Introduction › WebSphere MQ Concepts and Terminology › Client Types

Client Types

WebSphere MQ provides two ways to accept MQI requests from an application program. They are:

• Locally

  A WebSphere MQ server is a fully capable queue manager, able to process any request it receives.

• Remotely

  The WebSphere MQ server accepts MQI calls that originate from application programs executing on different physical machines. This mechanism requires those applications to use the WebSphere MQ client software.

  The WebSphere MQ Client software is provided as part of the WebSphere MQ product and can be installed on a machine without having to install an entire WebSphere MQ queue manager. This client software accepts MQI requests from application programs, and passes the MQI requests to a WebSphere MQ server executing on another processor. When a client application component issues an MQI call, the client formats the parameter values of the call into an MQI request and sends the request to the server. The server receives the request, performs the action specified in the request, and sends a response back to the client.

Note: Whether the WebSphere MQ application is a client or server, the MQI remains the same and the application code does not change. However, it is the library used at link-edit time that determines if the application communicates with a WebSphere MQ server directly or uses the WebSphere MQ client software.