ASG
IBM
Zystems
Cressida
Icon
Netflexity
 
  MQSeries.net
Search  Search       Tech Exchange      Education      Certifications      Library      Info Center      SupportPacs      LinkedIn  Search  Search                                                                   FAQ  FAQ   Usergroups  Usergroups
 
Register  ::  Log in Log in to check your private messages
 
RSS Feed - WebSphere MQ Support RSS Feed - Message Broker Support

MQSeries.net Forum Index » General IBM MQ Support » CCSID.tbl Default Conversion - Can it break things?

Post new topic  Reply to topic
 CCSID.tbl Default Conversion - Can it break things? « View previous topic :: View next topic » 
Author Message
Jeff.VT
PostPosted: Wed Dec 09, 2020 7:48 am    Post subject: CCSID.tbl Default Conversion - Can it break things? Reply with quote

Acolyte

Joined: 02 Mar 2017
Posts: 68

I have a queue manager that connects to ~30 different third parties in various countries.

I'm trying to connect to a new 3rd party and I'm getting this error:

IBM MQ is unable to convert string data tagged in CCSID 437 to data in CCSID 862.

CCSID 862 is Hebrew and I'm connecting to an Israeli connection, so that makes sense.

I've encountered this one other time, connecting to a Test China connection. For silly reasons, I had to connect to that via a more-or-less stand-alone queue manager where the Chinese connection was the only connection other than to internal queue managers.

The fix I found was the enable the Default Conversion lines in the CCSID.tbl file. That seemed to work just fine.

---------------

But now, the situation is different. I obviously don't want to disrupt the 50 connections into and out of this Queue Manager by making changes to this conversion table that I don't fully understand.

I would just enable the default conversion immediately, but then I'm forced to ask - why is it disabled out of the box? What is this going to do to my other connections? if it did impact my other connections, what would that impact look like? Would there be errors? or just general instability?

Or am I just being paranoid as usual?
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
bruce2359
PostPosted: Wed Dec 09, 2020 8:24 am    Post subject: Re: CCSID.tbl Default Conversion - Can it break things? Reply with quote

Poobah

Joined: 05 Jan 2008
Posts: 9394
Location: US: west coast, almost. Otherwise, enroute.

Jeff.VT wrote:
I would just enable the default conversion immediately, but then I'm forced to ask - why is it disabled out of the box? What is this going to do to my other connections? if it did impact my other connections, what would that impact look like? Would there be errors? or just general instability?

Or am I just being paranoid as usual?

I'm not a trained therapist, so I can't comment on paranoia.

Conversion of the data component of your messages is an option. You can specify on the sender channel CONVERT(YES) to convert at the Sender end before the message is pressed onto the network, OR you can specify in the consumer app at the Receiver end of the channel with MQGMO_CONVERT.

Both presume compatible CCSID tables at both ends of the channel.
_________________
I like deadlines. I like to wave as they pass by.
ב''ה
Lex Orandi, Lex Credendi, Lex Vivendi. As we Worship, So we Believe, So we Live.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Jeff.VT
PostPosted: Wed Dec 09, 2020 8:29 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Acolyte

Joined: 02 Mar 2017
Posts: 68

Quote:
Both presume compatible CCSID tables at both ends of the channel.


I wouldn't assume that. I'd guess that's precisely our issue here is that we don't have compatible CCSID tables.

This is long before the content of messages are being passed. The channel fails to connect at all.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
bruce2359
PostPosted: Wed Dec 09, 2020 8:36 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Poobah

Joined: 05 Jan 2008
Posts: 9394
Location: US: west coast, almost. Otherwise, enroute.

What command did you issue? PING CHL or START CHL?

What did PING CHL on a non-started Sender channel tell you?
_________________
I like deadlines. I like to wave as they pass by.
ב''ה
Lex Orandi, Lex Credendi, Lex Vivendi. As we Worship, So we Believe, So we Live.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Jeff.VT
PostPosted: Wed Dec 09, 2020 8:42 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Acolyte

Joined: 02 Mar 2017
Posts: 68

Ping Channel got the same error:

Conversion not supported.

IBM MQ is unable to convert string data tagged in CCSID 437 to data in CCSID 862.

Check the IBM MQ Application Programming Reference Appendix and the appropriate National Language Support publications to see if the CCSIDs are supported by your system.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Jeff.VT
PostPosted: Wed Dec 09, 2020 8:49 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Acolyte

Joined: 02 Mar 2017
Posts: 68

Reading through the ccsid.tbl, I was considering making this change:

Code:
# CCSID Base  CodePage CodePage  Type Enc   ACRI   Codeset
#       CCSID   DBCS      SBCS                     name
# ----- ----- -------- --------  ---- ----  -----  -------
...
# Hebrew
    916   916       0      916     1    3     0    ISO8859-8
   1255  1255       0     1255     1    2     0    IBM-1255
   5351  5351       0     5351     1    2     0    IBM-5351
#    862   862       0      862     1    2     0    IBM-860
    862   862       0      850     1    2     0    IBM-860
    867   867       0      867     1    2     0    IBM-867
    424   424       0      424     1    1     0    IBM-424
   4520   424       0      424     1    1     0    IBM-424
  12712 12712       0    12712     1    1     0    IBM-12712
...
#default       0      500     1     1    0
#default       0      850     1     2    0


So taking 862, and instead of using codePage 862 for it, using 850... Because from what I'm reading here, that's pretty much would un-remarking the default line would do...

It "works" on two local queue managers on my laptop, when one is set to CCSID 862. But the 862 queue manager isn't running on a server with only the Hebrew language pack on it. So I don't know precisely what it would do.

Also, the two queue managers are technically sharing a CCSID.tbl file.

But I think if pressed, I'd rather just un-remark the default lines. If it works the way the file says:

Quote:
# DEFAULT DATA CONVERSION
#
# You can define default conversion CCSIDs which will be used to convert
# between ASCII or similar and EBCDIC CCSIDs if no conversion is supported
# between two CCSIDs. If enabled, the default conversion is used for
# transmission and message headers and can also be enabled in user data
# conversion. For more information see the System Administration book.


*IF no conversion is supported* - then I would be fine with that. Presuming it wouldn't cause a problem with my other channels.

I really hate things like this. It would absolutely affect all my channels, and there's no way to know how it would affect them until I do it.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
bruce2359
PostPosted: Wed Dec 09, 2020 11:54 am    Post subject: Re: CCSID.tbl Default Conversion - Can it break things? Reply with quote

Poobah

Joined: 05 Jan 2008
Posts: 9394
Location: US: west coast, almost. Otherwise, enroute.

Jeff.VT wrote:
I'm trying to connect to a new 3rd party and I'm getting this error:

IBM MQ is unable to convert string data tagged in CCSID 437 to data in CCSID 862.

Please post the complete error message from the mq logs - including the error message numbers.

Does the affected channel go into RUNNING state? Or does it fail completely?
_________________
I like deadlines. I like to wave as they pass by.
ב''ה
Lex Orandi, Lex Credendi, Lex Vivendi. As we Worship, So we Believe, So we Live.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Jeff.VT
PostPosted: Wed Dec 09, 2020 2:02 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Acolyte

Joined: 02 Mar 2017
Posts: 68

It does not go into Running state.

------------

12/8/2020 15:43:41 - Process(16004.1) User(_____) Program(runmqchl.exe)
Host(_____) Installation(_____)
VRMF(9.0.5.0) QMgr(_____)
Time(2020-12-08T15:43:41.078Z)
ArithInsert1(437) ArithInsert2(862)

AMQ6047E: Conversion not supported.

EXPLANATION:
IBM MQ is unable to convert string data tagged in CCSID 437 to data in CCSID
862.
ACTION:
Check the IBM MQ Application Programming Reference Appendix and the appropriate
National Language Support publications to see if the CCSIDs are supported by
your system.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
gbaddeley
PostPosted: Wed Dec 09, 2020 2:33 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Jedi

Joined: 25 Mar 2003
Posts: 2492
Location: Melbourne, Australia

437 is a really old code page for IBM PC ASCII that includes extended codes for various graphical and special characters that were used in PC-DOS and PC graphics cards. It was not designed for international use.

If your apps don't use any of these extended codes, you should consider changing to an ASCII based code page that is more widely supported for conversion to other code pages, particularly ISO European. eg. 850, 858.
1208 UTF-8 is fairly popular for Windows MQ qmgrs.

Ref. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Code_page
_________________
Glenn
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Jeff.VT
PostPosted: Wed Dec 09, 2020 2:40 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Acolyte

Joined: 02 Mar 2017
Posts: 68

Quote:
437 is a really old code page for IBM PC ASCII that includes extended codes for various graphical and special characters that were used in PC-DOS and PC graphics cards. It was not designed for international use.


Interesting. I just used whatever default IBM gave me when I created the Queue Manager. Never had a problem until recently. We connect to a lot of governments and other companies and always been good.

I'm certainly open to a more ubiquitous code page.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Jeff.VT
PostPosted: Tue Dec 15, 2020 12:19 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Acolyte

Joined: 02 Mar 2017
Posts: 68

Quick after-note since I hate when people don't post their answers. Unfortunately there's no real answer here.

The guys in Israel decided to change their CCSID to a more generic one to avoid this problem in the future - their queue manager is brand new and has no existing connections, so that works out better for me.

No answer to the IBM ticket I put in, though it was a very low priority.

Intuitively I'd guess making this change would be just fine. A bit anti-climatic. But as I said below, I get paid not to end up on the news, and there's a lot of 'end up on the news' kinda stuff going through this queue manager I'd rather not mess with if possible.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
gbaddeley
PostPosted: Tue Dec 15, 2020 2:35 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Jedi

Joined: 25 Mar 2003
Posts: 2492
Location: Melbourne, Australia

When a MQ queue manager is created, it will choose the qmgr ccsid based on the OS language. This may or may not be appropriate. It should be reviewed and possibly changed before the qmgr is used for app messaging.

eg. z/OS qmgrs may be 500, but this can cause issues with z/OS apps that use 37 internally. A few special characters are different, which can play havoc if MQ does message data conversion.
_________________
Glenn
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Display posts from previous:   
Post new topic  Reply to topic Page 1 of 1

MQSeries.net Forum Index » General IBM MQ Support » CCSID.tbl Default Conversion - Can it break things?
Jump to:  



You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum
Protected by Anti-Spam ACP
 
 


Theme by Dustin Baccetti
Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2002 phpBB Group

Copyright © MQSeries.net. All rights reserved.