DX Application Performance Management

  • 1.  JBOSS 6.4 startup issues with APM 10.7

    Posted Aug 15, 2018 04:00 AM

    Hi - we have just had an issue resolved by CA support regarding the startup of JBOSS 6.4 (standalone) with APM 10.7 javaagent enabled

     

    JBoss EAP 6.x fails to initialize with log message "WARNING: Failed to load the specified log manager class org.jboss.lo…  - this gives a lot of detail to the issue and the workaround.

     

    Although the fix works, we are worried as it will introduce a dependency in the JBOSS config that requires it to pick up a specific version of the log manager which may be superseded after JBOSS patching activity. As this issue causes the application server startup to fail, its a potentially serious issue.

     

    Are CA and/or Red Hat looking into a code fix for this rather than a config amendment ?

    Are there any other workarounds that wont require a dependency on the logging manager ?

     

    We've also seen APM 10.7 work without the logging manager set (in 2 different applications) so is there a specific trigger that causes this to be an issue ? 

    When we rolled back to 10.1 javaagent the application started fine without any logging manager config.

     

    Thanks in advance for any help you can provide



  • 2.  Re: JBOSS 6.4 startup issues with APM 10.7

    Broadcom Employee
    Posted Aug 16, 2018 02:43 AM

    Hi Dave,

    I previously worked on a JBoss EAP 7.x case where having agent autonaming disabled and jmx disabled did cause the org.jboss.logmanager.LogManager problem per this KB: 

    JBoss EAP 7.x domain fails to start the hosted ser - CA Knowledge 

    From checking back our testing showed that both needed to be disabled for the symptoms to occur.

    From your support case I see you have auto naming disabled. Do you also have jmx disabled?

     

    Thanks

     

    Lynn



  • 3.  Re: JBOSS 6.4 startup issues with APM 10.7

    Posted Aug 16, 2018 03:51 AM

    Hi Lynn

     

    Auto naming is on now and JMX is also enabled.The profile we are using is pretty much completely as supplied by CA apart from us enabling JMX.



  • 4.  Re: JBOSS 6.4 startup issues with APM 10.7

    Broadcom Employee
    Posted Aug 17, 2018 01:19 AM

    Hi Dave,
    Reading back on some background on why JBoss logmanager needs to be set by the agent in java.util.logging.manager and -Xbootclasspath:
    If the agent does not set the logmanager required for the JVM it uses the default JVM shipped logmanager. When the agent initialises (loads before any other JBoss class or Application class) it logs a few diagnostic statements, so the logging need to be initialized before the agent logs and JBoss expects its logmanager for initialising the logging.

     

    So this is something that we had to add to the prescribed agent implementation advice.
    https://docops.ca.com/ca-apm/10-7/en/implementing-agents/java-agent/install-the-java-agent/configure-application-server-to-use-the-java-agent/jboss-as-wildfly-and-jboss-eap

    It actually started with JBoss AS 7 and EAP versions that use it so it was even documented in the 9.x agents e.g

    https://docops.ca.com/ca-apm/9-6/en/implementing-agents/java-agent/install-the-java-agent/configure-application-server-to-use-the-java-agent/jboss#JBoss-JBossApplicationServerLoggingIssues


    If you have been using JBoss AS 7.x or EAP 6.x and not needed it perhaps it is related to the agent not logging - one of the original workarounds was to disable agent logging and then enable it after startup
    Alternatively maybe under some circumstances (profile settings) the first agent logging is delayed until after JBoss has initialised the logmanager itself?
    You mentioned "We've also seen APM 10.7 work without the logging manager set".
    Are they also using JBoss EAP 6.4 or other 6.x + EAP versions?
    Any difference in profile properties?

     

    Thanks

     

    Lynn



  • 5.  Re: JBOSS 6.4 startup issues with APM 10.7

    Broadcom Employee
    Posted Aug 17, 2018 03:55 AM

    Hi Dave,

    This known issue doesn't affect only APM and unfortunately this naming is defined by Jboss.

     

    Maybe a possible way to workaround this issue would be to configure LogManager dynamically as documented here

    JBoss and Wildfly Startup Settings - 4.5.x Documentation 

     

    I hope this helps,

    Sergio



  • 6.  Re: JBOSS 6.4 startup issues with APM 10.7

    Posted Aug 17, 2018 04:27 AM

    Thanks Lynn/Sergio

     

    For background, the "working with out defining the log manager bootclasspath " instances are in our Openshift environment running as Docker images.

    The ones that need the extra classpath config for APM to work are in our traditional on-prem standalone builds.

     

    I asked our JBOSS SME yesterday regarding the JBOSS build that works with APM with no explicit logmanager boot classpath configured.

     

    There is a difference in the 2 JBOSS builds.

     

    The "working" one in Openshift defines the log manager in a file called "/opt/eap/custom_modules/org/jboss/logmanager/ext/main/module.xml"

     

    The SME told me - ".  With custom module definition we initialize logging system and libraries statically before Java Agent startup"

    which implies that the logging system is pre-loaded and available in time so APM agent can use it.

     

    Are you aware of this mechanism to define the log manager ? This seems to work with no extra config needed.