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4. Managing Configuration Drift

Much of the JBoss ON configuration management is designed around implementing changes for resources by editing configuration files or updating files and packages. But another aspect of managing configuration is detecting changes.
IT administrators must invest a significant amount of time planning the optimum configuration for systems in every type of environment, from production systems to internal resources. This ideal configuration includes file settings, software versions, and system settings. Resource configuration is going to change naturally over time, but administrators need to be able to track those changes to make sure that no unplanned or undesirable changes impact the resource. Defining a baseline configuration and tracking changes helps systems remain resilient during both maintenance and failures.
The unplanned changes that occur to a resource's configuration is called drift, as the configuration moves away from the designed baseline. Drift is common because of frequent software and hardware updates, particularly in a colocation facility or using virtual machines.
Production, staging, development, and recovery configurations are designed to have identical or near-identical configuration to maintain consistency. As the configurations within the different environments change, there emerges a configuration gap. Ultimately, this configuration gap can lead to disaster recovery failures or high availability failures because the configuration of the production system and the backup system are too different.
Drift monitoring provides a very general, freewheeling content-based monitoring. Rather than structured configuration management, drift monitoring tracks changes to content on the local filesystem. This means any changes in any files — even binary files[1].

4.1. Understanding Drift

Of course, drift monitoring isn't as simple as checking for changes. One of the core questions is what changes matter? There are two conceptual parts to that question:
  • What directories (and files within those directories) matter for drift monitoring? Even though a drift definition is defined for a resource, the actual drift detection is performed at the directory level. Drift monitoring, then, can hit anywhere on a platform — even outside resources managed by JBoss ON.
  • How do you identify a change? Do you compare it to the version immediately before it or to an established baseline?
Once you identify what changes you want to monitor for drift, then you can use JBoss ON to set up monitoring and alerting effectively.

4.1.1. Drift Definitions and Detection

The first part of drift detection is identifying what you are monitoring.
JBoss ON defines a drift definition that sets the target location for drift monitoring. The target can be identified from some configuration element for the resource — it can be a directory or file on the filesystem, a resource configuration property, a resource plug-in parameter, or a monitoring trait. This target is the base directory. The trait type is the value context, while the actual value is the value name. For example, for a base directory of /etc/ that only includes changes to *.conf files, the elements in the drift definition are:
Value context: fileSystem
Value name: /etc
Includes: **/*.conf

Note

Drift detection is performed at the filesystem level. This means that drift detection is not bound or restricted to a resource managed by JBoss ON. You can create a drift definition for a platform and set it to monitor any file or directory on that platform, even if it is outside the JBoss ON inventory, as long as that directory is accessible to the system user that the JBoss ON agent runs as.
By default, every subdirectory and file underneath the base directory is monitored for drift. The includes/excludes options define subdirectories or files that are explicitly included or explicitly excluded from drift monitoring. If includes is used, then only the specified directories or files are monitored and everything else is implicitly excluded, and vice versa for excludes. Included/excluded directories and files are identified by a path and a pattern. The path is the starting point beneath the base directory, and the pattern matches the file to monitor.

Table 1. Combinations to Include Specific Files

Files to Monitor for Drift 'Includes' Path 'Includes' Pattern
/etc and all its subdirectories Blank Blank
For *.conf files in /etc and all subdirectories . **/*.conf[a]
For *.conf files only in the /etc directory, with no subdirectories (/etc/*.conf) . *.conf
For *.conf files only in a subdirectory one level below /etc (/etc/*/*.conf) Not possible Not possible
For any file in a specific subdirectory (yum.repos.d/) below /etc yum.repos.d (subdirectory name) Blank
[a] This must have a double asterisk for the directory part. It will not work with a single asterisk.
The drift definition also sets an interval, or frequency, for how often the agent checks for drift. This is a very important setting for performance, both for JBoss ON and for data management. Setting a frequency that is too high risks missing changes or lumping changes together into large (and therefore difficult to manage) snapshots. However, setting the interval too low can impact JBoss ON agent and server performance.
The key thing about the drift definition is that it sets what to look at and how often to look.

Note

All drift detection runs are performed outside the agent plug-in and independent of the resource state. A drift detection scan can be run even if the resource is not running.

4.1.2. Snapshots, Deltas, and Baseline Images

The second part of drift detection is identifying how you want to define a change. Change is comparative. It takes the current version of a file and compares it to some previous version. The question for drift management is what previous version to compare to.
When a drift definition is first created, the agent collects all of the files in that base directory and subdirectories and sends information about them to the server. This collection is the initial file set.
From that point onward, the agent only sends change information about the files. Each set of changes is a snapshot. For text files, the change information includes the content of the file and diffs (both constructed on the JBoss ON server based on patches sent by the agent). For binary files, drift only records that the file change and displays a SHA and timestamp. A snapshot is always based on real files from a real resource.

Note

The agent does not send the actual files to the JBoss ON server. The agent sends information about file changes back to the server. These updates only contain the deltas between versions; they're not full files. This minimizes the network I/O.
The actual diffs are generated on the server from the content that the server stores.
The way that a snapshot is created is by comparing the current files against the agent's version. There are two ways that this comparison can be made:
  • It can compare against the next-most recent version of the files.
  • It can compare against a defined, stable baseline.
The first option is a rolling snapshot. This is the simplest setting, because it just keeps a running tally of changes.
Rolling Snapshots

Figure 3. Rolling Snapshots

The second option is a pinned snapshot, and this is the method that gives administrators the most insight and control over drift. A pinned snapshot means that some image of the base directory has the optimal, approved configuration and this snapshot is selected as the baseline. It is in essence pinned in place, and every subsequent change is compared against that pinned snapshot, rather than being compared against each other.
Pinned Snapshots

Figure 4. Pinned Snapshots

Snapshots exist at the resource-level, because they are based on the real files that exist on a system. When a snapshot is pinned to a resource-level definition, then any changes made on that system are compared to that snapshot. When the current file version matches the pinned snapshot, the resource is compliant.
A snapshot for a resource can also be pinned to a drift template — then, it is applied to every definition attached to that template. This is really powerful for administrators. For example, you can use a staging or development server to create the best system configuration for EAP performance, and then apply that EAP baseline snapshot to every EAP server in the production environment by pinning it to a drift template. You can see immediately all the EAP configuration relative to your defined ideal.

4.1.3. Destination Directories with Special File Types

Drift looks at both files and directories on the local system to generate snapshots and identify changes. The majority of these files and directories are going to be real files, but Unix does have some special file types, and the drift operation may encounter those files as part of processing the destination directory. There are some behavior implications, particularly with symbolic links and named pipes.
With symbolic links, drift detection follows any links back to the original file or directory, and includes those files in the snapshot. For example, if a symlink is set up for some library:
ln -ls /home/dev/libs /usr/share/jbossas/server/libs
If drift is configured on the libs/ directory in the JBoss AS home directory, it will follow the symlink back to /home/dev/libs, and include all of those files in the drift snapshot.

Important

Be careful when configuring drift against a directory which contains symlinks. All of the linked files will be included as part of the drift target.
If the linked directory has a large number of files, then drift detection runs may take longer than expected. Additionally, changes in that symlinked directory may have an unexpected impact on drift detection by recording many changes as drift when they weren't intended to be.
If you do not want to include the symlinked directory in the drift definition, use the excludes parameter in the drift definition to exclude the symlink.
The other special file type that is common on Unix systems is a pipe. As with a symlink, drift detection runs can detect a fifo file within the target directory. However, unlike symlinks, drift cannot process the fifo file, which causes drift detection to hang.

Note

Use the excludes parameter in the drift definition to exclude any named pipes in the target directory.

Table 2. Drift Definitions and Unix File Types

File Type Supported by Drift?
File Yes
Directory Yes
Symbolic link Yes
Pipe No
Socket No
Device No

4.1.4. Drift and Resource Types

Whether drift is supported is defined in the resource type (which is discussed in Section 4.3.1, “About Resources and Drift Definition Templates”). If a drift template is defined in the resource type's rhq-plugin.xml descriptor, then that resource type supports drift. The template is a starting point (not an enforced configuration, like alert or metric collection templates).
Three JBoss ON standard resource types support drift:
  • All platforms
  • JBoss AS/EAP 4
  • JBoss AS/EAP 5, and all resources which use the JBoss AS 5 plug-in
Because drift support is defined in the plug-in descriptor, custom plug-ins can be created that add drift support for those resource types. For examples of writing agent plug-ins with drift support, see "Writing Custom JBoss ON Plug-ins."

Note

Drift is not supported on embedded web applications, such as an embedded WAR under an EAR application.
Drift detection is performed at the directory level. It is not tied to a specific resource. This means that drift detection can be run even when a resource is not running. It also means that drift detection can occur for an application, service, or file that is not managed by JBoss ON or for a resource type that does not otherwise support drift.
To monitor an entity outside the three supported resources, just configure drift detection on the platform resource and define the base directory as whatever directory path is used by the application or service you want to monitor.

4.1.5. Back to Drift Monitoring

The goal of setting up drift detection is to provide clarity into how systems and application servers are being modified. JBoss ON provides two ways to manage drift.
Drift Monitoring

Drift monitoring is the ability to track changes to target locations. The JBoss ON GUI allows you to view snapshots all together, compare changes for individual files between snapshots, view the current configuration, and view change details. It also provides inventory and drift reports and indicates, at a glance, whether a resource is compliant with an associated pinned snapshot.

Drift Alerting

A specific alert condition exists that will trigger an alert whenever there is drift. For rolling snapshots, this will send an alert once (and only once) for each drift snapshot. For pinned snapshots, the drift alert is fired for every detection run for as long as the resource is out of compliance, even if there are no subsequent changes.

Note

There is no direct way to remedy drift through the JBoss ON GUI. However, it is possible to launch a JBoss ON CLI script in response to a drift alert. For example, you can create a patch of your ideal EAP configuration. If an EAP server drifts from that configuration, then you can use a JBoss ON CLI script to deploy that EAP patch bundle to the drifting EAP server.

4.2. Adding a Drift Definition for a Resource

Important

The directories where drift detection is being run cannot be changed after the definition is created. Be careful to get the base directory and the included and excluded files properly configured before saving.
  1. Click the Inventory tab in the top menu.
  2. Select the resource type in the Resources menu table on the left, and then browse or search for the resource.
  3. Open the Drift tab for the resource.
  4. Click the New at the bottom to add a new definition.
  5. Select the template to use to as the basis for the new definition.
    Plug-in defined templates are defined in the platform and JBoss server resources, as well as any other resource which supports drift monitoring. Additional, user-defined templates can be also be created and applied.
  6. Give a unique name to the definition. The name and the base directory are combined to identify the definition within JBoss ON.
  7. Define the settings for the definition, like the interval and whether it is associated with the template. The properties are listed in Table 3, “Drift Definition Properties”.
  8. Set the base directory. This is the top-most directory where drift detection is run for the definition, and the scan recurses down.
    The template itself defines an initial directory, but it may be useful to set a more specific directory to use.
  9. Click the button with the green plus (+) sign to add a subdirectory to include or exclude. The directory can be the base directory by specifying a period (.) as the directory. The pattern identifies which files within the directory to recognize by the service, either to explicitly include or explicitly exclude.
    The filters support Ant-like FilePatterns, using a path and pattern. The patterns support asterisks (*) as wildcards for any number of characters and question marks (?) for single character wild cards. For example, **/*.conf can be used to include only .conf files in any subdirectory.
    There can be multiple include/exclude filters. Each directory and pattern can be added separately.

    Note

    If a pattern is used, then a path must be specified, even if the path is the base directory. For example, to include only .conf files in the base directory, the pattern is *.conf and the path is a period (.) to indicate the local directory.

Table 3. Drift Definition Properties

Property Description
Name A name for the drift detection definition. The name and the base directory, together, uniquely identify the definition.
Base Directory: Value Context The type of configuration property which is used to identify the base directory. This identifies what type of element in the resource supplies the value. There are four options:
  • File system, which is simply an absolute directory path on the resource. This directory must exist for drift to work.
  • Resource configuration, which is a configuration property defined for the resource.
  • Trait, which is one of the monitored traits for that resource.
  • Plug-in configuration property, which is a property defined in the resource plug-in.
Base Directory: Value Name The actual value for the drift detection definition to use for the base directory context. For example, if this is a file system context, then the value name is the directory path.
Includes Explicitly includes directories, files, or files and directories matching a pattern, relative to the base directory, in the drift detection.
The filters support Ant-like FilePatterns, using a path and pattern. The patterns support asterisks (*) as wildcards for any number of characters and question marks (?) for single character wild cards.
If a pattern is used, then a path must be specified, even if the path is the base directory. For example, to include only .conf files in the base directory, the pattern is *.conf and the path is a period (.) to indicate the local directory.
Excludes Explicitly excludes directories, files, or files and directories matching a pattern, relative to the base directory, from the drift detection.
The filters support Ant-like FilePatterns, using a path and pattern. The patterns support asterisks (*) as wildcards for any number of characters and question marks (?) for single character wild cards.
If a pattern is used, then a path must be specified, even if the path is the base directory. For example, to include only .conf files in the base directory, the pattern is *.conf and the path is a period (.) to indicate the local directory.
Enabled Enables or disables the definition. Disabling a definition means that no detection scans are run.
Interval Sets the frequency, in seconds, where the definition is eligible for a detection run. This is not a hard setting. Because load or other scheduled operations for the agent, the detection run is not guaranteed to run at the specified interval.
Pinned Sets whether drift is determined in a rolling way or if it is associated (pinned) with a baseline snapshot. If this is set when the definition is created, then the initial snapshot is used as the baseline.
Definitions attached to a pinned template cannot be unpinned. Definitions which are attached to an unpinned template or which are not attached to a template can be pinned or unpinned freely.
Drift Handling Mode Sets whether drift changes are treated as events which trigger an alert (the default) or as expected, so that no alerts are triggered.
Attached to Template Sets whether the resource-level definition is subordinate to a template. If it is attached to a template, then any changes to the template are reflected in the resource definition, including if the template is deleted.
By default, definitions are attached to the template from which they are created.
Description A simple text description of the definition.

4.3. Creating a Drift Definition Template

Every time a new drift definition is created, it is based on an existing template for the resource type. At least one template is defined for resource types (by default, platforms and JBoss application servers) in their resource plug-in. Additional templates can be created by users.

4.3.1. About Resources and Drift Definition Templates

Resources of the same type frequently need to have the same, or similar, configuration settings. Particularly for an area like configuration drift, consistency is crucial for accurate and timely IT maintenance. JBoss ON allows this consistency using drift definition templates. Much like alert and monitoring templates, drift definition templates are defined for a resource type (regardless of whether any resources of that type actually exist) and can then be applied to specific resources in the inventory.
Drift templates are a little different than other template types in JBoss ON. First, a drift definition template is exactly that — it is an outline of default settings and values to use when creating a resource-level drift definition. It is not automatically applied to resources.
Additionally, there are two types of drift templates: plug-in defined templates and user-defined templates.
At least one drift definition template is actually defined as part of the plug-in for a resource type. Defining a template in the plug-in descriptor is what indicates that a resource type supports drift monitoring. These are plug-in defined templates; these are the default templates.
Having a plug-in defined template is the way that the JBoss ON agent recognizes that a particular resource type supports drift monitoring. So, the plug-in defined template has a dual purpose. It lets JBoss ON know what resource types support drift, and it gives basic input to help administrators start making their own drift definitions.

Example 1. A JBoss Server Drift Definition Template

<drift-definition name="Template-Base Files"
                  description="Monitor base application server files for drift. It defines monitoring for some standard sub-directories of the HOME directory.  Note, it is not recommeded to monitor all files for an application server. There are many files, and many temp files.">
    <basedir>
         <value-context>pluginConfiguration</value-context>
         <value-name>homeDir</value-name>
    </basedir>
    <includes>
	<include path="bin" />
        <include path="lib" />
        <include path="client" />
    </includes>
</drift-definition>
New drift definition templates can be added by administrators, in addition to the plug-in defined template; these are user-defined templates. These templates can reflect the unique infrastructure and application environment.
A resource-level drift definition is always based on a drift template, which provides some default values to the definition during creation. That template can be plug-in defined or user-defined. Resource-level drift definitions do not have to be attached to a template, so they do not have to be changed every time the template changes, but they are always based on an existing template.
There are some things to remember about drift definition templates:
  • Drift templates are not automatically applied to a resource, unlike other template types in JBoss ON. Drift templates are used as the basis for creating resource-level definitions.
  • Default drift templates are defined for resources as part of their plug-in descriptor. Custom, user-defined templates can be added along with those defaults.
  • Every drift definition is based on a template initially, even if that definition is not attached to that template post-creation.
  • Snapshots (the file sets associated with drift definitions) always originate on a resource with a drift definition first. For any content to be associate with a template, the resource-level snapshot has to be promoted up to the template. Drift templates do not generate snapshots or files and then push that down to the resource.

4.3.2. Creating a Drift Definition Template

A drift template creation form is almost identical to a resource-level drift definition, with two exceptions: it cannot be pinned to a snapshot at the time it is created and it cannot be associated with another template. Obviously, a template is not dependent on another template (even though it is created from another template.) Being unable to pin a template to a snapshot is also logical; when a template is created, it is not associated with any resources. So, it is not possible to generate snapshots, which means that there is nothing to pin the template to.
  1. Click the Administration tab in the top menu.
  2. Select the Drift Definition Templates menu table on the left.
  3. Click the pencil icon for the resource type to add the template to. Not all resources support drift, so they cannot be selected.
  4. Click the New at the bottom to add a new template.
  5. Select the template to use to as the basis for the new template.
    Plug-in defined templates are defined in the platform and JBoss server resources, as well as any other resource which supports drift monitoring. Additional, user-defined templates can be also be created and applied.
  6. Give a unique name to the template. The name and the base directory are combined to identify the definition within JBoss ON.
  7. Define the settings for the definition, like the interval and whether it is enabled by default. The properties are listed in Table 3, “Drift Definition Properties”.
  8. Set the base directory. This is the top-most directory where drift detection is run for the definition, and the scan recurses down.
  9. Click the button with the green plus (+) sign to add a subdirectory to include or exclude. The directory can be the base directory by specifying a period (.) as the directory. The pattern identifies which files within the directory to recognize by the service, either to explicitly include or explicitly exclude.
    The filters support Ant-like FilePatterns, using a path and pattern. The patterns support asterisks (*) as wildcards for any number of characters and question marks (?) for single character wild cards. For example, **/*.conf can be used to include only .conf files in any subdirectory.

    Note

    If a pattern is used, then a path must be specified, even if the path is the base directory. For example, to include only .conf files in the base directory, the pattern is *.conf and the path is a period (.) to indicate the local directory.

4.4. Editing Drift Definitions

Most entries in JBoss ON are edited by clicking their name or double-clicking their row in a list. However, for drift definitions, clicking the name or double-clicking the row opens up the list of snapshots for that definition — not the definition entry itself.
To edit a drift detection definition, click the pencil icon.

4.5. Viewing Snapshots and Changes

Note

The initial snapshot is snapshot 0. The snapshots in the carousel begin at version 1 — meaning it begins at the first change, not the initial file set.
If a snapshot is pinned, so that it is set as a baseline, then it is not displayed in the carousel because it is snapshot 0. However, it can be viewed by clicking the pinned icon in the definition list.

4.5.2. Comparing Drift Changes

Changes are diffed at the file level, not the full snapshot level. Administrators can view the specific changes made between versions on the selected files.

Note

Only changes for text files can be compared. Drift detection will identify binary files that have changed and show a timestamp and SHA, but it does not display the binary file contents or diff changes between versions of a binary file.
  1. Click the Inventory tab in the top menu.
  2. Search for the resource.
  3. Click the Drift tab for the resource.
  4. Click the name of the drift definition.
  5. Click the names of the files to compare.
  6. Click Compare.
The diff uses standard text formatting for displaying file diffs.
Change Set Diffs

Figure 6. Change Set Diffs

4.5.3. Viewing Snapshot Details

  1. Click the Inventory tab in the top menu.
  2. Search for the resource.
  3. Click the Drift tab for the resource.
  4. Click the name of the drift definition.
  5. In the snapshot carousel, click the magnifying glass by the name of the snapshot to view.
  6. Expand the directory to show the list of changes for that snapshot.
  7. To see the details of a specific change, click the (view) link.
  8. The details for that file shows links to display the immediate previous version of the file, the changed version of the file, and a diff between the two.
    When clicking the view link, the page title has the version number along with the file name. For example, when viewing version 6 of myfile.txt, the title is myfile.txt:6.

4.5.4. Seeing Drift Events in the Timeline

Whenever drift is detected, it shows up as an event in the events timeline for the resource.
  1. Click the Inventory tab in the top menu.
  2. Search for the resource.
  3. In the Summary tab, click the Timeline subtab.
  4. The detection runs where drift was detected show up in the timeline as Drift Detected. To see only drift events in the timeline, clear all but the Drift checkbox.
    The time interval can be reset to adjust the span of the timeline.

4.5.5. Checking Drift Snapshot Reports

The snapshot carousel (Section 4.5.1, “Viewing the Snapshot Carousel”) shows all of the snapshots for a single drift definition on a single resource. To view a list of all snapshots, for all definitions across all resources, check the Recent Drift Report.
  1. Click the Reports tab in the top navigation menu.
  2. Select the Recent Drift report from the Subsystems report list.
  3. Every drift instance is listed, sorted by the snapshot creation time.
  4. Optionally, filter the list of drift changes. There are four filter options:
    • The definition name
    • The snapshot number (which crosses drift definitions)
    • The change type within the snapshot, whether a file was added, deleted, or modified.
    • The path of a change within the snapshot. This path can be a directory, a specific file name, or a search expression.

4.6. Pinning Snapshots and Managing Compliance

As discussed in Section 4.1.2, “Snapshots, Deltas, and Baseline Images”, a specific snapshot, with its complete current fileset, can be associated or pinned to a drift definition. Pinning a snapshot creates an entirely new style of drift definition. Rather than simply tracking changes, a pinned snapshot allows an administrator to establish a clear, blessed configuration for a system or application. It sets a standard with which the system configuration should comply.

4.6.1. More About Pinning Snapshots

A snapshot is a picture of the actual, current files that are on a specific resource. A snapshot is a real-world view. In normal drift conditions, each snapshot is compared to the one immediately before it to show changes. However, it is possible to select a specific snapshot as a fixed baseline to compare changes against. This is a pinned snapshot.
A drift definition sets the rules for running drift detection, but it does not add or define or overwrite any files on a resource. A drift definition does not define content or contain a file set. Content has to be added to a definition (or a definition template). A file set (a snapshot) has to be manually added to the drift definition, after the snapshot exists. This is pinning. Pinning takes a real, existing set of files from a snapshot and links it to a drift definition on a resource or a drift definition template.
Pinning is one method that administrators can use to standardize resource configuration. An administrator can use a single resource as a test box to get a resource's configuration tuned to its ideal settings. Then, that file set can be pinned to a template and re-applied to other resources of the same type. Because the pinned snapshot is based on a real resource, administrators can be confident that the configuration is realistic and functional.
Pinning a snapshot alters some fundamental behaviors with drift management in JBoss ON:
  • It removes any snapshots that were created before that snapshot. For example, if an administrator decides to pin Snapshot 7, Snapshot 0 (the initial image) through Snapshot 6 are all deleted, and Snapshot 7 becomes the new Snapshot 0.
  • It creates a baseline image that every change is compared against rather than keeping a moving tally of changes.
  • It changes the behavior of drift alerts (Section 4.8, “Defining Drift Alerts”) so that alerts are sent continually until the system configuration is back in compliance with the pinned snapshot.
  • The definition it is pinned to cannot be deleted until the snapshot is unpinned.
  • If a snapshot is pinned to a template, then all of the resource-level definitions attached to that template automatically use the pinned snapshot as their baseline.
  • Any new file added after a snapshot is pinned (or any file deleted) is going to be reported as a new file in every subsequent snapshot. This is because the new snapshot is always compared against the baseline snapshot, so the file is always new to the baseline.
    There is some logic to prevent drift from reporting the same change incessantly. If file1.txt is added, the agent creates snapshot 1. When the agent does its next detection run, it recognizes that file1.txt is not in the baseline, but as long as the SHA for file1.txt has not changed, the agent does not report it as new drift and does not take a new snapshot. If file1.txt is modified, however, the agent notices the new SHA and sends a new snapshot — with the modified file1.txt still listed as a new file, because it is compared against the baseline, not the previous version.

4.6.2. When to Pin to a Resource and When to Pin to a Template

When a snapshot perfectly matches the configuration that an administrator desires, it can be associated with a drift definition. That snapshot can be pinned to a resource-level definition or a definition template, and there are slightly different reasons to do one or the other.
  • Pinning a snapshot to a resource-level definition establishes a baseline for that resource alone. This makes sense while you are still developing an ideal baseline image or for unique environments that may not transition over to other resources.
    Pinning to a resource definition allows a lot of flexibility. It is easy to pin and unpin and select a new snapshot as the baseline, to let administrators develop an ideal configuration with a minimal impact on drift events, alerting, and monitoring because the changes are contained.
  • Pinning a snapshot to a template means that baseline can be applied to every resource that uses that template; it allows that one single snapshot to be used across multiple resources. This is makes sense for any kind of repeatable configuration areas and for production or critical systems which must have consistent configuration.
    Pinning to a template is very powerful for maintaining consistency across an entire infrastructure once an ideal configuration has been developed.
Pinning always takes a snapshot that was created on a specific resource and then promotes it to be the baseline for that definition. So the question is — why does a resource-level snapshot need to be pinned to a template? Why can't a template create and use its own snapshot?
The key is to remember that a drift definition template is associated with a resource type. The template is not defined as part of a specific resource.
For a resource-level drift definition, the very first drift detection run creates an initial snapshot based on real and existing files. That initial snapshot can be automatically applied as the baseline, pinned snapshot or any snapshot after the initial can be used as the baseline.
However, a drift definition template (Section 4.3.1, “About Resources and Drift Definition Templates”) is not associated with a resource. Therefore, templates do not have a real set of files to work with and it never has its own snapshots to use. The only way that a drift template can be associated with a snapshot is if a resource-level snapshot is pinned to the template.
In a sense, pinning a snapshot has a backward workflow from defining a drift definition. A definition starts with a template, then moves to a resource-level definition, which generates a snapshot of that resource. Pinning always begins with a snapshot on a resource, and then moves up to a definition or a definition template.

Note

A drift definition sets a very clear and limited set of criteria to use for drift detection. When a snapshot is associated with a drift definition template, the template must use the same settings as the original resource-level drift definition which generated the snapshot. If a matching template does not exist, then a new template can be created, using those criteria.

4.6.3. Pinning to a Resource-Level Definition

  1. Click the Inventory tab in the top menu.
  2. Search for the resource.
  3. Click the Drift tab.
  4. Click the name of the drift definition.
  5. In the snapshot carousel, click the magnifying glass by the name of the snapshot to pin.

    Note

    The initial snapshot is not displayed in the carousel. To pin the initial snapshot, click the thumbtack icon in the Pinned column of the drift definition list. That opens the initial snapshot.
    If a snapshot has already been pinned, then clicking the thumbtack icon opens the pinned snapshot.
  6. At the bottom of the change list, click the Pin to Definition button.

4.6.4. Pinning to a Template

  1. Click the Inventory tab in the top menu.
  2. Search for the resource.
  3. Click the Drift tab.
  4. Click the name of the drift definition.
  5. In the snapshot carousel, click the magnifying glass by the name of the snapshot to pin.

    Note

    The initial snapshot is not displayed in the carousel. To pin the initial snapshot, click the thumbtack icon in the Pinned column of the drift definition list. That opens the initial snapshot.
    If a snapshot has already been pinned, then clicking the thumbtack icon opens the pinned snapshot.
  6. At the bottom of the change list, click the Pin to Template button.
  7. If the resource-level template is based on or attached to an existing template, then you can associate the snapshot with that existing template. If the base directory for the resource-level snapshot does not match any existing drift template, then you must create a new template.

4.6.5. Checking Drift Compliance Reports

The compliance report is a variant of an inventory report. It lists all resources which currently have a drift definition configured and then shows whether they are compliant. Compliance is cumulative; if a resource has multiple drift definitions and is noncompliant on a single one, it will show as non-compliant in the report.
  1. Click the Reports tab in the top navigation menu.
  2. Select the Drift Compliance report from the Inventory report list.
  3. Every resource with a drift definition is listed by type and with an icon to indicate whether it is compliant ( ) or non-compliant ( ).
  4. To get information about the specific resources, click the resource type name; this opens a second inventory report under the main report. All of the resources of that type are listed with their compliance state.

4.6.6. Unpinning a Snapshot

A snapshot can be unpinned — or disassociated — from either a resource-level definition or a drift template. Unpinning a snapshot moves the definition back to a rolling drift detection mode, and any resources that were out of compliance are no longer marked as non-compliant.
  1. Click the Inventory tab in the top menu.
  2. Search for the resource.
  3. Click the Drift tab.
  4. Click the pin icon for the drift definition.

4.7. Extended Example: Defining Required EAP Configuration

The Setup

Tim the IT Guy at Example Corp. has one EAP server running in his production environment. Because of the production load, the EAP server was routinely running out of memory, which was degrading its performance and causing downtime for Example Corp.'s website.

To resolve his immediate memory problem, all Tim has to do is change the heap size setting for his EAP instance. However, Tim needs another strategy for managing the configuration long-term. If he adds another production EAP instance or deploys a new one to replace his current one, it is going to hit the same memory-related performance problems without the new heap size setting.
What to Do

There are three things that Tim wants to accomplish to maintain his EAP performance:

  • Find a way to consistently apply configuration to EAP instances.
    He defines a template for JBoss EAP instances (Section 4.3, “Creating a Drift Definition Template”). To maintain consistency, the template sets the Attach to template value to true, and each resource-level drift definition will preserve that settings. This ensures that any changes to the template are automatically applied to the JBoss resource drift definitions.
  • Use his current production settings as a basis for future EAP instances.
    He pins his latest snapshot, with the higher heap settings, to the template definition (Section 4.6.4, “Pinning to a Template”). Every EAP instance is going to be compared against that baseline, so any with the wrong heap setting will immediately be marked out of compliance.
  • Be made aware of specific differences between his current EAP settings and his preferred settings.
    He creates an alert definition (Section 4.8, “Defining Drift Alerts”) which specifically targets the bin/run.conf file. This way, he knows precisely whether the heap settings and other JVM settings are wrong for his new instance. He can even use alerts to gather more information about how his EAP instance configuration is different, like using a CLI script to compare the current EAP configuration against the pinned snapshot and then send him the diff.
Expected Results

Tim brings a new server online, with a new EAP instance for the production environment. He applies the drift template to the new resource and, within a few minutes, receives a notification that his run.conf file is not compliant with his preferred configuration. He changes the heap settings on the new EAP instance without having to wait for performance degradation to remember the change.

4.8. Defining Drift Alerts

Drift changes have their own alert condition.

Note

Recovery alerts are not supported for drift.
  1. Click the Inventory tab in the top menu.
  2. Select the resource type in the Resources menu table on the left, and then browse or search for the resource.
  3. Click the resource name in the list.
  4. Click the Alerts tab for the resource.
  5. In the Definitions subtab, click the New button to create the new alert.
  6. In the General Properties tab, give the basic information about the alert.
    It may be useful to set a Priority if the drift definition contains critical configuration files.
  7. In the Conditions tab, select the Drift Detection option from the conditions list. To use the alert for all drift changes, leave the fields blank. Otherwise, enter the specific drift definition name and (optionally) the directories or files that must be modified for the alert to be triggered.

    Note

    There can be more than one condition set to trigger an alert, meaning that you can use the same alert for multiple drift definitions or files.
  8. In the Notifications tab, click Add to set a notification for the alert.
    Select the method to use to send the alert notification in the Sender option, and fill in the required information.
    The Sender option first sets the specific type of alert method (such as email or SNMP) and then opens the appropriate form to fill in the details for that specific method.
  9. Optionally, in the Dampening tab, give the dampening (or frequency) rule on how often to send notifications for drift.

    Note

    For pinned snapshots, it can be useful to use dampening rules to keep from getting a flood of alerts before a drift problem is remediated.
    Dampening only makes sense for a definition with a pinned snapshot. A pinned definition will fire alerts with every alert scan (every 10 minutes) for as long as it is out of compliance, even if there are no further changes. A rolling definition only fires an alert once, when drift is detected.
    Any of the dampening rules can be used. The ultimate goal is to limit the number of times that the same alert is set for a resource that is out of compliance with a pinned definition. For example, Time period sets a limit on the number of times in a given time period that an alert is issued if the alert condition occurs. Setting the occurrence to 1 and the time period to 4 hours means that when drift is detected once, the server sends an alert and then waits another 4 hours before sending the next alert.
  10. Click OK to save the alert definition.

4.9. Extended Example: Reverting a JBoss Server to Its Original Configuration Using Bundles and Server Scripts

The Setup

In Section 4.7, “Extended Example: Defining Required EAP Configuration”, Tim the IT Guy at Example Corp. set up drift templates and alerts to help manage the configuration on his production EAP servers. However, his resolution was done manually. When the drift alert notified him that his EAP server was out of compliance, he edited the run.conf directly to adjust the heap size.

Manual updates are fine for small infrastructures or infrequent changes. A better management tool, though, is to automate any remediation required for drift.
What to Do

The goal is to have JBoss ON respond intelligently to drift without requiring any action from Tim the IT Guy. There are two features that allow automated responses:

  • Using bundles to provision updated files or applications. A bundle is a ZIP file that contains an Ant recipe and any required content (such as configuration files or JARs) for an application. JBoss ON can provision this content on a platform or a JBoss server in a specified directory.
    More information about provisioning bundles is covered in Deploying Applications and Content.
  • Launching JBoss ON CLI scripts in response to an alert. One of the possible alert notifications is a server-side alert sender. A JBoss ON CLI script is loaded as content and stored in the JBoss ON server; when the alert fires, it initiates the specified, stored CLI script.
    More information about writing CLI scripts is covered in Running JBoss ON Command-Line Scripts, and general alert information is covered in Setting up Monitoring, Alerts, and Operations.

There are a few steps to remediation using bundles and CLI scripts:
  1. Create a bundle file based on the pinned snapshot configuration. The content of the bundle depends on the needs of the deployment. It can be specific configuration files, like bin/run.conf, or it can be a full EAP server.

    Note

    If the bundle contains the full EAP server, then it can be used to create the initial EAP server.
  2. Set up the bundle, the destination, and the compatible group to use with the bundle. (The full procedure is described in Deploying Applications and Content.
  3. Deploy the bundle with the full EAP server to create the new EAP instance. (Or, if the bundle only has configuration files, create the EAP instances.)
  4. Set up the drift definitions, based on the previously configured template (Section 4.7, “Extended Example: Defining Required EAP Configuration”), for the new EAP instance.
  5. Create a JBoss ON CLI script (in JavaScript) that will automatically deploy the specified bundle to the appropriate destination. An example is in Example 2, “fix-eap.js Script”; in that script, replace the destinationId and bundleVersionId with the real ID numbers for the destination entry and bundle version entry in JBoss ON.
  6. Create an alert definition that triggers on the drift detection condition and uses the CLI script notification type, pointing to the JavaScript file that you created.
Expected Results

Any time drift is detected on the EAP server, it triggers an alert, same as in Section 4.7, “Extended Example: Defining Required EAP Configuration”. This time, the alert launches the CLI script in response and automatically deploys the bundle — which already has the approved EAP configuration — to the resource. This means that the EAP server is never more than a few minutes out of compliance, roughly the length of one alert scan. All without requiring intervention from Tim the IT Guy.

Example 2. fix-eap.js Script

/**
 * If obj is a JS array or a java.util.Collection, each element is passed to
 * the callback function. If obj is a java.util.Map, each map entry is passed
 * to the callback function as a key/value pair. If obj is none of the
 * aforementioned types, it is treated as a generic object and each of its
 * properties is passed to the callback function as a name/value pair.
 */
function foreach(obj, fn) {
  if (obj instanceof Array) {
    for (i in obj) {
      fn(obj[i]);
    }
  }
  else if (obj instanceof java.util.Collection) {
    var iterator = obj.iterator();
    while (iterator.hasNext()) {
      fn(iterator.next());
    }
  }
  else if (obj instanceof java.util.Map) {
    var iterator = obj.entrySet().iterator()
    while (iterator.hasNext()) {
      var entry = iterator.next();
      fn(entry.key, entry.value);
    }
  }
  else {   // assume we have a generic object
    for (i in obj) {
      fn(i, obj[i]);
    }
  }
}

/**
 * Iterates over obj similar to foreach. fn should be a predicate that evaluates
 * to true or false. The first match that is found is returned.
 */
function find(obj, fn) {
  if (obj instanceof Array) {
    for (i in obj) {
      if (fn(obj[i])) {
        return obj[i]
      }
    }
  }
  else if (obj instanceof java.util.Collection) {
    var iterator = obj.iterator();
    while (iterator.hasNext()) {
      var next = iterator.next();
      if (fn(next)) {
        return next;
      }
    }
  }
  else if (obj instanceof java.util.Map) {
    var iterator = obj.entrySet().iterator();
    while (iterator.hasNext()) {
      var entry = iterator.next();
      if (fn(entry.key, entry.value)) {
        return {key: entry.key, value: entry.value};
      }
    }
  }
  else {
    for (i in obj) {
      if (fn(i, obj[i])) {
        return {key: i, value: obj[i]};
      }
    }
  }
  return null;
}

/**
 * Iterates over obj similar to foreach. fn should be a predicate that evaluates
 * to true or false. All of the matches are returned in a java.util.List.
 */
function findAll(obj, fn) {
  var matches = java.util.ArrayList();
  if ((obj instanceof Array) || (obj instanceof java.util.Collection)) {
    foreach(obj, function(element) {
      if (fn(element)) {
        matches.add(element);
      }
    });
  }
  else {
    foreach(obj, function(key, value) {
      if (fn(theKey, theValue)) {
        matches.add({key: theKey, value: theValue});
      }
    });
  }
  return matches;
}

/**
 * A convenience function to convert javascript hashes into RHQ's configuration
 * objects.
 * <p>
 * The conversion of individual keys in the hash follows these rules:
 * <ol>
 * <li> if a value of a key is a javascript array, it is interpreted as PropertyList
 * <li> if a value is a hash, it is interpreted as a PropertyMap
 * <li> otherwise it is interpreted as a PropertySimple
 * <li> a null or undefined value is ignored
 * </ol>
 * <p>
 * Note that the conversion isn't perfect, because the hash does not contain enough
 * information to restore the names of the list members.
 * <p>
 * Example: <br/>
 * <pre><code>
 * {
 *   simple : "value",
 *   list : [ "value1", "value2"],
 *   listOfMaps : [ { k1 : "value", k2 : "value" }, { k1 : "value2", k2 : "value2" } ]
 * }
 * </code></pre>
 * gets converted to a configuration object:
 * Configuration:
 * <ul>
 * <li> PropertySimple(name = "simple", value = "value")
 * <li> PropertyList(name = "list")
 *      <ol>
 *      <li>PropertySimple(name = "list", value = "value1")
 *      <li>PropertySimple(name = "list", value = "value2")
 *      </ol>
 * <li> PropertyList(name = "listOfMaps")
 *      <ol>
 *      <li> PropertyMap(name = "listOfMaps")
 *           <ul>
 *           <li>PropertySimple(name = "k1", value = "value")
 *           <li>PropertySimple(name = "k2", value = "value")
 *           </ul>
 *      <li> PropertyMap(name = "listOfMaps")
 *           <ul>
 *           <li>PropertySimple(name = "k1", value = "value2")
 *           <li>PropertySimple(name = "k2", value = "value2")
 *           </ul>
 *      </ol>
 * </ul>
 * Notice that the members of the list have the same name as the list itself
 * which generally is not the case.
 */
function asConfiguration(hash) {

	config = new Configuration;

	for(key in hash) {
		value = hash[key];

		if (value == null) {
			continue;
		}

		(function(parent, key, value) {
			function isArray(obj) {
				return typeof(obj) == 'object' && (obj instanceof Array);
			}

			function isHash(obj) {
				return typeof(obj) == 'object' && !(obj instanceof Array);
			}

			function isPrimitive(obj) {
				return typeof(obj) != 'object';
			}

			//this is an anonymous function, so the only way it can call itself
			//is by getting its reference via argument.callee. Let's just assign
			//a shorter name for it.
			var me = arguments.callee;

			var prop = null;

			if (isPrimitive(value)) {
				prop = new PropertySimple(key, new java.lang.String(value));
			} else if (isArray(value)) {
				prop = new PropertyList(key);
				for(var i = 0; i < value.length; ++i) {
					var v = value[i];
					if (v != null) {
						me(prop, key, v);
					}
				}
			} else if (isHash(value)) {
				prop = new PropertyMap(key);
				for(var i in value) {
					var v = value[i];
					if (value != null) {
						me(prop, i, v);
					}
				}
			}

			if (parent instanceof PropertyList) {
				parent.add(prop);
			} else {
				parent.put(prop);
			}
		})(config, key, value);
	}

	return config;
}

/**
 * Opposite of <code>asConfiguration</code>. Converts an RHQ's configuration object
 * into a javascript hash.
 *
 * @param configuration
 */
function asHash(configuration) {
	ret = {}

	iterator = configuration.getMap().values().iterator();
	while(iterator.hasNext()) {
		prop = iterator.next();

		(function(parent, prop) {
			function isArray(obj) {
				return typeof(obj) == 'object' && (obj instanceof Array);
			}

			function isHash(obj) {
				return typeof(obj) == 'object' && !(obj instanceof Array);
			}

			var me = arguments.callee;

			var representation = null;

			if (prop instanceof PropertySimple) {
				representation = prop.stringValue;
			} else if (prop instanceof PropertyList) {
				representation = [];

				for(var i = 0; i < prop.list.size(); ++i) {
					var child = prop.list.get(i);
					me(representation, child);
				}
			} else if (prop instanceof PropertyMap) {
				representation = {};

				var childIterator = prop.getMap().values().iterator();
				while(childIterator.hasNext()) {
					var child = childIterator.next();

					me(representation, child);
				}
			}

			if (isArray(parent)) {
				parent.push(representation);
			} else if (isHash(parent)) {
				parent[prop.name] = representation;
			}
		})(ret, prop);
	}
	(function(parent) {

	})(configuration);

	return ret;
}

/**
 * A simple function to create a new bundle version from a zip file containing
 * the bundle.
 * 
 * @param pathToBundleZipFile the path to the bundle on the local file system
 * 
 * @return an instance of BundleVersion class describing what's been created on 
 * the RHQ server.
 */
function createBundleVersion(pathToBundleZipFile) {
	var bytes = getFileBytes(pathToBundleZipFile)
	return BundleManager.createBundleVersionViaByteArray(bytes)
}

/**
 * This is a helper function that one can use to find out what base directories
 * given resource type defines.
 * <p>
 * These base directories then can be used when specifying bundle destinations.
 * 
 * @param resourceTypeId
 * @returns a java.util.Set of ResourceTypeBundleConfiguration objects
 */
function getAllBaseDirectories(resourceTypeId) {
	var crit = new ResourceTypeCriteria;
	crit.addFilterId(resourceTypeId);
	crit.fetchBundleConfiguration(true);
	
	var types = ResourceTypeManager.findResourceTypesByCriteria(crit);
	
	if (types.size() == 0) {
		throw "Could not find a resource type with id " + resourceTypeId;
	} else if (types.size() > 1) {
		throw "More than one resource type found with id " + resourceTypeId + "! How did that happen!";
	}
	
	var type = types.get(0);
	
	return type.getResourceTypeBundleConfiguration().getBundleDestinationBaseDirectories();
}

/**
 * Creates a new destination for given bundle. Once a destination exists,
 * actual bundle versions can be deployed to it.
 * <p>
 * Note that this only differs from the <code>BundleManager.createBundleDestination</code>
 * method in the fact that one can provide bundle and resource group names instead of their
 * ids.
 * 
 * @param destinationName the name of the destination to be created
 * @param description the description for the destination
 * @param bundleName the name of the bundle to create the destination for
 * @param groupName name of a group of resources that the destination will handle
 * @param baseDirName the name of the basedir definition that represents where inside the 
 *                    deployment of the individual resources the bundle will get deployed
 * @param deployDir the specific sub directory of the base dir where the bundles will get deployed
 * 
 * @return BundleDestination object
 */
function createBundleDestination(destinationName, description, bundleName, groupName, baseDirName, deployDir) {
	var groupCrit = new ResourceGroupCriteria;
	groupCrit.addFilterName(groupName);
	var groups = ResourceGroupManager.findResourceGroupsByCriteria(groupCrit);
	
	if (groups.empty) {
		throw "No group called '" + groupName + "' found.";
	}
	
	var group = groups.get(0);
	
	var bundleCrit = new BundleCriteria;
	bundleCrit.addFilterName(bundleName);
	var bundles = BundleManager.findBundlesByCriteria(bundleCrit);
	
	if (bundles.empty) {
		throw "No bundle called '" + bundleName + "' found.";
	}
	
	var bundle = bundles.get(0);
	
	return BundleManager.createBundleDestination(bundle.id, destinationName, description, baseDirName, deployDir, group.id);
}

/**
 * Tries to deploy given bundle version to provided destination using given configuration.
 * <p>
 * This method blocks while waiting for the deployment to complete or fail.
 * 
 * @param destination the bundle destination (or id thereof)
 * @param bundleVersion the bundle version to deploy (or id thereof)
 * @param deploymentConfiguration the deployment configuration. This can be an ordinary
 * javascript object (hash) or an instance of RHQ's Configuration. If it is the former,
 * it is converted to a Configuration instance using the <code>asConfiguration</code>
 * function from <code>util.js</code>. Please consult the documentation of that method
 * to understand the limitations of that approach.
 * @param description the deployment description
 * @param isCleanDeployment if true, perform a wipe of the deploy directory prior to the deployment; if false,
 * perform as an upgrade to the existing deployment, if any
 * 
 * @return the BundleDeployment instance describing the deployment
 */
function deployBundle(destination, bundleVersion, deploymentConfiguration, description, isCleanDeployment) {
	var destinationId = destination;
	if (typeof(destination) == 'object') {
		destinationId = destination.id;
	}
	
	var bundleVersionId = bundleVersion;
	if (typeof(bundleVersion) == 'object') {
		bundleVersionId = bundleVersion.id;
	}
	
	var deploymentConfig = deploymentConfiguration;
	if (!(deploymentConfiguration instanceof Configuration)) {
		deploymentConfig = asConfiguration(deploymentConfiguration);
	}
	
	var deployment = BundleManager.createBundleDeployment(bundleVersionId, destinationId, description, deploymentConfig);
	
	deployment = BundleManager.scheduleBundleDeployment(deployment.id, isCleanDeployment);
	
	var crit = new BundleDeploymentCriteria;
	crit.addFilterId(deployment.id);
	
	while (deployment.status == BundleDeploymentStatus.PENDING || deployment.status == BundleDeploymentStatus.IN_PROGRESS) {
		java.lang.Thread.currentThread().sleep(1000);
		var dps = BundleManager.findBundleDeploymentsByCriteria(crit);
		if (dps.empty) {
			throw "The deployment disappeared while we were waiting for it to complete.";
		}
		
		deployment = dps.get(0);
	}
	
	return deployment;
}


var destinationId = 10002;
var bundleVersionId = 10002;
var deploymentConfig = null;
var description = "redeploy due to drift";
// NOTE: It's essential that isCleanDeployment=true, otherwise files that have drifted will not be replaced with their
//       original versions from the bundle.
var isCleanDeployment = true;
deployBundle(10002, 10002, deploymentConfig, description, true);

4.10. Running Drift Detection Manually

The drift detection scan runs periodically, according to the interval set in the definition. (The default is 1800 seconds, or 30 minutes.) There can be times when you know that files in the directory have changed and you need a snapshot to be created immediately, but you do not want to change the interval permanently. Simply run a detection scan manually.
  1. Click the Inventory tab in the top menu.
  2. Search for the resource.
  3. Click the Drift tab.
  4. Select the drift definition to run the scan for.
  5. Click the Detect Now button.

4.11. Setting Planned Changes or Disabling Drift Definitions

The assumption behind drift monitoring is that there is an identified and specific configuration for a platform or application and that that configuration should be preserved. Changes, therefore, are undesirable and need to be monitored.
However, there can be times when changes are expected, such as scheduled maintenance and upgrade periods. In that situation, it's beneficial to suspend drift monitoring to keep from creating unnecessary static with drift alerts.
There are two ways to suspend drift monitoring:
  • Set the drift handling mode to planned changes. This keeps running drift detection scans and records changes. Since the changes are expected, though, it doesn't trigger a drift detection event, so it does not issue a drift alert.
  • Actually disable the drift definition. This suspends the drift detection runs for the definition, not just drift events.
The drift handling mode and the enable option for the drift definition can be edited in the definition entry, as in Section 4.4, “Editing Drift Definitions”.
Drift Handling Mode and Enable Options

Figure 7. Drift Handling Mode and Enable Options

4.12. Understanding Drift and JBoss ON Agents and Servers

4.12.1. Drift Inventory

Both the JBoss ON agent and the JBoss ON server maintain their own inventories of the resources, directories, and files monitored for drift. When the agent starts up, it compares its inventory with the server inventory.
The drift information is stored, with the other agent data, in the agentRoot/rhq-agent/data/ directory. The information in this directory is deleted if the agent is started with new configuration (--cleanconfig) or it can be intentionally purged (--purgedata). If the drift information is lost, then the agent requests the last snapshot from the JBoss ON server.
The agent always sends the latest changeset to the server as a snapshot. If the server is offline for some period and misses updates, then the agent sends the most current snapshot, which effectively rolls all changes into one snapshot, even if the changes accumulated over several drift detection runs.

4.12.2. The Drift Server Plug-in

The server processes drift changes through a server-side plug-in. This plug-in must be enabled for the server to recognize and process drift data sent from the agent.
As with other server-side plug-ins, the drift plug-in can be disabled. However, this effectively and entirely disables drift monitoring on that server, and no drift information is processed or stored. That is slightly different than the behavior of other server subsystems. For example, an individual alert sender can be disabled, but alert detections are still run and alert information is still processed, stored, and displayed by the JBoss ON server.

Warning

If the drift server-side plug-in is disabled, then the server ignores any incoming drift reports. Even if the drift server-side plug-in is re-enabled, any information sent while the plug-in was disabled is lost.

4.13. Managing Drift Definitions through the JBoss ON CLI

Drift management tasks can also be performed through the JBoss ON CLI. Examples of some common tasks are in the Running JBoss ON Command-Line Scripts, and example scripts are included with the JBoss ON CLI in the installDir/rhq-remoting-cli-version#/samples/ directory.


[1] JBoss ON detects that changes have been made to a binary file. It does not display binary files or compare or diff changes between versions for binary files, only text files.