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Foglight for IBM WebSphere MQ 5.5.5.9 - Installation Guide

Installing Foglight for IBM WebSphere MQ Server

Welcome to Foglight for IBM WebSphere MQ Server Installation Guide. This guide is intended for any user who wants to install and configure Foglight for IBM WebSphere MQ Server. It contains information on how to enable your IBM WebSphere MQ system for Foglight monitoring, describes the process of installing the cartridge and enabling its data collection, and contains instructions for configuring the MQAgent that is used by the cartridge to monitor the entire distributed-messaging environment.
Foglight for IBM WebSphere MQ Server provides an effective monitoring solution for the distributed IBM WebSphere MQ infrastructure. The solution enables systems managers to better manage the delivery of services by alerting them to messaging infrastructure problems before end users are affected, ensuring consistent application performance at established service levels. Foglight for IBM WebSphere MQ Server monitors the health of the messaging system by tracking MQ objects, such as queue managers, queues, channels, and processes.
There are two methods for monitoring WebSphere MQ Servers using the MQ Agent included in Foglight for IBM WebSphere MQ Server: remote and local (bindings mode). Remote monitoring is the recommended method, and involves deploying both a Foglight for IBM WebSphere MQ Server Agent Manager and an MQ Agent to each WebSphere MQ Queue Manager that you want to monitor. Bindings mode monitoring is only supported in limited situations. For details, see the Foglight for IBM WebSphere MQ Server Release Notes.
The agent may be enabled for local monitoring if remote monitoring is not a suitable option. The following table summarizes the differences between local monitoring, when the agent collects data in bindings mode, and remote monitoring.
 
Table 1. Types of monitoring
Remote monitoring
Local moniotring (Bindings mode)
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Results in fewer monitored objects which increases the performance
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Can report non-availability when the target server is down
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No network communication involved
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No listeners or channels are required
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Less security configuration involved and more secure
Installing Foglight for IBM WebSphere MQ Server is a multi-step process. First, you must configure the queue manager for monitoring. Next, install Foglight for IBM WebSphere MQ Server on the Foglight Management Server and deploy the MQ Agent package. Then you create MQ Agent instances and configure their properties. Finally, you activate the agents, and start their data collection. For details, see the following topics:
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Configuring the queue manager for monitoring
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Installing and enabling Foglight for IBM WebSphere MQ Server
•
Deploying the MQ Agent package to monitored hosts
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Creating MQ Agent instances
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Setting MQ Agent properties
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Activating MQ Agent instances and starting data collection

Configuring the queue manager for monitoring

These topics contain information on the values you need to set on your IBM WebSphere MQ Server to enable Foglight for IBM WebSphere MQ Server to collect data from that environment.
 
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NOTE: For instructions on how to set these values, consult your IBM WebSphere MQ Server documentation. Generic examples are provided in the following sections, but these examples should not be considered recommendations for configuration.
Configuration of each queue manager involves setting the values for the following:
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Event configuration
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Queue statistics configuration
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Online monitoring level
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Authorization for MQ objects
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System objects
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User-Defined (application) objects
Event configuration
To maximize the data available to the MQ Agent, enable the following events on the monitored queue manager:
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Authority
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Inhibit
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Local
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Channel
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Start stop
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Performance
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Channel auto definition
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SSL
These values can be set using the MQ Explorer, the MQSeries commands (MQSC), or the Programmable Command Format (PCF) commands.
For example:
To set the event configuration using MQSC:
alt qmgr AUTHOREV(ENABLED) CHADEV(ENABLED) CHLEV(ENABLED) INHIBTEV(ENABLED) PERFMEV(ENABLED) LOCALEV(ENABLED) SSLEV(ENABLED) REMOTEEV(ENABLED)
Queue statistics configuration
Queue statistics for the monitored queue manager must be enabled.
To enable the statistics configuration using MQSC:
alt qmgr STATQ(ON|OFF)
 
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NOTE: The queue statistics collection should be at least as frequent as the statistics collection configured for the monitoring agent.
For example:
To set the statistics interval to the default of 1800 seconds using MQSC:
alt qmgr STATINT(1800)
Values in the range 1 through 604 800 are valid.
Online monitoring level
The oldest message age metric of a queue depends on its online monitoring settings. In MQ Explorer, in queue properties, the Statistics section contains the Queue Monitoring setting. It can be set to different levels of reporting, including OFF, LOW, MEDIUM, HIGH, and others. Setting this value to LOW or a higher value enables the MQ Agent to report the oldest message age.
Alternatively, you can also inherit the queue manager’s monitoring level by setting the Queue Monitoring value to QMGR, when that value is set to LOW, MEDIUM, or HIGH (found in the Online Monitoring section, Queue Monitoring value).
To set the online monitoring level using MQSC:
alt qmgr MONQ(LOW|MEDIUM|HIGH)
When queue monitoring is disabled for a queue, the MQ Agent generates an alarm, triggered by the Queue Monitoring rule. For more information about this rule, see the User and Reference Guide.
Authorization for MQ objects
The MQ Agent connects to the monitored queue manager as a particular user (defined in your configuration).
IBM WebSphere MQ uses the Message Channel Agent (MCA) User account to authorize users. This is always a user account on the local OS. IBM WebSphere MQ supports group-based authorization and this user account can be included in one of the user groups on the local OS.
In remote data collection mode, the MQ Agent runs under the MCA user ID, specified in the server connection channel in the WebSphere MQ system. If the MCA user ID is left blank, the MQ Agent uses the mqm user account, which grants access permissions to all MQ Agent instances connected through that channel.
In bindings mode, the MQ Agent runs under the MCA user ID that starts the Agent Manager process.
Appropriate access authorization is required for this user and can be configured either through MQ Explorer or using command-line utility, setmqaut. The simplest configuration method is to connect as an mqm user (or a member of the mqm group). In this case, no specific changes to permissions are required.
To set the authority settings:
Refer to the IBM documentation for the Websphere MQ Server version you are using. For example, for MQ 6: http://publib.boulder.ibm.com/infocenter/wmqv6/v6r0/index.jsp?topic=/com.ibm.mq.amqzag.doc/fa13160_.htm
System objects
The following table lists the objects monitored by the MQ Agent instances and the required permissions associated with these objects:
 
Table 2. Objects monitored by the MQ Agent instances
Object
Ideal Permissions
Minimal Permissions
SYSTEM.ADMIN.CHANNEL.EVENT
Browse, Get, Inquire
Browse, Inquire
SYSTEM.ADMIN.COMMAND.QUEUE
Put, Inquire
Put, Inquire
SYSTEM.ADMIN.PERFM.EVENT
Browse, Get, Inquire
Browse, Inquire
SYSTEM.ADMIN.QMGR.EVENT
Browse, Get, Inquire
Browse, Inquire
SYSTEM.ADMIN.STATISTICS.QUEUE
Browse, Get, Inquire
Browse, Inquire
SYSTEM.CHANNEL.INITQ
Inquire
Inquire
SYSTEM.CLUSTER.COMMAND.QUEUE
Display, Inquire
Display, Inquire
SYSTEM.CLUSTER.REPOSITORY.QUEUE
Display, Inquire
Display, Inquire
SYSTEM.CLUSTER.TRANSMIT.QUEUE
Display, Inquire
Display, Inquire
SYSTEM.DEFAULT.MODEL.QUEUE
Display, Get
Display, Get
User-Defined (application) objects
For user-defined objects (such as application queues) the following permissions are required:
 
Table 3. Objects and permissions
Object
Ideal Permissions
Minimal Permissions
Any listener
Display
Display
Dead-letter queue
Inquire
Inquire
Queue manager
Connect, Inquire, Display
Connect, Inquire, Display
User-defined channel
Display
Display
User-defined queue
Display
Display

Installing and enabling Foglight for IBM WebSphere MQ Server

The installation process is common to all Foglight for IBM WebSphere MQ Server cartridges. You must first install the cartridge *.car file and then deploy one or more agents before using Foglight for IBM WebSphere MQ Server.
 
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NOTE: If you are uprading from a previous version of Foglight for IBM WebSphere MQ Server, see Upgrading Foglight for IBM WebSphere MQ Server .
Foglight for IBM WebSphere MQ Server is distributed in a .car file, MQ-<version>.car. Installing the cartridge file on the Management Server adds the capabilities for monitoring IBM WebSphere MQ Server systems to your Foglight for IBM WebSphere MQ Server environment. Next, the cartridge must be enabled. Enabling the cartridge causes its components to be available for use by Foglight for IBM WebSphere MQ Server. When the cartridge is installed and enabled, all of its components become part of the Management Server.
For instructions for installing and enabling the cartridge, see “Installing Foglight for IBM WebSphere MQ Server cartridges” in the Foglight Administration and Configuration Help.
To view the Foglight for IBM WebSphere MQ Server:
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On the navigation panel, under Dashboards, click Administration > Cartridges > Cartridge Inventory.
After installing and enabling the cartridge, you must deploy the MQ Agent package to each host that you want to monitor.
 
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NOTE: When considering a group of IBM WebSphere MQ Servers that you want to monitor, even if the servers host clustered queues, you must configure a separate MQ Agent instance for each server. For more information, see Deploying the MQ Agent package to monitored hosts.

Deploying the MQ Agent package to monitored hosts

The MQ Agent collects data from monitored hosts. After installing and enabling the cartridge on the Management Server, you must deploy the MQ Agent package to each host that you want to monitor.
The MQ Agent uses the Foglight Agent Manager to communicate with the Foglight Management Server. Each monitored host must have an Agent Manager installed before the MQ Agent package can be deployed to that host. For more information about installing the Agent Manager on monitored hosts, see the Foglight Agent Manager Guide.
The following procedure describes the process of deploying the MQ Agent package using the Agent Status dashboard in the Foglight browser interface. This dashboard is useful for deploying the agent package one host at a time. Alternatively, to deploy the MQ Agent package to multiple hosts, you can use the Agent Hosts dashboard. For more information, see the Foglight Administration and Configuration Guide.
You can also deploy agent packages through the fglcmd command-line interface. For information about the available fglcmd commands, see the Command-Line Reference Guide.
To deploy the MQ Agent package:
1
On the navigation panel, under Dashboards, click Administration > Agents > Agent Status.
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On the Agent Status dashboard, click Deploy Agent Package (in the lower-left corner).
The Deploy Agent Package dialog box opens.
 
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NOTE: An Agent Manager must be installed and running on the host in order for you to deploy an agent package to that host.
3
In the Deploy Agent Package dialog box, select the host that you want the MQ Agent to monitor in the Host list.
4
From the Package list, select MQ.gar.
5
Click Deploy.
The Deploy Agent Package dialog box refreshes. A green check mark in the Status column indicates a successful deployment.
If agent deployment is not successful, see the online help for the Agent Status dashboard for troubleshooting information.
6
Click OK to close the Deploy Agent Package dialog box.
From here, you can proceed to create one or more MQ Agent instances. For more information, see Creating MQ Agent instances.
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