MSMQ Bridge - Case Studies

[Mike W]

Hello,

We are taking a long look at MSMQ Bridge for an upcoming project to talk to
WebSphere MQ. What we are looking for are case studies where this was used
in the real world by other companies. We would like to actually see how well
this solution worked for them, the problems they had, the success stories,
etc.

Ideally we would like to contact companies and discuss over the phone. What
would be the best way to accomplish this. Could someone at Microsoft put us
in touch with clients that have implemented similiar solutions?

[Andrew McLaren]

Hi Mike,

Someone from Microsoft may have sites for you (I sure hope so). But earlier
attempts to find reference sites or case studies for the MSMQ-MQSeries
Bridge haven't been very successful. The Bridge is reliable, performs well,
and is widely used. But - for complex historical and organisational
reasons - the HIS product group in Microsoft have often been left without a
Product Manager. In Microsoft, it's the Product Manager who goes around
organising case studies, reference sites etc (as opposed to Program
Managers, who design the software). No Product Manager == no case studies.
This doesn't reflect anything about the quality or vitality of the Bridge,
or HIS generally - it's just an unfortunate administrative wrinkle in
Microsoft's internal organisation.

I know one large financial organisation here in Australia who has used the
Bridge in heavy-duty, line-of-business enterprise applications for several
years. However, they have specifically refused to be a reference site; they’re
quite secretive about their IT systems. They are processing in the order of
tens of thousands of messages an hour in the middle of the business day, and
they have not had major capacity or reliability problems (as far as I know).
That's pretty vague as anecdotal evidence, but it’s about best I can do.

One question you need to consider (if you haven’t already) is whether to use
the MSMQ-MQSeries Bridge in HIS, or the MQSeries Adapter from BizTalk. If
you are already using BizTalk anywhere in your system, you may be better off
using the BizTalk MQSeries Adapter – it’s a core, in-the-box component of
BizTalk 2006; and it will involve fewer moving parts to integrate WebSphere
MQ. But if you have a pervasive, generalised use of MSMQ in your
infrastructure (which is a Good Thing), you may be better off with the
Bridge: you get MSMQ integration without needing a BizTalk server. The
Bridge is also better for disconnected, asynchronous situations (as opposed
to OLTP scenarios). There's a short paper discussing pros and cons, here:
http://download.microsoft.com/download/9/a/4/9a4def26-8ad6-459e-8169-402c30bb341b/his2004%20msmq%20bridge%20vs.%20biztalk%20adapter%20for%20mqseries%20white%20paper.doc

A Microsoft paper from 2000 describes the performance characteristics of the
MSMQ-MQSeries Bridge - this might help with the capacity planning aspect:
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/archive/host/maintain/msmqper.mspx?mfr=true
Obviously it's slightly dated; but the Bridge hasn’t really changed in HIS
2004 or 2006, so the HIS 2000 numbers will still generally apply.

The hardest thing about the Bridge is installing and configuring it: the
procedure is rather manual and fiddly. Once it is up and running, the Bridge
doesn't require much maintenance - just checking dead-letter queues once in
a while for rejected messages. Otherwise it sits quietly in the rack, and
does its thing year in and year out - it "just works". In addition to the
HIS Online documentation, there was some extra configuration information in
the old HIS 2000 Resource Kit:
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/host/reskit/part3/hisrkc13.mspx?mfr=true
Again, the Bridge hasn't changed in HIS 2004 or 2006, so the Reskit info
still applies.

The biggest problem I have encountered with the Bridge is diagnosing
configuration problems, if any of the Active Directory objects get damaged
or deleted (Foreign Sites, Site Gates etc). In these cases, it is almost
easier to blow away the existing installation and re-install the Bridge from
scratch - trying to repair AD Objects using ADSIEdit becomes a real
nightmare. For this reason, you'll want to have the configuration of your
Bridge well documented, so someone can easily re-create it at short notice
at 2:00am, in an emergency.

Finally, there’s a wealth of useful information about planning, installing,
configuring and repairing the MSMQ-MQSeries Bridge, in Doron Juster’s MSMQ
FAQ Document:
http://download.microsoft.com/download/c/5/3/c531b70d-f7a8-4c9f-a996-4e8abe49e956/msmqFaqpub.doc
This document is an essential reference for all MSMQ administrators and
developers.

Other folks may have extra info for you; I hope this helps a bit.

Regards
Andrew McLaren

[Mike W]

Thank you, this was quite helpful.

Post by Andrew McLaren
Hi Mike,
Someone from Microsoft may have sites for you (I sure hope so). But earlier
attempts to find reference sites or case studies for the MSMQ-MQSeries
Bridge haven't been very successful. The Bridge is reliable, performs well,
and is widely used. But - for complex historical and organisational
reasons - the HIS product group in Microsoft have often been left without a
Product Manager. In Microsoft, it's the Product Manager who goes around
organising case studies, reference sites etc (as opposed to Program
Managers, who design the software). No Product Manager == no case studies.
This doesn't reflect anything about the quality or vitality of the Bridge,
or HIS generally - it's just an unfortunate administrative wrinkle in
Microsoft's internal organisation.
I know one large financial organisation here in Australia who has used the
Bridge in heavy-duty, line-of-business enterprise applications for several
years. However, they have specifically refused to be a reference site; they’re
quite secretive about their IT systems. They are processing in the order of
tens of thousands of messages an hour in the middle of the business day, and
they have not had major capacity or reliability problems (as far as I know).
That's pretty vague as anecdotal evidence, but it’s about best I can do.
One question you need to consider (if you haven’t already) is whether to use
the MSMQ-MQSeries Bridge in HIS, or the MQSeries Adapter from BizTalk. If
you are already using BizTalk anywhere in your system, you may be better off
using the BizTalk MQSeries Adapter – it’s a core, in-the-box component of
BizTalk 2006; and it will involve fewer moving parts to integrate WebSphere
MQ. But if you have a pervasive, generalised use of MSMQ in your
infrastructure (which is a Good Thing), you may be better off with the
Bridge: you get MSMQ integration without needing a BizTalk server. The
Bridge is also better for disconnected, asynchronous situations (as opposed
http://download.microsoft.com/download/9/a/4/9a4def26-8ad6-459e-8169-402c30bb341b/his2004%20msmq%20bridge%20vs.%20biztalk%20adapter%20for%20mqseries%20white%20paper.doc
A Microsoft paper from 2000 describes the performance characteristics of the
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/archive/host/maintain/msmqper.mspx?mfr=true
Obviously it's slightly dated; but the Bridge hasn’t really changed in HIS
2004 or 2006, so the HIS 2000 numbers will still generally apply.
The hardest thing about the Bridge is installing and configuring it: the
procedure is rather manual and fiddly. Once it is up and running, the Bridge
doesn't require much maintenance - just checking dead-letter queues once in
a while for rejected messages. Otherwise it sits quietly in the rack, and
does its thing year in and year out - it "just works". In addition to the
HIS Online documentation, there was some extra configuration information in
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/host/reskit/part3/hisrkc13.mspx?mfr=true
Again, the Bridge hasn't changed in HIS 2004 or 2006, so the Reskit info
still applies.
The biggest problem I have encountered with the Bridge is diagnosing
configuration problems, if any of the Active Directory objects get damaged
or deleted (Foreign Sites, Site Gates etc). In these cases, it is almost
easier to blow away the existing installation and re-install the Bridge from
scratch - trying to repair AD Objects using ADSIEdit becomes a real
nightmare. For this reason, you'll want to have the configuration of your
Bridge well documented, so someone can easily re-create it at short notice
at 2:00am, in an emergency.
Finally, there’s a wealth of useful information about planning, installing,
configuring and repairing the MSMQ-MQSeries Bridge, in Doron Juster’s MSMQ
http://download.microsoft.com/download/c/5/3/c531b70d-f7a8-4c9f-a996-4e8abe49e956/msmqFaqpub.doc
This document is an essential reference for all MSMQ administrators and
developers.
Other folks may have extra info for you; I hope this helps a bit.
Regards
Andrew McLaren

[unknown]

Hi Andrew,

I am afraid that I am not MSMQ Administrator but I am trying to configure MSMQ in our Domain.

My problem is that when I am going to configure 'site gates' in 'Active Directory Sites and Services', then our server name is not appear in pop-up window.
My server is not domain controller.

I am following below MS link to configure MSMQ -
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ee267439(v=BTS.10).aspx

Could you please help me on this issue ?

any help will help us to achiev our targets.

Regards
Sachin



Andrew McLaren wrote:

Hi Mike,Someone from Microsoft may have sites for you (I sure hope so).
08-May-07

Hi Mike

Someone from Microsoft may have sites for you (I sure hope so). But earlier
attempts to find reference sites or case studies for the MSMQ-MQSeries
Bridge haven't been very successful. The Bridge is reliable, performs well,
and is widely used. But - for complex historical and organisational
reasons - the HIS product group in Microsoft have often been left without a
Product Manager. In Microsoft, it's the Product Manager who goes around
organising case studies, reference sites etc (as opposed to Program
Managers, who design the software). No Product Manager == no case studies.
This doesn't reflect anything about the quality or vitality of the Bridge,
or HIS generally - it's just an unfortunate administrative wrinkle in
Microsoft's internal organisation

I know one large financial organisation here in Australia who has used the
Bridge in heavy-duty, line-of-business enterprise applications for several
years. However, they have specifically refused to be a reference site; they???re
quite secretive about their IT systems. They are processing in the order of
tens of thousands of messages an hour in the middle of the business day, and
they have not had major capacity or reliability problems (as far as I know).
That's pretty vague as anecdotal evidence, but it???s about best I can do

One question you need to consider (if you haven???t already) is whether to use
the MSMQ-MQSeries Bridge in HIS, or the MQSeries Adapter from BizTalk. If
you are already using BizTalk anywhere in your system, you may be better off
using the BizTalk MQSeries Adapter ??? it???s a core, in-the-box component of
BizTalk 2006; and it will involve fewer moving parts to integrate WebSphere
MQ. But if you have a pervasive, generalised use of MSMQ in your
infrastructure (which is a Good Thing), you may be better off with the
Bridge: you get MSMQ integration without needing a BizTalk server. The
Bridge is also better for disconnected, asynchronous situations (as opposed
to OLTP scenarios). There's a short paper discussing pros and cons, here
http://download.microsoft.com/download/9/a/4/9a4def26-8ad6-459e-8169-402c30bb341b/his2004%20msmq%20bridge%20vs.%20biztalk%20adapter%20for%20mqseries%20white%20paper.do

A Microsoft paper from 2000 describes the performance characteristics of the
MSMQ-MQSeries Bridge - this might help with the capacity planning aspect
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/archive/host/maintain/msmqper.mspx?mfr=tru
Obviously it's slightly dated; but the Bridge hasn???t really changed in HIS
2004 or 2006, so the HIS 2000 numbers will still generally apply

The hardest thing about the Bridge is installing and configuring it: the
procedure is rather manual and fiddly. Once it is up and running, the Bridge
doesn't require much maintenance - just checking dead-letter queues once in
a while for rejected messages. Otherwise it sits quietly in the rack, and
does its thing year in and year out - it "just works". In addition to the
HIS Online documentation, there was some extra configuration information in
the old HIS 2000 Resource Kit
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/host/reskit/part3/hisrkc13.mspx?mfr=tru
Again, the Bridge hasn't changed in HIS 2004 or 2006, so the Reskit info
still applies

The biggest problem I have encountered with the Bridge is diagnosing
configuration problems, if any of the Active Directory objects get damaged
or deleted (Foreign Sites, Site Gates etc). In these cases, it is almost
easier to blow away the existing installation and re-install the Bridge from
scratch - trying to repair AD Objects using ADSIEdit becomes a real
nightmare. For this reason, you'll want to have the configuration of your
Bridge well documented, so someone can easily re-create it at short notice
at 2:00am, in an emergency.

Finally, there???s a wealth of useful information about planning, installing,
configuring and repairing the MSMQ-MQSeries Bridge, in Doron Juster???s MSMQ
FAQ Document:
http://download.microsoft.com/download/c/5/3/c531b70d-f7a8-4c9f-a996-4e8abe49e956/msmqFaqpub.doc
This document is an essential reference for all MSMQ administrators and
developers.

Other folks may have extra info for you; I hope this helps a bit.

Regards
Andrew McLaren

Previous Posts In This Thread:

On Friday, May 04, 2007 1:55 PM
Mike wrote:

MSMQ Bridge - Case Studies
Hello,

We are taking a long look at MSMQ Bridge for an upcoming project to talk to
WebSphere MQ. What we are looking for are case studies where this was used
in the real world by other companies. We would like to actually see how well
this solution worked for them, the problems they had, the success stories,
etc.

Ideally we would like to contact companies and discuss over the phone. What
would be the best way to accomplish this. Could someone at Microsoft put us
in touch with clients that have implemented similiar solutions?

On Tuesday, May 08, 2007 4:55 AM
Andrew McLaren wrote:

Hi Mike,Someone from Microsoft may have sites for you (I sure hope so).
Hi Mike,

Someone from Microsoft may have sites for you (I sure hope so). But earlier
attempts to find reference sites or case studies for the MSMQ-MQSeries
Bridge haven't been very successful. The Bridge is reliable, performs well,
and is widely used. But - for complex historical and organisational
reasons - the HIS product group in Microsoft have often been left without a
Product Manager. In Microsoft, it's the Product Manager who goes around
organising case studies, reference sites etc (as opposed to Program
Managers, who design the software). No Product Manager == no case studies.
This doesn't reflect anything about the quality or vitality of the Bridge,
or HIS generally - it's just an unfortunate administrative wrinkle in
Microsoft's internal organisation.

I know one large financial organisation here in Australia who has used the
Bridge in heavy-duty, line-of-business enterprise applications for several
years. However, they have specifically refused to be a reference site; they???re
quite secretive about their IT systems. They are processing in the order of
tens of thousands of messages an hour in the middle of the business day, and
they have not had major capacity or reliability problems (as far as I know).
That's pretty vague as anecdotal evidence, but it???s about best I can do.

One question you need to consider (if you haven???t already) is whether to use
the MSMQ-MQSeries Bridge in HIS, or the MQSeries Adapter from BizTalk. If
you are already using BizTalk anywhere in your system, you may be better off
using the BizTalk MQSeries Adapter ??? it???s a core, in-the-box component of
BizTalk 2006; and it will involve fewer moving parts to integrate WebSphere
MQ. But if you have a pervasive, generalised use of MSMQ in your
infrastructure (which is a Good Thing), you may be better off with the
Bridge: you get MSMQ integration without needing a BizTalk server. The
Bridge is also better for disconnected, asynchronous situations (as opposed
to OLTP scenarios). There's a short paper discussing pros and cons, here:
http://download.microsoft.com/download/9/a/4/9a4def26-8ad6-459e-8169-402c30bb341b/his2004%20msmq%20bridge%20vs.%20biztalk%20adapter%20for%20mqseries%20white%20paper.doc

A Microsoft paper from 2000 describes the performance characteristics of the
MSMQ-MQSeries Bridge - this might help with the capacity planning aspect:
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/archive/host/maintain/msmqper.mspx?mfr=true
Obviously it's slightly dated; but the Bridge hasn???t really changed in HIS
2004 or 2006, so the HIS 2000 numbers will still generally apply.

The hardest thing about the Bridge is installing and configuring it: the
procedure is rather manual and fiddly. Once it is up and running, the Bridge
doesn't require much maintenance - just checking dead-letter queues once in
a while for rejected messages. Otherwise it sits quietly in the rack, and
does its thing year in and year out - it "just works". In addition to the
HIS Online documentation, there was some extra configuration information in
the old HIS 2000 Resource Kit:
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/host/reskit/part3/hisrkc13.mspx?mfr=true
Again, the Bridge hasn't changed in HIS 2004 or 2006, so the Reskit info
still applies.

The biggest problem I have encountered with the Bridge is diagnosing
configuration problems, if any of the Active Directory objects get damaged
or deleted (Foreign Sites, Site Gates etc). In these cases, it is almost
easier to blow away the existing installation and re-install the Bridge from
scratch - trying to repair AD Objects using ADSIEdit becomes a real
nightmare. For this reason, you'll want to have the configuration of your
Bridge well documented, so someone can easily re-create it at short notice
at 2:00am, in an emergency.

Finally, there???s a wealth of useful information about planning, installing,
configuring and repairing the MSMQ-MQSeries Bridge, in Doron Juster???s MSMQ
FAQ Document:
http://download.microsoft.com/download/c/5/3/c531b70d-f7a8-4c9f-a996-4e8abe49e956/msmqFaqpub.doc
This document is an essential reference for all MSMQ administrators and
developers.

Other folks may have extra info for you; I hope this helps a bit.

Regards
Andrew McLaren

On Tuesday, May 08, 2007 9:06 AM
Mike wrote:

Re: MSMQ Bridge - Case Studies
Thank you, this was quite helpful.

"Andrew McLaren" wrote:


Submitted via EggHeadCafe - Software Developer Portal of Choice
Task Parallelism in C# 4.0 with System.Threading.Tasks
http://www.eggheadcafe.com/tutorials/aspnet/21013a52-fe11-4af8-bf8b-50cfd1a51577/task-parallelism-in-c-4.aspx

[Stephen Jackson [MSFT]]

You may not being the same problem, but I found an old support case that had
the same symptoms in a Windows 2000 environment. The problem was resolved by
installing the first MSMQ server on a Domain Controller that was operating
as a Global Catalog (GC) Server. The following is an excerpt from the
Windows 2000 Help file on this topic:

For the first installation of a Message Queuing server in each Windows 2000
site, the applicable domain controller must also be configured as a Global
Catalog server.

The following Message Queuing FAQ document also contains the following
information:

http://download.microsoft.com/download/F/C/9/FC9989A2-DA75-4D96-B654-4BD29CF6AEE1/MSMQ_faq_updated.doc

5.17 I try to add a routing server as site gate to a routing link, but it
does not appear in the list of servers. Why?
That is because of an orphan directory link in the MSMQ Routing Link object.
This happens because of a bug in Message Queuing uninstall functionality.
Consider the following scenario:
1. Add a routing server as site gate to an MSMQ routing link.
2. Uninstall Message Queuing from that routing server, which deletes the
MSMQ configuration object for that computer.
3. Run the ADSIEdit tool, and then review the site gates lists of the
routing link (the mSMQSiteGates attribute of the MSMQ Routing Link object).
You will see a distinguished name similar to cn=msmq\DEL:...
The mSMQSiteGates attribute is a link to the msmqConfiguration object of the
routing server (or set of links to multiple routing servers' objects). When
the msmqConfiguration object is deleted, Active Directory replaces the link
with a link to the deleted object.
There are some bugs in Message Queuing where such links are not deleted when
uninstalling the Message Queuing routing server. In these cases, the links
are converted to links to the deleted msmqConfiguration objects. To remove
these links, you must use the ADSIedit tool. To install the ADSIEdit tool,
follow the instructions in http://support.microsoft.com/kb/301423.
The existence of these links is why other routing servers do not appear in
the list of servers that can be added as site gate.
--
Stephen Jackson
Microsoft® HIS Support

Please do not send e-mail directly to this alias. This alias is for
newsgroup purposes only. This posting is provided "AS IS"
with no warranties, and confers no rights.

Post by unknown
Hi Andrew,
I am afraid that I am not MSMQ Administrator but I am trying to configure
MSMQ in our Domain.
My problem is that when I am going to configure 'site gates' in 'Active
Directory Sites and Services', then our server name is not appear in
pop-up window.
My server is not domain controller.
I am following below MS link to configure MSMQ -
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ee267439(v=BTS.10).aspx
Could you please help me on this issue ?
any help will help us to achiev our targets.
Regards
Sachin
Hi Mike,Someone from Microsoft may have sites for you (I sure hope so).
08-May-07
Hi Mike,
Someone from Microsoft may have sites for you (I sure hope so). But earlier
attempts to find reference sites or case studies for the MSMQ-MQSeries
Bridge haven't been very successful. The Bridge is reliable, performs well,
and is widely used. But - for complex historical and organisational
reasons - the HIS product group in Microsoft have often been left without a
Product Manager. In Microsoft, it's the Product Manager who goes around
organising case studies, reference sites etc (as opposed to Program
Managers, who design the software). No Product Manager == no case studies.
This doesn't reflect anything about the quality or vitality of the Bridge,
or HIS generally - it's just an unfortunate administrative wrinkle in
Microsoft's internal organisation.
I know one large financial organisation here in Australia who has used the
Bridge in heavy-duty, line-of-business enterprise applications for several
years. However, they have specifically refused to be a reference site; they???re
quite secretive about their IT systems. They are processing in the order of
tens of thousands of messages an hour in the middle of the business day, and
they have not had major capacity or reliability problems (as far as I know).
That's pretty vague as anecdotal evidence, but it???s about best I can do.
One question you need to consider (if you haven???t already) is whether to use
the MSMQ-MQSeries Bridge in HIS, or the MQSeries Adapter from BizTalk. If
you are already using BizTalk anywhere in your system, you may be better off
using the BizTalk MQSeries Adapter ??? it???s a core, in-the-box component of
BizTalk 2006; and it will involve fewer moving parts to integrate WebSphere
MQ. But if you have a pervasive, generalised use of MSMQ in your
infrastructure (which is a Good Thing), you may be better off with the
Bridge: you get MSMQ integration without needing a BizTalk server. The
Bridge is also better for disconnected, asynchronous situations (as opposed
http://download.microsoft.com/download/9/a/4/9a4def26-8ad6-459e-8169-402c30bb341b/his2004%20msmq%20bridge%20vs.%20biztalk%20adapter%20for%20mqseries%20white%20paper.doc
A Microsoft paper from 2000 describes the performance characteristics of the
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/archive/host/maintain/msmqper.mspx?mfr=true
Obviously it's slightly dated; but the Bridge hasn???t really changed in HIS
2004 or 2006, so the HIS 2000 numbers will still generally apply.
The hardest thing about the Bridge is installing and configuring it: the
procedure is rather manual and fiddly. Once it is up and running, the Bridge
doesn't require much maintenance - just checking dead-letter queues once in
a while for rejected messages. Otherwise it sits quietly in the rack, and
does its thing year in and year out - it "just works". In addition to the
HIS Online documentation, there was some extra configuration information in
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/host/reskit/part3/hisrkc13.mspx?mfr=true
Again, the Bridge hasn't changed in HIS 2004 or 2006, so the Reskit info
still applies.
The biggest problem I have encountered with the Bridge is diagnosing
configuration problems, if any of the Active Directory objects get damaged
or deleted (Foreign Sites, Site Gates etc). In these cases, it is almost
easier to blow away the existing installation and re-install the Bridge from
scratch - trying to repair AD Objects using ADSIEdit becomes a real
nightmare. For this reason, you'll want to have the configuration of your
Bridge well documented, so someone can easily re-create it at short notice
at 2:00am, in an emergency.
Finally, there???s a wealth of useful information about planning, installing,
configuring and repairing the MSMQ-MQSeries Bridge, in Doron Juster???s MSMQ
http://download.microsoft.com/download/c/5/3/c531b70d-f7a8-4c9f-a996-4e8abe49e956/msmqFaqpub.doc
This document is an essential reference for all MSMQ administrators and
developers.
Other folks may have extra info for you; I hope this helps a bit.
Regards
Andrew McLaren
On Friday, May 04, 2007 1:55 PM
MSMQ Bridge - Case Studies
Hello,
We are taking a long look at MSMQ Bridge for an upcoming project to talk to
WebSphere MQ. What we are looking for are case studies where this was used
in the real world by other companies. We would like to actually see how well
this solution worked for them, the problems they had, the success stories,
etc.
Ideally we would like to contact companies and discuss over the phone.
What
would be the best way to accomplish this. Could someone at Microsoft put us
in touch with clients that have implemented similiar solutions?
On Tuesday, May 08, 2007 4:55 AM
Hi Mike,Someone from Microsoft may have sites for you (I sure hope so).
Hi Mike,
Someone from Microsoft may have sites for you (I sure hope so). But earlier
attempts to find reference sites or case studies for the MSMQ-MQSeries
Bridge haven't been very successful. The Bridge is reliable, performs well,
and is widely used. But - for complex historical and organisational
reasons - the HIS product group in Microsoft have often been left without a
Product Manager. In Microsoft, it's the Product Manager who goes around
organising case studies, reference sites etc (as opposed to Program
Managers, who design the software). No Product Manager == no case studies.
This doesn't reflect anything about the quality or vitality of the Bridge,
or HIS generally - it's just an unfortunate administrative wrinkle in
Microsoft's internal organisation.
I know one large financial organisation here in Australia who has used the
Bridge in heavy-duty, line-of-business enterprise applications for several
years. However, they have specifically refused to be a reference site; they???re
quite secretive about their IT systems. They are processing in the order of
tens of thousands of messages an hour in the middle of the business day, and
they have not had major capacity or reliability problems (as far as I know).
That's pretty vague as anecdotal evidence, but it???s about best I can do.
One question you need to consider (if you haven???t already) is whether to use
the MSMQ-MQSeries Bridge in HIS, or the MQSeries Adapter from BizTalk. If
you are already using BizTalk anywhere in your system, you may be better off
using the BizTalk MQSeries Adapter ??? it???s a core, in-the-box component of
BizTalk 2006; and it will involve fewer moving parts to integrate WebSphere
MQ. But if you have a pervasive, generalised use of MSMQ in your
infrastructure (which is a Good Thing), you may be better off with the
Bridge: you get MSMQ integration without needing a BizTalk server. The
Bridge is also better for disconnected, asynchronous situations (as opposed
http://download.microsoft.com/download/9/a/4/9a4def26-8ad6-459e-8169-402c30bb341b/his2004%20msmq%20bridge%20vs.%20biztalk%20adapter%20for%20mqseries%20white%20paper.doc
A Microsoft paper from 2000 describes the performance characteristics of the
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/archive/host/maintain/msmqper.mspx?mfr=true
Obviously it's slightly dated; but the Bridge hasn???t really changed in HIS
2004 or 2006, so the HIS 2000 numbers will still generally apply.
The hardest thing about the Bridge is installing and configuring it: the
procedure is rather manual and fiddly. Once it is up and running, the Bridge
doesn't require much maintenance - just checking dead-letter queues once in
a while for rejected messages. Otherwise it sits quietly in the rack, and
does its thing year in and year out - it "just works". In addition to the
HIS Online documentation, there was some extra configuration information in
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/host/reskit/part3/hisrkc13.mspx?mfr=true
Again, the Bridge hasn't changed in HIS 2004 or 2006, so the Reskit info
still applies.
The biggest problem I have encountered with the Bridge is diagnosing
configuration problems, if any of the Active Directory objects get damaged
or deleted (Foreign Sites, Site Gates etc). In these cases, it is almost
easier to blow away the existing installation and re-install the Bridge from
scratch - trying to repair AD Objects using ADSIEdit becomes a real
nightmare. For this reason, you'll want to have the configuration of your
Bridge well documented, so someone can easily re-create it at short notice
at 2:00am, in an emergency.
Finally, there???s a wealth of useful information about planning, installing,
configuring and repairing the MSMQ-MQSeries Bridge, in Doron Juster???s MSMQ
http://download.microsoft.com/download/c/5/3/c531b70d-f7a8-4c9f-a996-4e8abe49e956/msmqFaqpub.doc
This document is an essential reference for all MSMQ administrators and
developers.
Other folks may have extra info for you; I hope this helps a bit.
Regards
Andrew McLaren
On Tuesday, May 08, 2007 9:06 AM
Re: MSMQ Bridge - Case Studies
Thank you, this was quite helpful.
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Task Parallelism in C# 4.0 with System.Threading.Tasks
http://www.eggheadcafe.com/tutorials/aspnet/21013a52-fe11-4af8-bf8b-50cfd1a51577/task-parallelism-in-c-4.aspx