Overview

FIX sessions can be preconfigured via FIX Antenna properties file - engine.properties. Parameters defined in engine.properties will be used during the session creation process.

To configure a session parameter just add the following line into the engine.properties file:

Session.<SessionName>.<Parameter> = <value>

<SessionName> - SessionCompID and TargetCompID separated by '/' symbol or "Default"

<Parameter> - Configurable session parameter

<Value> - desired session parameter value

Configure Defaults for All Sessions

In order to configure the default parameter value for all sessions, use Default as SessionName. See example below for details.

engine.properties

Session.Default.UseBlockingSockets = true
Session.Default.DisableTCPBuffer = true
Session.Default.StorageType = persistentMM
Session.Default.Validation.IsEnabled = false

Configure Specific Session

In order to configure parameters for some specific session, use its SenderCompID/TargetCompID pair as SessionName. See example below for details.

engine.properties

Session.CLIENT1/EXECUTOR.UseBlockingSockets = true
Session.CLIENT1/EXECUTOR.DisableTCPBuffer = true
Session.CLIENT1/EXECUTOR.StorageType = persistentMM
Session.CLIENT1/EXECUTOR.Validation.IsEnabled = false

Prioritizing Rules

The engine uses properties for creating a session in the following order (If the property is not defined in the current step, then the value from the next step is used):

Properties configured in the C++ code as Engine::SessionExtraParameters value before the session creation
Session specific settings defined as properties with Session.SenderCompID/TargetCompID pair in the engine.properties
Default sessions settings defined as Session.Default properties in the engine.properties
Hardcoded FIX Antenna Engine defaults

List of Available Parameters

Session Parameters

Property	Description	Valid values	Defaults
SenderSubID	SenderSubID (tag 50) - assigned value used to identify specific message originator (desk, trader, etc.). Ignored if the NULL value specified.
TargetSubID	TargetSubID (tag 57) - assigned value used to identify a specific individual or unit intended to receive the message. 'ADMIN' reserved for administrative messages not intended for a specific user. Ignored if NULLvalue is specified.
SenderLocationID	SenderLocationID (tag 142) - assigned value used to identify specific message originator's location (i.e. geographic location and/or desk, trader). Ignored if NULL value is specified.
TargetLocationID	TargetLocationID (tag 143) - assigned value used to identify specific message destination's location (i.e. geographic location and/or desk, trader). Ignored if NULL value specified.
Username	User name For initiator: Value of this field will be transferred to the acceptor in the Username (Tag 553) field of the Logon(A) message; For acceptor: The value of this field will be compared to the value of the Username (Tag 553) field of the incoming Logon(A) message. If values are not equal, Logon will be rejected.
Password	User's password For initiator: Value of this field will be transferred to the acceptor in the Password (Tag 554) field of the Logon(A) message; For acceptor: The value of this field will be compared to value of the Password (Tag 554) field of the incoming Logon(A) message. If values are not equal, Logon will be rejected.
UsernameTag	Specifies a tag used to store a username
PasswordTag	Specifies a tag used to store a password
CustomSessionType	Specifies whether a session should encrypt the password each time	GENERIC - generic session LME_SELECT- encrypt password tag each time TOTAL_SSN_TYPES - Represents a number of sessions types CME_SECURE_LOGON - use CME secure logon scheme	GENERIC
CMESecureKeysFile The parameter is available since FIX Antenna C++ 2.23.0	Specifies a path to CME keys files used for CME secure logon
FixKey	Specifies a FIX key for LME sessions
ForcedReconnect	Forced Reconnect mode - the session will try to reconnect when: In WaitForConfirmLogon state, when the session received an unconfirmed logon In WaitForConfirmLogon state, when the logon frame has expired In Reconnect state, when the session was closed.		false
EnableMessageRejecting	When true, the session rejects application messages when the session is unable to send them during a specified period or was disconnected.		false
IgnoreSeqNumTooLowAtLogon	When true, the session ignores 'SeqNum too low' at an incoming Logon message and continues with the received SeqNum.		false
IntradayLogoutToleranceMode	Intraday logout tolerance mode. An option to reset or not to reset sequence numbers after Logout.		false
HandleSeqNumAtLogon	Handles sequence gaps using NextExpectedMsgSeqNum field in the Logon.		false
ForceSeqNumReset	Force SeqNum reset mode. An option to use 141tag in Logon message to reset sequence number.	FSNR_NA - take the value from the properties file. FSNR_ON - Use tag 141 at first Logon to reset the sequence number. FSNR_ALWAYS - Reset sequence number at every Logon. FSNR_OFF - Do not use tag 141 at Logon to reset the sequence number.	FSNR_NA
EncryptMethod	Encryption method	NONE PKCS DES PKCS_DES PGP_DES PGP_DES_MD5 PEM_DES_MD5 NA	NONE
SuppressDoubleResendRequest	Suppresses a session to send the Resend request message on every incoming message with a sequence greater than expected.		false
AllowMessageWithoutPossDupFlag	This parameter is an option whereby the repeated messages are received without a PossDupFlag (43) field. It's used for incoming messages only. If set to "true" and a message is received with a sequence number less than expected without PossDupFlag (43), the message will be processed. If set to "false", the connection will be closed. The default value is "false". This parameter is optional.		false
SendLastMsgSeqNumProcessed	Allows the LastMsgSeqNumProcessed(369) tag to be automatically added to outgoing messages.		false
ResendRequestBlockSize	Defines the number of messages requested using Resend Request messages. If the message sequence gap is larger than SessionExtraParameters::resendRequestBlockSize_, Session will split resend requests by blocks of SessionExtraParameters::resendRequestBlockSize_ size.		-1
CpuAffinity	Specifies affinity mask for dedicated threads of the session. It makes sense only for aggressive modes.	Mask should be presented in the decimal system.	0
RecvCpuAffinity	Specifies affinity mask for dedicated receiving thread of session. It makes sense only for an aggressive receive mode.	Mask should be presented in the decimal system.	0
SendCpuAffinity	Specifies affinity mask for dedicated sending thread of session. It makes sense only for an aggressive send mode.	Mask should be presented in the decimal system.	0
LogonMessageSessionQualifierTag	Defines the tag of the field to be used by FIX Engine when dispatching an incoming connection. SessionQualifier is passed in this field. SenderCompID(49), TargetCompID(56) and this field are used for searching for the appropriated acceptor among existing registered acceptors. The field is optional if the application doesn't intend to accept an incoming connection. See also SessionId and SessionQualifier Notes
SendingTimestampUnit The parameter is available since FIX Antenna C++ 2.20.0.	Defines the precision of the timestamp to be specified in 52 tag (SendingTime) and 122 tag (OrigSendingTime) in outgoing message.	second millisecond microsecond nanosecond	For FIX 4.0 и FIX 4.1: if KeepMillisecondsInUTCTimeFields = 0, 52 tag (SendingTime) and 122 tag (OrigSendingTime) will have seconds precision if KeepMillisecondsInUTCTimeFields = 1, 52 tag (SendingTime) will have seconds precision and 122 tag (OrigSendingTime) will have milliseconds precision if KeepMillisecondsInUTCTimeFields = 2, 52 tag (SendingTime) and 122 tag (OrigSendingTime) will have seconds precision Millisecond for all other FIX versions
OutOfSequenceMessagesStrategy The parameter is available since FIX Antenna 2.23.0	This parameter sets a strategy for processing out-of-sequence messages for a specific session.	RequestAlways RequestOnce IgnoreGap Queue	RequestAlways
OutOfSequenceMessagesStrategy.QueueSize The parameter is available since FIX Antenna 2.23.0	The size of the temporary queue for processing out-of-sequence messages (measured in a count of messages). The parameter is used if the parameter OutOfSequenceMessagesStrategy=Queue.		2000
ParserVersion The parameter is available since FIX Antenna 2.25.1	Name of unique parser for FIX protocol	FIX40 FIX41 FIX42 FIX43 FIX44, FIXT11@FIX50 FIXT11@FIX50SP1 FIXT11@FIX50SP2 <Custom_Name>@<Protocol_version>
Role The parameter is available since FIX Antenna 2.25.1	Role of the session	Initiator Acceptor
Host The parameter is available since FIX Antenna 2.25.1	The host for an initiator session
Port The parameter is available since FIX Antenna 2.25.1	TCP port for connection to a remote site
HBI The parameter is available since FIX Antenna 2.25.1	The heartbeat interval in seconds for an initiator session
CustomLogonMessageFileName The parameter is available since FIX Antenna 2.25.1	Path to file with a Custom logon message for the initiator
TagsDelimiter The parameter is available since FIX Antenna 2.28.0	The character used as a tags delimiter in a FIX message		<SOH>

Validation Parameters

Property	Description	Defaults
ValidateCheckSum	If true, the session will skip CRC validation for incoming messages.	true
GenerateCheckSum	If false, the session will not calculate CRC for outgoing messages.	true
Validation.IsEnabled	Option to enable message validation. Pass true to enable; false to disable.	false
Validation.ProhibitTagsWithoutValue	When false, a raw message may contain tags without values - they will be ignored. Otherwise, std::exception is fired.
Validation.VerifyTagsValues	This parameter controls tag values validation. The possible values are "true" and "false". If set to "true", then all messages will be validated. If set to "false" then the responsibility for message validity rests with the counterparty.	false
Validation.ProhibitUnknownTags	This parameter controls unknown tag handling. The possible values are "true" and "false". If set to "true", then all unknown fields will be stored to the message. If set to "false", engine will reject messages with unknown fields.	false
Validation.VerifyReperatingGroupBounds	This parameter controls repeating group size checking. If true, engine will reject messages with incorrect repeating group size. Otherwise, message will be passed to the application layer. In this case the responsibility for message validity rests with the counterparty.	false
Validation.CheckRequiredGroupFields	This parameter controls the validation of required fields in repeating group. The possible values are "true" and "false". If set to "true", then repeating groups will be checked for the presence of required fields. If set to "false" then the responsibility for repeating group validity rests with the counterparty. The recommended setting is "true". This parameter is optional.	true
Validation.ProhibitDuplicatedTags	When false, raw message may contain duplicated field definitions. Otherwise, reject will be fired. Works only as Session.Default.Validation.ProhibitDuplicatedTags or Session.CLIENT1/EXECUTOR.Validation.ProhibitDuplicatedTags	true
Validation.IgnoreUnknownFields	Ignores undefined fields during message parsing.	false

Storage and FIX Logging Parameters

Property	Description	Valid values	Defaults
HiddenLogonCredentials	Masks password in in/out log files		false
MessagesStorageSize	This parameter specifies in-memory messages storage size.		20000
LogIncomingMessages	If true, the session will store incoming FIX messages.		true
StorageType	Message storage type	persistent transient persistentMM splitPersistent null	persistentMM

Connection Parameters

Property	Description	Valid values	Defaults
KeepConnectionState	When true, primary to backup (and back) connection switching continue using existing message storage.		true
UseAsyncConnect	When true, session initiator will use async TCP connect.		false
DisableTCPBuffer	When true, TCP buffer (Nagle algorithm) will be disabled for session.		false
SocketRecvBufSize	Socket incoming buffer size.		-1
SocketSendBufSize	Socket outgoing buffer size.		-1
MaxMessagesAmountInBunch	Enqueued outgoing messages could merged and sent as a single buffer. This parameter controls how many messages could be merged into the bunch.	The 0 means infinite amount.	0
EnableAutoSwitchToBackupConnection	When true, automatic switch mode is enabled.		false
CyclicSwitchBackupConnection	When true, connection will be switched from primary to backup and back until connection will be established.		false
SourceIPaddress	The expected value of the source IP address. If the real value is not equal to the expected one, then the session is disconnected without sending a message and the error condition is generated in the log output.
SocketOpPriority	The priority of the socket send/receive operations.	NA EVEN AGGRESSIVE_SEND AGGRESSIVE_RECEIVE AGGRESSIVE_SEND_AND_RECEIVE DIRECT_SEND DIRECT_SEND mode is available since FIX Antenna 2.23.0	EVEN
Transport	Low-level transport of the session.	SOCKETS - Kernel sockets MYRICOM_DBL - Myricom TA	SOCKETS
AggressiveReceiveDelay	Defines a polling interval in microseconds for reading data from the socket. Works only with aggressive sessions i.e. Engine::AGGRESSIVE_RECEIVE_SOCKET_OP_PRIORITY or Engine::AGGRESSIVE_SEND_AND_RECEIVE_SOCKET_OP_PRIORITY modes. Setting lower value reduces the latency but causes high CPU utilization. The default value is 500 microseconds. There will not be a delay after an attempt to receive a message if the socket buffer still is not empty.		500
ReconnectMaxTries	This parameter specifies the number of attempts to restore the session. The session is considered as restored if the telecommunication link was restored and the exchange of Logon messages was successful. If it is set to "-1", then the number of attempts is unlimited.		3
ReconnectInterval	This parameter specifies the time interval between reconnection attempts in order to restore a communications link. This value is specified in milliseconds (seconds*10-3). The recommended value is 1000 for dedicated connections and private networks. Internet connections require calibration. The value must be integer and greater than 0.		1000
ConnectAddress	Specifies IP of the NIC interface used to connect to the remote site.
ConnectPort	Specifies TCP port used to connect to the remote site.
UseBlockingSockets	If true, the session will use blocking I/O. This mode is useful for OpenOnload and is enabled if aggressive mode is ON. Engine::SessionExtraParameters::aggressiveReceiveDelay_ is used as a timeout parameter. See also: socketOpPriority, AggressiveReceiveDelay		false

The list of supported sessions parameters can be found in the C++ documentation or in the header from the FIXAntenna C++ package: ./headers/B2BITS_FAProperties.h

Create pre-configured sessions from a properties file

FIX Antenna 2.25.1. introduces a mechanism that allows passing a session configuration through a file.

The scenario below describes the case when the application gets all configured sessions from the properties file and iterates over the sessions list and creates them.

With this scenario, all initiator sessions connect immediately to the counterparty.

FIX Antenna C++ code example

application.cpp

/* FixAntenna initialization here */
//....
Engine::Application MyAppAcceptor;
Engine::Application MyAppIntiator;
//....
std::vector<Session*> sessionsVector;
FAProperties::ConfiguredSessionsMap sessions = FixEngine::singleton()->getProperties()->getConfiguredSessions();
for(FAProperties::ConfiguredSessionsMap::const_iterator it = sessions.begin(); it != sessions.end(): ++it)
{
    Session *pSsn;
    if(it->second.sessionRole_ == Engine::INITIATOR_SESSION_ROLE)
        pSsn = FixEngine::singleton()->createSession( &MyAppIntiator, it->first, NA, &it->second );
    else
        pSsn = FixEngine::singleton()->createSession( &MyAppAcceptor, it->first, NA, &it->second );
    pSsn->connect();
    sessionsVector.push_back(pSsn);
}
//....
for(std::vector<Session*>.const_iterator it = sessionsVector.begin(); it != sessionsVector.end(); ++it)
{
    it->release();
}
/* FixAntenna de-initialization here */

FIX Antenna .NET code example

application.cs

/* FixAntenna initialization here */
// ....
List<Session> activeSessions;
Dictionary<SessionId, SessionExtraParameters> sessions = FixEngine.Instance.getConfiguredSessions(SessionRole.NA);
foreach (KeyValuePair<SessionId, SessionExtraParameters> session in sessions)
{
    Session ses = FixEngine.Instance.CreateSession(session.Key, FixVersion.NA, session.Value);
    ses.Connect();
	activeSessions.add(ses);
}
//....
foreach (Session session in activeSessions)
{
	sessions.Dispose();
}

/* FixAntenna de-initialization here */

Creating initiator and acceptor

engine.properties

######### CLIENT1/SRV1 session #########
Session.CLIENT1/SRV1.ParserVersion = FIX44
Session.CLIENT1/SRV1.Role = Initiator
Session.CLIENT1/SRV1.Host = 127.0.0.1
Session.CLIENT1/SRV1.Port = 9090
Session.CLIENT1/SRV1.HBI = 30
#Other required session properties if any


######### ESVR/CTG session #########
Session.ESVR/CTG.ParserVersion = FIX44
Session.ESVR/CTG.Role = Acceptor
#Other required session properties if any

Pass Custom Logon Message to initiator from properties file.

engine.properties

######### CLIENT1/SRV1 session #########
Session.CLIENT1/SRV1.ParserVersion = FIX44
Session.CLIENT1/SRV1.Role = Initiator
Session.CLIENT1/SRV1.Host = 127.0.0.1
Session.CLIENT1/SRV1.Port = 9090
Session.CLIENT1/SRV1.HBI = 30
Session.CLIENT1/SRV1.CustomLogonMessageFileName = Logon.msg

An example of Logon message (35=A): Logon.msg

Create SSL sessions with properties file

FIX Antenna 2.26.0. has updated SSL support, extending the variety of formats accepted and password protected certificates/keys support.

FIX Antenna support certificates in PEM, PFX and DER formats along with private keys in PEM and DER formats.

Password protected certificates/keys can be used as well. The password is specified within plain text in engine.properties.

The cases below demonstrate how to configure Initiator/acceptor sessions in order to make them SSL enabled.

SSL related properties are demonstrated only assuming that session is generally configured already.

Creating initiator and acceptor:

engine.properties

######### Engine wide properties #########
# Used for all acceptor sessions and as default values for Initiator sessions. if ListenSSLPort is specified and optional otherwise.
# Mandatory. Set protocols accepted by the engine.
SSLProtocols = TLSv1_2
# Optional. Engine default values used if omitted.
SSLCiphersList = AES+aRSA:AES+aECDH:AES+aECDSA:@STRENGTH
# mandatory. Certificate file to use.
SSLCertificate = mycert.pem
# Optional. Applicable if only certificates is password protected.
SSLCertificatePassword = mycertPassword
# Optionality is correlated with SSLCertificate.
# It means if no SSLCertificate  specified then this property becomes seamless. It becomes optional if private key is already contained inside SSLCertificate file.
# This is possible for PEM and PFX formats but not for DER!
SSLPrivateKey = mycertKey.pem
# Optional if private key is not password protected. Please pay attention to the fact the this password is used for private key stored within certificate file as well.
# So it has meaning even if SSLPrivateKey is empty in this case.
SSLPrivateKeyPassword = mycertKeyPassword
# Optional if no peer certificate validation is required. This is a path to the file containing CA certificates (all in one file on after another, PEM format only!).
# This certificates are used to build accepted certificates list sent to peer as well.
SSLCACertificate = CACerts.pem
# Optional. false by default. Setting this property to true requires SSL engine to validate counter-party's certificate against CAs provided. 
# If validation has failed or no certificate was provided by counter-party connection is terminated immediately.
# Set this to true in order to accept only connection verified with certificate.
SSLValidatePeerCertificate = true

######### CLIENT1/SRV1 Initiator session #########
# Enable SSL support for the session
Session.CLIENT1/SRV1.SSL = true
# Optional. Overrides engine wide SSLProtocols property for the session
Session.CLIENT1/SRV1.SSLProtocols = TLSv1_2
# Optional. Overrides engine wide SSLCiphersList property for the session
Session.CLIENT1/SRV1.SSLCiphersList = AES+aRSA:AES+aECDH:AES+aECDSA:@STRENGTH
# Optional for initiators. Certificate file to use if certificate based authentication is requested by peer.
Session.CLIENT1/SRV1.SSLCertificate = mycert.pem
# Optional. Applicable if only certificates is password protected.
Session.CLIENT1/SRV1.SSLCertificatePassword = mycertPassword
# Optionality is correlated with SSLCertificate.
# It means if no SSLCertificate  specified then this property becomes seamless. It becomes optional if private key is already contained inside SSLCertificate file.
# This is possible for PEM and PFX formats but not for DER!
Session.CLIENT1/SRV1.SSLPrivateKey = mycertKey.pem
# Optional if private key is not password protected. Please pay attention to the fact the this password is used for private key stored within certificate file as well.
# So it has meaning even if SSLPrivateKey is empty in this case.
Session.CLIENT1/SRV1.SSLPrivateKeyPassword = mycertKeyPassword
# Optional if no peer certificate validation is required. This is a path to the file containing CA certificates (all in one file on after another, PEM format only!).
Session.CLIENT1/SRV1.SSLCACertificate = CACerts.pem
# Optional. false by default. Setting this property to true requires SSL engine to validate counter-party's certificate against CAs provided. If validation has failed connection is terminated immediately.
# Set this to true in order to validate acceptors certificate.
Session.CLIENT1/SRV1.ValidatePeerCertificate = true


######### ESVR/CTG Acceptor session #########
# Restricts the session to accept connections from SSL listener only.
Session.ESVR/CTG.SSL = true
# All remaining properties are engine wide for the acceptors and can't be specified on per-session basis.
# So they are configured with engine wide properties.

Page tree

How to configure FIX Sessions with engine.properties file

Overview

Configure Defaults for All Sessions

Configure Specific Session

Prioritizing Rules

List of Available Parameters

Session Parameters

SenderSubID

TargetSubID

SenderLocationID

TargetLocationID

Username

Password

UsernameTag

PasswordTag

CustomSessionType

CMESecureKeysFile

FixKey

ForcedReconnect

EnableMessageRejecting

IgnoreSeqNumTooLowAtLogon

IntradayLogoutToleranceMode

HandleSeqNumAtLogon

ForceSeqNumReset

EncryptMethod

SuppressDoubleResendRequest

AllowMessageWithoutPossDupFlag

SendLastMsgSeqNumProcessed

ResendRequestBlockSize

CpuAffinity

RecvCpuAffinity

SendCpuAffinity

LogonMessageSessionQualifierTag

SendingTimestampUnit

OutOfSequenceMessagesStrategy

OutOfSequenceMessagesStrategy.QueueSize

ParserVersion

Role

Host

Port

HBI

CustomLogonMessageFileName

TagsDelimiter

Validation Parameters

ValidateCheckSum

GenerateCheckSum

Validation.IsEnabled

Validation.ProhibitTagsWithoutValue

Validation.VerifyTagsValues

Validation.ProhibitUnknownTags

Validation.VerifyReperatingGroupBounds

Validation.CheckRequiredGroupFields

Validation.ProhibitDuplicatedTags

Validation.IgnoreUnknownFields

Storage and FIX Logging Parameters

HiddenLogonCredentials

MessagesStorageSize

LogIncomingMessages

StorageType

Connection Parameters

KeepConnectionState

UseAsyncConnect

DisableTCPBuffer

SocketRecvBufSize

SocketSendBufSize

MaxMessagesAmountInBunch

EnableAutoSwitchToBackupConnection

CyclicSwitchBackupConnection

SourceIPaddress

SocketOpPriority

Transport

AggressiveReceiveDelay

ReconnectMaxTries

ReconnectInterval

ConnectAddress

ConnectPort

UseBlockingSockets

Create pre-configured sessions from a properties file

FIX Antenna C++ code example