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Troubleshooting the IBM MQ Monitoring Agent

Easily resolve IBM MQ monitoring issues with Nodinite. On this page, you will:

  • ✅ Find solutions to common IBM MQ monitoring errors and configuration problems
  • ✅ Get step-by-step troubleshooting guidance for rapid resolution
  • ✅ Learn how to add queue managers, fix authorization, and handle diagnostics
  • ✅ Access expert support and resources for seamless monitoring

If you cannot solve an issue, contact our Support or email support@nodinite.com.

Quickly find the answers you need:

Table: IBM MQ Troubleshooting Topics Index

Issue Page Details
Authorization Errors This page MQRC_NOT_AUTHORIZED solutions
Queue Manager Configuration This page Adding queue managers
PCF Commands & Permissions FAQ - About PCF Commands Understanding command flow, security model
Temporary Queue Accumulation FAQ - About PCF Commands AMQ.* queue issues and workarounds
SSL/TLS Certificate Issues FAQ - SSL Certificate Configuration Certificate setup and troubleshooting
Legacy Agent Configuration FAQ - SSL Certificate Configuration AMQMDNET.DLL binding (v5.4-v7.0.3 only)

MQRC_NOT_AUTHORIZED

When you log in to the IBM MQ Broker, the Nodinite IBM MQ Monitoring agent may receive an MQRC_NOT_AUTHORIZED error. You will see this error in the Monitor Views and in the rolling Diagnostics file.

See the Prerequisites - IBM MQ User Rights page for detailed information on resolving this error.

How do I add IBM MQ queue managers to monitoring with Nodinite?

You can add any number of IBM MQ queue managers for Nodinite to monitor, as long as you have the proper access rights. Simply follow the steps in the Configuration user guide.

Info

You must be part of the Nodinite Administrators role to perform the Remote Configuration.

IT29139: PCF response messages are written to the dead letter queue when .NET application uses PCF commands

The monitoring agent sends PCF request messages. Due to a bug in IBM MQ, you might need to apply a fix pack AND add an environment variable to the host with the agent.

See the FAQ - About PCF Commands page for detailed information about PCF mechanics. To resolve this specific issue:

  1. Apply the fix pack if required
  2. If you have the fix-pack, or another version of the IBM MQ Server, create a new Environment variable MQ_ENABLE_STRICT_PCF_RESPONSE_CHECKING.
  3. Set the value to true (or any value according to the IBM support article)
  4. Restart the agent

Temporary AMQ.* queues

If temporary dynamic queues are accumulating in your Queue Manager, see the FAQ - About PCF Commands page for:

  • Understanding why temporary queues are created (PCF command response mechanism)
  • Troubleshooting queue accumulation issues
  • Solutions for specific IBM MQ versions
  • RegEx patterns to filter system queues from monitoring

Quick reference: To avoid issues, use the Filter System Queues checkbox in agent configuration to exclude SYSTEM.* queues from monitoring.

Legacy: How do I specify which version of AMQMDNET.DLL to use?

For detailed information about assembly binding configuration for legacy agents, see the FAQ - SSL Certificate Configuration page, which includes historical guidance on AMQMDNET.DLL version specification for agents v5.4 through v7.0.3.

Warning

This applies to agent versions v5.4 through v7.0.3 only (using .NET Framework 4.8). Current versions (v7.0.4+) using .NET 10 do NOT require assembly binding configuration—this issue is obsolete for modern agent versions.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How often does the monitoring agent check queue depths and message ages?
A: Polling interval is configurable (typically 60-300 seconds). You set this in the agent Configuration. More frequent polling detects issues faster but consumes more MQ resources; choose interval based on business urgency of your queues.

Q: If a queue manager goes offline, what happens to all its queues in monitoring?
A: All resources on that queue manager immediately report "Unavailable" state because the agent cannot query them. This creates one visible critical issue. When the queue manager restarts, the agent reconnects automatically; all resources report their actual state (OK or Error) within 1-2 polling cycles.

Q: Can I suppress alerts for specific queues I don't want to monitor?
A: Yes. Use the Expected State feature to mark queues as not monitored or expected to be in a specific state (e.g., "Stopped"). The queue remains discovered but alert generation respects your expected state setting.

Q: What if I want to monitor a queue during business hours but not at night?
A: Time-based monitoring is typically implemented via Alarm Plugin configuration (alert rules) rather than agent configuration. Configure alert rules to activate during business hours; after-hours threshold breaches are logged but not escalated.

Q: Does the monitoring agent require MQ admin rights?
A: No. The MQ user account must have PCF (Programmable Command Format) query permissions to read queue properties, but does NOT need MQADMIN or mqm group membership. This supports your goal of delegating monitoring without granting admin rights. See Prerequisites for exact user permissions required.

Q: How do I troubleshoot a queue showing "Unavailable" state?
A: Check the Monitoring page for resource state diagnostics. Common causes: queue manager offline, network connectivity broken, MQ user lacks permission, SSL/TLS certificate issues. Review MQ error logs and agent logs to pinpoint the root cause.

See Also

For more detailed information on specific topics: