IBM MQ Support Agency | Product Releases and End of Support Dates
Giving you IBM MQ Support and WebSphere MQ Support
As an IBM client, you have no doubt invested in IBM MQ or in its predecessors WebSphere MQ and MQ Series and built your business applications around secure, robust messaging. IBM releases new versions of its product as part of its ongoing product development roadmap and from time-to-time withdraws support for older versions of IBM MQ and WebSphere MQ. To make life easier we have summarised these new IBM MQ product releases and end of software support withdrawal dates and provided them in the table below rather than you having to scour the web. We will update this table as new releases are introduced.
The IBM MQ support table below includes information on IBM’s MQ products lifecycle including year of introduction, the current supported version as well as IBM end of support dates.
We recommend keeping up to date with software patches and fixes for IBM MQ as well as ensuring you have an upgrade path clearly defined to ensure you don’t fall foul of running mission-critical applications on unsupported software versions. You can then benefit from taking advantage of the new features and improvements in the latest version of IBM MQ:
- Cloud-ready software able to run in private, public (Amazon AWS and Microsoft Azure) and hybrid clouds using containers and Kubernetes
- Flexible licensing options
- Performance improvements
- Increased security
How we can help you with IBM MQ support
Upgrades & Migrations
Modernising and securing your IBM MQ software with planned upgrades and migrations to the latest supported IBM MQ versions. Ensuring your IBM MQ Messaging and Integration investment is maintained and future-proofed.
Health Checks & Performance Reviews (APM)
Maintaining IBM MQ performance is key to ensuring that IBM MQ environments are performing to service levels, are well configured/architected and are up to date with application and security fix packs. Our IBM MQ Health Checks can identify bottlenecks and improvements. IBM MQ Health Checks start from a small number of consultancy days engagement.
CXOne MQ Monitor
CXOne IBM MQ Monitor is a lightweight monitoring solution for IBM MQ environments, providing insights into the health and state of IBM MQ Queue Managers, IBM MQ Queue Depths and alerts you to issues that are arising.
CXOne IBM MQ MonitorSupport/AMS
Providing IBM MQ Support and IBM MQ Managed Services offerings for on-premise, private hosting and on public cloud MQ to meet your organisations business requirements, KPIs and SLAs. Consider us your 5th emergency service and IBM MQ professional services partner.
License Management
If your IBM MQ license subscription & support has lapsed we can help you with reinstatement and renew current entitlements. We can also help you with pricing of IBM MQ licenses and moving to different license options such IBM MQ Cloud licensing options.
IBM MQ Support/WebSphere MQ Support
IBM MQ – End of Support dates
| Year of Introduction | Version | Comment | End of Support |
| 2024 | IBM MQ 9.4 | The current version of IBM MQ | 
To receive details of the End of Support dates, complete the form below:
|
| 2022 | IBM MQ 9.3.X | ||
| 2020 | IBM MQ 9.2.X | ||
| 2018 | IBM MQ 9.1.X | Further details on IBM MQ support can be found here. | |
| 2016 | IBM MQ 9.0.X | ||
| 2014 | IBM MQ 8.0 IBM MQ Advanced 8.0 IBM MQ Advanced for Developers 8.0 IBM MQ Appliance M2000 IBM MQ Appliance M2001 |
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| 2012 | WebSphere MQ 7.5 | ||
| 2011 | WebSphere MQ 7.1 | ||
| 2008/9 | WebSphere MQ 7.X | ||
| 2005 | WebSphere MQ 6.X | ||
| 2002 | WebSphere MQ 5.3 | ||
| 2000 | MQ Series 5. |
Our trusted history with IBM
The DeeperThanBlue team have been helping clients with the challenges of software upgrades across IBM’s Hybrid Cloud technology portfolio which includes Applications, Integration and Automation for over 20 years. We have developed clearly defined processes and procedures to ensure a smooth transition from one version to the next during the upgrade process whilst also being able to assist with regression testing of client applications. Our clients see us as a safe pair of hands and long-standing partner through trusted working relationships built over many years.
IBM MQ Support Agency FAQs
What Does an IBM MQ Support Agency Do?
An IBM MQ support agency helps your business operate efficiently and adapt to changing needs. DeeperThanBlue provides assistance with IBM MQ software updates, troubleshooting issues, and improving efficiency. You can expect support with integrations, improving how your software operates, and more.
Why Should You Work with an IBM MQ Support Agency?
Working with an IBM MQ support agency means you can stay up to date with product releases, get assistance on any issues and stay informed on end of support dates so you plan IBM MQ upgrades ahead of time. You then have more time to ensure your business runs smoothly and focus on more important aspects of managing the organisation.
What are the Different Types of IBM MQ Support?
IBM MQ support can vary depending on your needs. Some customers need 24/7 assistance, whereas other organsiations may require a different level of support. Agencies such as DeeperThanBlue can provide IBM MQ professional services and support assistance no matter the issue, supporting you with integrations, software updates and troubleshooting.
Contact us today for expert assistance.
Why Choose DeeperThanBlue for IBM MQ Support?
At DeeperThanBlue, we build long-term partnerships and relationships with our clients, providing business hours to 24/7 support. From migrations and upgrades to health checks and performance reviews – you are in the best of hands no matter the issue.
Contact us today to find out more about how we can help.
How to upgrade IBM MQ
When looking to upgrade IBM MQ, you’ll need access to download the software from the IBM Passport Advantage Software catalogue Portal. Access is provided for clients that maintain their IBM Software Support & Subscription. Once a new version is downloaded it can then be installed (either alongside your existing installation or by uninstalling the old one). For more complex environments such as High Availability or Disaster Recovery specific upgrade steps should be followed. The next step in the process is to migrate your queue managers to the new version. The exact process depends on your operating system and whether you’re upgrading a client or server installation. It’s important to check end-point connectivity and that certificates have also been migrated or renewed. We recommend running a full regression test, performance tests as well as full end to end test cycles.
How do I monitor IBM MQ and Websphere MQ?
To monitor IBM MQ (formerly WebSphere MQ) effectively, organisations should implement a comprehensive strategy that covers availability, queue performance, and connectivity. Availability monitoring ensures that queue managers, channels, and listeners are running and responsive. Tools like IBM MQ Explorer, IBM Instana, or DeeperThanBlue’s CXOne Systems Monitor can provide real-time visibility into the health of MQ components. Queue performance should be tracked by observing queue depths, message age, and processing rates to detect bottlenecks or delays. Monitoring connectivity between applications and MQ ensures that client connections are stable and that reconnections are handled gracefully in case of network interruptions.
In addition to real-time monitoring, it’s crucial to implement alerting and recovery mechanisms. Alerts should be configured for critical thresholds such as queue overflows, channel failures, or prolonged message delivery times. Automated recovery scripts or high availability configurations (e.g., MQ multi-instance queue managers) can minimise downtime. Regression testing of MQ configurations and message flows helps identify issues introduced by changes or updates. Ensuring reliable message delivery involves tracking message persistence, dead-letter queues, and retry mechanisms. Together, these practices help maintain a resilient and performant MQ environment, reducing the risk of downtime and ensuring smooth message-driven operations.
