IBM MQ 9.2.2 is our first Continuous Delivery update following the 9.2 Long Term Support release. This starts the ball rolling on the next series of Continuous Delivery updates for IBM MQ product offerings. Here are your MQ and MQ Appliance options at this point:
- IBM MQ and IBM MQ Appliance 9.2
- IBM MQ and IBM MQ Appliance 9.1
- IBM MQ 9.0 (There is no MQ Appliance 9.0 LTS firmware level)
- IBM MQ Appliance M2001 hardware - IBM MQ Appliance support lifecycle
New MQ Appliance M2002 models will ship with the 9.2 LTS firmware onboard by default, but you can move at any time to the CD firmware if there is function of interest.
Where can I get IBM MQ 9.2.2 from?
MQ 9.2.2 delivers concurrently on distributed platforms, MQ for z/OS, MQ Appliance and IBM MQ on IBM Cloud managed service platforms. For any queries about what each Program entitles you to install check out the MQ license information page.
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What’s new in the MQ 9.2.2 CD release?
IBM MQ and MQ Appliance 9.2.2 announcement letters:
MQ on IBM Cloud
MQ updates on distributed platforms
- New ordering options
New ordering options for non-production workloads can enable clients to deploy MQ Advanced at a reduced cost in development and test environments.
- Cloud Pak for Integration technical preview code
Using the IBM MQ Advanced certified container within IBM Cloud Pak for Integration, a new high availability solution for MQ can be evaluated. Native HA is an integrated three-way data replication with quorum for individual queue managers, offering an embedded solution for clients deploying container-based queue managers to Cloud Pak for Integration. This release of the native HA capability is available for technical preview purposes only and is not supported for either production or non-production uses.
- MQ Managed File Transfer enhancements
- New commands to start and stop a MFT Resource Monitor without needing to also needing to restart the MFT agent
- Assets to create and deploy a MFT agent container image in Red Hat OpenShift and Docker environments. This includes a non-warranted image in DockerHub for development use.
- MQ Advanced Message Security enhancements
- Increased protection for C client passwords.
- Replicated Data Queue Manger (RDQM) enhancements
- Failed resource action identification and resolution: Failed resource actions, which can prevent queue manager failover or result in a queue manager running in a nonpreferred location, can be displayed and resolved using dedicated commands.
- Last in sync time: The last in sync time is reported for HA and DR when nodes are not in sync, which can help with problem determination and recovery.
MQ for z/OS
IBM intends to deliver:
- MQ SMF data improvements
For clients familiar with IBM System Management Facilities (SMF) as the standard for IBM z/OS monitoring data, there is growing interest in how SMF can be processed by analytics and machine learning tools to provide operational insight and early warning of potential issues. In future continuous delivery releases, IBM intends to deliver capabilities to provide more streamlined MQ SMF data to support using these tools while reducing computational overheads. These capabilities are intended to provide finer-grained intervals for stats and accounting data, with the ability to set each of these independently.
- A growing number of clients are connecting MQ clients from the cloud directly into their mainframes. Memory constraints limit the number of clients that can connect into a single IBM MQ for z/OS queue manager, which may cause unnatural topologies and additional overhead for tuning and monitoring. In future continuous delivery releases, IBM intends to deliver capabilities designed to relieve some of these constraints. The intent is to move some of the required storage for the channel initiator into 64-bit storage.
Statements by IBM regarding its plans, directions, and intent are subject to change or withdrawal without notice at the sole discretion of IBM. Information regarding potential future products is intended to outline general product direction and should not be relied on in making a purchasing decision. The information mentioned regarding potential future products is not a commitment, promise, or legal obligation to deliver any material, code, or functionality. Information about potential future products may not be incorporated into any contract. The development, release, and timing of any future features or functionality described for IBM products remain at the sole discretion of IBM.
MQ Appliance
- Failed resource action identification and resolution
Failed resource actions, which can prevent queue manager failover or result in a queue manager running in a nonpreferred location, can be displayed and resolved using dedicated commands.
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Can I get a copy of IBM MQ for development purposes?
The LearnMQ site is regularly updated with a mix of tutorials and essential getting started information, and offers you the opportunity to earn an IBM MQ Developer Essentials badge.
The full list of Developer download options are below.
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Downloadable resources
A number of MQ components are made available on IBM Fix Central and elsewhere for ease of download. Below are the links to the available components. Where applicable, they will show the latest 9.2 Continuous Delivery (CD) and Long Term Support (LTS) updates for each component. Be sure to know which you require!
Fix packs:
Clients:
Components:
Containers:
Development:
Tip: Try opening the links in a private browsing tab if they don’t correctly resolve.
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MQ System Requirements and documentation
The system requirements are documented at the links below. IBM MQ Continuous Delivery releases are being made available on z/OS, Microsoft Windows, Linux on x86-64, Linux on IBM z Systems, Linux on Little Endian Power (RHEL, SLES and Ubuntu) and AIX.
Further information can be found in the IBM MQ Knowledge Center and the IBM MQ Appliance Knowledge CenterMQ 9.2 operating system support
|
MQ 9.2.2 CD |
MQ 9.2 LTS |
Removed compared to MQ 9.1 |
| AIX |
|
7.1 TL5, 7.2 TL3 |
7.2 TL2 |
| IBM i |
|
7.3, 7.4 |
7.2 |
| Linux |
Added Ubuntu 20.04
|
RHEL 7.6+, 8.0+
SLES 12 SP4, 15 SP1
Ubuntu 18.04
|
RHEL 7.3, 7.4, 7.5
SLES 12 SP2, SP3, 15 SP0
Ubuntu 16.04 |
| Windows |
|
Windows Server 2016, 2019
Windows 10 |
Windows Server 2012 R2
Windows 8.1 |
| z/OS |
|
2.3, 2.4 |
2.2 |
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What function has released in previous updates?
IBM MQ and IBM MQ Appliance 9.2 Long Term Support Release
IBM MQ and IBM MQ Appliance 9.2.1 Continuous Delivery Release
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Remind me how the Continuous Delivery support model works…
Its worth reminding you what the Continuous Delivery support model means for MQ.
- MQ 9.2 LTS is supported for a minimum of 5 years from its availability in July 2020, and will receive fix only updates through fixpacks versioned 9.2.0.1, 9.2.0.2 and so on.
- MQ CD updates will be delivered with the 3rd digit change – 9.2.1, 9.2.2 and so on. Defect support for a CD release is available for 12 months from the availability of the release or while it remains one of the two most recent CD releases, whichever is longer, so you need to keep moving forward with the MQ CD releases.
- MQ CD updates will be delivered with new function enabled by default.
- The IBM MQ FAQ for Long Term Support and Continuous Delivery Releases will hopefully answer most of your questions.
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#whatsnew