In conventional 3270 applications, the IMS™ message queue is a mechanism for passing communications between an MPP and another entity, such as a 3270-type terminal, or another message processing program (MPP). The IMS TCP/IP feature uses the message queue for communication between the Listener and the MPP. Messages from and to TCP/IP hosts bypass IMS message format services (MFS). The following information describes how IMS TCP/IP uses the IMS message queue: