WebSphere MQ Queue Details Test

This test connects to a WebSphere MQ server, auto-discovers the local queues that have been configured for this server, and provides detailed reports on the messages being added to and removed from each of the local queues.

Target of the test : A WebSphere MQ server

Agent deploying the test : An internal agent

Outputs of the test : One set of results for every local queue configured for the WebSphere MQ server

Configurable parameters for the test
Parameter	Description
Test period	How often should the test be executed .
Host	The host for which the test is to be configured.
Port	The port number at which the specified host listens.
User	If you want to login as a specific MQ user to execute this test, then specify a valid user name in the User text box. The test will fail if an invalid user name is specified here. If no such authentication is required, then this parameter can be set to 'none'.
Password	If a specific User is entered, then the password of that user has to be specified in the Password text box.
Confirm Password	Confirm the password by retyping it in the Confirm Password text box.
ServerConnChannel	The name of the server connection channel for the WebSphere MQ server. The default value is "SYSTEM.DEF.SVRCONN". If you prefer not to use this default server connection channel for monitoring purposes, then you can create a custom channel in the WebSphere MQ server and use it for monitoring. The steps for achieving this have been detailed in Creating a Custom Channel topic.
SSL Cipher Spec	This parameter is applicable only if SSL-enabled channel is used for communication to the target MQ server, if not, set this parameter to none. A cipher suite is a set of cryptographic algorithms that are used before a client application and server exchange information over an SSL/TLS connection. It consist of sets of instructions on how to secure a network through SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) or TLS (Transport Layer Security). In this text box, provide the cipher suite that is allowed for SSL/TLS connection to the target server. By default, this parameter is set to none. To know if SSL-enabled channel is used for communication, refer to Pre-Requisites for Monitoring IBM WebSphere MQ Servers
Two Way SSL	This parameter is applicable only if SSL-enabled channel is used for communication to the target MQ server, if not, set this flag to No. If two-way SSL authentication is used then set this flag to Yes. Set this flag to No if one-wy SSL communication is used.
Truststore	This parameter is applicable only if SSL-enabled channel is used for communication to the target MQ server, if not, set this parameter to none. Truststore is used to store certificates from Certified Authorities (CA) that verify and authenticate the certificate presented by the server in an SSL connection. Therefore, the eG agent should have access to the truststore where the certificates are stored to authenticate and connect with the target server and collect metrics. For this, first extract the certificates from the server into the following default location /opt/egurkha/jre/lib/security/egmqsslstore.jks. To know how to create and extract the certificate into the truststore, refer toPre-Requisites for Monitoring IBM WebSphere MQ Servers. Then, provide the truststore file name in this text box. For example: egmqsslstore.jks. However, if you are using a different location to store the certificate then, provide the full path to this file in this text box. By default, none is specified against this text box.
Truststore Password	This parameter is applicable only if SSL-enabled channel is used for communication to the target MQ server, if not, set this parameter to none. If a Truststore File name or file path is provided, then, in this text box, provide the password that is used to obtain the associated certificate details from the Truststore File.
Confirm Password	This parameter is applicable only if SSL-enabled channel is used for communication to the target MQ server, if not, set this parameter to none. Confirm the password by retyping it in this text box.
Keystore	This parameter is applicable only if two-way SSL authentication is used, if not, set this parameter to none. Keystore contains the private keys for the certificates that the client can provide to the server upon request. eG agent requires access to the keystore where client certificate is stored to send that to the server so that the server validates the certificate against the one contained in its trustore. For this purpose, first create the client certificate in the following default location /opt/egurkha/jre/lib/security/egmqsslstore.jks. To know how to create the certificate, refer to Pre-Requisites for Monitoring IBM WebSphere MQ Servers. Then, provide the keystore file name in this text box. For example:egmqsslstore.jks. However, if you are using a different location to store the certificate then, provide the full path to this file in this text box. By default, none is specified against this text box. If you are using one-way SSL authentication, this parameter is set to none.
Keystore Password	This parameter is applicable only if two-way SSL authentication is used, if not, set this parameter to none. If a Keystore File name or file path is provided, then, in this text box, provide the password that is used to obtain the associated certificate details from the Keystore File.
Confirm Password	This parameter is applicable only if two-way SSL authentication is used, if not, set this parameter to none. Confirm the password by retyping it in this text box.
IgnoreSystemQueues	If SYSTEM queues are to be monitored, then set the IgnoreSystemQueues flag to No. If not, set the flag to Yes.
IncludeQueues	Specify a comma-separated list of queue names or queue name patterns to be monitored. For example, your specification can be: VIDEO_,.NDURABLE.,_TDS_IN. In this case, the test will monitor only those queues with names that begin with “VIDEO_”, names that contain the string “.NDURABLE.”, and names that end with “_TDS_IN”. Note: If a SYSTEM queue or a pattern that matches a SYSTEM queue is configured in the IncludeQueues text box, then this test will monitor such SYSTEM queues, even if the IgnoreSystemQueues flag is set to Yes.
DelayLimit	Denotes the time limit beyond which the eG agent regards a message as a delayed message. For e.g., if the DelayLimit is 300, the eG agent will regard all messages that have remained in the queue for 5 mins or more as a delayed message.
IgnoreQueues	Takes a default value of "none". If so, none of the queues (other than the SYSTEM queues) are ignored while monitoring an MQ server. Otherwise, this parameter represents a comma separated list of queue names or queue name patterns. Any queue name that matches one of the patterns specified for this test is not considered for monitoring by the eG agent. For example, your specification can be:.MQSC.,*_XML_IN. In this case, the test will not monitor those queues with names that begin with that contain the string “.MQSC.”, and names that end with “_XML_IN”.
NumDDMessages	Specify the number of messages to be displayed in the detailed diagnosis of the test against this parameter.
MessageLimit	When the number of messages lying in the queues exceed a limit specified here, an alert will be generated to notify administrator of large number of messages be kept in the queues.
Detailed Diagnosis	To make diagnosis more efficient and accurate, the eG Enterprise embeds an optional detailed diagnostic capability. With this capability, the eG agents can be configured to run detailed, more elaborate tests as and when specific problems are detected. To enable the detailed diagnosis capability of this test for a particular server, choose the On option. To disable the capability, click on the Off option. The option to selectively enable/disable the detailed diagnosis capability will be available only if the following conditions are fulfilled: The eG manager license should allow the detailed diagnosis capability Both the normal and abnormal frequencies configured for the detailed diagnosis measures should not be 0.

Measurements made by the test
Measurement	Description	Measurement Unit	Interpretation
New messages added	The number of new messages added to the queue.	Number	To compute this measure, the agent remembers the messages in the queue at the end of a measurement period, and then compares the messages that are in the queue during the next measurement period.
Old messages removed	The number of old messages removed from the queue during the last measurement period.	Number	To track this metric, the agent tracks the messages in the queue at any instant of time. If a message is not available when the agent checks the queue again, the message is added to the count of old messages removed.
Delayed messages	The number of messages currently in the queue that have been lying in the queue for more than the DelayLimit.	Number	The time when the message was put into the queue is used to determine how long the message has been delayed. If this test is being executed from a remote agent (i.e., not the local agent), it is essential that the system time of the remote agent and the system that hosts the MQ server are synchronized. Detailed diagnosis for this measure provides details about which messages have been delayed. Information such as the PutDate (when the message was added to a queue), the message ID, the application that put the message, the sequence number of the message, the OS user who is running the application, and the length of the message is reported as part of the detailed diagnosis for this test.
Avg time in queue	The average time that a message has remained in the queue.	Secs	This metric is computed by determining how many messages are in the queue, and determining the time that each message has been in the queue.
Max time in queue	The maximum time that any of the current messages has spent in the queue.	Secs	This value can give an indication if any message is not being removed from the queue for an unusually long period.