Using VisualVM with WildFly

External

• http://blog.akquinet.de/2012/11/01/connecting-visualvm-with-a-remote-jboss-as-7-eap6-jvm-process/

Internal

• WildFly Operations
• VisualVM
• JSR-160 Java Management Extensions (JMX) Remote API

Overview

A JBoss instance can be configured to allow a direct VisualVM remote JMX connection into it. This article explains how to configure JBoss and VisualVM in order to achieve this.

JBoss Configuration

JBoss 7 exposes a JSR-160 Java Management Extensions (JMX) Remote API compliant JMXConnector, which can be used by VisualVM to connect remotely and access the JBoss' JMX bus. The native management access is configured in the standard JBoss configuration files (standalone.xml or domain.xml). The users that are authorized to connect must be part of the “ManagementRealm” JBoss security realm.

For more details on how to configure the native management interface see:

WildFly Management Interfaces

The users that are allowed to use the native management interface must be added to the "ManagementRealm". For more details on how to configure security, see:

Management Realm

Use add-user.sh to actually add the users to the ManagementRealm.

Visual VM Configuration

Startup Script

In order to be able to access the JBoss 7 native management interface directly, Visual VM needs specific JBoss 7 libraries in its classpath. It's best if a specialized script is created and used to start it. The examples presented below use only the specific JARs needed by the remote JMX access. This also works:

$JBOSS_HOME/bin/client/jboss-client.jar

Linux & Mac

Last time I tried the classpath below with JDG 6.6.0 did not work.

Windows

@echo off

set JBOSS_HOME=C:\ovidiu\jboss-as-7.1.1.Final
set JBOSS_MODULES=%JBOSS_HOME%\modules
set JAVA_HOME="C:\Program Files\Java\jdk1.7.0_79"

"%JAVA_HOME%\bin\jvisualvm.exe" -cp:a %JBOSS_MODULES%\org\jboss\remoting3\remoting-jmx\main\remoting-jmx-1.0.2.Final.jar;%JBOSS_MODULES%\org\jboss\remoting3\main\jboss-remoting-3.2.3.GA.jar;%JBOSS_MODULES%\org\jboss\logging\main\jboss-logging-3.1.0.GA.jar;%JBOSS_MODULES%\org\jboss\xnio\main\xnio-api-3.0.3.GA.jar;%JBOSS_MODULES%\org\jboss\xnio\nio\main\xnio-nio-3.0.3.GA.jar;%JBOSS_MODULES%\org\jboss\sasl\main\jboss-sasl-1.0.0.Final.jar;%JBOSS_MODULES%\org\jboss\marshalling\main\jboss-marshalling-1.3.11.GA.jar;%JBOSS_MODULES%\org\jboss\marshalling\river\main\jboss-marshalling-river-1.3.11.GA.jar

Configuring Access to the JBoss Instance

Explicit JMX Connection

Start VisualVM with the script describe above.

Then go to "Application" left tab, right click on "Remote" and "Add Remote Host...".

Use the remote host IP address (or host name).

Right-click on the newly added "remote host" and "Add JMX Connection..."

If the JVM to be connected to over JMX runs on the local host, right click on the "Local" node, then right-click and then "Add JMX Connection"

As "Connection" use:

service:jmx:remoting-jmx://<your-server-ip-address>:9999

replacing <your-server-ip-address> with the actual address.

Select "Use Security Credentials"

Use an user name and a password that was previously added to the "ManagementRealm" of the application server.

Optionally "Save security credentials"

and then check "Do not require SSL connection".

Alternative MBeans Inspection

Install the VisualVM-MBeans as described below.

If the JBoss instance we want to inspect runs on the local host, it will be available under the "Local" node:

Double click on it, the MBean access should be available in the MBeans tab:

JMX MBean Access

In order to access JMX interfaces of MBeans, you will need to install the "VisualVM-MBeans" VisualVM plugin.

A plugin can be installed as follows:

Tools -> Plugins -> Available Plugins -> Check the plugin to be installed -> Install.