MQDeadline

MQDeadline is a deadline management component designed for use with message queuing systems such as IBM MQ. It provides a deadline-driven approach to processing, enabling applications to enforce time-bounded handling of messages and tasks. By integrating deadlines into the messaging flow, MQDeadline helps ensure that processing adheres to service-level objectives and that overdue work is identified and handled consistently.

Core features include per-message deadlines, support for both absolute timestamps and relative durations, and propagation of deadline metadata with messages. It also offers enforcement mechanisms that can trigger retries with backoff, route messages to a dead-letter queue, or raise alerts when a deadline is missed. The system is designed to be configurable, allowing operators to tailor actions to their SLA requirements and fault-handling policies.

The typical architecture consists of a client-side library that attaches deadline context to messages, a broker-side extension or plugin that enforces deadlines upon delivery or processing, and optional monitoring and metrics components that report SLA compliance and deadline-related events. MQDeadline can operate in standalone deployments or be integrated with existing MQ infrastructures through standard interfaces and messaging metadata.

Usage generally involves assigning deadlines when messages are produced or when processing starts, with the system monitoring the timelines and executing pre-defined actions if a deadline expires. It supports cancellation signals and can coordinate with retry policies to avoid cascading delays while maintaining visibility into processing latency.

Deployment considerations include compatibility with IBM MQ or similar brokers, minimal intrusion into existing code paths, and clock synchronization across components to ensure correct deadline evaluation. See also IBM MQ, timeouts, dead-letter queues, and SLA management.