A store-and-forward queue stores messages associated with one or more target queue manager destinations. Messages addressed to a specific or target queue manager are placed on the relevant store-and-forward queue. The store-and-forward queue can optionally have a forwarding queue manager name set. If this name is set, the queue attempts to send all its messages to that named queue manager. If the name is not set, the queue just holds the messages.
Store-and-forward queues can hold messages for many target queue managers, or there may be one store-and-forward queue for each target queue manager.
This type of queue is normally, but not necessarily, defined on a server or gateway in Java™ only. Multiple store-and-forward queues can exist on a single queue manager, but the target names must not be duplicated. The contents of a store-and-forward queue are not available to application programs. Likewise a message sending application is quite unaware of the presence or role of store-and-forward queues in message transmission.