Polling type channel properties

This section describes the properties and default values of polling type receive channel protocol. Use this information to define the communication protocols you need to set up receive communication channels.

Applicable properties

The Ordered, Priority, and DetectionOverride properties are used on all applicable channels in this section.

The property default value of "3" sets the Prioritization of messages received into the channel.

RunOnHost for Disk channels

In IEC version x.4.2.0, RunOnHost channel property is explicitly available to OrderAck and EventHub channels. For other channels, you must customize the protocol in PA Advanced menu to be able to set and use RunOnHost.

Running DiskIn/DiskOut in central folder is not always equal to running the same channel on a RunOnHost property, regardless of whether the value is the same host as with central.

Follow these guidelines:

  • If the folder value of DiskIn/DiskOut is absolute, both scenarios will resolve to the same folder in the file system.

  • If the folder value is relative, the central node will resolve the value to the Central File root, while the local process node will resolve the value to its internal directory in the grid installation.

DiskIn

Note: Polling channels DiskIn, FTPPollIn, FTPPollIn2, MSMQIn, and MQSeriesIn will poll only if there is space in the queue. That is, when the receive queue length is less than the maximum length hint.
Property Default value Description
BatchSize 20 Sets the maximum number of messages to process in each run.
SetVariationId 0 Sets the option to include variation ID into the manifest. By default, this is set to Off (0).
DetectionOverride 0

Indicates if a channel is fixed to a particular detection group.

(1-Channel, 2-XML, 3-Flat)

Encoding UTF-8 Encoding used for received files. This is required for flat files.
Folder Input
Note: Add read/write access to Grid Agent logon user. Default user is "Local Service".
  • If the location is relative, the DiskIn and DiskOut folder paths are resolved in the Central File Folder share.If the location is absolute, the DiskIn and DiskOut folder paths are resolved in the Central File Folder host machine.

Data = {a...z | A...Z | 0...9}*. This is the folder to poll.

Ordered 0

Indicates if a channel processes messages in an ordered way.

(1-ordered or 0-not ordered)

PollIntervall 1000

The poll interval in milliseconds.

Data = unsigned integer.

StopTimeOut 0

Sets the waiting time for IEC during a stop before force terminating the channel.

Value is set in milliseconds. The default value 0 disables this feature.

MQSeriesIn

When you use the user ID and password for authentication, or the default SYSTEM.DEFAULT.AUTHINFO.IDPWOS configuration, you must configure the ADOPT attribute to YES.

For more information, see https://www.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/en/SSFKSJ_9.0.0/com.ibm.mq.sec.doc/q113250_.htm.

Note: If the location is absolute, the DiskIn and DiskOutPolling channels DiskIn, FTPPollIn, FTPPollIn2, MSMQIn, and MQSeriesIn will poll only if there is space in the queue. That is, when the receive queue length is less than the maximum length hint.
Property Default value Description
ByteOrderMark 0 1 or 0, usually 0. Mandatory.
Channel

Channel name on the MQSeries server.

Mandatory.

ConnectionRetries 10

An integer that is > 0.

Sets the number of times for plug-in to reconnect to MQSeries, if an error occurs.

ConnectionRetryWait 10000 Number of milliseconds between connection retry.
Convert 0

MQSeriesInConfig.setConvert (true | false)

Applications do not regularly use this request because when a data is retrieved from the message buffer, data conversion is applied.

But when used, this property requests for application data to be converted and conformed to the characterSet and encoding attributes of MQMessage before the data is copied into the message buffer.

Mandatory.

DetectionOverride 0

Indicates if a channel is fixed to a particular detection group.

(1-Channel, 2-XML, 3-Flat)

Encoding UTF-8 Encoding used for received files.
Host Name of the MQSeries server host. Mandatory.
Manager Name of the queue manager to connect to. Mandatory.
MQQueueWait 1000

Sets the MQ GET operation waiting time for a message to arrive on the queue. Value is set in milliseconds.

If no message arrives within the time you specified, plug-in is given a chance to shut down before the queue is polled again.

Port 1414

Port number used by MQSeries. Specify an integer >1024 and <65536.

Mandatory.

Queue MBMIn

Specify the name of the MQSeries queue used.

Mandatory.

Ordered 0

Indicates if a channel processes messages in an ordered way.

(1-ordered or 0-not ordered)

Password The user password to access the server.
ReceiveQueueWait 1000 When IEC's internal queue is full, this property setting determines the MQ plug-in waiting time before trying to receive messages again. The time setting is in milliseconds.
StopTimeOut 0

Sets the waiting time for IEC during a stop before force terminating the channel. Value is set in milliseconds.

The default value 0 disables this feature.

User The user name to access the server.

MSMQIn

Before you can use MSMQIn functionality, you must install the MSMQ Windows component.

Note: When you configure inbound or outbound MSMQ channels, the property configurations must match both ways. In case of a wrong combination, messages can disappear.

Polling channels DiskIn, FTPPollIn, FTPPollIn2, MSMQIn, and MQSeriesIn will poll only if there is space in the queue. That is, when the receive queue length is less than the maximum length hint.

Property Default value Description
Batch Size 10 Sets the maximum number of messages to process in each run.
DetectionOverride 0

Indicates if a channel is fixed to a particular detection group.

(1-Channel, 2-XML, 3-Flat)

Encoding UTF-8 Encoding used for received files.
Ordered 0

Indicates if a channel processes messages in an ordered way.

(1-ordered or 0-not ordered)

PollInterval 1000 Sets the poll interval in milliseconds. Data= unsigned integer.
Queue

Indicates the queue name (generated GUID).

Mandatory.

StopTimeOut 0

Sets the IEC waiting time during a stop before force terminating the channel. Value is set in milliseconds.

The default value 0 disables this feature.

Transactional 1

Indicates if a transaction is used.

1=on, 0=off.

Mandatory.

Use direct format 0

Indicates whether to use direct format or path name.

1=direct format, 0=path name.

The path name compatibility matrix for 32-bit and 64-bit MSMQ shows the receive and send queues.

The recommended MSMQ versions are:

  • Version 6
  • Version 6.3
Note: 
  • IP address is no longer supported.
  • Use domain names instead of IP addresses.
Note: The path name compatibility matrix can work with other versions but you are advised to use only the recommended versions.
Path name
Local Queue Remote Queue
Public Private Public Private
MEC Transactional Non-transactional Transactional Non-transactional Transactional Non-transactional Transactional Non-transactional
Transactional receive Verified okay. Message is processed successfully Verified okay. Message is processed successfully Channel is not running Channel is not running
Non-transactional receive Verified okay. Message is processed successfully Verified okay. Message is processed successfully Verified okay. Message is processed successfully Channel is not running
Transactional send Verified okay. Message is processed successfully Verified okay. Message is processed successfully Sending message is okay.
Non-transactional send Verified okay. Message is processed successfully Verified okay. Message is processed successfully Verified okay. Message is processed successfully

The direct format compatibility matrix for 32-bit and 64-bit MSMQ shows the receive and send queues.

The recommended MSMQ versions are:

  • Version 6
  • Version 6.3
Note: 
  • IP address is no longer supported.
  • Use domain names instead of IP addresses.
Note: The direct format compatibility matrix can work with other versions but you are advised to use only the recommended versions.
Direct format
Local Queue Remote Queue
Public Private Public Private
MEC Transactional Non-transactional Transactional Non-transactional Transactional Non-transactional Transactional Non-transactional
Transactional receive Verified okay. Message is processed successfully Verified okay. Message is processed successfully Channel is not running Channel is not running
Non-transactional receive Verified okay. Message is processed successfully Verified okay. Message is processed successfully Verified okay. Message is processed successfully Channel is not running
Transactional send Verified okay. Message is processed successfully Verified okay. Message is processed successfully Sending message is okay.
Non-transactional send Verified okay. Message is processed successfully Verified okay. Message is processed successfully Verified okay. Message is processed successfully

FTPPollin

Polls an external FTP server

Note: Polling channels DiskIn, FTPPollIn, FTPPollIn2, MSMQIn, and MQSeriesIn will poll only if there is space in the queue. That is, when the receive queue length is less than the maximum length hint.
Property Default value Description
DetectionOverride 0

Indicates if a channel is fixed to a particular detection group.

(1-Channel, 2-XML, 3-Flat)

Encoding UTF-8 Encoding used for received files. This is required for flat files.
Host Remote FTP server name.
Ordered 0

Indicates if a channel processes messages in an ordered way.

(1-ordered or 0-not ordered)

Password The user password to access the server.
PollInterval 1000 Poll interval in milliseconds. Data= unsigned integer.
Port 21 Server port number.
ReceiveDir Folder name on the remote server to poll.
ReadTimeOut 5000 Sets the IEC waiting time for FTP server to respond. Value is set in milliseconds.
StopTimeOut 0

Sets the IEC waiting time during a stop before force terminating the channel. Value is set in milliseconds.

The default value 0 disables this feature.

User The user name to access the server.

FTPPollin2

This protocol is similar to FTPPollin. But FTPPollin2 uses additional flag to toggle between active and passive modes.

Note: Polling channels DiskIn, FTPPollIn, FTPPollIn2, MSMQIn, and MQSeriesIn will poll only if there is space in the queue. That is, when the receive queue length is less than the maximum length hint.
Property Default value Description
ConnectionRetryCount 0 Sets the number of times that the channel will try to reconnect to FTP Server.
DetectionOverride 0

Indicates if a channel is fixed to a particular detection group.

(1-Channel, 2-XML, 3-Flat)

Encoding UTF-8

Encoding used for received files. This is required for flat files.

For example: UTF-8

Host Name of the remote FTP server.
Ordered 0

Indicates if a channel processes messages in an ordered way.

(1-ordered or 0-not ordered)

Password The user password.
PollInterval 1000 Poll interval in milliseconds. Data is unsigned integer.
Port 21

Server port number.

Data= unsigned integer.

ReadTimeOut 5000 Sets the IEC waiting time for the FTP server to respond. Value is set in milliseconds.
ReceiveDir Folder name in the remote server to poll.
RetryInterval 5000 Sets the IEC waiting time before reconnecting to the FTP Server. Value is set in milliseconds.
StopTimeOut 0

Sets the IEC waiting time during a stop before force terminating the channel.

The default value 0 disables this feature. Value is set in milliseconds.

UseActiveMode 1 Indicates the use of FTP active (1) or passive (0) mode.
User The user name to access the server.

FTPScriptPollIn

Use FTPScriptPollIn to easily upload and manage files between hosts.

Property Default value Description
DetectionOverride 0

Indicates if a channel is fixed to a particular detection group.

(1-Channel, 2-XML, 3-Flat).

Encoding

Encoding used for received files. This is required for flat files.

For example: UTF-8

Host Remote FTP server name.
Ordered 0

Indicates if a channel process messages in an ordered manner.

(1-ordered or 0-not ordered)

Password User password.
PollInterval Sets the poll interval. Value is set in milliseconds.
Port 8080 Server port number.
ReadTimeOut 5000

Sets the IEC waiting time for the FTP server to respond. Value is set in milliseconds.

Mandatory.

RecordSeparator Record separator to use for prefixed header.
ScriptFile Number of files to execute.
User User name to access the server.

SFTPPollin

SFTP connection is based on the standard SFTP protocol. This is a secure file transfer protocol using an SSH key. The standard port for SFTP connections is 22.

SFTP connectivity supports ID and password authentication. The SSH public key authentication is also supported in this version.

Caution: 
Updating the Java version can cause a fail error in the algorithm negotiation. When you encounter this error, check if the Java version is compatible to the jsch version used in MEC SFTP.

These are the recommended settings for SFTPPollIn:

Note: The default values of a property are not the recommended settings. You need to specify the recommended settings.
Property Value Description
AppendRecord

Inserts a single line header to the received message. This header is used for detection.

(True | False)

AppendRecordLayout An IEC prefixed header for field lengths (5 characters long and comma-separated list).
ConnectionRetryCount 10 Sets the number of times for a channel to retry to connect to the SFTPPollIn Server.
DetectionOverride

Indicates if a channel is fixed to a particular detection group.

(1-Channel, 2-XML, 3-Flat)

Encoding Encoding used for received files. This is required for flat files.
Host Remote SFTP Server name.
IncrementDelayTime 500 Sets the number of milliseconds of increment delay time between each reconnection to the SFTPPollIn Server.
MaxChannelOrderQueue The maximum queued message allowed for ordered channels before a channel returns to busy (ServerType) or skip a poll (PollingType).
MaximumDelayTime 60000 Sets the maximum IEC waiting time before reconnecting to the SFTPPollIn Server. Value is set in milliseconds.
ModifiableFiles List of files that needs to be read again when the modification date changes.
Ordered

Indicates if a channel processes messages in an ordered way.

(1-ordered or 0-not ordered)

Password The user password.
PauseWhenNoBE Set this property to a channel when no BE connection is detected.
PollInterval 10000 The poll interval in milliseconds.
Port 22 Server port number.
Note: To prevent the connection timeout error, ensure that the specified value in this field is allowed in the Windows Firewall settings where your MEC server runs.
Priority Sets the numeric priority level of a received message for this channel.
PrivateKeyFile The file path and filename of the private key file.
ProxyEnable Enables the use of proxy settings.
ProxyHost Proxy host name.
ProxyPort Proxy port number.
ReadOnly Use to prevent renames and removes.
ReadTimeOut Sets the IEC waiting time for the SFTP server to respond. Value is set in milliseconds.
ReceiveDir ./ Folder name on the remote server to poll.
RecordSeparator Record separator to use for the IEC prefixed header.
RetrieveFiles *.xml Use to retrieve files.
RetryInterval Sets the IEC waiting time before reconnecting to the SFTPPollIn Server. Value is set in milliseconds.
StopTimeOut Sets the IEC waiting time during a stop before force terminating the channel. Value is set in milliseconds.
User The user name to access the server.

EventHub Subscriber/MECEventHubSubscriber

IEC and Event Hub must be running on the same Grid.

Use the MECEventHubSubscriber channel to receive events or messages that are published by another application.

Before you can use MECEventHubSubscriber, you must add subscriptions. Subscription is a predicate indicating that a subscriber is to receive a particular event. Event Hub is a grid application that receives events from publishers and routes the events to subscribers based on subscriptions.

Property Default value Description
SetVariationId 0 Sets the option to include variation ID into the manifest. By default, this is set to Off (0).
Ordered 0

Indicates if a channel processes messages in an ordered manner.

(1-ordered or 0-not ordered)

PersistFlag 1

Activates persistence in the EventHub.

(1-persist or 0-no persistence)

RunOnHost Any

Specify the host where to run this channel.

The default value "any" indicates that the channel can run on any host.

StopTimeOut 0

Sets the IEC waiting time during a stop before force terminating the channel. Value is set in milliseconds.

The default value 0 disables this feature.

IONDbIn

This channel polls for ION messages from your specified ConnectionURL.

Property Default value Description
BatchSize 50 Number of messages to read in every inbox poll.
BodTypes A comma separated list of BodTypes to handle for this instance.
ConnectionUrl path to jdbc

The JDBC connection url.

For example,

jdbc:sqlserver://localhost:1433;databaseName=<value>

DatabaseSchema dbo

The database schema where incoming messages are written.

For MSSQL - if this property is left blank the value defaults to dbo schema.

DelayTime 10000 Time in milliseconds between inbox polls.
DriverClass

The JDBC driver class.

For example,

com.microsoft.sqlserver.jdbc.SQLServerDriver

Password Password to access the database.
UserName User name to access the database.