Chapter 3. Configuring the JBoss EAP for OpenShift Image for Your Java Application
The JBoss EAP for OpenShift image is preconfigured for basic use with your Java applications. However, you can configure the JBoss EAP instance inside the image. The recommended method is to use the OpenShift S2I process, together with application template parameters and environment variables.
Any configuration changes made on a running container will be lost when the container is restarted or terminated.
This includes any configuration changes made using scripts that are included with a traditional JBoss EAP installation, for example add-user.sh
or the management CLI.
It is strongly recommended that you use the OpenShift S2I process, together with application template parameters and environment variables, to make any configuration changes to the JBoss EAP instance inside the JBoss EAP for OpenShift image.
3.1. How the JBoss EAP for OpenShift S2I Process Works
Flowchart illustrating the S2I process for JBoss EAP:

If a
pom.xml
file is present in the source code repository, the S2I builder image initiates a Maven build process. The Maven build uses the contents of$MAVEN_ARGS
.If a
pom.xml
file is not present in the source code repository, the S2I builder image initiates a binary type build.To add custom Maven arguments or options, use
$MAVEN_ARGS_APPEND
. The$MAVEN_ARGS_APPEND
variable appends options to$MAVEN_ARGS
.By default, the OpenShift profile uses the Maven
package
goal, which includes system properties for skipping tests (-DskipTests
) and enabling the Red Hat GA repository (-Dcom.redhat.xpaas.repo
).The results of a successful Maven build are copied to the
EAP_HOME/standalone/deployments/
directory inside the JBoss EAP for OpenShift image. This includes all JAR, WAR, and EAR files from the source repository specified by the$ARTIFACT_DIR
environmental variable. The default value ofARTIFACT_DIR
is the Maven target directory.NoteTo use Maven behind a proxy on JBoss EAP for OpenShift image, set the
$HTTP_PROXY_HOST
and$HTTP_PROXY_PORT
environment variables. Optionally, you can also set the$HTTP_PROXY_USERNAME
,$HTTP_PROXY_PASSWORD
, and$HTTP_PROXY_NONPROXYHOSTS
variables.-
All files in the
modules
source repository directory are copied to theEAP_HOME/modules/
directory in the JBoss EAP for OpenShift image. -
All files in the
configuration
source repository directory are copied to theEAP_HOME/standalone/configuration/
directory in the JBoss EAP for OpenShift image. If you want to use a custom JBoss EAP configuration file, name the filestandalone-openshift.xml
.
Additional Resources
- See Binary (local) source on the OpenShift 4.2 documentation for additional information on binary type builds.
- See Artifact Repository Mirrors for additional guidance on how to instruct the S2I process to use the custom Maven artifacts repository mirror.
3.2. Configuring JBoss EAP for OpenShift Using Environment Variables
Using environment variables is the recommended method of configuring the JBoss EAP for OpenShift image. See the OpenShift documentation for instructions on specifying environment variables for application containers and build containers.
For example, you can set the JBoss EAP instance’s management username and password using environment variables when creating your OpenShift application:
oc new-app --template=eap73-basic-s2i \ -p IMAGE_STREAM_NAMESPACE=eap-demo \ -p SOURCE_REPOSITORY_URL=https://github.com/jboss-developer/jboss-eap-quickstarts \ -p SOURCE_REPOSITORY_REF=7.3.x-openshift \ -p CONTEXT_DIR=kitchensink \ -e ADMIN_USERNAME=myspecialuser \ -e ADMIN_PASSWORD=myspecialp@ssw0rd
This example uses the JDK 8 template. For JDK 11, use the eap73-openjdk11-basic-s2i
template.
Available environment variables for the JBoss EAP for OpenShift image are listed in Reference Information.
3.2.1. JVM Memory Configuration
The OpenShift EAP image has a mechanism to automatically calculate the default JVM memory settings based on the current environment, but you can also configure the JVM memory settings using environment variables.
3.2.1.1. JVM Default Memory Settings
If a memory limit is defined for the current container, and the limit is lower than the total available memory, the default JVM memory settings are calculated automatically. Otherwise, the default JVM memory settings are the default defined in the standalone.conf
file of the EAP version used as the base server for the image.
The container memory limit is retrieved from the file /sys/fs/cgroup/memory/memory.limit_in_bytes
. The total available memory is retrieved using the /proc/meminfo
command.
When memory settings are calculated automatically, the following formulas are used:
- Maximum heap size (-Xmx): fifty percent (50%) of user memory
- Initial heap size (-Xms): twenty-five percent (25%) of the calculated maximum heap size.
For example, the defined memory limit is 1 GB, and this limit is lower than the total available memory reported by /proc/meminfo
, then the memory settings will be: -Xms128m -Xmx512
You can use the following environment variables to modify the JVM settings calculated automatically. Note that these variables are only used when default memory size is calculated automatically (in other words, when a valid container memory limit is defined).
-
JAVA_MAX_MEM_RATIO
-
JAVA_INITIAL_MEM_RATIO
-
JAVA_MAX_INITIAL_MEM
You can disable automatic memory calculation by setting the value of the following two environment variables to 0.
-
JAVA_INITIAL_MEM_RATIO
-
JAVA_MAX_MEM_RATIO
3.2.1.2. JVM Garbage Collection Settings
The EAP image for OpenShift includes settings for both garbage collection and garbage collection logging
Garbage Collection Settings
-XX:+UseParallelOldGC -XX:MinHeapFreeRatio=10 -XX:MaxHeapFreeRatio=20 -XX:GCTimeRatio=4 -XX:AdaptiveSizePolicyWeight=90 -XX:+ExitOnOutOfMemoryError
Garbage Collection Logging Settings for Java 8 (non-modular JVM)
-verbose:gc -Xloggc:/opt/eap/standalone/log/gc.log -XX:+PrintGCDetails -XX:+PrintGCDateStamps -XX:+UseGCLogFileRotation -XX:NumberOfGCLogFiles=5 -XX:GCLogFileSize=3M -XX:-TraceClassUnloading
Garbage Collection Logging Settings for Java 11 (modular JVM)
-Xlog:gc*:file=/opt/eap/standalone/log/gc.log:time,uptimemillis:filecount=5,filesize=3M
3.2.1.3. Resource Limits in Default Settings
If set, additional default settings are included in the image.
-XX:ParallelGCThreads={core-limit} -Djava.util.concurrent.ForkJoinPool.common.parallelism={core-limit} -XX:CICompilerCount=2
The value of {core-limit} is defined using the JAVA_CORE_LIMIT
environment variable, or by the CPU core limit imposed by the container.
The value of CICompilerCount
is always fixed as 2.
3.2.1.4. JVM Environment Variables
Use these environment variables to configure the JVM in the EAP for OpenShift image.
Table 3.1. JVM Environment Variables
Variable Name | Example | Default Value | JVM Settings | Description |
---|---|---|---|---|
JAVA_OPTS | -verbose:class | No default | Multiple |
JVM options to pass to the
Use
Using
In addition, if automatic memory calculation is not enabled, the inital Java memory (-Xms) and maximum Java memory (-Xmx) are not defined.
Add these defaults if you use |
JAVA_OPTS_APPEND | -Dsome.property=value | No default | Multiple |
User-specified Java options to append to generated options in |
JAVA_MAX_MEM_RATIO | 50 | 50 | -Xmx |
Use this variable when the |
JAVA_INITIAL_MEM_RATIO | 25 | 25 | -Xms |
Use this variable when the |
JAVA_MAX_INITIAL_MEM | 4096 | 4096 | -Xms |
Use this variable when the |
JAVA_DIAGNOSTICS | true | false (disabled) | The settings depend on the JDK used by the container.
|
Set the value of this variable to true to include diagnostic information in standard output when events occur. If this variable is defined as true in an environment where |
DEBUG | true | false | -agentlib:jdwp=transport=dt_socket,address=$DEBUG_PORT,server=y,suspend=n | Enables remote debugging. |
DEBUG_PORT | 8787 | 8787 | -agentlib:jdwp=transport=dt_socket,address=$DEBUG_PORT,server=y,suspend=n | Specifies the port used for debugging. |
JAVA_CORE_LIMIT | Undefined | -XX:parallelGCThreads -Djava.util.concurrent.ForkJoinPool.common.parallelism -XX:CICompilerCount | A user-defined limit on the number of cores. If the container reports a limit constraint, the value of the JVM settings is limited to the container core limit. The value of -XXCICompilerCount is always 2. By default, this variable is undefined. In that case, if a limit is not defined on the container, the JVM settings are not set. | |
GC_MIN_HEAP_FREE_RATIO | 20 | 10 | -XX:MinHeapFreeRatio | Minimum percentage of heap free after garbage collection to avoid expansion. |
GC_MAX_HEAP_FREE_RATIO | 40 | 20 | -XX:MaxHeapFreeRatio | Maximum percentage of heap free after garbage collection to avoid shrinking. |
GC_TIME_RATIO | 4 | 4 | -XX:GCTimeRatio | Specifies the ratio of the time spent outside of garbage collection (for example, time spent in application execution) to the time spent in garbage collection. |
GC_ADAPTIVE_SIZE_POLICY_WEIGHT | 90 | 90 | -XX:AdaptiveSizePolicyWeight | The weighting given to the current garbage collection time versus the previous garbage collection times. |
GC_METASPACE_SIZE | 20 | 96 | -XX:MetaspaceSize | The initial metaspace size. |
GC_MAX_METASPACE_SIZE | 100 | 256 | -XX:MaxMetaspaceSize | The maximum metaspace size. |
GC_CONTAINER_OPTIONS | -XX:+UserG1GC | -XX:-UseParallelOldGC | -XX:-UseParallelOldGC | Specifies the Java garbage collection to use. The value of the variable should be the JRE command-line options to specify the required garbage collection. The JRE command specified overrides the default. |
The following environment variables are deprecated:
-
JAVA_OPTIONS
: UseJAVA_OPTS
. -
INITIAL_HEAP_PERCENT
: UseJAVA_INITIAL_MEM_RATIO
. -
CONTAINER_HEAP_PERCENT
: UseJAVA_MAX_MEM_RATIO
.
3.3. Build Extensions and Project Artifacts
The JBoss EAP for OpenShift image extends database support in OpenShift using various artifacts. These artifacts are included in the built image through different mechanisms:
- S2I artifacts that are injected into the image during the S2I process.
- Runtime artifacts from environment files provided through the OpenShift Secret mechanism.

Support for using the Red Hat-provided internal datasource drivers with the JBoss EAP for OpenShift image is now deprecated. Red Hat recommends that you use JDBC drivers obtained from your database vendor for your JBoss EAP applications.
The following internal datasources are no longer provided with the JBoss EAP for OpenShift image:
- MySQL
- PostgreSQL
For more information about installing drivers, see Modules, Drivers, and Generic Deployments.
For more information on configuring JDBC drivers with JBoss EAP, see JDBC drivers in the JBoss EAP Configuration Guide.
Note that you can also create a custom layer to install these drivers and datasources if you want to add them to a provisioned server.
Additional Resources
3.3.1. S2I Artifacts
The S2I artifacts include modules, drivers, and additional generic deployments that provide the necessary configuration infrastructure required for the deployment. This configuration is built into the image during the S2I process so that only the datasources and associated resource adapters need to be configured at runtime.
See Artifact Repository Mirrors for additional guidance on how to instruct the S2I process to utilize the custom Maven artifacts repository mirror.
3.3.1.1. Modules, Drivers, and Generic Deployments
There are a few options for including these S2I artifacts in the JBoss EAP for OpenShift image:
- Include the artifact in the application source deployment directory. The artifact is downloaded during the build and injected into the image. This is similar to deploying an application on the JBoss EAP for OpenShift image.
Include the
CUSTOM_INSTALL_DIRECTORIES
environment variable, a list of comma-separated list of directories used for installation and configuration of artifacts for the image during the S2I process. There are two methods for including this information in the S2I:An
install.sh
script in the nominated installation directory. The install script executes during the S2I process and operates with impunity.install.sh
Script Example#!/bin/bash injected_dir=$1 source /usr/local/s2i/install-common.sh install_deployments ${injected_dir}/injected-deployments.war install_modules ${injected_dir}/modules configure_drivers ${injected_dir}/drivers.env
The
install.sh
script is responsible for customizing the base image using APIs provided byinstall-common.sh
.install-common.sh
contains functions that are used by theinstall.sh
script to install and configure the modules, drivers, and generic deployments.Functions contained within
install-common.sh
:-
install_modules
-
configure_drivers
install_deployments
Modules
A module is a logical grouping of classes used for class loading and dependency management. Modules are defined in the
EAP_HOME/modules/
directory of the application server. Each module exists as a subdirectory, for exampleEAP_HOME/modules/org/apache/
. Each module directory then contains a slot subdirectory, which defaults to main and contains themodule.xml
configuration file and any required JAR files.For more information about configuring
module.xml
files for MySQL and PostgreSQL JDBC drivers, see the Datasource Configuration Examples in the JBoss EAP Configuration Guide.Example
module.xml
File for PostgreSQL Datasource<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?> <module xmlns="urn:jboss:module:1.0" name="org.postgresql"> <resources> <resource-root path="postgresql-jdbc.jar"/> </resources> <dependencies> <module name="javax.api"/> <module name="javax.transaction.api"/> </dependencies> </module>
Example
module.xml
File for MySQL Connect/J 8 Datasource<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?> <module xmlns="urn:jboss:module:1.0" name="com.mysql"> <resources> <resource-root path="mysql-connector-java-8.0.Z.jar" /> </resources> <dependencies> <module name="javax.api"/> <module name="javax.transaction.api"/> </dependencies> </module>
NoteThe ".Z" in
mysql-connector-java-8.0.Z.jar
indicates the version of theJAR
file downloaded. The file can be renamed, but the name must match the name in themodule.xml
file.The
install_modules
function ininstall.sh
copies the respective JAR files to the modules directory in JBoss EAP, along with themodule.xml
.Drivers
Drivers are installed as modules. The driver is then configured in
install.sh
by theconfigure_drivers
function, the configuration properties for which are defined in a runtime artifact environment file.Adding Datasource Drivers
The MySQL and PostgreSQL datasources are no longer provided as pre-configured internal datasources. You can still install these drivers as modules; see the description in Modules, Drivers, and Generic Deployments. You can obtain these JDBC drivers from the database vendor for your JBoss EAP applications.
Create a
drivers.env
file for each datasource to be installed.Example
drivers.env
File for MySQL Datasource#DRIVER DRIVERS=MYSQL MYSQL_DRIVER_NAME=mysql MYSQL_DRIVER_MODULE=org.mysql MYSQL_DRIVER_CLASS=com.mysql.cj.jdbc.Driver MYSQL_XA_DATASOURCE_CLASS=com.mysql.jdbc.jdbc2.optional.MysqlXADataSource
Example
drivers.env
File for PostgreSQL Datasource#DRIVER DRIVERS=POSTGRES POSTGRES_DRIVER_NAME=postgresql POSTGRES_DRIVER_MODULE=org.postgresql POSTGRES_DRIVER_CLASS=org.postgresql.Driver POSTGRES_XA_DATASOURCE_CLASS=org.postgresql.xa.PGXADataSource
For information about download locations for various drivers, such as MySQL or PostgreSQL, see JDBC Driver Download Locations in the Configuration Guide.
-
Generic Deployments
Deployable archive files, such as JARs, WARs, RARs, or EARs, can be deployed from an injected image using the install_deployments
function supplied by the API in install-common.sh
.
If the
CUSTOM_INSTALL_DIRECTORIES
environment variable has been declared but noinstall.sh
scripts are found in the custom installation directories, the following artifact directories will be copied to their respective destinations in the built image:-
modules/*
copied to$JBOSS_HOME/modules/system/layers/openshift
-
configuration/*
copied to$JBOSS_HOME/standalone/configuration
-
deployments/*
copied to$JBOSS_HOME/standalone/deployments
This is a basic configuration approach compared to the
install.sh
alternative, and requires the artifacts to be structured appropriately.-
3.3.2. Runtime Artifacts
3.3.2.1. Datasources
There are two types of datasources:
- Internal datasources. These datasources run on OpenShift, but are not available by default through the Red Hat Registry. Configuration of these datasources is provided by environment files added to OpenShift Secrets.
- External datasources. These datasources do not run on OpenShift. Configuration of external datasources is provided by environment files added to OpenShift Secrets.
Example: Datasource Environment File
DB_SERVICE_PREFIX_MAPPING=PostgresXA-POSTGRES=DS1 DS1_JNDI=java:jboss/datasources/pgds DS1_DRIVER=postgresql-42.2.5.jar DS1_USERNAME=postgres DS1_PASSWORD=postgres DS1_MAX_POOL_SIZE=20 DS1_MIN_POOL_SIZE=20 DS1_CONNECTION_CHECKER=org.jboss.jca.adapters.jdbc.extensions.postgres.PostgreSQLValidConnectionChecker DS1_EXCEPTION_SORTER=org.jboss.jca.adapters.jdbc.extensions.postgres.PostgreSQLExceptionSorter
The DB_SERVICE_PREFIX_MAPPING
property is a comma-separated list of datasource property prefixes. These prefixes are then appended to all properties for that datasource. Multiple datasources can then be included in a single environment file. Alternatively, each datasource can be provided in separate environment files.
Datasources contain two types of properties: connection pool-specific properties and database driver-specific properties. The connection pool-specific properties produce a connection to a datasource. Database driver-specific properties determine the driver for a datasource and are configured as a driver S2I artifact.
In the above example, DS1
is the datasource prefix, CONNECTION_CHECKER
specifies a connection checker class used to validate connections for a database, and EXCEPTION_SORTER
specifies the exception sorter class used to detect fatal database connection exceptions.
The datasources environment files are added to the OpenShift Secret for the project. These environment files are then called within the template using the ENV_FILES
environment property, the value of which is a comma-separated list of fully qualified environment files as shown below.
{ “Name”: “ENV_FILES”, “Value”: “/etc/extensions/datasources1.env,/etc/extensions/datasources2.env” }
3.3.2.2. Resource Adapters
Configuration of resource adapters is provided by environment files added to OpenShift Secrets.
Table 3.2. Resource Adapter Properties
Attribute | Description |
---|---|
PREFIX_ID | The identifier of the resource adapter as specified in the server configuration file. |
PREFIX_ARCHIVE | The resource adapter archive. |
PREFIX_MODULE_SLOT |
The slot subdirectory, which contains the |
PREFIX_MODULE_ID | The JBoss Module ID where the object factory Java class can be loaded from. |
PREFIX_CONNECTION_CLASS | The fully qualified class name of a managed connection factory or admin object. |
PREFIX_CONNECTION_JNDI | The JNDI name for the connection factory. |
PREFIX_PROPERTY_ParentDirectory | Directory where the data files are stored. |
PREFIX_PROPERTY_AllowParentPaths |
Set |
PREFIX_POOL_MAX_SIZE | The maximum number of connections for a pool. No more connections will be created in each sub-pool. |
PREFIX_POOL_MIN_SIZE | The minimum number of connections for a pool. |
PREFIX_POOL_PREFILL | Specifies if the pool should be prefilled. Changing this value requires a server restart. |
PREFIX_POOL_FLUSH_STRATEGY |
How the pool should be flushed in case of an error. Valid values are: |
The RESOURCE_ADAPTERS
property is a comma-separated list of resource adapter property prefixes. These prefixes are then appended to all properties for that resource adapter. Multiple resource adapter can then be included in a single environment file. In the example below, MYRA
is used as the prefix for a resource adapter. Alternatively, each resource adapter can be provided in separate environment files.
Example: Resource Adapter Environment File
#RESOURCE_ADAPTER RESOURCE_ADAPTERS=MYRA MYRA_ID=myra MYRA_ARCHIVE=myra.rar MYRA_CONNECTION_CLASS=org.javaee7.jca.connector.simple.connector.outbound.MyManagedConnectionFactory MYRA_CONNECTION_JNDI=java:/eis/MySimpleMFC
The resource adapter environment files are added to the OpenShift Secret for the project namespace. These environment files are then called within the template using the ENV_FILES
environment property, the value of which is a comma-separated list of fully qualified environment files as shown below.
{ "Name": "ENV_FILES", "Value": "/etc/extensions/resourceadapter1.env,/etc/extensions/resourceadapter2.env" }
3.4. Results of using JBoss EAP Templates for OpenShift
When you use JBoss EAP templates to compile your application, two images might be generated.
An intermediate image named [application name]-build-artifacts
might be generated before the final image, [application name]
, is created.
You can remove the [application name]-build-artifacts
image after your application has been deployed.
3.5. SSO Configuration of Red Hat JBoss Enterprise Application Platform for OpenShift Images
In Red Hat JBoss Enterprise Application Platform for OpenShift images, SSO is configured to use the legacy security
subsystem.
The environmment variable SSO_FORCE_LEGACY_SECURITY
is set to true
in these images.
If you want to use the elytron
subsystem for SSO security, update the value of the SSO_FORCE_LEGACY_SECURITY
environment variable to false
.
3.6. Default Datasource
In JBoss EAP 7.3, the default datasource, ExampleDS
, is removed.
Some quickstarts require this datasource:
-
cmt
-
thread-racing
Applications developed by customers might also require the default datasource.
If you need the default datasource, use the GENERATE_DEFAULT_DATASOURCE
environment variable to include it when provisioning a JBoss EAP server.
ENABLE_GENERATE_DEFAULT_DATASOURCE=true
3.7. Deployment Considerations for the JBoss EAP for OpenShift Image
3.7.1. Scaling Up and Persistent Storage Partitioning
There are two methods for deploying JBoss EAP with persistent storage: single-node partitioning, and multi-node partitioning.
Single-node partitioning stores the JBoss EAP data store directory, including transaction data, in the storage volume.
Multi-node partitioning creates additional, independent split-n
directories to store the transaction data for each JBoss EAP pod, where n
is an incremental integer. This communication is not altered if a JBoss EAP pod is updated, goes down unexpectedly, or is redeployed. When the JBoss EAP pod is operational again, it reconnects to the associated split directory and continues as before. If a new JBoss EAP pod is added, a corresponding split-n
directory is created for that pod.
To enable the multi-node configuration you must set the SPLIT_DATA
parameter to true
. This results in the server creating independent split-n
directories for each instance within the persistent volume which are used as their data store.
Using the environment variables like SPLIT_DATA
while using the EAP operator can cause consistency issues. You must use the EAP operator to manage transaction discovery in OpenShift 4 and later versions.
Due to the different storage methods of single-node and multi-node partitioning, changing a deployment from single-node to multi-node results in the application losing all data previously stored in the data directory, including messages, transaction logs, and so on. This is also true if changing a deployment from multi-node to single-node, as the storage paths will not match.
3.7.2. Scaling Down and Transaction Recovery
When the JBoss EAP for OpenShift image is deployed using a multi-node configuration, it is possible for unexpectedly terminated transactions to be left in the data directory of a terminating pod if the cluster is scaled down.
See manual transaction recovery to complete these branches.