MSMQ 3.0 Feature List

SOAP Reliable Messaging Protocol (SRMP), an XML-based messaging protocol, has been developed for delivering high Quality of Service (QoS) messages. The direct, public, and private format names of administration and response queues can be included in messages sent over HTTP transport. Similarly, the names of administration and response queues in HTTP format can be included in messages sent over ordinary (non-HTTP) transport.

Now a component in Message Queuing 3.0, rather than an add-on module that existed in MSMQ 1.0 and MSMQ 2.0. Triggers provide a mechanism that associates the arrival of each incoming message at a queue with a response that depends on the contents of the message and may invoke either a COM component or a stand-alone executable program. Business rules can be defined and invoked in response to such messages without any additional programming.

Clients are able to send the same message to multiple recipient queues. Lists of destination queues can be specified explicitly by means of distribution group objects (distribution lists) in Active Directory as well as in the form of multiple-element format names. Support for ensuring that messages sent to distribution lists and multiple-element format names will reach queues on downlevel computers is provided. In addition, message delivery to IP multicast destinations using the PGM protocol is supported.

A way to peek at or retrieve a specific message without using cursors to navigate through the queue until the message sought is located. This functionality is based on a 64-bit lookup identifier that is assigned to each message when it is placed in a destination queue.

Although Active Directory integration exists in MSMQ 2.0, Message Queuing 3.0 improves integration with, and extension of, the Active Directory service to store all configuration, security, and status information. Message Queuing clients now use the Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) to access domain controllers and global catalog servers for Message Queuing-specific information in Active Directory directly without assistance from a Message Queuing server on a domain controller.

Message Queuing is now administered more completely using snap-ins hosted in MMC . Administrative tasks formerly performed in Control Panel are now performed in snap-ins.

Message Queuing can be installed in workgroup mode on computers belonging to a Windows Server 2003 workgroup, rather than to a domain. In addition, a computer on which Message Queuing is installed in a workgroup can later join a domain, and then separate from the domain.

In addition to MSMQ 3.0 full support of the active/active paradigm in a server cluster, which means that Message Queuing can run on all nodes in a server cluster simultaneously, triggers in MSMQ 3.0 are also integrated with active/active cluster support.

Although MSMQ 2.0 was also available on handheld and palm-sized computers running the Windows CE 3.0 or later operating system, Windows CE also now supports the Message Queuing SRMP protocol for HTTP messaging, available in MSMQ 3.0.

MSMQ 3.0, like MSMQ 2.0, leverages security features of the Windows operating system through the use of access control, auditing, encryption, and authentication, and using security features such as the Kerberos security protocol. In addition, MSMQ 3.0 provides for the use of more secured remote reading, and the use of SSL authentication for HTTP/HTTPS messaging.

MSMQ 3.0 can be installed and run in a Windows Server 2003 workgroup, rather than in a domain. In addition, Message Queuing that is installed in a workgroup can later join a domain, and then separate from the domain again.

Using transactional capabilities, you can couple several related actions in a single transaction, ensure messages are delivered in order, ensure messages are delivered only once, and confirm that messages were successfully retrieved from the destination queue.

Message storage files, log files, transaction log files, and registry settings can be backed up and restored in case of computer failure.

Message prioritization allows urgent or important messages to to be sent before less important messages, so you can guarantee adequate response time for critical applications at the expense of less important applications.

Messages can be stored on a disk-based queue and then later forwarded to provide guaranteed delivery.

With store-and-forward message queuing, computers are not affected by network disturbances and do not have to establish sessions. Because a sessionless model is used at the application level, the source computer and the destination computer do not need to support the same network protocol. Unlike MSMQ 2.0, MSMQ 3.0 does not support the Internet Packet Exchange (IPX) protocol.

Message Queuing provides message routing based on the physical topology of the network, session concentration needs, and transport connectivity. Session concentration facilitates the efficient usage of slow communication links.

You can create queues or change queue properties as you go without affecting messaging applications.

Message Queuing can be used across a wide variety of hardware platforms using connectivity products provided by other vendors.

MSMQ 3.0, unlike MSMQ 2.0 does not support a mixed-mode domain environments, which means that MSMQ 1.0 controller servers running on Windows NT 4.0 cannot exist with in a Windows Server 2003 domain with Windows Server 2003 domain controllers running MSMQ 3.0.