Last will and testament publication

If an MQTT client connection unexpectedly ends, you can configure WebSphere® MQ Telemetry to send a "last will and testament" publication. Predefine the content of the publication, and the topic to send it to. The "last will and testament" is a connection property. Create it before connecting the client.

Create a topic for the last will and testament. You might create a topic such as MQTTManagement/Connections/server URI/client identifer/Lost.

Set up a "last will and testament" using the MqttConnectionOptions.setWill(MqttTopic lastWillTopic, byte [] lastWillPayload, int lastWillQos, boolean lastWillRetained) method.

Consider creating a time stamp in the lastWillPayload message. Include other client information that assists in identifying the client and the circumstances of the connection. Pass the MqttConnectionOptions object to the MqttClient constructor.

Set lastWillQos to 1 or 2, to make the message persistent in IBM® WebSphere MQ, and to ensure delivery. To retain the last lost connection information, set the lastWillRetained to true.

The "last will and testament" publication is sent to subscribers if the connection ends unexpectedly. It is sent if the connection ends without the client calling the MqttClient.disconnect method.

To monitor connections, complement the "last will and testament" publication with other publications to record connections and programmed disconnections.