the gateway queue manager, the WebSphere MQ link appears to be another queue manager.

The following figure shows a service integration bus in an application server, connected to a foreign bus that represents a WebSphere MQ network. In the application server there is a messaging engine that has a WebSphere MQ link on it. In the foreign bus, there is a gateway queue manager with WebSphere MQ channels. A connection is shown between the WebSphere MQ link on the bus, and the WebSphere MQ channels on the gateway queue manager in the WebSphere MQ network.

Figure 2. Exchanging messages between a service integration bus, and a foreign bus in a WebSphere MQ network.
This figure is described in the surrounding text.

Other messaging engines on the same bus use the gateway messaging engine to send messages to, and receive messages from, the gateway queue manager on WebSphere MQ. The gateway queue manager acts as a gateway to other WebSphere MQ queue managers. The gateway queue manager and the other queue managers it connects to are represented as a foreign bus when you configure the WebSphere MQ link.

The following figure shows how messages exchanged between the gateway messaging engine and the gateway queue manager can be sent and received by other messaging engines on the same bus, and other queue managers connected to the gateway queue manager. In this example, a service integration bus in an application server, is connected to a foreign bus that represents a WebSphere MQ network. In the application server there is a gateway messaging engine, Messaging engine 1, with a WebSphere MQ link on it. Connected to Messaging engine 1, is Messaging engine 2 and Messaging engine 3 which are on the same bus. In the foreign bus there is a gateway queue manager with WebSphere MQ channels. Connected to the gateway queue manager are Queue manager 2 and Queue manager 3; these queue managers are shown outside the foreign bus. A connection is shown between the WebSphere MQ link on the bus, and the WebSphere MQ channels on the gateway queue manager in the WebSphere MQ network.

Figure 3. Exchanging messages between messaging engines on a bus and queue managers connected to the gateway queue manager on a foreign bus.
This figure is described in the surrounding text.

A WebSphere MQ link can have definitions for a WebSphere MQ link sender or a WebSphere MQ link receiver or both. The link sender and receiver emulate the behavior of WebSphere MQ sender and receiver channels.

The following figure shows the sender and receiver channels that enable the gateway messaging engine and the gateway queue manager to exchange messages. In this example, there is a service integration bus in an application server , and a foreign bus that represents a WebSphere MQ network. In the application server, the gateway messaging engine has an MQLinkSender and an MQLinkReceiver. In the foreign bus there is a gateway queue manager that has WebSphere MQ channels: Receiver and Sender. A channel is shown running from the MQLinkSender on the WebSphere MQ link to the Receiver in the foreign bus that represents WebSphere MQ. Another channel is shown running from the Sender in the foreign bus to the MQLinkReceiver on the WebSphere MQ link.

Figure 4. Exchanging messages between WebSphere MQ link sender and receiver channels, and a gateway queue manager with receiver and sender channels.
This figure is described in the surrounding text.

You can configure a publish/subscribe bridge on a WebSphere MQ Link. This allows subscribing applications connected to the service integration bus to receive messages from publishing applications connected to the WebSphere MQ network. The same publish/subscribe bridge allows subscribing applications connected to the WebSphere MQ network to receive messages from publishing applications connected to the service integration bus.

If you want to specify service integration bus destination attributes for a WebSphere MQ queue, or if you want to control access to a WebSphere MQ queue from service integration bus applications, then you can define a foreign destination to represent the WebSphere MQ queue. If you want your service integration bus applications to use a different name for the WebSphere MQ queue then you can define an alias destination.

The WebSphere MQ link communicates with WebSphere MQ using WebSphere MQ format and protocols. To identify the supported version of WebSphere MQ, see the Supported hardware and software Web page at http://www.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?rs=180&uid=swg27006921.

A WebSphere MQ link cannot link to clusters in a WebSphere MQ network.




Subtopics
WebSphere MQ link sender
WebSphere MQ link receiver
"Stopped" states of the WebSphere MQ link and its channels
Related concepts
Learning about interoperating with WebSphere MQ using WebSphere MQ links
Concept topic Concept topic    

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Last updatedLast updated: Aug 31, 2013 1:23:07 AM CDT
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