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Installation Guide

JBoss Operations Network 3.1.2

for installing servers and agents

Edition 3.1.2

Ella Deon Lackey

Red Hat Engineering Content Services
January 23, 2013

Abstract

This manual covers the installation and setup of JBoss ON 3.1.2 servers and agents and basic tasks for configuring the inventory.

Preface

JBoss Operations Network 3.1.2 provides an integrated solution for managing JBoss middleware, other network infrastructure, and applications built on Red Hat Enterprise Application Platform (EAP).
This manual covers planning and procedures for installing JBoss ON servers and agents and upgrading existing JBoss ON systems. This Installation Guide is intended for JBoss ON administrators.

1. JBoss Operations Network Overview

JBoss Operations Network has four major components, which work together to create the management platform:
  • The JBoss ON servers, which centralize configuration and connect the components
  • An SQL database (PostgreSQL or Oracle) which stores JBoss ON configuration settings and resource-related data, including content packages, the resource inventory, and monitoring data
  • Local agents installed on managed platforms, which connect with servers to receive resource configuration updates and which collect and send monitoring data
  • The JBoss ON GUI, which is a web-based interface that allows users to connect to any JBoss ON server, from any location, to view resource data and perform management tasks

2. Examples and Formatting

Each of the examples used in this guide, such as file locations and commands, have certain defined conventions.

2.1. Command and File Examples

All of the examples for JBoss ON commands, file locations, and other usage are given for Red Hat Enterprise Linux systems. Be certain to use the appropriate commands and files for your platform.

Example 1. Example Command

To start the JBoss ON server:
serverRoot/jon-server-3.1.2.0.GA1/bin/rhq-server.sh start

2.2. Text Formatting and Styles

Certain words are represented in different fonts, styles, and weights. Different character formatting is used to indicate the function or purpose of the phrase being highlighted.
Formatting Style Purpose
Monospace font Monospace is used for commands, package names, files and directory paths, and any text displayed in a prompt.
Monospace 
with a
background
This type of formatting is used for anything entered or returned in a command prompt.
Italicized text Any text which is italicized is a variable, such as instance_name or hostname. Occasionally, this is also used to emphasize a new term or other phrase.
Bolded text Most phrases which are in bold are application names, such as Cygwin, or are fields or options in a user interface, such as a User Name Here: field or Save button.
Other formatting styles draw attention to important text.

Note

A note provides additional information that can help illustrate the behavior of the system or provide more detail for a specific issue. Tips provide pointers to helpful information or to easy ways to accomplish something.

Important

Important information is necessary, but possibly unexpected, such as a configuration change that will not persist after a reboot.

Warning

A warning indicates potential data loss, as may happen when tuning hardware for maximum performance.

3. Document History

Revision History
Revision 3.1.2-1.4002013-10-31Rüdiger Landmann
Rebuild with publican 4.0.0
Revision 3.1.2-1January 23, 2013Ella Deon Lackey
Added note for support for Java 7.
Clarified the agent RPM channels to use for a yum installation, Bugzilla 870329.
Updating agent plug-in documentation, Bugzilla 864129 and Bugzilla 882745.
Revision 3.1.1-6January 8, 2013Ella Deon Lackey
Removed incorrect reference to Java 7, Bugzilla 878369 and Bugzilla 878951.
Clarified setting up an Oracle database and setting the database name in the connection URL, Bugzilla 823963.
Corrected incorrect command for agent upgrade, Bugzilla 870369.
Revision 3.1.1-5October 3, 2012Ella Deon Lackey
Adding in new chapter for installing the agent from RPM and general restructuring of the doc.
Bug fixes as part of JBoss Operations Network 3.1.1.
Revision 3.1-0June 12, 2012Ella Deon Lackey
Initial release of JBoss Operations Network 3.1.

Chapter 1. JBoss Operations Network 3.1.2 Prerequisites

1.1. Supported Platforms, Databases, and Other Requirements

The list of supported platforms, databases, and other requirements such as Java, are listed at https://access.redhat.com/knowledge/articles/112523.

1.2. Hardware Requirements

Regardless of the server or database platform, there are certain minimum requirements that must be met to install the JBoss ON server and its associated database.

Table 1.1. Recommended Minimum Hardware

Minimum
Memory 2 GB
Installation Directory Storage[a] 10 GB
Temporary Directory Storage 10 GB
[a] The server runs as a system user. Make sure that any system limits on user memory are set high enough to accommodate the JBoss ON server and all its data.

Chapter 2. Setting up Databases

2.1. Configuring PostgreSQL

Running JBoss Operations Network on PostgreSQL requires three things:
  • Adequate PostgreSQL settings for memory, timeouts, connections, and related settings
  • A database
  • A user with adequate permissions
JBoss ON supports PostgreSQL 8.2.4 and later 8.2.x versions, 8.3, 8.4, and 9.0.

2.1.1. Installing PostgreSQL

You can download the Microsoft Windows binaries you need from: https://www.postgresql.org/download/windows/
Use YUM to install PostgreSQL:
sudo yum install postgresql postgresql-server
To install a specific version of PostgreSQL, go to: https://yum.postgresql.org/rpmchart.php and download the postgresql, postgresql-server and postgresql-libs RPM packages and install via yum from the download directory. For example:
sudo yum install
postgresql91-9.1.24-2PGDG.rhel6.x86_64.rpm
postgresql91-libs-9.1.24-2PGDG.rhel6.x86_64.rpm
postgresql91-server-9.1.24-2PGDG.rhel6.x86_64.rpm

2.1.2. Configuring PostgreSQL

For more detailed information about setting up client authentication for PostgreSQL users and databases, see the PostgreSQL documentation at http://www.postgresql.org/docs/8.4/interactive/client-authentication.html.

Note

Ensure that the Postgres authentication mechanism is properly configured for the configuration commands to work.
  1. Optional. Change the password for the Unix user for PostgreSQL:
    sudo passwd postgres
  2. Initialize the database. The database must be initialized before starting the server.
    service postgresql initdb
  3. Start Postgres. For example, on Red Hat Enterprise Linux:
    service postgresql start
    On Windows:
    net start pgsql-8.3
  4. Set up a password for the postgres user on the database:
    # su - postgres
    $ psql
    postgres=# ALTER USER postgres PASSWORD 'password';
    ALTER ROLE
    postgres=#
  5. Create a PostgreSQL role named rhqadmin, where 'password' should be replaced with a strong password.
    postgres=# CREATE USER rhqadmin PASSWORD 'password';
    CREATE ROLE

    Important

    Although the default postgresql credentials are user rhqadmin and password rhqadmin, these credentials should not be used as they present a security risk. Use these credentials are needed for Section 3.3, “Configuring the Server with the Web Installer” or Section 3.4, “Silently Installing the JBoss ON Server”.
  6. Create a PostgreSQL database named rhq, specifying the rhqadmin role as the owner.
    postgres=# CREATE DATABASE rhq OWNER rhqadmin;
    CREATE DATABASE
  7. Give users on the computer access to the database. To allow all users, add the appropriate connection settings for each connection type (local, IPv4, and IPv6) to the data/pg_hba.conf configuration file, for both local and external connections:
    # "local" is for Unix domain socket connections only
    local   all         all                               md5
    # IPv4 local connections:
    host    all         all         127.0.0.1/32           md5
    host    all         all         172.31.7.0/24          md5
    # IPv6 local connections:
    host    all         all         ::1/128               md5
    Using all all sets these settings for every user to every PostgreSQL database. This settings can be applied to only the JBoss ON database by using rhq all or even to specific users for JBoss ON, such as rhq rhqadmin.
    Then, restart the database service.
    service postgresql restart
  8. Make the configuration changes in Section 2.1.3, “Setting PostgreSQL Parameters”.

2.1.3. Setting PostgreSQL Parameters

There are several settings in the PostgreSQL server configuration that can be tuned to provide better performance for JBoss ON.

2.1.3.1. Editing the postgresql.conf File

PostgreSQL requires minor changes to the database configuration in the postgresql.conf file.
  1. Make sure that an adequate amount of memory and system resources are assigned to accommodate the JBoss ON database.
    ## not necessary  if the database is started with the -i flag
    listen_addresses = '*' 
    
    ## performance changes for JBoss ON
    shared_buffers = 80MB 		#  default is 32MB 
    work_mem = 2048 		#  default is 1MB 
    checkpoint_segments = 10	#  default is 3
    For PostgreSQL 8.2.4 and 8.3, also set the max_fsm_pages parameter. (This parameter should not be used on PostgreSQL 8.4 and later databases.)
    max_fsm_pages = 100000        #  default is 204800
  2. Optional. Set the statement timeout period so a size that is adequate to handle data compression in large environments. By default, the default is zero (0) seconds, which means there is no statement timeout set; not having a timeout period is the preferred setting for smaller deployments.
    statement_timeout = 0s 	#  default is 0s

    Note

    If there is already a global statement timeout period for that database, but you need to use a larger setting for JBoss ON, set a user-level statement timeout value that only applies to the JBoss ON user.
    ALTER USER rhqadmin SET statement_timeout=600000;
  3. JBoss ON can use up to 55 database connections for the server. PostgreSQL also allows for connections reserved for administrators. These connections are counted in the pool of max_connections and therefore need to be added to the total number of max_connections. For example, if there are five connections reserved for the administrator, edit the postgresql.conf file as follows:
    max_connections = 60	   #  default is 100
    superuser_reserved_connections = 5 #  default is 3 
    max_prepared_transactions = 60     #  default is 5 (in v8.3) or 0 (in v8.4)

    Note

    max_prepared_transactions is set to the same value as max_connections, as explained in the "max_prepared_transactions (integer)" in the PostgreSQL documentation.
    If JBoss ON is also monitoring this database instance, add one more connection per (logical) database that is set up in PostgreSQL. For further information about this plug-in, see the Postgres server section of the Resource Monitoring Reference.

2.1.3.2. Setting Kernel Parameters

Consider adjusting the kernel parameters for your system. The PostgreSQL documentation on Managing Kernel Resources has more information.

2.1.3.3. Editing pg_hba.conf

Update the pg_hba.conf file to allow the newly-created role to connect from the machine the JBoss ON server is installed on, such as localhost. Adding client connections is covered in the PostgreSQL documentation in the Client Authentication section.
After editing the pg_hba.conf file, restart PostgreSQL for the changes to take effect. If no errors are displayed, the database is now ready to support a JBoss ON installation.
For more information on tuning Postgres, see the PostgreSQL documentation about Tuning your PostgreSQL Server.

2.1.3.4. Fixes for "Relation RHQ_Principal does not exist" Error

Sometimes the database connection is marked as valid but the install still fails with the Relation RHQ_Principal does not exist error. This occurs when a new database is created by running initdb in a non-C locale through PostgreSQL instances.
To fix this error:
  1. Using a database explorer, create an empty table called RHQ_PRINCIPAL in the database used for JBoss ON.
  2. Click Install server.
    The installer displays a warning about an existing schema. Overwrite the existing schema as it only consists of one empty table.
Another option is to specify the encoding of the created database as SQL-ASCII at creation time. For example:
initdb -D /my/test/data -E SQL_ASCII --locale en_US.UTF-8

2.2. Setting up Oracle

Only two things are required to run JBoss ON on Oracle:
  • A database
  • A user with adequate permissions
Basic configuration follows the process of setting up the database and users. There is also an advanced configuration process that gives more control over the database settings, such as increased memory limits, that can improve performance for large JBoss ON deployments.

2.2.1. Prepping Oracle Settings

There are several settings in the Oracle configuration that can be tuned to provide better performance for JBoss ON.

2.2.1.1. Setting SGA and PGA Sizes

Oracle settings for SGA and PGA sizes are very important for JBoss ON performance. If these values are too small, the database will be very slow. There are two specific settings to adjust:
  • sga_target
  • pga_aggregate_target
Talk to the database administrator to verify the sizing requirements for Oracle's SGA and PGA settings.

2.2.1.2. Tuning Open Cursors

Run the following SQL command to check if the max_open_cur setting has a value lower than 300:
select max(a.value) as highest_open_cur, p.value as max_open_cur
from v$sesstat a, v$statname b, v$parameter p
where a.statistic# = b.statistic#
and b.name = 'opened cursors current'
and p.name= 'open_cursors'
group by p.value;
If the value is lower then 300, then open more cursors:
ALTER SESSION SET OPEN_CURSORS = 300 SCOPE=BOTH;

2.2.1.3. Setting the Number of Processes and Sessions

The v$resource_limit limit sets the maximum number of Oracle processes and sessions which JBoss ON is allowed to have. The equation for this calculation has this general flow:
calculate the number of processes => add additional processes for Enterprise Manager => calculate the total number of sessions (final value)
There are two ways to calculate the number of processes (one using the number of agents and the other the number of servers). Use whichever method results in a higher number.

Table 2.1. Calculating Oracle Processes

Calculation Type Equation Example
Agents 1.5 * number_of_agents 1.5 * 100 agents = 150
Servers 60 * number_of_servers 60 * 2 servers = 120
with Oracle Enterprise Manager highest_number_of_processes + 40 1.5 * 100 agents + 40 = 190
As noted in Table 2.1, “Calculating Oracle Processes”, the calculation is slightly different for systems using Oracle Enterprise Manager. In that situation, first calculate the processes for agents and servers. Then, take whichever value is highest and add another 40, and that yields the number of processes to set.
After calculating the total number of processes, then take that number and multiply it by 1.1 to determine the total number of sessions (and the final value for v$resource_limit).

Example 2.1. Calculating Oracle Processes and Sessions for JBoss ON

Example Corp. is planning to deploy 175 agents and 3 servers. They will be using Oracle Enterprise Manager to manage their Oracle instance.
The first step is to calculate the number of processes based on agents and based on servers:
1.5 * 175 agents = 262.5 processes
60 * 3 servers = 180 process
So the method to use for processes is the agent's method, since that value is higher.
They add another 40 to the number of processes to accommodate the Oracle Enterprise Manager.
262.5 + 40 = 302.5
The total number of process is 302.5. From there, they calculate the number of sessions:
302.5 * 1.1 = 332.75
The final value for their Oracle v$resource_limit limit database setting is 333.

2.2.2. Configuring Oracle

A specific Oracle database and user need to be configured for JBoss ON to access to store its data.
  1. Create a dedicated Oracle instance to be used for JBoss ON. This process is described in the Oracle documentation.
  2. Log into Oracle as the system user.
    [jsmith@server ~]$ sqlplus
    SQL> CONNECT sys/your_sys_password AS sysdba;
  3. Create a database for JBoss ON. In this example, the database is named rhq. This process is described in more detail in the Oracle documentation.
    SQL> CREATE DATABASE rhq; 
    SQL> @?/rdbms/admin/catalog.sql
    SQL> @?/rdbms/admin/catproc.sql
  4. Create a user that JBoss ON will use to access Oracle. Create the user named rhqadmin with the password rhqadmin. For example:
    SQL> CREATE USER rhqadmin IDENTIFIED BY rhqadmin;
  5. Grant the required permissions to the Oracle user. At a minimum, this user must have the connect and resource roles. For example:
    SQL> GRANT connect, resource TO rhqadmin;
  6. Set additional permissions for the JBoss ON Oracle user that define parameters to handle database commits.
    JBoss ON uses internally two phase commit for some of database actions. To recover from two phase commit failures, the Oracle user has to has appropriate permissions, otherwise the database will return XAException.XAER_RMERR errors.
    Set these four privileges for the user:
    GRANT SELECT ON sys.dba_pending_transactions TO user;
    GRANT SELECT ON sys.pending_trans$ TO user;
    GRANT SELECT ON sys.dba_2pc_pending TO user;
    GRANT EXECUTE ON sys.dbms_xa TO user;
    The GRANT EXECUTE line assumes that the Oracle server is version 11g R1. For an unpatched version of Oracle older than 11g R1, then use this line instead:
    GRANT EXECUTE ON sys.dbms_system TO user;
  7. Make sure that the db_block_size value is at least 8 KB.
    SQL> show parameter db_block_size;
    NAME                                 TYPE        VALUE
    ------------------------------------ ----------- ------------------------------
    db_block_size                        integer     8192

2.2.3. Configuring Oracle (Advanced)

There are optional configurations that can help Oracle perform effectively with large JBoss ON environments, such as deployments with hundreds of JBoss ON agents. This configuration is not necessary for smaller environments.

Note

For advanced configuration, install Oracle using the graphical wizard rather than SQL command-line tools.
  1. Create a new database.
    1. Open the Oracle Database Configuration Assistant.
    2. Select New Database.
    3. Set the Includes datafiles parameter to No.
    4. Decline to install the example schemas to save space.
    5. Select Typical Memory configuration, and then set the database sizing type to OLTP.
    6. Allocate the highest percentage of system resources that the system can afford. This should be between 70% and 90%, with the highest value preferred.

    Warning

    Locally manage all tablespaces.
  2. Create the JBoss ON user.
    CREATE USER rhqadmin IDENTIFIED BY rhqadmin;
  3. Grant the required permissions to the new user.
    GRANT CONNECT, RESOURCE TO rhqadmin;
  4. Set additional permissions for the JBoss ON Oracle user that define parameters to handle database commits.
    JBoss ON uses internally two phase commit for some of database actions. To recover from two phase commit failures, the Oracle user has to has appropriate permissions, otherwise the database will return XAException.XAER_RMERR errors.
    Set these four privileges for the user:
    GRANT SELECT ON sys.dba_pending_transactions TO rhqadmin;
    GRANT SELECT ON sys.pending_trans$ TO rhqadmin;
    GRANT SELECT ON sys.dba_2pc_pending TO rhqadmin;
    GRANT EXECUTE ON sys.dbms_system TO rhqadmin;

Chapter 3. Installing and Upgrading the JBoss ON Server on Linux

The core of JBoss Operations Network is the server, which communicates with agents, maintains the inventory, manages resource settings, interacts with content providers, and provides a central management UI. JBoss ON has other components which are required in order for JBoss ON to carry out its functions — agents which are installed on platforms, a CLI which allows administrators to script configuration, and plug-ins which integrate JBoss ON with other JBoss products. Each component has to be installed and configured independently, to match the needs of the specific network.

3.1. Preparing for Installation

3.1.1. Setting up the JDK for the JBoss ON Server

The JBoss ON server requires Java 6 or Java 7 JDK.
  1. Download and install the appropriate version of Java, if necessary.
  2. Set the JAVA_HOME environment variable to the installation directory.
    1. Open the .bashrc for the system user that will run JBoss ON. For example:
      vim /home/jon/.bashrc
    2. Add a line to set the JAVA_HOME environment variable to the specific JDK directory. For example:
      export JAVA_HOME=/usr/lib/jvm/java-1.6.0-openjdk-1.6.0.0/
  3. Set the system to use the correct version of the JDK using the system alternatives command. The selected version has the *+ symbols by it.
    /usr/sbin/alternatives --config javac
    
    There are 2 programs which provide 'javac'.
    
      Selection    Command
    -----------------------------------------------
       1           /usr/lib/jvm/java-1.6.0-bea/bin/javac
    *+ 2           /usr/lib/jvm/java-1.6.0-openjdk/bin/javac
    
    Enter to keep the current selection[+], or type selection number:

3.1.2. Preparing the Host Machine

For JBoss ON servers and agents to be able to communicate, they have to be able to connect to each other's host machines. Make sure that the machines are configured so that the server and agent machines are able to locate and connect with each other. There are three areas that commonly need to be configured:
  • Install the urw-fonts package. Java requires certain system fonts packages in order to label charts and graphs properly. If the urw-fonts package is not installed, then the monitoring graphics cannot be rendered.
  • Synchronize machine clocks. All JBoss ON servers and agents must have synchronized clocks. Clock variations cause issues in availability reporting, metric measurements, graphing, and even identifying and importing resources into inventory. The Network Time Protocol project, http://www.ntp.org/, has information on installing and configuring NTP to ensure your clocks are synchronized.
  • Configure DNS. Both forward and reverse DNS mapping entries must be present for all hosts involved in monitoring. This includes all JBoss ON servers and all machines running agents.
  • Configure the firewall to allow communication over the server and agent ports. Ensure the necessary ports have been opened to prevent the firewall from blocking the JBoss ON server and agents from communicating. The JBoss ON server typically uses port 7080, and the JBoss ON agents typically use port 16163.

3.2. Installing the Server JAR File

  1. Stop any currently running JBoss ON instances.
    serverRoot/jon-server-3.1.2.0.GA1/bin/rhq-server.sh stop

    Warning

    If the new JBoss ON server will use a database that existing JBoss ON instances are also using, then all of the existing JBoss ON instances have to be stopped. Otherwise, the installer will hang when it tries to contact the database and the database is unavailable because it is in use by another JBoss ON server.
  2. Download the JBoss ON binaries from the Customer Support Portal.
    1. In the Customer Support Portal, click Software, and then select JBoss Operations Network in the product drop-down box.
    2. Download the JBoss Operations Network 3.1.2 Base Distribution package by clicking the Download icon.
    3. There are additional plug-in packs available for EAP, EDS, EWS, and SOA-P. If any of those plug-ins will be used with the JBoss ON server, then download them as well.
  3. Unzip the server distribution to the directory where will be executed from.
    cd /opt
    
    unzip jon-server-3.1.2.0.GA1.zip
    This creates a version-specific installation directory, /opt/jon-server-3.1.2.0.GA1. A directory with this name should not exist prior to the unzip operation.
  4. Run the JBoss ON server:
    serverRoot/jon-server-3.1.2.0.GA1/bin/rhq-server.sh start
  5. Set up the JBoss ON server using the web installer (Section 3.3, “Configuring the Server with the Web Installer”) or by editing the configuration file (Section 3.4, “Silently Installing the JBoss ON Server”).

3.3. Configuring the Server with the Web Installer

  1. Open the server UI at http://localhost:7080/.
  2. Clicking the Click here to continue the installation link brings you to the main installer page.
  3. By default, the installer displays only the typical settings required for installation. For more custom environments, click the Show Advanced Settings check box to display the advanced settings in the next two sections.

    Important

    Do not unselect the advanced settings checkbox after setting advanced values, or the advanced settings will be reset to the default values.
  4. Set the database connection properties. This should include the database type, the database hostname and port, and the name of the database created for JBoss ON (in this example, rhq).
    The installation options are slightly different depending on the database configuration.

    Important

    With Oracle, selecting the overwrite tables option when there is nothing to overwrite causes an error message with ErrorCode=[2289]. This can be ignored.
  5. Set the basic connection information for the new JBoss ON server, such as its HTTP and HTTP ports.
  6. Set preliminary notification information for the JBoss ON server for alerts to use for SNMP and email notifications.
  7. Click the INSTALL button to begin configuring the server. This can take several minutes, and a loading screen will be up until the server is configured and a redirect is available.
  8. When the server is configured, click the link to go to the UI.
  9. Log into the GUI using the user account with the default superuser and password, rhqadmin/rhqadmin. The default username and password are predefined for the superuser; the password can be reset later.

    Note

    Change the password for the superuser account, rhqadmin, when you first log in. Passwords are changed in the Administration > Users area.
  10. Optional. Install any additional agent plug-ins, as in Chapter 5, Installing JBoss Agent Plug-in Packs.
  11. Optional. Install the JBoss ON CLI, as described in Chapter 6, Installing the JBoss ON CLI.
  12. Begin configuring JBoss ON agent and resources, as in Section 3.5, “Additional Post-Setup Checklist”.

3.4. Silently Installing the JBoss ON Server

The initial setup of the server is the same as in Section 3.3, “Configuring the Server with the Web Installer”. Instead of using the visual, web-based installer, however, a silent installation loads a pre-configured properties file and starts the server with all of its configuration in place.
  1. Stop any currently running JBoss ON instances.
    [root@server ~]# serverRoot/jon-server-3.1.2.0.GA1/bin/rhq-server.sh stop

    Warning

    If the new JBoss ON server will use a database that existing JBoss ON instances are also using, then all of the existing JBoss ON instances have to be stopped. Otherwise, the installer will hang when it tries to contact the database and the database is unavailable because it is in use by another JBoss ON server.
  2. Download the JBoss ON binaries from the Customer Support Portal.
    1. In the Customer Support Portal, click Software, and then click the Product drop-down box arrow to open the JBoss Operations Network software download.
    2. Download the JBoss Operations Network 3.1.2 Base Distribution package by clicking the Download icon.
    3. There are additional plug-in packs available for EDS, EAP, EWS, and SOA-P. If any of those plug-ins will be used with the JBoss ON server, then download them as well.
  3. Unzip the server distribution to the directory from where it will be executed.
    [root@server ~]# cd /opt
    
    [root@server ~]# unzip jon-server-3.1.2.0.GA1.zip
  4. Install the agent plug-ins.
    [root@server ~]# unzip jon-plugin-pack-agent_plugin_name-3.1.2.0.GA1.zip
    [root@server ~]# cd /opt/jon/jon-server-3.1.2.0.GA1/plugins
  5. Open the JBoss ON server configuration properties file:
    [root@server ~]# vim serverRoot/jon-server-3.1.2.0.GA1/bin/rhq-server.properties
  6. Set the rhq.autoinstall.enabled parameter to true to instruct the server to load the configuration automatically from file.
    rhq.autoinstall.enabled=true
  7. Set the parameter to tell the server whether preserve the any existing data in the database. For a new installation, this can be set to auto so the installer will supply the database schema. If a JBoss ON server has been installed before so that there is existing data in the database, then this can be set to overwrite, to apply the new schema.
    rhq.autoinstall.database=auto

    Important

    The autoinstaller options are only evaluated once, when the JBoss ON server is first installed. After that initial configuration, the autoinstaller is disabled. These properties are ignored once the server is set up and cannot be used to initiate a re-install of an existing instance.
  8. Optionally, set the IP address or hostname for the server. If this is not set, then the server will detect it when it starts.
    rhq.autoinstall.public-endpoint-address=server1.example.com
  9. Set the port numbers for the instance.
    rhq.server.startup.web.http.port=7080
    rhq.server.startup.web.https.port=7443
  10. Set the username and password to connect to the backend database. The password is stored in the properties file in an encoded form. Use the generate-db-password.sh script to hash the password.
    serverRoot/jon-server-3.1.2.0.GA1/bin/generate-db-password.sh mypassword
    Encoded password: 1d31b70b3650168f79edee9e04977e34
    Then, set the hashed password as the rhq.server.database.password value.
    rhq.server.database.user-name=rhqadmin
    rhq.server.database.password=1d31b70b3650168f79edee9e04977e34
  11. Scan the rest of the database configuration to make sure that it corresponds to your specific database type and instance. The parameters, and some possible values for PostgreSQL and Oracle databases, are described in Table 3.1, “rhq-server.properties Parameters for Database Configuration”.
    # Database
    rhq.server.database.connection-url=jdbc:postgresql://127.0.0.1:5432/rhq
    rhq.server.database.driver-class=org.postgresql.Driver
    rhq.server.database.xa-datasource-class=org.postgresql.xa.PGXADataSource
    rhq.server.database.type-mapping=PostgreSQL
    rhq.server.database.server-name=127.0.0.1
    rhq.server.database.port=5432
    rhq.server.database.db-name=rhq
    hibernate.dialect=org.hibernate.dialect.PostgreSQLDialect
    
    # Quartz
    rhq.server.quartz.driverDelegateClass=org.quartz.impl.jdbcjobstore.PostgreSQLDelegate
    rhq.server.quartz.selectWithLockSQL=SELECT * FROM {0}LOCKS ROWLOCK WHERE LOCK_NAME = ? FOR UPDATE
    rhq.server.quartz.lockHandlerClass=org.quartz.impl.jdbcjobstore.StdRowLockSemaphore
  12. Start the JBoss ON server:
    [root@server ~]# serverRoot/jon-server-3.1.2.0.GA1/bin/rhq-server.sh start
When the server starts, it loads the edited rhq-server.properties file and is fully configured.

Table 3.1. rhq-server.properties Parameters for Database Configuration

Parameter Description
rhq.server.database.type-mapping Gives the type or vendor of the database that is used by the JBoss ON server. This is either PostgreSQL or Oracle.
rhq.server.database.connection-url The JDBC URL that the JBoss ON server uses when connecting to the database. This has the format (roughly) of jdbc:db-type:hostname:port[:|/]db-name. An example is jdbc:postgresql://localhost:5432/rhq or jdbc:oracle:oci:@localhost:1521:orcl.
rhq.server.database.driver-class The fully qualified class name of the JDBC driver that the JBoss ON server uses to communicate with the database. An example is oracle.jdbc.driver.OracleDriver.
rhq.server.database.xa-datasource-class The fully qualified class name of the JDBC driver that the JBoss ON server uses to communicate with the database. Examples of this are org.postgresql.xa.PGXADataSource or oracle.jdbc.xa.client.OracleXADataSource.
rhq.server.database.user-name The name of the user that the JBoss ON server uses when logging into the database
rhq.server.database.password The password of the database user that is used by the JBoss ON server when logging into the database. This password is stored in a hash.
rhq.server.database.server-name The server name where the database is found. This must match the server in the connection URL. This is currently only used when connecting to PostgreSQL.
rhq.server.database.port The port on which the database is listening. This must match the port in the connection URL. This is currently only used when connecting to PostgreSQL.
rhq.server.database.db-name The name of the database. This must match the name found in the connection URL. This is currently only used when connecting to PostgreSQL.
rhq.server.quartz.driverDelegateClass The Quartz driver used for connections between the server and the database. The value of this is set by the installer and depends on the type of database used to store the JBoss ON information. For PostgreSQL, this is org.quartz.impl.jdbcjobstore.PostgreSQLDelegate, and for Oracle, this is org.quartz.impl.jdbcjobstore.oracle.OracleDelegate.

3.5. Additional Post-Setup Checklist

Once the JBoss ON server is configured, there are a number of different areas that administrators can configure to set up and manage resource in JBoss ON and to configure JBoss ON itself.
Most of the initial setup — building out the JBoss ON inventory with managed resources, setting up roles and access control, and creating resource groups — is covered in Initial Setup: the Resource Inventory, Groups, and Users. JBoss ON has a number of other features like drift monitoring, alerting, application and content deployment, server high availability, and configuration management. The way that these are configured depends on the demands of your infrastructure. Table 3.2, “Configuration and Features to Set Up” has links to procedures for features which are commonly set up soon after JBoss ON is set up; browse the JBoss ON GUI and documentation for a more comprehensive view of JBoss ON's capabilities.

Table 3.2. Configuration and Features to Set Up

Feature Description Doc Link
Creating resource groups For simplicity and effectiveness with managing resources, JBoss ON has resource groups. There are a number of different types of groups, including compatible groups (groups of the same type of resource) and dynamically-created groups. This makes it possible to apply configuration changes, alert definitions, drift definitions, and other settings all at once and to create useful groups for better monitoring and inventory tracking. "Managing Groups"
Configuring roles and access control JBoss ON defines access to resources based on roles. Both users and resources are assigned to roles, and then access control rights are assigned to the roles. "About Security in JBoss ON: Roles and Access Control"
LDAP user authentication By default, users are created in JBoss ON and then stored in the JBoss ON database. However, JBoss ON can be configured to check an LDAP server first for user accounts, so existing LDAP users can be authenticated in JBoss ON — without having to create users in JBoss ON first. "How JBoss ON Uses LDAP for Authentication"
LDAP group authorization LDAP groups can be associated with JBoss ON roles. This means that the members in the LDAP group are automatically granted the rights and can manage the resources defined in the JBoss ON role. "How JBoss ON Roles Work with LDAP User Groups"
Creating alerts An alert is a way of informing administrators that some event or condition has occurred on a resource. JBoss ON provides a number of different ways to set and respond to alerts, both by sending notifications and by taking a specified action. "Brief Introduction to Alerts and Notifications"
Configuring drift monitoring When configuration settings change, the configuration drifts from its designated state. Drift monitoring provides a mechanism for administrators to define and manage that designated configuration state, to apply it to multiple resources, and to be informed if any resource drifts from that state. "Understanding Drift"
Setting up bundles for provisioning Provisioning is a way of deploying content through JBoss ON. Provisioning takes a bundle, an archive file, and deploys it on a platform or a JBoss resource. This bundle can be a configuration file, a set of EARs or WARs, or even a full application server. JBoss ON supports multiple versions of the same bundle and can deploy these bundles to different resources, all managed through a single point in JBoss ON. "Creating Bundles"
Setting affinity and high availability When multiple JBoss ON servers are added, they naturally establish a high availability and failover topology. Agents can be managed by any server in the cloud, but it is possible to set a preference, or affinity, for agents to be managed by selected servers. This can improve performance or be used to reflect the infrastructure topology. "Configuring High Availability"

3.6. Configuring the Server as a Service

The rhq-server.sh script can be managed by the init process so that the server starts automatically when the system boots. This also allows the server process to be managed by services like service and chkconfig.
  1. Copy the rhq-server.sh script into the /etc/init.d/ directory.
    cp serverRoot/bin/rhq-server.sh /etc/init.d/
  2. Edit the /etc/init.d/rhq-server.sh script to set the RHQ_SERVER_HOME variable to the JBoss ON server install directory and the RHQ_SERVER_JAVA_HOME variable to the appropriate directory for the JVM. For example:
    RHQ_SERVER_HOME=serverRoot/jon-server-3.1.2.0.GA1/
    RHQ_SERVER_JAVA_HOME=/usr/
  3. Edit the /etc/init.d/rhq-server.sh script, and add the following lines to the top of the file, directly under #!/bin/sh.
    #!/bin/sh
    #chkconfig: 2345 95 20   
    #description: JBoss Operations Network Server
    #processname: run.sh
    The last two numbers in the #chkconfig: 2345 95 20 line specify the start and stop priority, respectively, for the JBoss ON server.
  4. Add the service to the chkconfig service management command, and verify that it was added properly.
    chkconfig --add rhq-server.sh
    chkconfig rhq-server.sh --list
  5. Set the rhq-server.sh service to run at run level 5.
    chkconfig --level 5 rhq-server.sh on

3.7. Re-Installing the Server

Whether it is configured through the web UI or silently, the JBoss ON server uses an autoinstaller to configure itself initially. Once that initial configuration is complete, the autoinstaller is disabled (so even setting the rhq.autoinstaller.* properties in rhq-server.properties does not re-initiate the server configuration).
To re-install the server, remove the entire home directory for the server, and then unzip the original JBoss ON server archive and configure the server as if it were all new, as in Section 3.3, “Configuring the Server with the Web Installer” or Section 3.4, “Silently Installing the JBoss ON Server”.

3.8. Upgrading JBoss ON

An upgrade procedure for JBoss Operations Network essentially overlays the new JBoss ON packages and libraries over the existing configuration and databases. The upgrade procedure, then, is very similar to the installation process. The new packages need to be installed, and then the server is set up in the same setup wizard. The difference is that the server reuses its existing databases and data so that the configuration from the previous installation is preserved.
Upgrade to JBoss Operations Network 3.1.2 is only supported from JBoss ON 2.x versions and later.

Note

The JBoss ON servers must be upgraded before the JBoss ON agents can be upgraded.

Warning

There will be a minimal loss monitoring data because of the downtime required when the server and agents are being upgraded. Additionally, any monitoring data for the JBoss ON server will be lost, if the server is included in the inventory.

3.8.1. Upgrading the JBoss ON Server

Not every step in this upgrade procedure applies to every JBoss Operations Network installation. Just run through the steps in order, and perform the ones necessary for your deployment.

Warning

Upgrading the JBoss ON server essentially creates a new server instance that replaces the old instance. If the JBoss ON server was added to the inventory, then the old JBoss ON server resource must be deleted from the inventory because it will not be a usable resource after upgrade. Once the upgrade process is complete, then the JBoss ON server must be added to the inventory again and all of the previous configuration for that resource (like alerts, scheduled operations, and group membership) must be redone.

Note

See Chapter 7, Troubleshooting Installation and Upgrade if there are any problems during the upgrade process.
  1. First, do some prep work on the JBoss ON configuration. It is easier to clean up the configuration before migration than it is after.
    1. Remove any unused or out of service platforms from the inventory.
    2. Remove any alert definitions which use conditions for obsolete metrics.
      For migrating to JBoss ON 3.1.2, there are four alert conditions — all for PostgreSQL databases — which should be removed:
      • User Time
      • Kernel Time
      • Physical Memory
      • Virtual Memory
  2. Prepare the JBoss ON agents for upgrade. Agents will auto-upgrade, meaning that when they detect that the server has a new version, the agent will request an update. Follow the instructions at Section 8.7, “About Agent Automatic Updates” to prepare the agent, and then just leave it running. The agent should be running in the background to upgrade properly, as in Section 8.4, “Running the JBoss ON Agent as a Service”.
    In some rare cases, the agent will be upgraded manually instead of upgrading itself. In that case, stop the agent before upgrading the server, and follow the instructions at Section 8.8, “Manually Upgrading the JBoss ON Agent”.
  3. Stop the JBoss ON server which is being upgraded as well as any currently running JBoss ON instances. For example:
    serverRoot/jon-server-3.1.2.0.GA1/bin/rhq-server.sh stop

    Warning

    If the upgraded JBoss ON server will use a database that existing JBoss ON instances are also using, then all of the existing JBoss ON instances have to be stopped. Otherwise, the installer will hang when it tries to contact the database and the database is unavailable because it is in use by another JBoss ON server.
  4. Open the server root directory. For example:
    cd /opt/jon
  5. Unzip the server packages.
    unzip jon-server-3.1.2.0.GA1.zip

    Important

    Do not copy the new server installation on top of a previous server installation.
    The directory structure within the server package gives the new server installation directory a version-specific name, such as /opt/jon/jon-server-3.1.2.0.GA1.
  6. Copy over any changes in your original rhq-server.properties file to the new file in serverRoot/jon-server-3.1.2.0.GA1/bin. Changes to this file include things like setting up SSL and enabling SMTP for email notifications.

    Note

    In JBoss ON 2.3.1 and older versions, the password to access the database is stored in plaintext. In JBoss ON 3.1.2, this password is hashed for security.

    Note

    If you don't want to edit the rhq-server.properties file manually, you can change the server settings to the proper configuration in the Advanced Settings form during the server setup.
  7. Additional plug-in packs for specific needs (such as supporting management tasks for EWS, EAP, and SOA-P) are available to be installed separate from the core JBoss ON agent packages. Each plug-in pack as at least one (and sometimes more than one) agent plug-in. Each zip file for the plug-ins has a README.txt file with specific setup instructions.
    The plug-in files can be unzipped anywhere. For example:
    cd /opt/jon/jon-server-3.1.2.0.GA1
    
    unzip jon-plugin-pack-agent_plugin_name-3.1.2.0.GA1.zip

    Note

    If there are multiple JBoss ON servers in a high availability setup, the agent plug-in pack only has to be installed once. The other servers will pick up the plug-ins as part of the high availability polls.
  8. Start the JBoss ON server. For example:
    serverRoot/jon-server-3.1.2.0.GA1/bin/rhq-server.sh start
  9. Back up your server database before going through the setup wizard. In case there is a problem with the upgrade process, the backup allows you to restore to its previous state.
  10. Open the web UI.
    http://hostname:7080
    As with a new installation, the installer opens after you log in.
  11. The setup process is the same as the initial setup procedure in Chapter 3, Installing and Upgrading the JBoss ON Server on Linux.

    Warning

    Do not change any of the settings for the server, especially identifying information such as the Server Name field. This can cause errors during the upgrade process.
    When the database connection information is entered, the JBoss ON installer detects the existing JBoss ON database. This introduces a new field to the installer, prompting you for what to do with the existing database.
    Choose the default, Keep (maintain existing data). Do not choose Overwrite (lose existing data), or the installer will delete all of your JBoss ON data, including your inventory, monitoring history, alerts, and metrics.
  12. The Registered Servers lists every server in the server cloud. For upgrades and re-installs, this gives you the option to keep the existing server configuration (such as ports and notification settings) or to set new values. To preserve the settings, select the server from the registered servers list; otherwise, select New Server.
  13. Restart the browser after upgrade completes or force the browser to refresh, using Ctrl+F5.

    Note

    The browser caches an old session ID for the previous JBoss ON server installation. Attempting to open the GUI without refreshing the cache causes the login to fail and throws an error in the JBoss ON server logs:
    Exception:
    2012-05-23 16:37:08,046 ERROR [org.apache.catalina.connector.CoyoteAdapter] An exception or error occurred in the container during the request processing
    java.lang.NullPointerException
            at org.apache.catalina.connector.CoyoteAdapter.parseSessionCookiesId(CoyoteAdapter.java:507)
            at org.apache.catalina.connector.CoyoteAdapter.postParseRequest(CoyoteAdapter.java:449)
            at org.apache.catalina.connector.CoyoteAdapter.service(CoyoteAdapter.java:239)
    	... 8< ...
  14. Start any JBoss ON agents that were stopped for the upgrade process.
  15. If the older JBoss ON server was added to the JBoss ON inventory, then remove it. The old JBoss ON server must be removed from the inventory because it is no longer a usable resource.
  16. Optional. Add the new JBoss ON server as a resource in the inventory.

3.8.2. Migrating SNMP Settings

The SNMP settings are not migrated with the other server settings. These settings have to be restored manually after migration, and there are two ways to do this:
  • Run a SQL command to copy the settings from the database table for the old server instance into the table for the new instance.
  • Set the SNMP settings in the JBoss ON GUI.

3.8.2.1. Running SQL Commands to Migrate the SNMP Settings

  1. Open the administrative page, with the location admin/test/sql.jsp. For example:
    http://server.example.com:7080/admin/test/sql.jsp
  2. Run the command to migrate the SNMP settings:
    select property_key,property_value from RHQ_SYSTEM_CONFIG where property_key like 'SNMP%';
  3. Click the Execute SQL button.
  4. Reconfigure all of the SNMP alert notification senders.

3.8.2.2. Configuring SNMP Settings in the GUI

Note

Take a screenshot of the SNMP settings before beginning the upgrade procedure, so that the image is available as a reference to re-do the SNMP settings.
  1. In the top menu, click the Administration tab.
  2. In the Configuration box on the left navigation bar, click the Plugins link.
  3. Click the Server Plugins tab.
  4. Click the name of the SNMP plug-in in the list.
  5. In the plug-in details page, click the Configure 'Alert:SNMP' link to open the configuration page for the plug-in.
  6. Click the EDIT button at the bottom of the configuration screen to make the fields active.
  7. All SNMP versions require the JBoss ON MIB OID (1.3.6.1.4.1.18016.2.1) and selected version, plus optional information to access the trap. Expand the version-specific configuration section and fill in the information about the SNMP agent.
  8. Once SNMP is set up for the server, reconfigure all of the SNMP alert notification senders.

3.8.3. Resetting Passwords for Configured Content Repositories

Password obfuscation was introduced in JBoss Operations Network 3.1 for stored content providers credentials, including the credentials used to access the JBoss Customer Portal (a default repository in JBoss ON). The methods used to obfuscate, store, and retrieve the content repository credentials in the database are updated in JBoss ON 3.1.1.
When upgrading from JBoss ON 3.1 to JBoss ON 3.1.2, any stored credentials for an existing content repository must be updated in order to apply the new obfuscation method.
Passwords must be changed both for the user account on the repository itself and for the repository configuration in JBoss ON.

Note

The password change is only necessary when upgrading from JBoss ON 3.1 It is not required when upgrading from an earlier version of JBoss ON to JBoss ON 3.1.2.

3.8.4. Upgrading the JBoss EAP 6 Resource Plug-in

JBoss Operations Network 3.0 and 3.0.1 had a tech preview version of the JBoss Enterprise Application Platform (EAP) 6 agent plug-in. With normal upgrade processes, agent plug-ins are updated when the JBoss ON server is updated. However, tech preview plug-ins are not upgraded. The tech preview version of the plug-in must be deleted, and then the new plug-in installed.
The EAP 6 tech preview plug-in and the EAP 6 GA plug-in are treated as two separate plug-ins by JBoss ON. If the tech preview version is not deleted, then any EAP 6 resource will be discovered and listed twice in the inventory, once discovered by the tech preview plug-in and discovered again by the GA plug-in.

Note

Any configuration, monitoring data and baselines, and resource histories will be lost after upgrading to the new EAP 6 plug-in.
To load the new EAP 6 plug-in:
  1. Delete the original tech preview plug-in and purge it from the JBoss ON database. Purging the plug-in allows the server to deploy the new plug-in in its place.
    1. In the top menu, click the Administration tab.
    2. In the Configuration box on the left navigation bar, click the Agent Plugins link.
    3. Select the EAP 6 tech preview plug-in.
    4. Click the Delete button.
    5. Click the SHOW DELETED button at the bottom of the plug-ins list.
    6. Select the EAP 6 plug-in, and then click the PURGE button. This removes the entry in the JBoss ON database that tells the servers to ignore that original tech preview plug-in and any updates to it.

      Important

      Wait for the purge operation to complete before continuing with the upgrade process.
  2. If the server has not already been upgraded, upgrade the JBoss ON server, as described in Section 3.8.1, “Upgrading the JBoss ON Server”.
  3. Install the EAP 6 plug-in pack, as described in Chapter 5, Installing JBoss Agent Plug-in Packs.
  4. Import the EAP 6 server and its children.
    Configuring and managing resources for EAP 6 domains and standalone servers is described in How to Manage JBoss Servers.

Chapter 4. Installing and Upgrading the JBoss ON Server on Windows

4.1. Preparing for Installation

4.1.1. Setting up the JDK

The JBoss ON server requires Java 6 or Java 7 JDK.
  1. Download and install the appropriate version of Java, if necessary.
  2. Set the JAVA_HOME environment variable to the installation directory.
    C:\>set JAVA_HOME=C:\Program Files (x86)\Java
    The default Java service wrapper included with JBoss ON requires a 32-bit JVM, so the Java preference set for the server must be a 32-bit JDK. The JBoss ON server must use a 32-bit JVM even on 64-bit systems.
  3. Set the system to use the bin directory of the correct version of the JDK.
    C:>set path C:\Program Files\Java\jdk1.6.0_29\bin
  4. Set the classpath to the of the correct version of the JRE distribution.
    C:>set classpath C:\Program Files (x86)\Java\jre6\lib\ext\QTJava.zip

4.1.2. JVM for Running as a Service

JBoss ON includes Tanuki Software's Java service wrapper so that the JBoss ON server can be configured to run as a Windows service. That default Java service wrapper included with JBoss ON requires a 32-bit JVM, so the Java preference set for the server must be a 32-bit JDK.
RHQ_SERVER_JAVA_HOME=C:\Program Files\Java\jdk1.6.0_29
The JBoss ON server must use a 32-bit JVM even on 64-bit systems.
Running the server or agent with a 32-bit JVM does not in any way affect how JBoss ON manages other resources which may run with a 64-bit JVM. JBoss ON can still manage those resources and those resources can still use the 64-bit Java libraries for their own processes.
To run the server in a 64-bit JVM, an alternative Java wrapper service must be obtained independently from Tanuki Software or from another Java service vendor.

4.1.3. Preparing the Host Machine

For JBoss ON servers and agents to be able to communicate, they have to be able to connect to each other's host machines. Make sure that the machines are configured so that the server and agent machines are able to locate and connect with each other. There are three areas that commonly need to be configured:
  • Synchronize machine clocks. All JBoss ON servers and agents must have synchronized clocks. Clock variations cause issues in availability reporting, metric measurements, graphing, and even identifying and importing resources into inventory. The Network Time Protocol project, http://www.ntp.org/, has information on installing and configuring NTP to ensure your clocks are synchronized.
  • Configure DNS. Both forward and reverse DNS mapping entries must be present for all hosts involved in monitoring. This includes all JBoss ON servers and all machines running agents.
  • Configure the firewall to allow communication over the server and agent ports. Ensure the necessary ports have been opened to prevent the firewall from blocking the JBoss ON server and agents from communicating. The JBoss ON server typically uses port 7080, and the JBoss ON agents typically use port 16163.

4.1.4. Selecting Path Names

Make sure that the complete path name for the server installation directory is relatively short. Path names longer than 19 characters can cause problems with executing some server tasks. Use a location such as C:\jon rather than C:\Documents and Settings\myusername\jon-server.
Windows' handling of file and path names is covered in the "Naming Files, Paths, and Namespaces" in the Windows Data Access and Storage API.

4.1.5. Utilities to Use with JBoss ON

The only utilities used to manage the JBoss ON server are a ZIP utility to install the binaries and, possibly, a text editor to view and edit configuration files.
The recommended ZIP utility is WinZip. Examples in this guide usually use the Windows command prompt, so, optionally, install the WinZip CLI utility add-on. WinZip downloads are available at http://www.winzip.com.

4.2. Installing the Server JAR File

  1. Log into the Windows machine as Administrator. The server and plug-in packages must be installed as the Administrator account.
  2. Stop any currently running JBoss ON instances.
    C:\rhq\jon-server-3.1.2.0.GA1\bin\rhq-server.bat stop

    Warning

    If the new JBoss ON server will use a database that existing JBoss ON instances are also using, then all of the existing JBoss ON instances have to be stopped. Otherwise, the installer will hang when it tries to contact the database and the database is unavailable because it is in use by another JBoss ON server.
  3. Download the JBoss ON binaries from the Customer Support Portal.
    1. In the Customer Support Portal, click Software, and then select JBoss Operations Network in the product drop-down box.
    2. Download the JBoss Operations Network 3.1.2 Base Distribution package by clicking the Download icon.
  4. Create a directory for the server to be installed in.
    Use a relatively short name. Path names longer than 19 characters can cause problems running the server or executing some tasks.
  5. Unzip the server distribution to the desired installation directory.
    C:> winzip32 -e jon-server-3.1.2.0.GA1.zip C:\jon\jon-server-3.1.2.0.GA1
  6. Set the directory path to the JDK installation for a 32-bit JDK. For example:
    set RHQ_SERVER_JAVA_HOME=C:\Program Files\Java\jdk1.6.0_29
    The default Java service wrapper included with JBoss ON requires a 32-bit JVM, so the Java preference set for the server must be a 32-bit JDK. The JBoss ON server must use a 32-bit JVM even on 64-bit systems.
    Running the server or agent with a 32-bit JVM does not in any way affect how JBoss ON manages other resources which may run with a 64-bit JVM. JBoss ON can still manage those resources and those resources can still use the 64-bit Java libraries for their own processes.
  7. Install the JBoss ON server as a Windows service. This action must be "Run as Administrator."
    C:\rhq\jon-server-3.1.2.0.GA1\bin\rhq-server.bat install
  8. Start the JBoss ON server. This action must be "Run as Administrator."
    C:\rhq\jon-server-3.1.2.0.GA1\bin\rhq-server.bat start
  9. Set up the JBoss ON server using the web installer (Section 4.3, “Going Through the Web Installer”) or by editing the configuration file (Section 4.4, “Silently Installing the Server”).

4.3. Going Through the Web Installer

  1. Open the server UI at http://localhost:7080/.
  2. Clicking the Click here to continue the installation link brings you to the main installer page.
  3. By default, the installer displays only the typical settings required for installation. For more custom environments, click the Show Advanced Settings check box to display the advanced settings in the next two sections.

    Important

    Do not unselect the advanced settings checkbox after setting advanced values, or the advanced settings will be reset to the default values.
  4. Set the database connection properties. This should include the database type, the database hostname and port, and the name of the database created for JBoss ON (in this example, rhq).
    The installation options are slightly different depending on the database configuration.

    Important

    With Oracle, selecting the overwrite tables option when there is nothing to overwrite causes an error message with ErrorCode=[2289]. This can be ignored.
  5. Set the basic connection information for the new JBoss ON server, such as its HTTP and HTTP ports.
  6. Set preliminary notification information for the JBoss ON server for alerts to use for SNMP and email notifications.
  7. Click the INSTALL button to begin configuring the server. This can take several minutes, and a loading screen will be up until the server is configured and a redirect is available.
  8. When the server is configured, click the link to go to the UI.
  9. Log into the GUI using the user account with the default superuser and password, rhqadmin/rhqadmin. The default username and password are predefined for the superuser; the password can be reset later.

    Note

    Change the password for the superuser account, rhqadmin, when you first log in. Passwords are changed in the Administration > Users area.
  10. Optional. Install any additional agent plug-ins, as in Chapter 5, Installing JBoss Agent Plug-in Packs.
  11. Optional. Install the JBoss ON CLI, as described in Chapter 6, Installing the JBoss ON CLI.
  12. Begin configuring JBoss ON agent and resources, as in Section 3.5, “Additional Post-Setup Checklist”.

4.4. Silently Installing the Server

The initial setup of the server is the same as in Section 4.2, “Installing the Server JAR File”. Instead of using the visual, web-based installer, however, a silent installation loads a pre-configured properties file and starts the server with all of its configuration in place.
  1. Stop any currently running JBoss ON instances.
    C:\rhq\jon-server-3.1.2.0.GA1\bin\rhq-server.bat stop

    Warning

    If the new JBoss ON server will use a database that existing JBoss ON instances are also using, then all of the existing JBoss ON instances have to be stopped. Otherwise, the installer will hang when it tries to contact the database and the database is unavailable because it is in use by another JBoss ON server.
  2. Install the server JAR file, as in Section 4.2, “Installing the Server JAR File”.
  3. Install the agent plug-ins.
    Unzip the plug-in pack archive, and copy the files into the C:\rhq\plugins directory.
  4. Open the JBoss ON server rhq-server.properties file for editing.
  5. Set the rhq.autoinstall.enabled parameter to true to instruct the server to load the configuration automatically from file.
    rhq.autoinstall.enabled=true
  6. Set the parameter to tell the server whether preserve the any existing data in the database. For a new installation, this can be set to auto so the installer will supply the database schema.
    rhq.autoinstall.database=auto

    Important

    The autoinstaller options are only evaluated once, when the JBoss ON server is first installed. After that initial configuration, the autoinstaller is disabled. These properties are ignored once the server is set up and cannot be used to initiate a re-install of an existing instance.
  7. Optionally, set the IP address or hostname for the server. If this is not set, then the server will detect it when it starts.
    rhq.autoinstall.public-endpoint-address=server1.example.com
  8. Set the port numbers for the instance.
    rhq.server.startup.web.http.port=7080
    rhq.server.startup.web.https.port=7443
  9. Set the username and password to connect to the backend database. The password is stored in the properties file in an encoded form. Use the generate-db-password.sh script to hash the password.
    serverRoot/jon-server-3.1.2.0.GA1/bin/generate-db-password.sh mypassword
    Encoded password: 1d31b70b3650168f79edee9e04977e34
    Then, set the hashed password as the rhq.server.database.password value.
    rhq.server.database.user-name=rhqadmin
    rhq.server.database.password=1d31b70b3650168f79edee9e04977e34
  10. Scan the rest of the database configuration to make sure that it corresponds to your specific database type and instance. The parameters, and some possible values for PostgreSQL and Oracle databases, are described in Table 4.1, “rhq-server.properties Parameters for Database Configuration”.
    # Database
    rhq.server.database.connection-url=jdbc:postgresql://127.0.0.1:5432/rhq
    rhq.server.database.driver-class=org.postgresql.Driver
    rhq.server.database.xa-datasource-class=org.postgresql.xa.PGXADataSource
    rhq.server.database.type-mapping=PostgreSQL
    rhq.server.database.server-name=127.0.0.1
    rhq.server.database.port=5432
    rhq.server.database.db-name=rhq
    hibernate.dialect=org.hibernate.dialect.PostgreSQLDialect
    
    # Quartz
    rhq.server.quartz.driverDelegateClass=org.quartz.impl.jdbcjobstore.PostgreSQLDelegate
    rhq.server.quartz.selectWithLockSQL=SELECT * FROM {0}LOCKS ROWLOCK WHERE LOCK_NAME = ? FOR UPDATE
    rhq.server.quartz.lockHandlerClass=org.quartz.impl.jdbcjobstore.StdRowLockSemaphore
  11. Set the directory path to the JDK installation for a 32-bit Java library. For example:
    set RHQ_SERVER_JAVA_HOME=C:\Program Files\Java\jdk1.6.0_29
    The default Java service wrapper included with JBoss ON requires a 32-bit JVM, so the Java preference set for the server must be a 32-bit JDK. The JBoss ON server must use a 32-bit JVM even on 64-bit systems.
    Running the server or agent with a 32-bit JVM does not in any way affect how JBoss ON manages other resources which may run with a 64-bit JVM. JBoss ON can still manage those resources and those resources can still use the 64-bit Java libraries for their own processes.
  12. Install the JBoss ON server as a Windows service. This action must be "Run as Administrator."
    C:\rhq\jon-server-3.1.2.0.GA1\bin\rhq-server.bat install
  13. Start the JBoss ON server. This action must be "Run as Administrator."
    C:\rhq\jon-server-3.1.2.0.GA1\bin\rhq-server.bat start
When the server starts, it loads the edited rhq-server.properties file and is fully configured.

Table 4.1. rhq-server.properties Parameters for Database Configuration

Parameter Description
rhq.server.database.type-mapping Gives the type or vendor of the database that is used by the JBoss ON server. This is either PostgreSQL or Oracle.
rhq.server.database.connection-url The JDBC URL that the JBoss ON server uses when connecting to the database. An example is jdbc:postgresql://localhost:5432/rhq or jdbc:oracle:oci:@localhost:1521:orcl.
rhq.server.database.driver-class The fully qualified class name of the JDBC driver that the JBoss ON server uses to communicate with the database. An example is oracle.jdbc.driver.OracleDriver.
rhq.server.database.xa-datasource-class The fully qualified class name of the JDBC driver that the JBoss ON server uses to communicate with the database. Examples of this are org.postgresql.xa.PGXADataSource or oracle.jdbc.xa.client.OracleXADataSource.
rhq.server.database.user-name The name of the user that the JBoss ON server uses when logging into the database
rhq.server.database.password The password of the database user that is used by the JBoss ON server when logging into the database. This password is stored in a hash.
rhq.server.database.server-name The server name where the database is found. This must match the server in the connection URL. This is currently only used when connecting to PostgreSQL.
rhq.server.database.port The port on which the database is listening. This must match the port in the connection URL. This is currently only used when connecting to PostgreSQL.
rhq.server.database.db-name The name of the database. This must match the name found in the connection URL. This is currently only used when connecting to PostgreSQL.
rhq.server.quartz.driverDelegateClass The Quartz driver used for connections between the server and the database. The value of this is set by the installer and depends on the type of database used to store the JBoss ON information. For PostgreSQL, this is org.quartz.impl.jdbcjobstore.PostgreSQLDelegate, and for Oracle, this is org.quartz.impl.jdbcjobstore.oracle.OracleDelegate.

4.5. Additional Post-Setup Checklist

Once the JBoss ON server is configured, there are a number of different areas that administrators can configure to set up and manage resource in JBoss ON and to configure JBoss ON itself.
Most of the initial setup — building out the JBoss ON inventory with managed resources, setting up roles and access control, and creating resource groups — is covered in Initial Setup: the Resource Inventory, Groups, and Users. JBoss ON has a number of other features like drift monitoring, alerting, application and content deployment, server high availability, and configuration management. The way that these are configured depends on the demands of your infrastructure. Table 4.2, “Configuration and Features to Set Up” has links to procedures for features which are commonly set up soon after JBoss ON is set up; browse the JBoss ON GUI and documentation for a more comprehensive view of JBoss ON's capabilities.

Table 4.2. Configuration and Features to Set Up

Feature Description Doc Link
Creating resource groups For simplicity and effectiveness with managing resources, JBoss ON has resource groups. There are a number of different types of groups, including compatible groups (groups of the same type of resource) and dynamically-created groups. This makes it possible to apply configuration changes, alert definitions, drift definitions, and other settings all at once and to create useful groups for better monitoring and inventory tracking. "Managing Groups"
Configuring roles and access control JBoss ON defines access to resources based on roles. Both users and resources are assigned to roles, and then access control rights are assigned to the roles. "About Security in JBoss ON: Roles and Access Control"
LDAP user authentication By default, users are created in JBoss ON and then stored in the JBoss ON database. However, JBoss ON can be configured to check an LDAP server first for user accounts, so existing LDAP users can be authenticated in JBoss ON — without having to create users in JBoss ON first. "How JBoss ON Uses LDAP for Authentication"
LDAP group authorization LDAP groups can be associated with JBoss ON roles. This means that the members in the LDAP group are automatically granted the rights and can manage the resources defined in the JBoss ON role. "How JBoss ON Roles Work with LDAP User Groups"
Creating alerts An alert is a way of informing administrators that some event or condition has occurred on a resource. JBoss ON provides a number of different ways to set and respond to alerts, both by sending notifications and by taking a specified action. "Brief Introduction to Alerts and Notifications"
Configuring drift monitoring When configuration settings change, the configuration drifts from its designated state. Drift monitoring provides a mechanism for administrators to define and manage that designated configuration state, to apply it to multiple resources, and to be informed if any resource drifts from that state. "Understanding Drift"
Setting up bundles for provisioning Provisioning is a way of deploying content through JBoss ON. Provisioning takes a bundle, an archive file, and deploys it on a platform or a JBoss resource. This bundle can be a configuration file, a set of EARs or WARs, or even a full application server. JBoss ON supports multiple versions of the same bundle and can deploy these bundles to different resources, all managed through a single point in JBoss ON. "Creating Bundles"
Setting affinity and high availability When multiple JBoss ON servers are added, they naturally establish a high availability and failover topology. Agents can be managed by any server in the cloud, but it is possible to set a preference, or affinity, for agents to be managed by selected servers. This can improve performance or be used to reflect the infrastructure topology. "Configuring High Availability"

4.6. Configuring the Server as a Windows Service

The rhq-server.bat script has an installation option that installs the script as a Windows service.
  1. Set the environment variable for the user to run the Windows service as.
    Every Windows service has to run as some system user. There are two environment variables in the rhq-server.bat script that set the user to use:
    • RHQ_SERVER_RUN_AS sets any Windows user to be the JBoss ON server user. The username given here must be in the standard Windows format, DOMAIN\user, such as EXAMPLEDOMAIN\jsmith.
    • RHQ_SERVER_RUN_AS_ME sets the server to run as whoever the current user is. This overrides the RHQ_SERVER_RUN_AS, if both as set.
    If neither environment variable is set, then the JBoss ON server runs as the system account.
  2. Run the rhq-server.bat script with the install option to set up the service. This prompts for the password of whatever user account is used for the JBoss ON service.
    serverRoot\bin\rhq-server.bat install

4.7. Re-Installing the Server

Whether it is configured through the web UI or silently, the JBoss ON server uses an autoinstaller to configure itself initially. Once that initial configuration is complete, the autoinstaller is disabled (so even setting the rhq.autoinstaller.* properties in rhq-server.properties does not re-initiate the server configuration).
To re-install the server, remove the entire home directory for the server, and then unzip the original JBoss ON server archive and configure the server as if it were all new, as in Section 4.3, “Going Through the Web Installer” or Section 4.4, “Silently Installing the Server”.

4.8. Upgrading JBoss ON

An upgrade procedure for JBoss Operations Network essentially overlays the new JBoss ON packages and libraries over the existing configuration and databases. The upgrade procedure, then, is very similar to the installation process. The new packages need to be installed, and then the server is set up in the same setup wizard. The difference is that the server reuses its existing databases and data so that the configuration from the previous installation is preserved.
Upgrade to JBoss Operations Network 3.1.2 is only supported from JBoss ON 2.x versions and later.

Note

The JBoss ON servers must be upgraded before the JBoss ON agents can be upgraded.

Warning

There will be a minimal loss monitoring data because of the downtime required when the server and agents are being upgraded. Additionally, any monitoring data for the JBoss ON server will be lost, if the server is included in the inventory.

4.8.1. Upgrading the JBoss ON Server

Not every step in this upgrade procedure applies to every JBoss Operations Network installation. Just run through the steps in order, and perform the ones necessary for your deployment.

Warning

Upgrading the JBoss ON server essentially creates a new server instance that replaces the old instance. If the JBoss ON server was added to the inventory, then the old JBoss ON server resource must be deleted from the inventory because it will not be a usable resource after upgrade. Once the upgrade process is complete, then the JBoss ON server must be added to the inventory again and all of the previous configuration for that resource (like alerts, scheduled operations, and group membership) must be redone.

Note

See Chapter 7, Troubleshooting Installation and Upgrade if there are any problems during the upgrade process.
  1. First, do some prep work on the JBoss ON configuration. It is easier to clean up the configuration before migration than it is after.
    1. Remove any unused or out of service platforms from the inventory.
    2. Remove any alert definitions which use conditions for obsolete metrics.
      For migrating to JBoss ON 3.1.2, there are four alert conditions — all for PostgreSQL databases — which should be removed:
      • User Time
      • Kernel Time
      • Physical Memory
      • Virtual Memory
  2. Prepare the JBoss ON agents for upgrade. Agents will auto-upgrade, meaning that when they detect that the server has a new version, the agent will request an update. Follow the instructions at Section 8.7, “About Agent Automatic Updates” to prepare the agent, and then just leave it running. The agent should be running in the background to upgrade properly, as in Section 8.4, “Running the JBoss ON Agent as a Service”.
    In some rare cases, the agent will be upgraded manually instead of upgrading itself. In that case, stop the agent before upgrading the server, and follow the instructions at Section 8.8, “Manually Upgrading the JBoss ON Agent”.
  3. Stop the JBoss ON server which is being upgraded as well as any currently running JBoss ON instances. For example:
    serverRoot/jon-server-3.1.2.0.GA1/bin/rhq-server.sh stop

    Warning

    If the upgraded JBoss ON server will use a database that existing JBoss ON instances are also using, then all of the existing JBoss ON instances have to be stopped. Otherwise, the installer will hang when it tries to contact the database and the database is unavailable because it is in use by another JBoss ON server.
  4. Open the server root directory. For example:
    cd /opt/jon
  5. Unzip the server packages.
    unzip jon-server-3.1.2.0.GA1.zip

    Important

    Do not copy the new server installation on top of a previous server installation.
    The directory structure within the server package gives the new server installation directory a version-specific name, such as /opt/jon/jon-server-3.1.2.0.GA1.
  6. Copy over any changes in your original rhq-server.properties file to the new file in serverRoot/jon-server-3.1.2.0.GA1/bin. Changes to this file include things like setting up SSL and enabling SMTP for email notifications.

    Note

    In JBoss ON 2.3.1 and older versions, the password to access the database is stored in plaintext. In JBoss ON 3.1.2, this password is hashed for security.

    Note

    If you don't want to edit the rhq-server.properties file manually, you can change the server settings to the proper configuration in the Advanced Settings form during the server setup.
  7. If the server was installed as a Windows service, then uninstall the Windows service for the original server:
    cd c:\old-serverRoot\bin
    
    ./rhq-server.bat remove
    Then install the new server as a Windows service:
    cd c:\new-serverRoot\bin
    
    ./rhq-server.bat install
  8. Additional plug-in packs for specific needs (such as supporting management tasks for EWS, EAP, and SOA-P) are available to be installed separate from the core JBoss ON agent packages. Each plug-in pack as at least one (and sometimes more than one) agent plug-in. Each zip file for the plug-ins has a README.txt file with specific setup instructions.
    The plug-in files can be unzipped anywhere. For example:
    cd /opt/jon/jon-server-3.1.2.0.GA1
    
    unzip jon-plugin-pack-agent_plugin_name-3.1.2.0.GA1.zip

    Note

    If there are multiple JBoss ON servers in a high availability setup, the agent plug-in pack only has to be installed once. The other servers will pick up the plug-ins as part of the high availability polls.
  9. Start the JBoss ON server. For example:
    serverRoot/jon-server-3.1.2.0.GA1/bin/rhq-server.sh start
  10. Back up your server database before going through the setup wizard. In case there is a problem with the upgrade process, the backup allows you to restore to its previous state.
  11. Open the web UI.
    http://hostname:7080
    As with a new installation, the installer opens after you log in.
  12. The setup process is the same as the initial setup procedure in Section 4.3, “Going Through the Web Installer”.

    Warning

    Do not change any of the settings for the server, especially identifying information such as the Server Name field. This can cause errors during the upgrade process.
    When the database connection information is entered, the JBoss ON installer detects the existing JBoss ON database. This introduces a new field to the installer, prompting you for what to do with the existing database.
    Choose the default, Keep (maintain existing data). Do not choose Overwrite (lose existing data), or the installer will delete all of your JBoss ON data, including your inventory, monitoring history, alerts, and metrics.
  13. The Registered Servers lists every server in the server cloud. For upgrades and re-installs, this gives you the option to keep the existing server configuration (such as ports and notification settings) or to set new values. To preserve the settings, select the server from the registered servers list; otherwise, select New Server.
  14. Restart the browser after upgrade completes or force the browser to refresh, using Ctrl+F5.

    Note

    The browser caches an old session ID for the previous JBoss ON server installation. Attempting to open the GUI without refreshing the cache causes the login to fail and throws an error in the JBoss ON server logs:
    Exception:
    2012-05-23 16:37:08,046 ERROR [org.apache.catalina.connector.CoyoteAdapter] An exception or error occurred in the container during the request processing
    java.lang.NullPointerException
            at org.apache.catalina.connector.CoyoteAdapter.parseSessionCookiesId(CoyoteAdapter.java:507)
            at org.apache.catalina.connector.CoyoteAdapter.postParseRequest(CoyoteAdapter.java:449)
            at org.apache.catalina.connector.CoyoteAdapter.service(CoyoteAdapter.java:239)
    	... 8< ...
  15. Start any JBoss ON agents that were stopped for the upgrade process.
  16. If the older JBoss ON server was added to the JBoss ON inventory, then remove it. The old JBoss ON server must be removed from the inventory because it is no longer a usable resource.
  17. Optional. Add the new JBoss ON server as a resource in the inventory.

4.8.2. Migrating SNMP Settings

The SNMP settings for the server (unlike other server settings) are not migrated with the other server settings. These settings have to be restored manually after migration, and there are two ways to do this:
  • Run a SQL command to copy the settings from the database table for the old server instance into the table for the new instance.
  • Set the SNMP settings in the JBoss ON GUI.

4.8.2.1. Running SQL Commands to Migrate the SNMP Settings

  1. Open the administrative page, with the location admin/test/sql.jsp. For example:
    http://server.example.com:7080/admin/test/sql.jsp
  2. Run the command to migrate the SNMP settings:
    select property_key,property_value from RHQ_SYSTEM_CONFIG where property_key like 'SNMP%';
  3. Click the Execute SQL button.
  4. Reconfigure all of the SNMP alert notification senders.

4.8.2.2. Configuring SNMP Settings in the GUI

Note

Take a screenshot of the SNMP settings before beginning the upgrade procedure, so that the image is available as a reference to re-do the SNMP settings.
  1. In the top menu, click the Administration tab.
  2. In the Configuration box on the left navigation bar, click the Plugins link.
  3. Click the Server Plugins tab.
  4. Click the name of the SNMP plug-in in the list.
  5. In the plug-in details page, click the Configure 'Alert:SNMP' link to open the configuration page for the plug-in.
  6. Click the EDIT button at the bottom of the configuration screen to make the fields active.
  7. All SNMP versions require the JBoss ON MIB OID (1.3.6.1.4.1.18016.2.1) and selected version, plus optional information to access the trap. Expand the version-specific configuration section and fill in the information about the SNMP agent.
  8. Once SNMP is set up for the server, reconfigure all of the SNMP alert notification senders.

4.8.3. Upgrading the JBoss EAP 6 Resource Plug-in

JBoss Operations Network 3.0 and 3.0.1 had a tech preview version of the JBoss Enterprise Application Platform (EAP) 6 agent plug-in. With normal upgrade processes, agent plug-ins are updated when the JBoss ON server is updated. However, tech preview plug-ins are not upgraded. The tech preview version of the plug-in must be deleted, and then the new plug-in installed.
The EAP 6 tech preview plug-in and the EAP 6 GA plug-in are treated as two separate plug-ins by JBoss ON. If the tech preview version is not deleted, then any EAP 6 resource will be discovered and listed twice in the inventory, once discovered by the tech preview plug-in and discovered again by the GA plug-in.

Note

Any configuration, monitoring data and baselines, and resource histories will be lost after upgrading to the new EAP 6 plug-in.
To load the new EAP 6 plug-in:
  1. Delete the original tech preview plug-in and purge it from the JBoss ON database. Purging the plug-in allows the server to deploy the new plug-in in its place.
    1. In the top menu, click the Administration tab.
    2. In the Configuration box on the left navigation bar, click the Agent Plugins link.
    3. Select the EAP 6 tech preview plug-in.
    4. Click the Delete button.
    5. Click the SHOW DELETED button at the bottom of the plug-ins list.
    6. Select the EAP 6 plug-in, and then click the PURGE button. This removes the entry in the JBoss ON database that tells the servers to ignore that original tech preview plug-in and any updates to it.

      Important

      Wait for the purge operation to complete before continuing with the upgrade process.
  2. If the server has not already been upgraded, upgrade the JBoss ON server, as described in Section 3.8.1, “Upgrading the JBoss ON Server”.
  3. Install the EAP 6 plug-in pack, as described in Chapter 5, Installing JBoss Agent Plug-in Packs.
  4. Import the EAP 6 server and its children.
    Configuring and managing resources for EAP 6 domains and standalone servers is described in How to Manage JBoss Servers.

Chapter 5. Installing JBoss Agent Plug-in Packs

JBoss Operations Network has additional agent plug-ins to handle specific JBoss resources — EWS, EDS, EAP, or SOA-P. Although these are JBoss ON resource plug-ins, they are included in separate packages and require a separate subscription to download them.

Note

Installing the EWS, EDS, EAP, or SOA-P plug-ins is not the same as deploying a custom agent plug-in or a server-side plug-in. Deploying custom plug-ins is done after JBoss ON server installation and is described in the Basic Admin Guide.
  1. Download the plug-in JAR files from the Customer Support Portal.
    In the Customer Support Portal, open the Downloads tab and select the Downloads item in the JBOSS ENTERPRISE MIDDLEWARE area.
  2. Select the JBoss ON for Plug-in product in the drop-down box.
  3. Download the plug-in packs.
  4. Extract the additional plug-in pack archives to a temporary location. This creates a subdirectory with the name jon-plugin-pack-plugin_name-version. For example:
    [root@server rhq-agent]# unzip jon-plugin-pack-eap-3.1.2.0.GA1.zip -d /tmp
  5. Copy the extracted plug-in JAR files from the jon-plugin-pack-plugin_name-3.1.2.0.GA1/ directory to the JBoss ON server plug-in directory. For example:
    [root@server rhq-agent]# cp /tmp/jon-plugin-pack-plugin_name-3.1.2.0.GA1/*.jar /opt/jon/jon-server-3.1.2.0.GA1/plugins
  6. Have the JBoss ON server update its plug-ins. This can be done through the JBoss ON GUI or by restarting the server.
    To load the plug-ins through the GUI:
    1. Open the Administration tab.
    2. In the Configuration area on the left, select the Agent Plug-ins link.
    3. At the bottom of the list of loaded agent plug-ins, click the SCAN FOR UPDATES button.
  7. Have the agents reload their plug-ins to load the new plug-ins. This can be done from the agent's command prompt using the plugins command:
    > plugins update
    This can also be done in the JBoss ON GUI by scheduling an update plugins operation for an agent or a group or agents.
    Alternatively, restart the agents.

Chapter 6. Installing the JBoss ON CLI

The JBoss Operations Network CLI is a standalone Java application that uses the Java Scripting API (this requires Java 6 or later). The CLI allows JBoss ON to be better integrated into the network environment by allowing administrators to interact with JBoss ON programmatically.

Note

Java 6 ships with the Rhino JavaScript engine, so JavaScript is the supported scripting language in the CLI.
A large subset of JBoss ON functionality is exposed in the CLI.
The JBoss ON server contains packages called the Remote Client, which contain the JBoss ON CLI packages, rhq-client-3.1.2.zip.

Note

Only the corresponding version of the CLI can be used to manage the JBoss ON server. Other versions are not compatible.
To install the CLI:
  1. Open the JBoss ON GUI.
    http://server.example.com:7080
    
  2. Click the Administration link in the main menu.
  3. Select the Downloads menu item.
  4. Scroll to the Command Line Client Download section, and click Download Client Installer.
  5. Save the .zip file into the directory where the CLI should be installed.
  6. Unzip the packages.
    unzip rhq-client-version.zip
    

Chapter 7. Troubleshooting Installation and Upgrade

This chapter looks at some of the most common issues that may be encountered after installing or upgrading the JBoss Operations Network server. Other issues are also covered in the JBoss ON frequently-asked-questions.
7.1. Exceptions and Error Logs
Q: During upgrade, I see the error X is not a valid jarfile - it is either corrupted or file has not been fully written yet and none of my plug-ins are updated.
Q: I'm seeing null pointer exceptions for the org.apache.catalina.connector.CoyoteAdapter service. What do these mean?
Q: I upgraded to 3.1.2, and there are null pointer exceptions (javax.management.InstanceNotFoundException) in my error logs about the transport service not being registered.
Q: I'm seeing error messages when I install (or upgrade) my server. What do they mean?
Q: I upgraded to JBoss ON 3.0.1. However, I see null pointer exceptions in my server logs and the plug-ins still show version 3.0.0. (The 'Server Name' field was changed during upgrade.)
Q: The error log is showing ErrorCode=[2289]. Why?
7.2. Connection Issues
Q: I can't connect to my server after installation.
7.3. UI Problems
Q: I upgraded my server, but when I try to connect to the installer page to configure it, it keeps trying to redirect me to the (old) coregui/ module. How do I get to the installer?

7.1. Exceptions and Error Logs

Q:
During upgrade, I see the error X is not a valid jarfile - it is either corrupted or file has not been fully written yet and none of my plug-ins are updated.
A:
When upgrading the server and installed JBoss plug-ins, there may be an error in the logs that one of the plug-in JAR files was corrupted:
2012-08-28 10:31:36,473 ERROR [org.rhq.enterprise.server.core.plugin.PluginDeploymentScanner] Scan failed. Cause: java.lang.Exception:File [/home/jon/jon-server-3.1.0.GA/jbossas/server/default/deploy/rhq.ear/rhq-downloads/rhq-plugins/hornetq-jopr-plugin-2.0.0.Final.jar] is not a valid jarfile -  it is either corrupted or file has not been fully written yet.
This appears to happen if there is an EAP instance in the inventory and several different JBoss plug-ins are installed, though it may occur in other situations.
That error prevents the other updated plug-ins deployed in the JBoss ON server's plugins/ directory from being picked up.
Solution. If that error occurs, simply restart the JBoss ON server again. All of the plug-ins will be successfully deployed after restarting another time.
Q:
I'm seeing null pointer exceptions for the org.apache.catalina.connector.CoyoteAdapter service. What do these mean?
A:
Null pointer exceptions for the org.apache.catalina.connector.CoyoteAdapter service are returned when the JBoss ON 3.1.2 server is first installed. These errors are harmless and can be ignored. Installation will complete successfully, and both the server and the GUI will start and run properly.
Q:
I upgraded to 3.1.2, and there are null pointer exceptions (javax.management.InstanceNotFoundException) in my error logs about the transport service not being registered.
A:
When starting a server while agents are running, the server may log transport servlet errors in the logs:
[org.rhq.enterprise.server.resource.metadata.ResourceMetadataManagerBean]
Persisting new ResourceType [ModeShapePlugin:Sequencing Service(id=0)]...
2011-01-10 16:45:38,571 ERROR [org.apache.catalina.core.ContainerBase]
Servlet.service() for servlet ServerInvokerServlet threw exception
java.lang.reflect.UndeclaredThrowableException
 at $Proxy424.processRequest(Unknown Source)
 at org.jboss.remoting.transport.servlet.web.ServerInvokerServlet.processRequest(ServerInvokerServlet.java:128)
 at org.jboss.remoting.transport.servlet.web.ServerInvokerServlet.doPost(ServerInvokerServlet.java:157)
 at javax.servlet.http.HttpServlet.service(HttpServlet.java:710)
 at javax.servlet.http.HttpServlet.service(HttpServlet.java:803)
....
This is because the remoting (communications or transport) classes are loaded early in the startup sequence, before the server is completely started. This causes some communications interruptions until the server is completely started. These errors can be ignored.
Q:
I'm seeing error messages when I install (or upgrade) my server. What do they mean?
A:
During the upgrade, you may see error messages in the console similar to the following:
ERROR [ClientCommandSenderTask] {ClientCommandSenderTask.send-failed}Failed to send
command [Command: type=[remotepojo]; cmd-in-response=[false]; config=[{rhq.timeout=1000,
rhq.send-throttle=true}]; params=[{targetInterfaceName=org.rhq.enterprise.communications.Ping,
invocation=NameBasedInvocation[ping]}]]. Cause: org.jboss.remoting.CannotConnectException:[.....]
These can be ignored.
Q:
I upgraded to JBoss ON 3.0.1. However, I see null pointer exceptions in my server logs and the plug-ins still show version 3.0.0. (The 'Server Name' field was changed during upgrade.)
A:
During upgrade, the process to register the upgraded server plug-ins fails with a null pointer exception. For example:
2012-03-08 20:33:34,523 ERROR [org.rhq.enterprise.server.core.plugin.ServerPluginScanner] Failed to register server plugin file [/home/hudson/jon-server-3.0.1.GA/jbossas/server/default/deploy/rhq.ear/rhq-serverplugins/rhq-serverplugin-ant-bundle-4.2.0.JON.3.0.1.GA.jar]
java.lang.NullPointerException
	at org.rhq.enterprise.server.core.plugin.ServerPluginScanner.registerServerPlugin(ServerPluginScanner.java:212)
...
This error only occurs if a different server name was entered in the configuration page when the server was upgraded. Changing the Server Name field is not supported for upgrades.
Q:
The error log is showing ErrorCode=[2289]. Why?
A:
With Oracle, selecting the overwrite tables option when there is nothing to overwrite causes an error message with ErrorCode=[2289]. This can be ignored.

7.2. Connection Issues

Q:
I can't connect to my server after installation.
A:
If the installer is not bound to 0.0.0.0 when setting up a server, then it does not set all of the required connection properties. Specifically, the installer does not set the java.rmi.server.hostname parameter to the real value, and it uses the default of 0.0.0.0. This parameter must be set to the real IP address of the server by manually editing the rhq-server.properties file. Restart the server after editing the properties file to load the changes.

7.3. UI Problems

Q:
I upgraded my server, but when I try to connect to the installer page to configure it, it keeps trying to redirect me to the (old) coregui/ module. How do I get to the installer?
A:
Some browsers cache the previous coregui/ module and attempt to redirect you there automatically after upgrading, even though the upgraded coregui/ module has not yet been loaded.
Simply navigate directly to the installer page:
http:/server.example.com:7080/installer/start.jsf

Chapter 8. Installing and Upgrading the Agent from the JAR File

JAR files to install the JBoss Operations Network agent on Red Hat Enterprise Linux, Windows, Solaris, AIX, and other *nix distributionsare available as a download from the JBoss ON server.

8.1. Before Installing the Agent

8.1.1. Setting up the JRE for the JBoss ON Agent

The JBoss ON agent requires either Java 6 or Java 7 JRE.
  1. Download and install the appropriate version of the JRE, if necessary.
  2. Set the JAVA_HOME environment variable to the installation directory.
    1. Open the .bashrc for the system user that will run JBoss ON. For example:
      vim /home/jon/.bashrc
    2. Add a line to set the JAVA_HOME environment variable to the specific JRE directory. For example:
      export JAVA_HOME=/usr/lib/jvm/jre-1.6.0-openjdk/bin/java/
  3. Set the system to use the correct version of the JRE using the system alternatives command. The selected version has the *+ symbols by it.
    /usr/sbin/alternatives --config java 
    
    There are 5 programs which provide 'java'.
    
      Selection    Command
    -----------------------------------------------
       1           /usr/lib/jvm/jre-1.5.0-sun/bin/java
       2           /usr/lib/jvm/jre-1.4.2-gcj/bin/java
       3           /usr/lib/jvm/jre-1.6.0-sun/bin/java
    *+ 4           /usr/lib/jvm/jre-1.6.0-openjdk/bin/java
       5           /usr/lib/jvm/jre-1.6.0-bea/bin/java
    
    Enter to keep the current selection[+], or type selection number:

8.1.2. Picking the Agent System User

Before installing the agent, plan what system user and group to use to run the agent. The given user can have an impact on how resources are discovered and how they should be configured for management.
The common types of servers which JBoss ON manages are:
  • JBoss EAP servers
  • PostgreSQL databases
  • Tomcat servers
  • Apache servers
  • Generic JVMs
For the agent to be able to discover a resource requires, at a minimum, that the agent have read access to that resource's configuration. Some resource types may require more than just read access. For JBoss EAP resources, for example, the agent must have read permissions to the run.jar file, plus execute and search permissions for every directory in the path to the run.jar file.
Read access or even root access may not be sufficient for some resource types. Tomcat servers can only be discovered if the JBoss ON agent and the Tomcat server are running as the same user. The same is true for JVMs and JMX servers with the attach API.
The system user which the agent runs as impacts several common agent tasks:
  • Discovery
  • Deploying applications
  • Executing scripts
  • Running start, stop, and restart operations
  • Creating child resources through the JBoss ON UI
  • Viewing and editing resource configuration
There is a general assumption that the agent runs as the same user as the managed resources, and this is the easiest option to manage resources effectively.

Important

While it is possible to run the JBoss ON agent as the root user, and in some limited contexts that may be the simple choice, consider the security implications of running a service as root before setting up the agent.
Generally, services should be run with the least amount of access required to perform their operations. This is because if a service is ever compromised, its access permissions can be exploited by an attacker.
The Red Hat Enterprise Linux Security Guide contains a section on security guidelines and links to security planning documents. There are similar recommendations in the Windows documentation.
When the JBoss ON agent is installed from the agent installer JAR file, the system user and group who own the agent installation files is the same user who installs the JAR. So, a special system user can be created or selected, and then the agent can be installed by that user.
If the agent and the resource are run as different users and the agent needs to perform some actions as the resource user, there are a few configuration options, depending on what needs to be done:
  • Configure scripts or operations to run using sudo. For long-running operations, such as starting a service or a process, the user which executes the script should be the same as the resource user because that user will have the proper authorization and permissions.
  • Set start script environment variables to use the resource's principal and credentials, if available.
  • For JVM or JMX servers. Select the connection configuration based on the user settings. For different users, use JMX remoting. For the same user, use either JMX remoting or the attach API.

Table 8.1. Cheat Sheet for Agent and Resource Users

Resource User Information
PostgreSQL No effect for monitoring and discovery.
The agent user must have read/write permissions to the PostgreSQL configuration file for configuration viewing and editing.
Apache No effect for monitoring and discovery.
The agent user must have read/write permissions to the Apache configuration file for configuration viewing and editing.
Tomcat Must use the same user or can't be discovered
JMX server or JVM Different users are fine when using JMX remoting; cannot be discovered with different users and the attach API
JBoss AS/EAP Different users are all right, but requires read permissions on run.jar and execute and search permission on all ancestor directories for run.jar

8.2. Installing the Agent from JAR File

  1. Point your browser to the download URL on the server. For example:
    http://server.example.com:7080/agentupdate/download
    Save the agent binary update .jar in a directory where you want to install the agent. The file you save should have a .jar extension.
  2. Copy the agent update binary .jar you downloaded from the JBoss ON server to the directory.
  3. Install the JAR:
    java -jar downloaded_agent_jar_file.jar --install
    This will tell the agent update binary to extract the JBoss ON agent distribution and install a fresh copy of it in the rhq-agent subdirectory.

    Important

    Do not install the agent in a directory with spaces in the name, such as C:\Program Files.
    Installing the agent in a directory with spaces in the pathname can cause problems for the agent establishing a connection with certain types of resources, including some JBoss services.
  4. Start the agent to launch the setup process.
    agentRoot/rhq-agent/bin/rhq-agent.sh

    Note

    It is possible to skip the setup wizard by submitting the configuration all at once. Section 8.3, “Using an Answer File for the Agent Installation” has the details for setting up an file that can pass the configuration directly to the agent installer.
  5. As prompted, supply the information to configure the agent and the server connection.
    [Agent Name] agentdomain.example.com
    [Agent Hostname or IP Address] agentdomain.example.com
    [Agent Port] 16163
    [JON Server Hostname or IP Address] server.example.com
    [JON Server Port] 7080
    native enable
    • The agent name must be unique among all agents in the JBoss ON deployment. By default, the name is the fully-qualified domain name of the host machine.
    • The port is the one that the agent uses to listen for incoming messages from the server. This is rhq.agent.server.bind-port in the configuration file, if the default value isn't used.
    • The server hostname and port are used by the agent to connect to a server to register itself with the JBoss ON system. This is not necessarily the primary server that the agent will use after registration. In the configuration file, these are rhq.agent.server.bind-address and rhq.agent.server.bind-port
    The full list of parameters, including advanced setup options, are listed in Table 8.2, “All Options Available During Advanced Setup”.
  6. Configure the agent as a background service, as in Section 8.4, “Running the JBoss ON Agent as a Service”.
Once the agent is configured, it persists its configuration in the Java Preferences backing store. Once this happens, agent-configuration.xml is no longer needed or used. Editing agent-configuration.xml will no longer have any effect on the agent, even after restarting the agent. To pick up changes to the agent-configuration.xml file, the agent must be restarted with the --cleanconfig command line option or the configuration must be reloaded with the config --import agent prompt command.

Important

If the agent fails to register with the server and seems to hang after outputting the message The agent does not have plugins - it will now wait for them to be downloaded... or otherwise does not work property after configuring it, please check the agent log file for error messages (agentInstallDir/logs/agent.log).
Typically, problems occur when the agent binds to an IP address or hostname that is not resolvable or accessible by the JBoss ON servers.
Similarly, make sure all of the JBoss ON servers' public endpoint addresses are resolvable by the JBoss ON agent. The JBoss ON server that is entered for an agent to register with may not be the same one that the agent uses as its primary server; it depends on the high availability configuration. If the agent cannot contact its server, then it fails to start properly.

Table 8.2. All Options Available During Advanced Setup

Setup Option Description Normal or Advanced Setup
Agent Hostname or IP Address The address that the binds to to listen for messages from the server. This is usually the same as the address that the JBoss ON server uses to connect to the agent; if the addresses are different because of the network environment, then transport parameters must be set to resolve the address. Normal
Agent Port The port number that the agent listens on. As with the IP address, this is usually the same as the port configured for the servers to use to connect to agents, but if these ports are different because of the network environment, then transport parameters must be set to resolve the port. Normal
Agent Transport Protocol Sets the protocol that the agent expects to use to receive incoming messages from the server. This is usually socket or sslsocket. Advanced
Agent Transport Parameters Sets transport parameters to append to the end of the locator (URL-style address) used by the remoting framework for agent-server connections. Advanced
RHQ Server Hostname or IP Address Gives the IP address or hostname of the primary server that the agent communicates with. This information must be the same as the hostname or IP address that is configured in the JBoss ON server configuration. Normal
RHQ Server Port Gives the port number of the primary server that the agent communicates with. This information must be the same as the port number that is configured in the JBoss ON server configuration. Normal
RHQ Server Transport Protocol Sets the transport protocol that the agent uses for outgoing messages to the JBoss ON server. This information must be the same as the transport method that the server is configured to expect in its configuration preferences. Advanced
RHQ Server Transport Parameters Gives additional transport parameters that are to be used when the agent connects to the primary JBoss ON server. Since this is used to connect to the server, these parameters must be the same as the transport parameters set in the JBoss ON server configuration. These settings are especially important if the JBoss ON agent needs to connect to a different host or port than what the JBoss ON server actually binds to. Advanced
Command Send Timeout Sets the timeout period, in milliseconds, that the agent waits before aborting an attempt to send a command. This is essentially the amount of time that the JBoss ON server has in order to process commands and return its results. Both this timeout and any timeout period set in the transport parameters are enforced, so these should be the same (if server transport parameters are given). A setting of zero (0) means that there is no timeout period. Advanced
Command Send Retry Interval Sets the minimum amount of time, in milliseconds, the agent waits before trying to resend a guaranteed command that previously failed. Advanced
Command Send Max Retries Sets the maximum number of times that an agent attempts to resend a guaranteed delivery command that failed. Any command that fails with the message cannot connect will be retried infinitely, until the send succeeds. For any other error, the agent retries the send until it hits this limit and drops the command. Advanced
Maximum Commands To Concurrently Send Sets the maximum number of commands the agent can send to the server at any one time. If the clientMaxPoolSize setting is passed in the JBoss ON server URI transport parameters, its value must be the same as this value. Advanced

8.3. Using an Answer File for the Agent Installation

It is possible to skip the setup wizard by submitting the configuration all at once. There are two ways to do this: either the agent's configuration file (agent-configuration.xml) can be edited directly or a simple text file can be passed to the agent installer.
The simplest method is to create a text file that is passed with the start script when the agent is first started that has all of the prompts answered. This mirrors the prompt questions, in order:
 agent_name  
 agent_hostname  
 agent_port  
 server_hostname  
 server_port  
 native_api_support
The final file would then resemble this:
agent.example.com
agent.example.com
16163
server.example.com
7080
native --enable
To pass the text file, use the --input option with the rhq-agent.sh|bat script:
agentRoot/rhq-agent/bin/rhq-agent.sh --input myAnswers.txt --nonative
The alternative is to edit the agent-configuration.xml directly. This offers some more flexibility because other settings (like SSL configuration) can be configured and passed with the initial setup. At a minimum, the entry keys listed in Table 8.3, “Configuration File Keys for Agent Setup” have to be set in the file.
After the configuration file is ready, then start the agent and pass the configuration file:
agentRoot/rhq-agent/bin/rhq-agent.sh --config agentRoot/rhq-agent/conf/agent-configuration.xml

Table 8.3. Configuration File Keys for Agent Setup

Installer Prompt Text Key Name Description
rhq.agent.configuration-setup-flag Tells the installer that the agent configuration is already in the configuration file. This must be set to true for the installer to load the configuration file.
[Agent Name] rhq.agent.name Gives a unique name to identify the agent to the server.
[Agent Hostname or IP Address] rhq.communications.connector.bind-address Gives the hostname or IP address that the server will use to connect to the agent. This <entry> line may need to be uncommented before it is set.
[Agent Port] rhq.communications.connector.bind-port Gives the port for the server to use to communicate with the agent. The default (16163) can be used in most cases.
[JON Server Hostname or IP Address] rhq.agent.server.bind-address Gives the hostname or IP address that the agent will use to connect to the server to register itself. If this is a hostname, it must be resolvable by the agent.
[JON Server Port] rhq.agent.server.bind-port Gives the port for the agent to use to communicate with the server. The default (7080) can be used, assuming the server was configured with the default values.
native rhq.agent.disable-native-system Enables the JNI libraries used by the agent. This enables the agent to discover and manage some types of resources using the system native libraries.

8.4. Running the JBoss ON Agent as a Service

In almost all production environments, the agent should be started as a background daemon process. On Windows, this runs as a service. On Linux and Unix systems, the agent starts at boot time from init.d.
More detail on editing the agent server wrapper script and managing the agent daemon is covered in the Configuring JBoss ON Servers and Agents guide.

8.4.1. Running the Agent as a Windows Service

The default Java service wrapper included with JBoss ON requires a 32-bit JVM, so the Java preference set for the agent must be a 32-bit JRE. The JBoss ON agent must use a 32-bit JVM even on 64-bit systems.
Running the agent with a 32-bit JVM does not in any way affect how JBoss ON manages other resources which may run with a 64-bit JVM. JBoss ON can still manage those resources and those resources can still use the 64-bit Java libraries for their own processes.
  1. Make sure the agent is fully set up. The agent does not prompt for the configuration when it is started as a service.
  2. Edit the rhq-agent-wrapper.bat script and set the environment variable to define the system user as whom the init script will run. There are two options:
    • RHQ_AGENT_RUN_AS explicitly sets the user account name. This must match the format of a Windows user account name, DOMAIN\username.
    • RHQ_AGENT_RUN_AS_ME forces the agent to run as whoever the current user is; this uses the format . \ %USERNAME %. If both environment variables are defined, this variable overrides RHQ_AGENT_RUN_AS.

    Note

    Before setting RHQ_AGENT_RUN_AS_ME or RHQ_AGENT_RUN_AS, make sure that the given user actually has permission to start services. If necessary, assign the user the appropriate rights. Assigning rights is covered in the Windows documentation.
    If neither variable is set, the agent init script runs as the System user.
    Other available environment variables are listed and defined in the comments in the rhq-agent-wrapper.bat script.
  3. Run the rhq-agent-wrapper.bat script to install the init script as a service. Use the install command to install the init script.
  4. When prompted, fill in the password for the system user as whom the service will run.

8.4.2. Running the Agent as a Daemon or init.d Service

  1. Make sure the agent is fully set up. The agent does not prompt for the configuration when it is started as a service.
  2. Open the rhq-agent-env.sh file.
  3. Uncomment and configure the required environment variables for the agent's bin directory, the JDK directory, and the PID directory (which must be writable by the agent user).
    RHQ_AGENT_HOME=agentRoot/rhq-agent/
    export RHQ_AGENT_JAVA_HOME=/usr
    PIDFILEDIR=/var/run

    Note

    When setting the PIDFILEDIR on Red Hat Enterprise Linux, edit the pidfile setting in the rhq-agent-wrapper.sh script file. The wrapper script value is used by chkconfig.
  4. Set any of the optional environment variables.
    • RHQ_AGENT_DEBUG enables debug logging.
    • RHQ_AGENT_JAVA_EXE_FILE_PATH specifies a Java executable.
    • RHQ_AGENT_JAVA_OPTS passes settings to the agent JVM.
    • RHQ_AGENT_ADDITIONAL_JAVA_OPTS passes additional Java options to the JVM.
  5. Log into the system as root.

    Important

    The rest of this procedure describes how to configure the agent init script as a service on Red Hat Enterprise Linux. For other Unix systems, follow a similar procedure that corresponds to the specific platform.
  6. Make sure the wrapper script is executable.
    [root@server rhq-agent]# chmod a+x agentRoot/rhq-agent/bin/rhq-agent-wrapper.sh
  7. Symlink the rhq-agent-wrapper.sh file to /etc/init.d/. For example:
    [root@server rhq-agent]# ln -s agentRoot/rhq-agent/bin/rhq-agent-wrapper.sh /etc/init.d/rhq-agent-wrapper.sh

    Important

    On Solaris, symlinking the agent script file requires invoking readlink in rhq-agent-wrapper.sh. readlink is not supplied by default in some Solaris installations. Solaris users must download readlink from a source such as Sunfreeware.
  8. Register rhq-agent-wrapper.sh with chkconfig.
    [root@server rhq-agent] # /sbin/chkconfig --add rhq-agent-wrapper.sh
  9. Enable the agent service to run at boot time and have it stop gracefully at when the system shuts down.
    [root@server rhq-agent] # /sbin/chkconfig rhq-agent-wrapper.sh on
If the agent service should not be started when the system boots, turn the script off in chkconfig:
[root@server rhq-agent] # /sbin/chkconfig rhq-agent-wrapper.sh off

8.5. Changing Agent Connection Configuration

There are two parts to the agent configuration:
  • The agent connection properties, which define the agent instance and how it communicates to the server
  • The agent JVM properties, which manage agent performance and options
The agent connection properties are defined when the agent is installed. This includes information like the server for it to connect to, its port number, and whether to use SSL connections.
That agent connection configuration is initially read from agent-configuration.xml and overlaid with the values entered at the setup prompts at start up. After the agent is initially configured, the agent persists that configuration and never refers to the agent-configuration.xml again. For that information to be changed, the agent connection information has to be wiped out and reset.
To change the connection configuration, one option is to use the --cleanconfig option and run through the setup wizard again.
agentRoot/rhq-agent/bin/rhq-agent.sh --cleanconfig
Most JVM and optional settings (the persisted configuration) are made in the rhq-agent-env.sh file, which is loaded every time the agent starts, or using agent prompt commands like setconfig. This is described in Configuring JBoss ON Servers and Agents.

8.6. Installing Multiple Agents with a Shared Directory or Account

Multiple agents, running on multiple systems, can share the same system user accounts. If the same user is used for a JBoss ON agent on different systems and those system users all use the same shared home directory, then they all share the same agent configuration location and preference node by default. Because of the way the agent uses Java preferences, this requires special agent configuration to prevent the agents from overwriting each other's preferences.
A similar situation can occur on Windows systems if the same domain user is used for the JBoss ON agent. In that case, the Java preferences are stored in a registry key which is used by the domain user and is loaded into the local user's profile. If there are multiple agents using the same domain user, then they will overwrite each other's registry keys.
All of the agent configuration, after setup, is stored in a Java preferences node. With the default configuration, the node name is default, and the node location is agentUserHomeDir/.java/.userPrefs/rhq-agent/default.
If multiple agents are installed using the same file share, then all of them attempt to use the same default node and location.
When multiple agents attempt to use the same Java preferences node, each new agent overwrites the previous agent's configuration as it is set up. This means that only the newest agent's configuration is saved, so only the newest agent can be started. Starting any of the previous agents fails because they cannot find their own configuration.
The preferences node is uniquely identified by two settings:
  • Its name, which is defined as an agent configuration setting
  • Its location, which is itself a Java option
To run multiple agents with the same home directory, the preferences node has to be uniquely identified for each agent. There are a couple of different ways to do that:
  • Editing the agent configuration files directly
  • Setting an explicit Java option

8.6.1. Editing the Configuration Files

When the agent is first set up, the name of the agent preferences node is set in the agent-configuration.xml file and is loaded from there. The node location is derived from the node name setting.
  1. Edit the agent-configuration.xml file to use the new node name:
    [rhquser@server ~]$ vim agentRoot/rhq-agent/conf/agent-configuration.xml
    
    <node name="agent01-node">
  2. Then, start the agent with the --config option to load the edited configuration file and the --prefs option to point to the specific node location:
    [rhquser@server ~]$ agentRoot/rhq-agent/bin/rhq-agent.sh --prefs=agent01-node --config=agent-configuration.xml

Important

If the custom Java preferences node is specified by editing the agent-configuration.xml file, then every time the agent restarts, the node location has to be passed to the agent using the --prefs option.

8.6.2. Setting a Java Option

Editing the agent-configuration.xml file only sets the node name; the node location still has to be passed every time the agent is started.
By setting a Java option in the rhq-agent-env.sh file, the Java preferences node information is set once and then persisted, so you can restart the agent as a service, without having to pass --prefs options or edit and reload the configuration.
  1. Open the agent prompt. For example, if the agent process is already running, the prompt can be opened by re-running the rhq-agent.sh script with the -n option.
    [rhquser@server ~]$ agentRoot/rhq-agent/bin/rhq-agent.sh -n
  2. Use the setconfig command to set the RHQ_AGENT_ADDITIONAL_JAVA_OPTS value with the preference node. For example:
    > setconfig RHQ_AGENT_ADDITIONAL_JAVA_OPTS="-Djava.util.prefs.userRoot=agentUserHomeDir/.java/.userPrefs/rhq-agent/agent01-node"
    The preference node can be in the user preferences directory with a different name, such as agent01-node, or it can be in an entirely different location, such as /etc/agent-preferences, which is not a shared or filesystem-mounted location.
  3. Restart the agent process to load the new configuration. For example, if the agent is running as a service:
    [rhquser@server ~]$ service rhq-agent-wrapper.sh stop
    
    [rhquser@server ~]$ service rhq-agent-wrapper.sh start

Note

It is also possible to stop the agent, edit the rhq-agent-env.sh file directly, and then restart the agent.

Important

Do not set the Java option within the rhq-agent runtime directory because this file is overwritten during JBoss ON agent updates. The default location for the rhq-agent runtime is $USERHOME/.java/.userPrefs/rhq-agent/default.

8.7. About Agent Automatic Updates

Even for automatic upgrades for the agent, certain preparation has to be made to the JBoss ON agent to make sure that the upgrade process goes smoothly and the agent restarts successfully.

8.7.1. The Process When an Agent Autoupgrades

By default, both JBoss ON servers and agents are configured to upgrade agents automatically. As soon as the JBoss ON server is upgraded, then the agents will be upgraded.

Note

The agent should be running in the background to upgrade properly, as in Section 8.4, “Running the JBoss ON Agent as a Service”.
The automatic upgrade process is part of the normal agent tasks of checking the server for updates:
  1. The updated server puts the updated agent packages in a directory accessible to the agent.
  2. The server notifies the agent that the agent needs to update as soon as the server detects that the agent is running an older version.
  3. As the agent prepares to update, it begins shutting down its other process. This can take several minutes, as it gracefully shuts down each thread.
  4. The agent downloads the new binaries from the server.
  5. The agent spawns a new Java process.
  6. The Java process backs up the old agent configuration and applies the update.
  7. The Java process then restarts the agent and kills itself.
It is possible to instruct an agent to initiate an update or to check if updates are available using the update through the agent command line:
agentRoot/rhq-agent/bin/rhq-agent.sh

> update

8.7.2. Configuring Agent Preferences

Agent preferences for settings like the Java home directory can be set in environment variables for normal use. However, the environment variables set in the shell are lost when the upgrade process stops and restarts the agent, and that means that the agent may not automatically restart after upgrade. Custom settings for the agent, such as RHQ_AGENT_HOME or RHQ_AGENT_ADDITIONAL_JAVA_OPTS, should be added to the rhq-agent-env.sh file. This file is preserved during upgrade so all of the settings are carried over.

Warning

Do not edit any of the scripts used to launch the JBoss ON agent. There are four files which should never be modified:
  • rhq-agent.sh
  • rhq-agent-wrapper.sh
  • rhq-agent.bat
  • rhq-agent-wrapper.bat
Any changes to the launcher scripts are overwritten during the automatic update. Changes to the environment files (such as rhq-agent-env.sh ) are preserved during the update.

8.7.3. Upgrading Custom log4j Settings

Any edits to the Java settings in the rhq-agent-env.sh file are preserved between upgrades. However, any changes to the log settings (log4j.xml) and other files are lost between upgrades.

8.7.4. Configuring Keystores and Truststores

If the original JBoss ON agent was configured to run over SSL using custom keystores and truststores, then make sure that those stores are configured so that the upgraded agent can still access them:
  1. The keystore files must have the word keystore in their filenames. For example, my-agent-keystore.dat.
  2. The truststore files must have the word truststore in their filenames. For example, my-agent-truststore.dat.
  3. Both the keystore and truststore files must be located in the agent's agentRoot/rhq-agent/data directory.
As long as the SSL files are properly set up, then they will be copied over into the new agent configuration, and the new agent will automatically run in SSL.

8.7.5. Setting Writer Permissions on the Agent Home Directory

The upgrade process will write new files to the agent's current installation directory, so the agent's system user must have write permissions to that directory.
If the agent's home directory is /opt/rhq-agent, then the agent has to be able to write to the /opt/rhq-agent directory. If necessary, reset the permissions on the agent home directory. For example:
chown agent_user /opt/rhq-agent

8.7.6. Starting the Agent as a Background Service

Section 8.4, “Running the JBoss ON Agent as a Service” describes how to configure the agent to run as a background service. On Windows, this runs as a service. On Linux and Unix systems, the agent starts at boot time from init.d.
The auto-upgrade process assumes that the agent is running in the background. If the agent is not running as a background daemon, when the agent auto-updates itself, the old agent process running in the console is shutdown, and the new agent is restarted as a background service if possible. On Windows, if the agent is not installed as a service, the agent is restarted in a console window.

8.8. Manually Upgrading the JBoss ON Agent

To ensure compatibility with the JBoss ON server, each agent must be upgraded to the same version of JBoss ON as the server.
Agents have the ability to auto-update themselves. So, under most conditions, it isn't necessary to manually upgrade agents. However, if the auto-update fails for some reason or you disabled agent auto-update, then the agent can be upgraded manually.

Note

All agents must be upgraded at the same time. Having agents of different versions is not supported.
  1. Shut down the JBoss ON agent.
  2. Windows only.. If the agent is running as a Windows service, uninstall the Windows service:
    cd old-agent-install-dir/bin
    ./rhq-agent-wrapper.bat remove
  3. Upgrade the JBoss ON server, as in Section 3.8.1, “Upgrading the JBoss ON Server”. The JBoss ON server must be upgraded before any agents are upgraded.
  4. Restart the upgraded JBoss ON servers if they are not yet started.
  5. Download the agent update binary from the server.
  6. Copy the agent update binary JAR file into the parent directory where the agent is installed. For example:
    cp agent-update-binary.jar /opt/rhq-agent
  7. Extract the new JBoss ON agent from the agent update binary by running the following command:
    java -jar agent-update-binary.jar --update=agent_installation_directory
    This will tell the agent update binary to extract the JBoss ON agent distribution and update the current agent that is found in rhq-agent subdirectory. At this point, the upgraded JBoss ON agent is located in the original rhq-agent directory. The old agent has been backed up to the rhq-agent-old directory. Any upgrade errors are written to the agent's log files.
  8. Finally, start the JBoss ON agent.

8.9. Reinstalling the Agent (JAR)

An agent can be re-installed, with completely fresh configuration. There are three points of configuration for the agent: the agent's (local) persisted configuration, the agent inventory (and associated resource data), and the platform entry in the server inventory. Both the configuration on the local machine and the agent and resource configuration on the JBoss ON server need to be cleared for the agent to reinstalled successfully:
  • The agent's persisted Java configuration should be purged.
  • The agent's inventory should be purged, along with any resource history and configuration.
  • The agent (via the platform entry) must be removed from the JON inventory.

    Important

    If the agent was configured, but the platform was never imported into the inventory, then you must import the platform from the discovery queue first, and then delete the platform. The discovery queue is a halfway point in the inventory. Even if the agent is removed, the platform could still linger in the discovery queue as a ghost entry.
To reinstall the agent:
  1. Make sure that the original agent instance is properly removed.
    1. Stop the agent process.
    2. Remove the platform entry from the JBoss ON server inventory.
  2. Restart the agent with the --fullcleanconfig option. This registers the agent with a new security token and fresh configuration settings.
    agentRoot/rhq-agent/bin/rhq-agent.sh --fullcleanconfig

Chapter 9. Installing the Agent from RPM

An RPM package is available for Red Hat Enterprise Linux systems to install the agent and, optionally, the agent service.

9.1. About Agent RPMs

Installing an agent through an RPM offers a simpler and standardized installation process, which makes it possible to install agents on resources in cloud and PaaS environments or when kickstarting machines in data centers.
The JBoss ON agent RPMs can also make it easier to manage the agent more like other Linux system applications because the agent is automatically configured to function as a system service:
  • System user and group settings with appropriate permissions already set
  • System services to start, stop, and restart the agent
  • System service to change the agent's configuration
  • Upgrades using system tools
When installing the agent from the JAR file, there are several factors in the install environment that define the agent configuration, such as the installation directory and the location of the Java preferences store. Meaning, the installation directory is determined by where the JAR is unpacked. The agent user and the Java preferences location are both defined by what system user performs the installation.
Many of these settings are defined as part of the RPM setup, so the environment has minimal impact on the resulting agent configuration. This section describes some of the differences between RPM and JAR installations and some of the default configuration set by the RPM process.

9.1.1. Differences Between JAR and RPM Installations

The most notable difference is that the RPM defines the home directory and locations of important files, regardless of the location where the rpm is run or the user account (root) who initiated it.

Table 9.1. Some Differences Between JAR and RPM Installations

Configuration Area JAR Value RPM Value
Agent user Set to the system user who installs it jbosson-agent user, jbosson group
Agent service Not set jon-agent
Environment variables installDir/bin/rhq-agent-env.sh
  • /etc/init.d/jon-agent (init script) for ADDITIONAL_JAVA_OPTS
  • /usr/share/jboss-on-3.1.2.0.GA1/agent/bin/rhq-agent-env.sh for JAVA_OPTS
Home directory location Wherever the JAR is installed /usr/share/jboss-on-3.1.2.0.GA/agent/
agent-configuration.xml location In the conf/ directory where the JAR is installed /etc/jboss-on/agent/[a]
Java preferences location ~/.java/default (system user Java preferences) /var/lib/jboss-on/agent/prefs/.java/.userPrefs/rhq-agent/default/
Data directory location agentInstallDir/data /var/lib/jboss-on/agent/data/
Log directory location In the logs/ directory where the JAR is installed /var/log/jboss-on/agent/[b]
Autoupgrade Enabled Disabled
[a] symlinked to /usr/share/jboss-on-3.1.2.0.GA/agent/conf
[b] symlinked to /usr/share/jboss-on-3.1.2.0.GA/agent/logs

9.1.2. The JBoss ON User

Before installing an agent JAR, one of the most critical decisions is selecting the system user as which the JBoss ON agent will run (Section 8.1.2, “Picking the Agent System User”). This has security implications for the agent process on the system, and it also affects how the user interacts with local server and application resources — which each have their own system users and permissions.
The agent RPM automatically creates a new system user with the appropriate system configuration to address security issues like directory access.

Important

The agent user still has to interact with resources. The appropriate group permissions, SELinux contexts, and other resource configuration can still affect how the agent can discover and manage a resource. Section 8.1.2, “Picking the Agent System User” outlines these considerations; if necessary, alter the system configuration to allow the agent the appropriate level of access to the resource.

Note

The agent RPM creates the jon-agent user and the jbosson group when it is installed. The user and group are not removed if the RPM is uninstalled.

Table 9.2. Agent User Configuration

Property Value
Username jbosson-agent
Group name jbosson
User ID (UID) 400
Group ID (GID) 400
User properties NOSHELL
Init script owner root
Init script user jon-agent[a]
[a] This can be edited to be any system user.

9.1.3. Service Tools and Init Script

Part of the RPM setup includes configuring the JBoss ON agent as a system service. An init script is installed for the agent at /etc/init.d/jon-agent. chkconfig is configured so that the agent starts when the system starts and runs as a daemon.
The init script includes all of the normal service management commands, as well as specific commands to manage the agent itself:
  • start
  • stop
  • restart
  • status
  • kill, which forces the agent process to stop
  • config, which runs through the agent configuration wizard again and refreshes the agent configuration with new settings
The start, stop, restart, and status commands are available when the agent is manually configured to run as a service, as described in Section 8.4, “Running the JBoss ON Agent as a Service”. However, the kill and config commands are only available with the init script provided with the agent RPM.
The agent init script, /etc/init.d/jon-agent, sets the environment variables that are set in the rhq-agent-env.sh file with a JAR installation. This init script defines the agent system user and group, the log and data directory locations, and Java options. Editing the init script can, for example, allow the agent to run as a different user or to start with different JVM settings.

Important

When the agent is installed from the RPM, the only supported way to edit the agent configuration is by running the config command or by editing the init script. Editing the rhq-agent-env.sh file or other configuration files directly is not supported.

9.1.4. Update Differences

When an agent is installed through a JAR, there is a key set in the agent-configuration.xml file that tells the agent to check for upgrades. The agent then polls the server, and if the JBoss ON server version is newer than the agent version, the agent requests updated binaries from the server.
The agent RPMs use an entirely different installation path than the agent JAR files, and an agent installed as an RPM relies on the local system tools to manage its packages. The upgrade flag, then, in the agent-configuration.xml file is turned off, to disable attempts at an autoupgrade and to allow the local system to manage the agent packages.
<entry key="rhq.agent.agent-update.enabled" value="false" />
With autoupdates disabled, the agent must be upgraded manually whenever the JBoss ON server is upgraded, to ensure that its version remains in sync with the JBoss ON server version.

9.1.5. Available Channels

Table 9.3. Available Channels for the Agent RPM

Product Name Product Version Channel Name
JBoss Enterprise Application Server (EAP) 5, x86 jbappplatform-5-i386-server-6-rpm
JBoss Enterprise Application Server (EAP) 5, x86_64 jbappplatform-5-x86_64-server-6-rpm
JBoss Enterprise Application Server (EAP) 6, x86_64 jbappplatform-6-i386-server-6-rpm
JBoss Enterprise Application Server (EAP) 6, x86_64 jbappplatform-6-x86_64-server-6-rpm

9.2. Installing the Agent from RPM

The JBoss ON agent is installed through the jboss-on-agent package. This package installs all of the agent files, creates a specific JBoss ON agent system user, and configures the JBoss ON agent as a system service.
  1. Configure the yum repos to include the JBoss ON channel (as listed in Table 9.3, “Available Channels for the Agent RPM”).
  2. Use yum to install the package.
    [root@server ~]# yum install jboss-on-agent
    Alternatively, download packages from http://access.redhat.com and install using rpm.
    [root@server ~]# rpm -ivh jboss-on-agent-3.1.2.0.GA1.el6.noarch.rpm

    Note

    Installing the RPM requires specific entitlements for the RHN user account for the 3.1.2 release.
    This installs the agent in /usr/share/jboss-on-3.1.2.0.GA1/agent.
  3. Configure the agent by running the service jon-agent config command. This runs through the advanced installer to configure the agent.
    [jsmith@server ~]$ sudo service jon-agent config
    RHQ 4.4.0.JON311GA [6910991] (Wed Aug 01 18:43:03 EDT 2012)
    ** Advanced Setup **
    ... 8< ...
    Agent Name [agent.example.com] : agent1
    Agent Hostname or IP Address [!*] :
    Agent Port [16163] :
    Agent Transport Protocol [socket] :
    Agent Transport Parameters [numAcceptThreads=1&maxPoolSize=303&clientMaxPoolSize=304&socketTimeout=60000&enableTcpNoDelay=true&backlog=200] :
    RHQ Server Hostname or IP Address [255.255.255.255] :
    RHQ Server Port [7080] :
    RHQ Server Transport Protocol [servlet] :
    RHQ Server Transport Parameters [/jboss-remoting-servlet-invoker/ServerInvokerServlet] :
    RHQ Server Alias [rhqserver] :
    The setup has been completed for the preferences at node [/rhq-agent/default].
    The config command runs through all of the advanced setup options, which configures three areas of the agent:
    • The agent connection information, used to register the agent to the server
      • The agent name
      • The agent port
      • The agent host (by hostname or IP address)
    • The agent-server communication settings, which include configuring SSL or secure connections and rules on how frequently the agent communicates with the agent
      • The agent protocol, either socket (regular) or sslsocket (secure)
        For sslsocket, the JBoss ON server needs to be configured to accept SSL connections, as in the SSL chapter of Configuring JBoss ON Servers and Agents.
      • Any client transport parameters to use to connect to the server
        Both the server and the agent use JBoss Remoting for communication. JBoss Remoting allows servers and clients to pass connection settings using a URL-style address. Transport parameters include things like pool sizes, timeout periods, and buffer settings. For the complete list, see the JBoss Remoting client parameters documentation.
      • The server protocol which the agent uses to send messages to the server, either servlet (regular) or sslservlet (secure)
        The server connection settings configured on the agent must match the configuration in the server itself.
      • Any server transport parameters to use to receive messages from the agent
        Both the server and the agent use JBoss Remoting for communication. JBoss Remoting allows servers and clients to pass connection settings using a URL-style address. Transport parameters for the server relate to the servlet used to receive agent messages.
    • The JBoss ON server to register with
      • The server host (by hostname or IP address)
      • The server port
      • The server alias, a short nickname to identify the server instance
  4. Start the agent.
    [jsmith@server ~]$ sudo service jon-agent start

9.3. Changing the Agent Configuration After an RPM Install

There are two parts to the agent configuration:
  • The agent connection properties, which define the agent instance and how it communicates to the server
  • The agent JVM properties, which manage agent performance and options

9.3.1. Changing Agent Connection Configuration

The agent connection properties are defined when the agent is installed. This includes information like the server for it to connect to, its port number, and whether to use SSL connections.
That agent connection configuration is initially read from agent-configuration.xml and overlaid with the values entered at the setup prompts at start up. After the agent is initially configured, the agent persists that configuration in its Java preferences (/var/lib/jboss-on/agent/prefs/.java/.userPrefs/rhq-agent/default/) and never refers to the agent-configuration.xml again.
For that information to be changed, the agent connection information has to be wiped out and reset.
To change the agent connection (registration) configuration, use the config service command to run through the setup options again. This cleans out the preferences store, re-reads the agent-configuration.xml file, and runs through the configuration setup again.

Important

When the JBoss ON agent is installed from an RPM, it is automatically configured as a system service. For data consistency and agent performance, always manage the agent connection configuration using the service tools, rather than attempting to edit the configuration files or JVM startup properties directly.
For example:
[jsmith@server ~]$ sudo service jon-agent config
RHQ 4.4.0.JON311GA [6910991] (Wed Aug 01 18:43:03 EDT 2012)
** Advanced Setup **
Agent Name [agent.example.com] : agent1
Agent Hostname or IP Address [!*] :
Agent Port [16163] :
Agent Transport Protocol [socket] :
... 8< ...
The config service command opens the agent start script and automatically passes a series of options which edit the agent connection configuration:
  • --cleanconfig, to wipe the previous configuration settings
  • --setup and --advanced, which force the agent to run its configuration setup again
  • --daemon and --nostart, which runs the agent command prompt without starting the agent process and then exits (so that the agent can be started as a service)
So, the service jon-agent config command is equivalent to starting the agent with all those options:
rhq-agent.sh --cleanconfig --setup --advanced --daemon --nostart

9.3.2. Changing Agent JVM and Other Init Configuration

After the agent is configured, optional JVM settings (the persisted configuration) are set in the init script, /etc/init.d/jon-agent file, or in the environment script, rhq-agent-env.sh. Both files are loaded every time the agent starts; it is recommended to edit the init script, which sets the additional JAVA_OPTS values.
For example:
RHQ_AGENT_ADDITIONAL_JAVA_OPTS="-Drhq.agent.data-directory=$RHQ_AGENT_DATA_DIR -Djava.util.prefs.userRoot=$RHQ_AGENT_PREFS_DIR -Xms64m -Xmx128m -Djava.net.preferIPv4Stack=true"
export RHQ_AGENT_ADDITIONAL_JAVA_OPTS
The Java settings can also be edited using agent prompt commands like setconfig. This is described in Configuring JBoss ON Servers and Agents.

9.4. Migrating from a JAR Installation to an RPM Installation

When an agent is initially installed from the JAR file available with the JBoss ON server downloads (Chapter 8, Installing and Upgrading the Agent from the JAR File), it is possible to switch the agent to an RPM installation. There are two potential paths. Either the old agent can be scrapped and a new agent installed (which loses all of the original agent configuration and data) or the agent data can be migrated from the original JAR installation to the new RPM installation.

9.4.1. Converting an Agent (Losing Configuration Data)

This method loses all of the original data for the agent, including the persistent store, data directory, and logs. However, by re-using the original security token, the agent can re-register with the server and retrieve its previous inventory and resource histories and configuration, so none of the management information for the platform is lost.
  1. Retrieve the security token for the agent.
    1. Click the Administration tab and select the Agents link under the Topology section on the left.
    2. Select the agent from the list, and click its name to open its details page.
    3. Copy the security token.
  2. Shut down the agent.
  3. Remove the JAR installation directory.
  4. Install the agent RPM.
  5. Edit the agent-configuration.xml file and add a line for the original security token for the agent.
    vim /etc/jboss-on/agent/agent-configuration.xml
    						
    <entry key="rhq.agent.security-token" value="abcd1234" />
  6. Run through the agent configuration installer.
    [jsmith@server ~]$ sudo service jon-agent config
  7. Start the agent.
    [jsmith@server ~]$ sudo service jon-agent start

9.4.2. Migrating an Agent to an RPM (Preserving Configuration Data)

It is possible to preserve the JVM and persisted data for the agent, which maintains all of the original configuration data. However, this requires accessing the Java store through a Java preferences browser in the original agent and copying it into the Java store for the new agent, without affecting any other data in the store. There is always a risk when editing Java stores.
  1. Shut down the original agent.
  2. Install the agent RPM.
  3. Copy over the previous configuration directories for the agent. This includes the data directory (which contains operational information like the changesets for drift detection or truststores used for SSL) and the log directory. For example:
    [root@server ~]# cp -r agentRoot/rhq-agent/data/ /var/lib/jboss-on/agent/data/
    [root@server ~]# cp -r agentRoot/rhq-agent/logs/ /var/log/jboss-on/agent/
  4. Using a Java preferences editor, export the Java preferences specific to the agent from the original preferences store in ~/.java/default (by default).

    Note

    Be sure to retrieve the security token. The token allows the agent to re-register with the server successfully.
  5. Using a Java preferences editor, import the Java preferences for the agent into the new preferences store in /var/lib/jboss-on/agent/prefs/default (by default).
  6. Run through the agent configuration installer.
    [jsmith@server ~]$ sudo service jon-agent config
  7. Start the agent.
    [jsmith@server ~]$ sudo service jon-agent start

9.5. Troubleshooting RPM Installs

Q: I installed my agent successfully, but now it won't connect to the server. Why?
Q:
I installed my agent successfully, but now it won't connect to the server. Why?
A:
The agent has to be started in the foreground to run through its installer. The installer is where the agent is told what JBoss ON server to access. If the agent service is started without going through the agent installer, the agent loads its configuration without ever identifying the server to connect to.
The agent configuration has to be edited, as described in Section 9.3, “Changing the Agent Configuration After an RPM Install”, to set the server connection information.
[jsmith@server ~]$ sudo service jon-agent config

Chapter 10. Uninstalling JBoss ON

Because both the JBoss Operations Network server and agent are extracted JAR files, removing a server or agent ultimately consists of simply deleting those files.

10.1. Uninstalling an Agent

10.1.1. Removing an Agent on Linux (JAR)

  1. Remove the platform entry from the JBoss ON server inventory.

    Important

    If the agent was configured, but the platform was never imported into the inventory, then you must import the platform from the discovery queue first, and then delete the platform. The discovery queue is a halfway point in the inventory. Even if the agent is removed, the platform could still linger in the discovery queue as a ghost entry.
  2. Stop the agent.
  3. Delete the agent's installation directory.

10.1.2. Removing an Agent RPM

  1. Remove the platform entry from the JBoss ON server inventory.

    Important

    If the agent was configured, but the platform was never imported into the inventory, then you must import the platform from the discovery queue first, and then delete the platform. The discovery queue is a halfway point in the inventory. Even if the agent is removed, the platform could still linger in the discovery queue as a ghost entry.
  2. Stop the agent service.
    [root@server ~]# service jon-agent stop
  3. If the package was installed using yum, then use the yum to remove the package:
    [root@server ~]# yum remove jboss-on-agent jboss-on-agent-init
    If the RPM package was installed using rpm, then uninstall it using rpm:
    [root@server ~]# rpm -e jboss-on-agent-3.1.2.0.GA1 jboss-on-agent-init-3.1.2.0.GA1

10.1.3. Removing an Agent on Windows

  1. Stop the agent.
  2. If the agent is configured as a Windows service, then remove it as a service.
    > rhq-agent.bat remove
  3. Delete the agent's installation directory.

10.2. Uninstalling the Server

Removing a server still leaves the database and its information intact, so historic data remain available directly from the database itself.

10.2.1. Removing a Server on Red Hat Enterprise Linux

  1. If this is the only JBoss ON server, then stop all agents. If there will be other JBoss ON servers in the topology, then agents managed by this server will naturally migrate over to the other servers in the high availability topology.
  2. Stop the server.
    > rhq-server.sh stop
  3. Delete the server's installation directory.

10.2.2. Removing a Server on Windows

  1. If this is the only JBoss ON server, then stop all agents. If there will be other JBoss ON servers in the topology, then agents managed by this server will naturally migrate over to the other servers in the high availability topology.
  2. Stop the server.
    > rhq-server.bat stop
  3. If the server is configured as a Windows service, then remove it as a service.
    > rhq-server.bat remove
  4. Delete the server's installation directory.

Index

D

databases
advanced Oracle configuration, Configuring Oracle (Advanced)
configuring, Configuring Oracle
configuring PostgreSQL, Configuring PostgreSQL
editing the postgresql.conf file, Editing the postgresql.conf File
oracle
setting the number of processes and sessions, Setting the Number of Processes and Sessions
SGA and PGA sizes, Setting SGA and PGA Sizes
tuning open cursors, Tuning Open Cursors
oracle settings, Prepping Oracle Settings
parameters
editing the pg_hba.conf file, Editing pg_hba.conf
postgresql
Fixes for "Relation RHQ_Principal does not exist" Error, Fixes for "Relation RHQ_Principal does not exist" Error
setting kernel parameters, Setting Kernel Parameters
setting PostgreSQL parameters, Setting PostgreSQL Parameters
setting up Oracle, Setting up Oracle
default user account, Configuring the Server with the Web Installer, Going Through the Web Installer

J

JBoss ON server
configuring as Red Hat Enterprise Linux service, Configuring the Server as a Service

O

oracle
advance configuration, Configuring Oracle (Advanced)
configuration, Configuring Oracle

R

Red Hat Enterprise Linux
JBoss ON running as a service, Configuring the Server as a Service

W

Windows
running as a service, Configuring the Server as a Windows Service

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