Chapter 2. New Features and Enhancements

2.1. Performance enhancements

Red Hat JBoss Data Grid (JDG) 7.1.0 features core performance improvements, especially in clustered write operations. Current tests have shown up to 60% increase in write throughput under load.

2.2. HTTP session externalization from JBoss Web Server (Tomcat) and Spring Session support

JDG 7.1 features the ability to externalize HTTP sessions from JBoss Web Server (JWS) nodes to a remote JDG cluster. This feature helps make the JWS Layer stateless, and enables a rolling update of the application layer while retrieving the session data from the JDG layer.

Additionally, JDG 7.1 features Spring Session support, which enables you to externalize HTTP sessions from a Spring (or Spring Boot) deployment to a remote JDG cluster.

2.3. Apache Spark 2.x Integration

JDG 7.0 introduced a Resilient Distributed Dataset (RDD) and Discretized Stream (DStream) integration with Apache Spark 1.6. JDG 7.1 adds a new connector for Apache Spark 2.x.

2.4. Remote querying enhancements.

JDG 7.1 introduces a new string-based querying language, Ickle, as Technology Preview, which enables you to specify combinations of relational and full-text predicates (based on Apache Lucene). This enhances the querying feature-set available in Client-Server mode by bringing several additional operations that were previously available only in Library mode, and provides a new querying language for Library mode.

2.5. Administration Console for standalone Server deployments

JDG 7.1 enables you to update and save applicable node-level configurations, via the Administration Console, when JDG Server is used in Standalone mode. Atomic clustered operations are unavailable via the Administration Console in standalone mode. These require the JDG Server deployed in Domain Mode, similar to JDG 7.0.

2.6. RPM distribution for Hot Rod C++ client

JDG 7.1 distributes and supports the Hot Rod C++ clients for Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) 6 and 7 as RPMs instead of ZIP archives.

2.7. Hot Rod Java client enhancements

JDG 7.1 introduces the following enhancements to the Hot Rod Java client, which are expected to be fully supported:

  1. Streaming of large-sized objects in chunks from JDG Server to the client. This is useful for client web applications that run in smaller JVMs and handle multiple concurrent sessions.
  2. Addition of Server Name Indication (SNI) support in TLS-based communication between client and server.

2.8. Hot Rod C++ client enhancements

JDG 7.1 introduces the following enhancements to the Hot Rod C++ client, which are expected to be fully supported:

  1. Cross-site failover
  2. TLS-based encryption of communication between client and JDG Server with SNI

Additionally, the following enhancements are expected to be Technology Preview in JDG 7.1:

  1. Remote querying
  2. Remote events/listeners
  3. Near caching
  4. Asynchronous operations
  5. Remote script execution

2.9. Hot Rod C# client enhancements

JDG 7.1 introduces the following enhancements to the Hot Rod C# client, which are expected to be fully supported:

  1. Cross-site failover
  2. TLS-based encryption of communication between client and JDG Server with SNI

Additionally, the following enhanceemnts are expected to be Technology Preview in JDG 7.1:

  1. Remote querying
  2. Remote events/listeners
  3. Near caching
  4. Asynchronous operations
  5. Remote script execution

2.10. Hot Rod Node.js client enhancements

JDG 7.1 introduces the following enhancements to the Hot Rod Node.js client, which are expected to be fully supported:

  1. Cross-site failover
  2. TLS-based encryption of communication between client and JDG Server with SNI