IBM WebSphere Message Broker Message Monitoring, Auditing, Record and Replay. Tim Kimber WebSphere Message Broker Development IBM Hursley Park, UK

(1)

IBM WebSphere Message Broker

Message Monitoring, Auditing, Record and Replay

Tim Kimber

WebSphere Message Broker Development

1

WebSphere Message Broker Development

IBM Hursley Park, UK

(2)

Agenda

Overview of Monitoring

Monitoring support in WebSphere Message Broker

Configuring monitoring events

(3)

Agenda

Overview of Monitoring

Record and Replay in WebSphere Message Broker V8

(4)

Business critical applications and in-flight data

Business applications rely on information exchange

– Application to application communication represents business interactions – E.g. Web to Order system, Warehouse to Distribution, Payments to Accounts

Business data passes through the ESB

– Message Broker has full visibility of the data content in any format

– Uniquely positioned to report on the status of the business data as it is being – Uniquely positioned to report on the status of the business data as it is being

processed

– Can emit events containing relevant data as well as the success of failure of transactions

– Supports Business Activity Monitoring (BAM), auditing or data capture for potential later replay

(5)

What is Business Activity Monitoring?

Ability to monitor your business

performance

– Giving a real-time view of what is happening in your business – Identifying problems in your

business processes

– Opportunity to improve your business processes and business competitiveness business competitiveness

A way of making the business more

transparent

– Allows evidence-based decision making

– “X-Ray for business processes”

WebSphere Business Monitor

– A BAM software product that subscribes to business events and displays the event

information in a dashboard.

(6)

Business Activity Monitoring

Why?

– Decision-makers need Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

Where?

– Best source for KPIs are the applications which run the business

– The ESB has visibility of all – The ESB has visibility of all

of those applications

How?

– A Monitor Model describes how to process events and how to collect the

information in dashboards. – Applications can send the

monitoring events which are collected by Business

Monitor.

(7)

Agenda

Monitoring support in WebSphere Message Broker

(8)

Monitoring support in Message Broker

Events are published to an MQ topic

– To allow multiple subscribers

– To allow each subscriber to choose the level of granularity • Domain / Broker / Execution group / Message flow

Event format is XML (published schema)

– Designed to be compatible with CBE

– Allows message broker to integrate with other monitoring applications

– Allows entire message to be captured and logged to a database for audit purposes

Events can be forwarded to monitoring tools, e.g. WebSphere Business Monitor

– A WBM message driven bean is provided with the monitoring sample

– The bean is hosted on a WebSphere Application Server and wraps the message broker event with a Common Base Event wrapper and then submits it to the CEI server.

(9)

Monitoring Events

A message flow can emit two kinds of events:

Transaction events

– Each input node in a message flow contains three events sources (in addition to terminal events): • transaction.Start • transaction.End • transaction.Rollback • transaction.Rollback Terminal events

– Any terminal in a message flow can be an event source.

– If the event source is active, it emits an event each time a message passes through the terminal.

All events are optional, and fully configurable

(10)

Event Configuration

Events are configured in two ways:

Via the message flow editor

– Excellent support in message flow editor via Monitoring panel on all nodes.

Via the command line

– Using a monitoring profile configurable service. – Activate monitoring for the flow using

• mqsichangeflowmonitoring -c • mqsichangeflowmonitoring -c – Enable event sources using

• mqsichangeflowmonitoring -i

– Ensure that the event sources are enabled using: • mqsireportflowmonitoring

The use of a monitoring profile configurable service overrides the monitoring properties of a

message flow.

The monitoring profile can be used to customize events without re-deploying the message

(11)

Notes

Terminal events

– Event is only emitted if the message passes through the terminal in a forward

direction

– Events for error conditions should be configured on the nodes attached to the

failure/catch terminals of the input node(s)

Configuration

– Purposely designed to be administered without the toolkit

• So command-line / monitoring profile can do anything that the toolkit can

do do

• …and toolkit config can be exported as monitoring profile to ease the

transition ( see later slide re: mqsireportflowmonitoring )

(12)

Monitoring event format details

EventData MessageFlowData EventIdentity EventSequence EventCorrelation broker executionGroup EventPointData localTransactionId parentTransactionId globalTransactionId creationTime counter eventName brokerName / uuid executionGroupName / uuid SimpleContent ComplexContent messageFlow node ApplicationData BitstreamData Encoding Bitstream flowName / uuid nodeName terminalName name value dataType name

(13)

Notes

EventPointData/EventData

– Provides the 3 main items of data for a monitoring application

• Identity, Correlation, Sequence

EventPointData/MessageFlowData

– Should be self-explanatory – no surprises here

ApplicationData

– Can come from message headers or body

– Automatically included as XML, even if source message was non-XML

– If the XPath/ESQL returned a simple element, it is placed in simpleContent, else

it goes into complexContent it goes into complexContent

BitstreamData

(14)

Agenda

Configuring monitoring events Configuring monitoring events

(15)

Configuring monitoring events using the toolkit

(16)

Notes

Note the Monitoring page in the Properties view

– The canvas of the message flow has been clicked, so it is displaying

configured event sources for the message flow

• not all event sources

– Clicking an individual node would show event sources for that node

How many potential event sources are there in this flow?

– 15 - 3 terminal events on each node(though the compute node could have

more if more output terminals are added) + the 3 transaction events on the input node )

Highlight the Event Source Address column

– ESA is used to address an event source from the command line, or from a

monitoring profile. It will be unique within a message flow, provided that the flow does not contain duplicate node names.

Terminals highlighted in red have events

(17)

Configuring monitoring events using the toolkit

These event sources are internal to the input node. They are not located on a

terminal

(18)

Configuring monitoring events using the toolkit

(19)

Configuring monitoring events using the toolkit

(20)

(21)

Configuring: Adding an event to a node

Select the event source. Input nodes include the special ‘transaction’ event sources

(22)

Configuring: Customizing an event

The event name can be a literal value, or can be literal value, or can be extracted from the message payload using an

(23)

Configuring: Adding a filter to an event

XPath expression to indicate if this event should be emitted or not

(24)

Configuring: Adding a filter to an event (2)

Expression evaluates to

– True – event emitted – False – event not emitted

Evaluated at runtime

Set on event source definition

Expression can reference fields from anywhere in the message assembly

XPath expression builder support available

(25)

Notes:

Event Filter section in the Monitoring tab (V7 onwards)

Enables user to filter out events which do not match a business rule. So events can

be filtered at Message Broker rather than emitting to Business Monitor and filtering there - which will help performance

The event filter can be set to a numeric, boolean or string XPath expression which will

evaluate to boolean true or false. Typically the result of an a = 'b' or x > 'y' type test

– If the expression evaluates to true then events are emitted

– If the expression evaluates to false then events are not emitted

(26)

Customizing an event – bitstream data

Click here to add part or all of the bitstream

(27)

Customizing an event – bitstream data

Include headers, body or entire

(28)

Customizing an event – bitstream data

Encode bitstream as hexBinary, base64 or

(29)

Notes

CData format for bitstream

– Not safe unless you know that the XML is free from invalid characters

• NB: CData does not protect you from invalid XML characters

– So not usually safe for use with ‘All’

• Because that will include headers which may contain binary data.

– Recommendation: Use CData encoding with care, and only with content set to

(30)

When to include bitstream data

Bitstream data for monitoring

– Not expected to be used in standard BAM scenarios.

Bitstream data for auditing

– Events can be captured and written to a database – Often required by compliance bodies

Bitstream data for resubmission

– Used by the ‘Record & Replay’ facility in WMB V8 • More later

For V7 and earlier, WMBTM offering can provide capture/repair/resubmit based on these

(31)

Notes: Command Line: mqsichangeflowmonitoring

mqsichangeflowmonitoring

– activate monitoring for the specified message flow(s)

– set name of monitoring profile to use for the message flow(s)

– enable and disable individual event sources in a message flow

– Multiple event sources can be modified in a single command invocation

(32)

Notes: Command Line: mqsireportflowmonitoring

mqsireportflowmonitoring

– Reports whether monitoring is active, and name of monitoring profile

– report all configured event sources for a single message flow

– report all available event sources in a single message flow

– Export the current monitoring properties as a monitoring profile.

– If monitoring profile is in use, registry contents are written to file

– If node properties are in use, XML is constructed from them

– Tip: Use this to easily construct a monitoring profile, rather than hand-crafting it in a schema editor.

(33)

Notes:

Example output from mqsireportflowmonitoring

Example output from mqsireportflowmonitoring command with –n option

BIP8911I: Monitoring settings for flow 'TotalPurchaseOrderFlow'

in execution group 'EventsEmitter.1' - State?: active, ProfileName: ''.

BIP8912I: Event: 'InputOrder.transaction.Start', Event name: 'InputOrder.Trans ctionStart', Configured?: yes, State?: enabled

BIP8912I: Event: 'InputOrder.transaction.End', Event name: 'InputOrder.Transac BIP8912I: Event: 'InputOrder.transaction.End', Event name: 'InputOrder.Transac ionEnd', Configured?: yes, State?: enabled

BIP8912I: Event: 'InputOrder.transaction.Rollback', Event name: 'InputOrder.Tr nsactionRollback', Configured?: yes, State?: enabled

BIP8912I: Event: 'GoldOrderTotal.terminal.in', Event name: 'GoldOrderTotal.InT rminal', Configured?: yes, State?: enabled

BIP8912I: Event: 'RegularOrderTotal.terminal.in', Event name: 'RegularOrderTot l.InTerminal', Configured?: yes, State?: enabled

(34)

Agenda

(35)

Data Recording – provides view of in-flight data for

transfers in MB connected network

Replay Information – to target applications for

Message Broker Version 8 Record and Replay

New Message Broker feature to enable record and replay in-flight data

Universal support for file, messaging, web service, ERP & other data

Browser tooling for access to end users, auditors and administrators

Multiple data formats (binary, text, XML)

Replay Information – to target applications for

resubmission or redelivery processing

Multiple sources and targets – WMB handles

messages, databases, SAP, JMS and more…

Broad Range of Data Formats – Handles binary,

text and XML message formats

Web based tooling – graphical facilities for record,

edit and replay; no need to program

Secure – sensitive information can be encrypted on

the wire as necessary

Source and Target Independent - information

providers and consumers do not require change

Simple Deployment – Integrates with existing

infrastructure

Record and Replay

WebSphere Message Broker

……

Message Database JMS SAP

replay

(36)

High level lifecycle

A TRIGGER occurs that causes message details to be enqueued

The broker will RECORD the message in a database

Web user can QUERY saved messages

1

2

3

Web user can QUERY saved messages

Web user can REPLAY messages to the same or a different source

3

4

(37)

Data source (ODBC)

2

1

_{Message Flow(s)}

WMB V8 Broker

Web User HTTP/ REST

3

4

(38)

Business Activity Monitoring – message emission

WMB’s existing Business Monitoring framework

provides a way of capturing messages

– Configure event emission at design time or operationally

– Customisable payload allows you to capture entire bit-streams or only the message

elements you require

– Messages are emitted to a queue

The ‘Record’ part of this feature builds on this

BAM framework

1

(39)

Message record

Configure the broker to listen for these emitted

messages

– Execution groups will asynchronously copy the messages to a target data source

– Execution group properties (via configurable service):

2

Monitoring Topic Target data source

$SYS/#/FLOW1 _AUDITDB

$SYS/#/FLOW2 _AUDITDB

… _…

Scalable solution with flexible recording from

multiple execution groups to multiple datasources

Design allows for future implementation of

tracking and auditing of messages that are not sent through WMB (e.g. XI50, custom

applications)

(40)

(41)

Querying messages

Connect to the broker from a web browser to list

available messages

Sophisticated filters to narrow down to just the

messages you are interested in

– e.g. by transaction, by message ID, by time

Fully secured access (including encryption) using

existing facilities (e.g. HTTPS)

– Design allows for future role based access to transactions and destinations.

Uses a new public REST API (more on this later)

3

Uses a new public REST API (more on this later)

– This allows you to develop your own web interfaces, for custom branding and

(42)

Replaying messages

Web UI provides an option to submit selected message(s) to an MQ queue

– for reprocessing in a message flow (either the same or different) – for retransmission directly to the destination application

Destinations predefined by administrator

– Named set of MQ queues

4

User selects message(s) and the target destination, and the broker will redeliver

automatically.

Remember that not all of the message payload may have been captured

– If you replay messages back to the original point of capture, or to a target application make sure that you record the entire bitstream!

(43)

Replaying messages to an application

Replay messages directly to an application

– Request redelivery from the web UI or custom REST application – The target application can request redelivery direct from the broker – Intermediate message flow not required!

4 WMB

HTTP/ REST Destination Name Destination Type Destination parameters MYDEST MQ MYTARGETAPP.INPUTQ … …

“Deliver MSGID ‘x’ to destination ‘MYDEST’

WMB

(44)

Replaying messages to a message flow

Replay to the same or a different node

– Define available entry points operationally

Replay scenarios may require a different path

through the message flow

– You may need to write your message flow differently to cope with replay

4

Destination Name Destination Type Destination parameters

MYDEST2 MQ myeg / myflow / ‘Replay Input’ node

(45)

Flexible system design

Supports full multiplicity of all components

– Can configure multiple recorders, re-players, viewers – Highly scalable

– Minimal performance impact

Event emission from v7 brokers supported

Different datasources to support different QoS

Broker 1

Recording

Broker 1

Broker 2

Broker n

Viewing

Broker

Recording

Broker

REST Events

(46)

New Web Interface

In V7, the broker includes a HTTP listener for

remote administration of service proxies (service federation management)

V8 has extended this listener to include general

broker administration capabilities

– Including providing the interface for Record

WMB V8 Broker

HTTP/ REST

– Including providing the interface for Record and Replay

Accessed through a zero-footprint general

purpose administration web UI

– Initially provided as a product sample – Built on Record and Replay web UI

The interface this web UI uses will be made an

external product interface and use standard technology throughout

– e.g. REST

– Complements existing CMP interface

Web User

(47)

The REST Administration Interface

The web browser communicates with the broker through a series of REST verbs

– The URI identifies the object being manipulated

– Options on the URI describe parameters addressing the object (e.g. filters) – HTTP payload provides details of the object

– Lists of objects returned

WMB V8 Broker

http/s port

Web User

GET /admin/eg/MYEGNAME

(48)

Summary

Message Broker has built-in support for Business Activity Monitoring

– Designed for WebSphere Business Monitor / CBE integration – Highly configurable

– Can be administered without the toolkit

– Also supports audit, capture/replay scenarios

WMB Record and Replay addresses significant recurring problemsWMB Record and Replay addresses significant recurring problems

– Create or populate System of Record

– Repair malformed data for resubmission without original data source – Replay historical data to target systems for reprocessing

Feature Rich

– Record in-flight data: messages, files, services… – Query, View & Edit captured data