How to use CLNTCONN channels in AMQCLCHL.TAB file from a Vb.net application - vb.net

Question

In my Vb.net application I'm using IBM MQ v7.5 Managed client connection to connect to a queue manager. Until now I have provided channel name and host name in a .Config file and call the following:
MQQueueManager(Qmanagername, Channel, Host)
But Now I have a AMQCLCHL.TAB file with the channel details. How can I have my Vb.net application use the channel name and host name from the AMQCLCHL.TAB file.

Answer 1

You need to let the application know the location of the channel table file. The IBM Knowledge center shows this can be done in three ways with managed client connection type:
Using the .NET application configuration file. In the CHANNELS section, use the keys ChannelDefinitionDirectory to specify the directory where the table is located, and ChannelDefinitionFile to specify the file name.
Using the environment variables MQCHLLIB to specify the directory where the table is located, and MQCHLTAB to specify the file name of the table.
Using the client configuration file. In the CHANNELS stanza, use the attributes ChannelDefinitionDirectory to specify the directory where the table is located, and ChannelDefinitionFile to specify the file name.
You can then change your call to drop the channel and hostname and it will pickup the channel table that you specified using one of the three ways described above.
New MQQueueManager(Qmanagername)
Update to include additional information from the comments
If your application runs on the same server as the queue manager it will by default connect in unmanaged mode using server bindings if you do not force it to use client mode. This is described in detail in the Knowledge Center.
You can force it to a client mode by setting the environment variable NMQ_MQ_LIB.
For unmanaged MQ client mode use NMQ_MQ_LIB=mqic.dll
For managed client mode use NMQ_MQ_LIB=managed
The MQC.TRANSPORT_PROPERTY hashtable property can also used to force it to use client mode.
Unmanaged MQ client mode example:
Hashtable properties = new Hashtable();
properties.Add(MQC.TRANSPORT_PROPERTY, "MQC.TRANSPORT_MQSERIES_CLIENT");
return new MQQueueManager(queueManagerName, properties);
Managed MQ client mode example:
Hashtable properties = new Hashtable();
properties.Add(MQC.TRANSPORT_PROPERTY, MQC.TRANSPORT_MQSERIES_MANAGED");
return new MQQueueManager(queueManagerName, properties);