Administration overview

Applies To: Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2003 R2, Windows Server 2003 with SP1, Windows Server 2003 with SP2

Administration overview

You administer your Message Queuing network and computers primarily using snap-ins displayed in the Microsoft Management Console (MMC). For a few administrative tasks, you use the Message Queuing Properties dialog box, which can be opened from Computer Management. The following table shows the administrative tools used to manage Message Queuing.

For general information about using MMC and snap-ins, see Microsoft Management Console.

MSMQ Explorer was the administrative tool used to administer MSMQ objects on MSMQ 1.0 computers, but it will not run on Windows 2000, Windows XP, or Windows Server 2003 family computers. For Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 family computers, Message Queuing is administered using the Computer Management, Active Directory Users and Computers, and Active Directory Sites and Services snap-ins in MMC consoles. This section does not discuss how to administer security for Message Queuing. For more information, see Message Queuing security overview.

Using snap-ins to administer Message Queuing

Three snap-ins are used to manage Message Queuing. The Computer Management snap-in gives you access to local queue and message information. The Active Directory Users and Computers snap-in and the Active Directory Sites and Services snap-in give you access to information in Active Directory for routing configurations, computers, queues, and other Message Queuing objects throughout your Windows Server 2003 family forest. For more information on the objects associated with Message Queuing, see Message Queuing and Active Directory.

Most Message Queuing objects appear in the console tree (usually the left pane) of the MMC console displaying the snap-ins. When you want to view the properties for a particular Message Queuing object, you can usually right-click the object in the console tree, and then click Properties. The details pane (usually the right pane) of the MMC console displaying the snap-ins typically shows the name, type, and properties (using columns) of Message Queuing objects.

Active Directory replication can delay the display of information updates, so changes you make using a snap-in do not appear until after replication takes place. For example, when you add a queue to a computer in site C from a computer in site B, you do not see the change in the applicable snap-in until the change has been replicated from site C to site B. You can press F5 after making a change to refresh the information displayed in the snap-in.

Computer Management snap-in

The Computer Management snap-in can be used to perform many of the daily administrative tasks involving queues and messages on computers. In fact, it is the only snap-in available to manage Message Queuing in a workgroup environment (not part of a Windows Server 2003 family or Windows 2000 domain).

You can use the Computer Management snap-in to perform the following tasks:

• Create and view private queues and set queue properties.

• View cached public queues (if the local computer has at one time belonged to a domain and had access to Active Directory).

• Pause and resume the operation of an outgoing queue.

• Pause and resume the operation of all outgoing queues for a computer.

• View message properties and purge outgoing messages.

• Manage queues and messages on other computers.

In addition, you can use the Message Queuing Properties dialog box, which can be opened from the Computer Management snap-in, to perform the following local administrative tasks for Message Queuing:

• Specify which local disk drives and folders on which to store message and log files.

• Register, remove, renew, and view user certificates.

• Renew cryptographic keys.

• Specify a new site to which messages will be forwarded for a mobile computer. This applies only to Message Queuing 3.0 computers that belong to a Windows NT 4.0 enterprise and are capable of connecting to MSMQ 1.0 controller servers to access the MQIS database.

Outgoing queues are visible only when using the Computer Management snap-in. They are not displayed in any other snap-in.

The Computer Management snap-in allows you to manage queues and messages on other computers (provided you have administrative permissions for the other computers). For more information on how to manage queues and messages on other computers, see Manage queues on other computers.

You can also manage the queues and messages for all computers in your workgroup (or domain) by creating an MMC console (.msc) file that displays all the applicable computers. For information about creating console files, see Creating consoles.

Note

• You manage Message Queuing in the context of a virtual server in a cluster using the Computer Management snap-in only. In this case, a cluster group object having the name of the Network Name resource of the virtual server is displayed. Message Queuing objects are displayed under this object.

Active Directory Users and Computers snap-in

You can use the Active Directory Users and Computers snap-in to perform the following domain-based administrative tasks for Message Queuing involving Active Directory:

• View all Message Queuing computers and set computer-specific properties.

• Create, view, delete, and find all public queues and set queue properties.

• Create, view, and delete local private queues and set queue properties.

• View message properties and purge messages.

• Send MQPing messages, test messages, and configure message route tracking.

• Create and delete queue aliases as well as view and change their properties.

The shortcut link used in the procedure topics (step 1) to open the Active Directory Users and Computers snap-in opens MMC in author mode. This snap-in must be initially opened in author mode so that you can select the proper view options for displaying all Message Queuing objects in Active Directory. You will note the subsequent step in the procedures:

"On the View menu, click Users, Groups, and Computers as containers, and then click Advanced Features."

You can save these changes so that these views are always enabled by default by creating your own .msc file for this snap-in. In such a case, the first time you open the .msc file that you previously created, on the File menu, click Options, and then select one of the three user mode entries in Console mode. Now the console will subsequently open in the user mode selected with the correct view enabled. Opening a snap-in console in one of the user modes (rather than in author mode) is safer from an administrative standpoint because no one else can potentially change the behavior or the look of the console.

Active Directory Sites and Services snap-in

You can use the Active Directory Sites and Services snap-in to perform the following domain-based administrative tasks for Message Queuing involving Active Directory:

• Create and delete routing links as well as view and set their properties (including the site gates).

• Create foreign sites and foreign computers as well as view and set their properties.

• Set the default lifetime of messages on your network (known as the time-to-reach-queue setting).

The shortcut link used in the applicable procedure topics (step 1) to open the Active Directory Sites and Services snap-in opens MMC in author mode. This snap-in must be initially opened in author mode so that you can select the proper view option for displaying Message Queuing objects in Active Directory. You will note the subsequent step in the procedures:

"On the View menu, click Show Services Node."

Again, you can save these changes so that this view is always enabled by default by creating an .msc file for this snap-in in the manner described previously.

To use Message Queuing to send and receive messages, relevant Message Queuing applications must first be designed, developed, and deployed.