MSMQ continued

Created a simple server app, which creates the queue if instructed, and sends a message down the line. Also created a client app, which listenes to a queue and displays the string message. This works if used on the same machine. But how will it work if i deploy it to another machine?

Step 1: try to make the client app work with the queue name FormatName:Direct=TCP:<ip>\private$\<queuename>

Client app fails on the local machine when I use the ip address that is assigned this computer, but the client app succeeds if I use the loopback address 127.0.0.1

Step 2: copy the client app to a virtual machine that has access to the host machine.

Step 3: start the client, pointing it to the queue on the host machine.
Ouch!!
InvalidOperationException occurred: Message Queuing has not been installed on this computer.

I was silently hoping that Message Queuing would not have to be installed on client machines. In our situation we may have hundreds of client computers that will need this installation. Would there be another way of deploying MSMQ?

Step 4: read about deployment in the FAQ.
Some quotes:

"I want to configure a central queue on a Message Queuing server and have multiple remote clients read from it. Is this a good design? [..leave out some shades of gray...] No."

"The supporting server should be running the same (or later) Message Queuing version as the dependent client"

"Message Queuing does not scale well with multi-CPU computers"

And lots of cryptic error message with their explanations. If a solution requires a 133 page Word document for FAQ alone... what will it be like to work with MSMQ in the field? Looks like a horror scenario to me. Imagine getting this message from a client: "Unsupported option at CQ2QMsgF::QMsg, at (or near) line 2323". Or: "Message Queuing may function in an unpredictable fashion". How about this prose: "This error [MQ_ERROR_INSUFFICIENT_RESOURCES] can be returned by several APIs. It has several (unrelated) reasons"

The document does not answer my question so far. But this discussion seems to do. It involves a nicely formatted batch file which also acts as a configuration file for the installation that it invokes. The file should be named MSMQsetup.bat.

;@ECHO OFF 
;sysocmgr.exe /i:sysoc.inf /u:MSMQsetup.bat 
;GOTO Finished 
[Components] 
msmq_Core = ON 
msmq_LocalStorage = ON 
msmq_ADIntegrated = ON 
msmq_TriggersService = ON 
msmq_HTTPSupport = OFF 
msmq_RoutingSupport = OFF 
msmq_MQDSService = OFF 
;:Finished 

Step 5: try out the magic batch file on my VM
Ha! it works: installation completed successfully.

Step 6: start my client app again
MessageQueueException occurred: The queue does not exist or you do not have sufficient permissions to perform the operation.
Bad UX from developer point of view: this error message does not give you very much information about how to solve this. But OK, that's what we get paid for: to solve problems that we or other developers create. So:

Step 7: Try out if settings the appropriate permissions on the queue solves the issue.
There are 2 ways to do this: 1) programmatically, 2) by starting compmgmt.msc > services > messsage queuing > private queues > right click on appropriate queue > properties and set permissions.
Setting the permissions programmatically would involve something like this:

  createdQueueu.SetPermissions(
    new MessageQueueAccessControlEntry(
      new Trustee("Iedereen"), 
      MessageQueueAccessRights.FullControl));

The "Iedereen" string is Dutch for "Everyone", which obviously is translated to the language of the OS. Very handy. I could not find a (programmatic) way to find out how the "Everyone" group is called on the local machine. But anyway, you would want to configure that and don't want to put that hard-coded in you app.

Step 8: Start the client app again on the VM
Still not working. Set the ANONYMOUS_LOGON permissions to Full Control. Still not working. Could be something with the VM / Host communication. So created the queue on the VM, tried to connect from host. Not helping.

OK I don't have a clue anymore about what could be the problem.

Try something else.
Not
FormatName:Direct=TCP:<ip>\private$\<queuename>
But
FormatName:Direct=OS:<hostname>\private$\<queuename>

Step 9: Start "server" app on host machine, "client" app on VM...
Eureka, it's working now.
Whatever.
Remove permissions for ANONYMOUS_LOGON:
Aha! A different error message:
MessageQueueException occurred: Access to Message Queuing system is denied.

So the problem with the TCP is yet unresolved, but I do have a working remote queue installation now.


By the way. The server app:

---

using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Linq;
using System.Text;
using System.Messaging;

namespace ServerApp
{
    class Program
    {
        static void Main(string[] args)
        {
            if (args.Length < 1)
            {
                Console.WriteLine("Usage: ServerApp <queue> [create]");
                Console.WriteLine("  Will send a message \"Hallo!\" down the line.");
                Console.WriteLine("  Specifying the \"create\" command will create the queue.");
                return;
            }

            var queueName = args[0];

            try
            {
                using (var q = (args.Length == 2 ? MessageQueue.Create(queueName) : new MessageQueue(queueName)))
                {
                    q.Formatter = new XmlMessageFormatter(new Type[] { typeof(String) });
                    q.Send("Hallo!");
                    Console.WriteLine("Message sent");
                }
            }
            catch (Exception e)
            {
                Console.WriteLine(e.GetType().Name + " occurred. " + e.Message);
            }
        }
    }
}]]>

---

The client app:

---

using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Linq;
using System.Text;
using System.Messaging;

namespace ClientApp
{
    class Program
    {
        static void Main(string[] args)
        {
            if (args.Length < 1)
            {
                Console.WriteLine("usage: ClientApp <queuename>");
                Console.WriteLine("  reads 1 message from the given queue");
                return;
            }

            var queueName = args[0];

            try
            {
                using (MessageQueue q = new MessageQueue(queueName))
                {
                    q.Formatter = new XmlMessageFormatter(new Type[] { typeof(String) });
                    Console.WriteLine("Waiting for message...");
                    Console.WriteLine("Received message: " + (string)q.Receive().Body);
                }
            }
            catch (Exception e)
            {
                Console.WriteLine(e.GetType().Name + " occurred: " + e.Message);
            }
        }
    }
}