Mirth Connect 3.6.2 is the latest version of Mirth Connect 3.6. This version includes important improvements in functionality, extensions and in the commercial offering of Mirth Connect, the integration engine that enables the management and exchange of messaging and information between multiple systems in the healthcare environment. We review all the news in this article.

The release of Mirth Connect 3.6.2 coincides with the release of Mirth Connect 3.7.0. This is no coincidence, as Mirth 3.6.2 includes bug fixes that have also been resolved for 3.7. This is the second update following the release of Mirth Connect 3.6.0 last June 2018 and Mirth Connect 3.6.1 just one month later.

We also have much more information about other versions of Mirth Connect.

Caution: All versions of Mirth Connect 3.6 are affected by vulnerability CVE-2023-43208. To avoid security risks, please use a version equal to or later than Mirth Connect 4.4.1 and update the affected systems as soon as possible. You can download the latest versions from our Mirth Connect download page.

New features of Mirth^® Connect 3.6 #

Last March, Mirth Connect 3.5.2 maintenance version was released which fixed some bugs. The release of Mirth Connect version 3.6.0 last June 5, 2018 is a much more important update that includes:

• 7 new features.
• 10 enhancements to existing functionality.
• And the solution of 32 bugs.

In addition, there are important new features in Mirth Connect 3.6.0 extensions: new extensions, new functionality and a new commercial Core Extension Bundle which includes SSL Manager, Channel History and Message Generator.

We have selected the most interesting new features of this new version of Mirth. You can see the complete list in the official release notes.

Amazon S3 support in File Reader/Writers #

Added read and write support for Amazon S3 storage using File Reader and File Writer.

More information in: Add S3 mode to file connectors.

Java 9 and 10 support #

Previous versions only offered support for Java 8, this enhancement adds support for Java 9 and 10, while maintaining support for Java 8.

Compatibility has been verified for Windows, Linux and OSX and for all supported databases.

More information in: Support Java 9 and 10.

Improved handling of JavaScript attachments #

A large number of new native methods for handling attachments with JavaScript have been added to make working with attachments faster and easier.

More information in: Improve JavaScript Attachment methods.

The Configuration Map can be stored in a database. #

A new option has been added that allows reading the Configuration Map from a database instead of from a file. This allows the sharing of the Configuration Map between several instances of Mirth Connect. This behavior can be configured using the new option configurationmap.location at mirth.properties.

More information in: Add option to read configuration map from database rather than from file.

HTTPS web server only #

The Mirth Connect web server can now be configured to listen only on the HTTPS port, so that the connection is always secure. To do so, simply delete or comment on the http.port option at mirth.properties.

More information in: Add ability to only start the MC web server on the HTTPS port.

HTTP PATCH method has been added to the HTTP Sender connector. #

Until now the HTTP Sender connector only supported HTTP GET, POST, PUT and DELETE methods. Since Mirth Connect 3.6 the HTTP PATCH method is also available.

More information in: Add PATCH method support to HTTP Sender connector.

Improved polling with File Reader connector #

Added polling completion indication in the FIle Reader connector and injected new variables for Source Map. This allows you to correlate different messages or files in a single window of polling, in addition to indicating when the last file in a polling has been processed.

More information: Indicate when file reader polling is completed.

Bugs fixed #

Bugs fixed in Mirth Connect 3.6.0 #

Many of the bugs fixed in this version had also been fixed in the maintenance releases of Mirth Connect 3.5, so we will only discuss thethree bugs that affected version 3.5.2 and that have been fixed in version 3.6.

SFTP File Reader connector gets stuck in Polling state #

This bug can be a nightmare in networks with unstable connections and had to be fixed by workarounds that controlled the situation. If the SFTP server interrupted the connection, the channel was blocked after 8 interruptions. It has been fixed in Mirth Connect 3.6.0.

Details of the problem and solution can be found at: SFTP File Reader gets stuck in Polling state. Must be halted and restarted.

Error 500 when navigating from HTTP to HTTPS on administration page #

This is a minor bug but it caused an HTTP 500 error when switching from the administration page in HTTP to HTTPS in some browsers.

More information: HTTP 500 Error when navigating from HTTP to HTTPS webadmin page.

Improved Dashboard latency when displaying tags #

This bug that affected versions 3.5 to 3.5.2 has been resolved in version 3.6. When the Dashboard had to display a large number of tags in many channels, the user interface became slow and even froze.

More information: Dashboard can take a long time to render tags.

Bugs fixed in Mirth Connect 3.6.1 #

The release of Mirth Connect 3.6.1 on July 23, 2018 occurs only a month and a half after the release of version 3.6.0. This may lead us to believe that there have been a large number of bugs or that these are of some importance.

However, this is a release that fixes three minor bugs and fixes a potential security risk.

Problems installing Mirth Connect 3.6.1 under MacOS with Java 10 #

When trying to install Mirth Connect 3.6.0 on OSX with Java 10, the installation fails by throwing a Java exception. This bug only affected this combination of operating system, Java version and Mirth version.

More information at: DMG install in OSX on Java 10 fails.

Crashes when importing channels from Mirth 3.4 or earlier #

When trying to import a channel from Mirth Connect 3.4 or earlier, the import failed with the following error: Channel has an unknown problem. Channel import aborted. This bug only affected version 3.6.0.

More information in: Channels from 3.4 or earlier fail to import.

Disabled extensions were still loaded in the ExtensionLoader #

In versions 3.5.2 and 3.6.0 of Mirth Connect, metadata was loaded from extensions that were disabled. It has been fixed in Mirth Connect 3.6.1.

More information is available at: Disabled extensions are still loaded into ExtensionLoader.

Code Templates and libraries were requested multiple times when refreshing #

This bug caused that when refreshing or in the dashboard the complete list of Code Templates and libraries was retrieved once for each existing channel.

More information in: Code templates and libraries are queried multiple times per refresh.

The ZIP file extraction code has been modified due to a security risk. #

On June 5, 2018, a security risk called Zip Slip was published. This allows an attacker to create an arbitrary file on the system and execute code. The problem affects thousands of projects in different programming languages, but especially Java.

To exploit this security flaw, the attacker has to use a specially prepared file in any of the affected formats, such as zip, jar, 7z, war, tar, etc.

The code of Mirth Connect 3.6.1 has been modified in several places to be unaffected by this vulnerability, with no change in functionality.

More information in: Update zip4j and address ZIP extraction code.

Bugs fixed in Mirth Connect 3.6.2 #

This is the second update following the release of Mirth Connect 3.6.0 last June 2018 and Mirth Connect 3.6.1 just one month later.

Mirth Connect 3.6.2 is a maintenance update to version 3.6 that includes the resolution of five bugs and one enhancement. The release of Mirth Connect 3.6.2 on December 19, 2018 coincides with the release of Mirth Connect 3.7.0. This is no coincidence, as Mirth 3.6.2 includes bug fixes that have also been resolved for 3.7.

Only one of the bugs is considered important, but it only affects Oracle users.

“ORA-01000: maximum open cursors exceeded” #

This error appears when restarting the Mirth Connect service, when you have a large number of code templates and you are using Oracle as database. This bug is important for environments where these circumstances occur and affected at least since version 3.5.1.

More information in “ORA-01000: maximum open cursors exceeded” on com.mirth.connect.server.migration.ServerMigrator.

A point connectivity problem causes the value of certain configuration properties to change. #

In certain cases, if there was a problem loading the value of a configuration property, the default value was loaded. The problem was that, when saving, the original value could be overwritten. As the rest of the bugs have been fixed in both Mirth Connect 3.6.2 and 3.7.0.

Therefore, this is an improbable situation, but if it were to occur, it could have unforeseeable consequences. In addition to driving the user crazy looking for the source of the problem.

More information in Database connectivity blip can cause certain configuration properties to be modified.

The server fails to start if the root log level is DEBUG. #

This issue, which affected versions 3.6.0 and 3.6.1, has been resolved for both Mirth Connect 3.6.2 and 3.7.0.

More information in Server fails to startup if root logger level is DEBUG.

When displaying a channel, fails without error if it has no metadata #

If, for some reason, we find that a channel does not have its metadata in the database, the channel is not displayed but does not give an error. This is difficult to happen unless we are manually modifying the database. But, if it does occur, it would be a difficult problem to identify and solve.

More information in If channel metaData is missing, a channel will fail to deploy with no error message.

Database connections are serialized on the global maps #

Serialization has been restricted to prevent large objects from being saved in the database as XML or sent to the client from the server.

More information Database connections are fully serialized into the global maps.

Improvements in Mirth Connect 3.6.2 #

In addition, this new version of Mirth Connect (along with 3.7.0) includes an improvement over previous versions. This improvement affects error control and caching in queue processing threads in the event of a serious problem. In this way, error notification is improved and an attempt is made to handle a severe error as well as possible.

More information Add stricter error catching to the source/destination queue threads.

What’s new in Mirth Connect 3.6 extensions? #

Mirth Connect 3.6.0 brings with it important new features related to the commercial extensions. Highlights the new Connect Core Extension Bundlea pack of extensions at a reduced price.

These updates add new functionalities for managing Mirth Connect in large installations and for increasing security and connectivity with standards such as FHIR. All this helps Mirth Connect continue to grow as a great professional tool for the realization of integrations and interoperability projects.

The new Connect Core Extension Bundle #

The Mirth Connect commercial license includes access to additional extensions, which add extra functionality to Mirth Connect, and to other value-added services. These services make licensing costs high and commercial extensions unaffordable for many users.

The new Connect Core Extension Bundle released together with Mirth Connect 3.6.0 is a bundle with essential commercial extensions. This makes it possible to obtain them without the additional cost of a full license. This is an important innovation in the Mirth Connect business model and responds to a frequent demand from users.

The extensions included in the Connect Core Extension Bundle are:

• SSL Manager: to configure SSL certificates.
• Channel History: a version control system that allows you to keep a history of the changes made to the channel and even go back to previous versions.
• Message Generator: HL7 v2.X message generator for use in transformers, channels and tests.

The cost of this package of Mirth Connect extensions is currently at $2,000 (USD) per year.

FHIR Connector Extension #

FHIR Connector Extension, initially free but the FHIR Connector extension is now part of the Mirth Connect commercial extension offering and is not available for free.. The extension has been updated to support FHIR version STU3 (Release 3).. It has also been improved in several aspects:

• New destination FHIR Sender which allows connecting to external FHIR servers.
• New FHIR data type, which supports the use of JSON and XML resources simultaneously.
• New graphical FHIR Resource Builder available in FHIR Sender, in thetransformer and in the code template.
• Updated sample channels with PostgreSQL and SQL Server support.
• Multitude of channel examples, code templates and transformers available to accelerate development.

Improvements in advanced clustering #

This commercial extension allows you to manage several Mirth Connect servers in a cluster. This update includes new features that help to manage all nodes from the same administrator, such as the following:

• The possibility of visualizing the logs of all nodes.
• Visualization of the Global Maps of all nodes.
• Manage and view alerts for the entire cluster.
• Resource reloading runs across the entire cluster.
• Automatic cleaning of offline server IDs.
• Automatic compilation of Global Scripts.

New Interoperability Connector Suite extension #

This new commercial extension includes Listeners and Senders to connect to eHealth Exchange, a standardized secure clinical information exchange network operating in the United States.

Multi-Factor Authentication #

This new commercial extension was introduced in the last release of Mirth Connect 3.5.2. Multi-factor authentication allows for added security for user accounts. This is achieved through a two-step login, requiring an additional device to log in, such as a phone, tablet or smartphone.

More information #

All official information about Mirth Connect 3.6 and its updates can be found at:

• Mirth Connect 3.6.0:
  • Whats’ new.
  • Upgrade guide.
• Mirth Connect 3.6.1:
  • What’s new.
  • Upgrade guide.
• Mirth Connect 3.6.2:
  • What’s new.
  • Upgrade guide.

Conclusions #

As we have explored, Mirth Connect 3.6.2 and its predecessors in the 3.6 series bring a number of enhancements and bug fixes that significantly improve the performance and functionality of the software.

Key features such as Amazon S3 support in File Reader/Writers, Java 9 and 10 support, and advances in JavaScript attachment handling represent important steps in the evolution of the software. The resolution of critical bugs and security risks further underscores the developers’ commitment to providing a robust and reliable integration engine for healthcare environments.

While upgrading to 3.6.2 may not be imperative for systems running smoothly on 3.6.1, it is recommended for new installations or upgrades from versions earlier than or equal to 3.6.0 due to the security risks addressed. Mirth Connect continues to strengthen its position as a versatile and powerful tool for interoperability and integration in the healthcare sector.

Download Mirth Connect 3.6 #

You can download Mirth Connect 3.6 and all its updates from our Mirth Connect download pages or from the NextGen^® Healthcare website.