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Release Notes

IBM MQ Monitoring Configuration

This guide teaches how to configure the IBM MQ Monitoring Agent.

[!NOTE]

Before any monitoring and remote configuration can be performed, you must first install the Nodinite IBM MQ Monitoring Agent and create a Monitoring Agent Configuration. First-time users start here.

Remote Configuration

As a Nodinite Administrator, click on the 'Configuration' button to open a modal to configure the agent:

Remote Configuration
Here's an example of Configuration button available in the Monitoring Agent Configuration administration page

Many specific configurations can also be made directly on the Resource using the Action button if the Monitor View has the use of Remote Actions feature enabled.

Resources per host will be grouped by Application and then by Category using the value from the Name text field. Read more about Applications here:

Filter by Application

All resources for one Queue Manager will be grouped by the user-friendly Display Name set in the next step

Configuring the connection

Remember to click on the Save button to persist changes. It may take some time (depending on the user-defined synchronization interval) for Nodinite to reflect on changes.

Add IBM MQ broker

From the IBM MQ tab, you can manage any number of IBM MQ brokers.; Each with its own set of properties.
To monitor and control one or more IBM MQ brokers you must provide some basic connection details.
Add Broker

Click on Add button to add an IBM MQ Queue Manager to monitor, and repeat as needed.

One accordion per entry

Click the Accordion to expand the connection configuration.

Basic tab (6.1.0.0)

  • Connection - Repeat for each Queue Manager
    • Enabled - Flag to set if monitoring for this configuration is enabled or not
    • Display Name - The user-friendly name for the IBM MQ queue manager (Also becomes the Application name)
    • Server Name - Server Host-name or IP-address
    • Manager - The name of the queue manager
    • Port - The TCP port to use (channel specific)
    • Channel - The name of the service channel to use for communicating with IBM MQ Service

SSL

To use SSL, check the Use SSL checkbox.

SSL Configuration (6.1.0.0)

  • Use SSL - When checked, encrypt the communication with the Channel New 5.4.1.6
    • CipherSpec - The name of the CipherSpec to use with this configuration
    • SSL Key Repository Path - Enter the full path with the certificate files, i.e. c:\MQ\KeyDB\key
    • SSL Peer Name Property - Accept only certificates with Distinguished Names matching these values
    • SSL Certificate Label - The label name of the SSL Certificate (usually in lowercase)

Remove IBM MQ broker

Click the Remove button to remove the configuration for monitoring the IBM MQ broker with queue Resources to Monitor.
Remove broker button
Here's an example of the 'Remove' button to remove IBM MQ broker configuration from monitoring.

Instead of removing an IBM MQ broker, you can disable the Monitoring. Doing so keeps your configuration.

Enable IBM MQ broker

A disabled Monitoring Configuration is clearly marked with a ban sign. Only disabled brokers can be Enabled.
Disabled IBM MQ Broker
Disabled IBM MQ broker has a ban sign to mark the actual broker being disabled.

Click the checkbox to re-enable monitoring of IBM MQ broker Resources.
Enable IBM MQ Monitoring
IBM MQ broker Monitoring is enabled when the checkbox is checked.

Disable IBM MQ broker

You can stop monitoring the IBM MQ broker without removing the configuration by disabling the selected configuration. An enabled Monitoring Configuration does not have the ban sign. Only enabled IBM MQ brokers can be Disabled.
Enabled IBM MQ Broker
Enabled IBM MQ brokers do not have a ban sign.

Un-check the checkbox to disable monitoring of IBM MQ broker related Resources.

Filter

Use the Filter tab to manage the filter of unwanted IBM MQ related artifacts. Each filter can be toggled in the Enabled/Disabled state.

The filter applies to:

  • Queues
  • Topics
  • Channels
  • Listeners

Filter

Exclusions filter

Resources can be excluded using a RegEx based filter. This setting applies to ALL resources like queues, channels, listeners and so on.

Example #1: Remove all Resources that start with the letter '_'

^[_].*

Filter Example 1
Example 1: Remove all entries starting with the letter '_'.

Example #2: Remove all entries that do not contain the letters '.BO'

^((?!.BO).)*$

Filter Example 2
Example 2: Remove all entries matching the '.BO' name.

Example 3 - Include example

Apply the following expression to include queues with .BACKOUT in the name and excluding all else.

^((?!\.BACKOUT).)*$

Tip

Please read about negative lookahead here

Manage Queue thresholds

Queue settings are either global or overridden with specific settings.

Global settings are used for evaluations of the queues if no specific settings have been set.

  • Queue thresholds:
    • Time-based evaluation
    • Number-based evaluation
      • Count Evaluation Type
      • None
      • Fixed
      • Percent
      • Which comes first (both)

Queue thresholds

Time-based evaluation

Time-based evaluation is always evaluated. If you do not want to perform the evaluation based on time, then, simply provide long enough thresholds.

State Name Data Type Description
Warning TimeSpan Timespan 00:05:00 (5 minutes) The age of first message on the queue to trigger Warning alert
Error TimeSpan Timespan 01:10:00 (1 hour 10 minutes) The age of first message on the queue to trigger Error alert

Count based evaluation

Count Evaluation Type
Here's an example of the Count Evaluation Type

None

If you select the None option for Count Evaluation Type then monitoring is not based on the number of messages in the queue.

Fixed

If you select the Fixed option for Count Evaluation Type then monitoring is based on the number of messages in the queue.

State Name Data Type Description
Warning Count integer The number of messages to go above on the queue to trigger Warning alert
Error Count integer The number of messages to go above on the queue to trigger Error alert
Percent

If you select the Percent option for Count Evaluation Type then monitoring is based on the quota set for the queue.

State Name Data Type Description
Warning Count Limit % integer The percentage to go above on the queue to trigger Warning alert
Error Count Limit % integer The percentage to go above on the queue to trigger Error alert
Which comes first (both)

If you select the Which comes first (both) option for Count Evaluation Type then monitoring is based on both Fixed and Percent.

Specific queue settings

You can provide specific thresholds for named service bus queues belonging to each subscription.
Specific queue thresholds
Add one or more named queues to provide specific settings.

Each specific queue needs to be identified by its queue name. You can also provide a user-friendly description.
Specific queue configuration

The rest of the properties are the same as already described in the global configuration.

Tip

It is much easier to perform specific configurations using the Edit threshold menu item available on the Actions button in the list of queues (Resources) with Monitor Views with Remote Actions Option checked.

Authentication

  • Use Authentication - When checked, this connection is authenticated using the provided credentials.
    • User name - Authenticate as user
    • Password - Password for user

Authentication tab

Save

You must click 'Save' or 'Save and close' for changes to persist. The new settings/thresholds are evaluated on the next synchronization.
Save and Close buttons
Here's an example of the Save options.

Note

The delay in presenting the new evaluated state depends on the synchronization interval set for the monitoring agent. Click the Sync Now button to force an immediate synchronization.

Save and close, save, and close the dialogue.
Cancel, closes the dialogue without saving any changes.

Note

There is a delay before changes to configuration are visible within Web Client according to the 'Polling Interval' setting. You can manually force Nodinite to synchronize with the agent by clicking on the Sync Now button

Settings tab

From within the Settings tab, you provide some details that determine the operation behaviour of the IBM MQ Monitoring Agent.

Settings tab

Environment

Part of the standard features shared with all Monitoring Agents is an option to set the name of the target environment, for example, TEST, QA, PROD.

Debug

Part of the common features shared with all Monitoring Agents, there is an option to set the Debug flag for additional file logging that can be enabled/disabled as needed. The default is unchecked.

Culture Information

The Culture Information setting determines how time-based data from this agent is presented in the Web Client/Web API.

Add IBM MQ Monitoring Agent Configuration

After the successful installation of the IBM MQ Monitoring Agent you must provide Nodinite with connection details so the Monitoring Service knows there's a new guy in town.

No monitoring or other configuration of the IBM MQ Monitoring Agent can be performed before the steps outlined below has been executed.

Configuration Steps

  1. Add and configure a new Monitoring Agent Configuration

    • Connection information is available in the README.txt file in the installation folder

  2. Use the Remote Configuration feature to configure the agent. Detailed at the beginning of this user guide.

  3. Create one or more self-service enabled Monitor Views that include the selected Resources provided by the IBM MQ Monitoring Agent according to business needs.

  4. Fine-tune specific settings directly on Resources using Remote Actions

Frequently asked questions

Use the troubleshooting guide to find the FAQ and answers to known problems.

Next Step

Add or manage a Monitoring Agent Configuration
Add or manage Monitor View

Install IBM MQ Monitoring Agent
Update
Monitoring Agents
Applications