Redbooks

Some of the clients I visit aren't aware of the IBM Redbook site (and programme).

Check it out here: http://www.redbooks.ibm.com/

So... what are they and how do they differ to the product manuals?

The answer comes from how Redbooks are written: experienced professionals from the field (both inside and outside IBM) are brought together at an IBM location for about five weeks - and they do nothing else but work on the book. They bring their individual areas of expertise (e.g. project life-cycle, transactionality, testing techniques, inside knowledge of a product, etc., etc) and work together to write a book on a specific topic.

Examples in the WBI world include:

• Introduction to MQ Workflow
• Using WBI Modeler and Monitor
• Migration to Message Broker v5
• Interchange Server Performance Tuning tips
• And more!

Even better, you can get involved yourself. They mean it when they say they want business partners and clients to join in.

One of the locations is Hursley in Winchester, UK. I used to be based there so I have a soft spot for it in my heart...

It even has its own on-site clubhouse :-) Picture

2085, 2033, 2009, arghhhh!

Have you ever had an MQ application give an error message with a four digit code like '2085', or '2033' and wished you could quickly find out what the problem was?

Try this:

Pull up a command window (or unix shell prompt) and type:

mqrc 2085

Hey presto:

C:\Documents and Settings\brownr1>mqrc 2085

2085 0x00000825 MQRC_UNKNOWN_OBJECT_NAME

If you want more information on a message, the cross-platform MQ books are here:

http://www-306.ibm.com/software/integration/mqfamily/library/manualsa/manuals/crosslatest.html

and the error messages book, in particular, is here:

http://publibfp.boulder.ibm.com/epubs/html/amqzao04/amqzao04tfrm.htm

What does this blog cover?

I am a consultant working for IBM's Software Services for WebSphere organisation. I visit clients throughout Europe, Africa and the Middle-East.

The products I support include:

• WebSphere MQ (formerly known as MQSeries)
• WebSphere Business Integration Message Broker (formerly known as MQSI)
• WebSphere Interchange Server
• WebSphere MQ Workflow
• WebSphere Business Integration Modeler
• WebSphere Business Integration Monitor

In a previous role, I worked in the product development lab, on the Message Broker product.

In the course of my work, I pick up tips and tricks for working with these products. I want to share them here in this blog.

As I've written above, please note that this is not an IBM website and all opinions are my own!