JBoss ON FAQ

General Product

Why should I use JBoss ON when I already get content updates from the Customer Service Portal and my JBoss subscription?

The basic JBoss subscription is focused on certified content updates (JBoss Customer Support Portal) and managing your support needs, while JBoss ON is focused on the active management of your applications. While certified content updates are extremely valuable, JBoss ON provides tools for managing the entire application server life cycle, not just updates. Most IT applications are not static and require active hands-on management. JBoss ON gives administrators control and visibility into JBoss middleware to maximize your technology ROI.

How can I purchase JBoss ON Server or JBoss ON's monitoring module?

Customers wishing to purchase JBoss ON or get pricing information should contact their sales representative.

What options do I have to try JBoss ON in my environment?

We currently have a 30-day trial evaluation available at ttp://www.jboss.com/products/jbosson. Contact your sales representative for more details.

Do I have to buy the JBoss ON Inventory, administration, content or Monitoring modules?

JBoss ON Inventory, Administration and Content modules come with a 32-CPU subscription to JBoss Enterprise Application Platform. If you do not have a 32-CPU JBoss Enterprise Application Platform subscription, then JBoss ON Inventory, Administration, and Content modules can be purchased separately. The Monitoring module is an add-on in both instances.

What level of support/service is included with JBoss ON Server?

Your JBoss ON support will match the support level for your JBoss subscription.

Virtualization Support

Can you run the JBoss ON server as a virtual instance on Xen? on Vmware?

Yes, the JBoss ON Server can be run on Xen or Vmware and will have full technical support.

Installation and Architecture

What type of hardware do you need to run the JBoss ON server?

A typical JBoss ON server would require a minimum of 512 MB of memory and 10 GB of storage space. However 1 GB of memory and 40 GB of storage is recommended. Please see the Installation guide for details.

Does JBoss ON require an agent for managing machines?

Yes, JBoss Operations Network is a client-server or agent-based management platform.

Are there any high availability options for JBoss ON?

No, not currently available in JBoss ON Server 2.0 but high availability is planned for the next release.

What kind of database is required to run JBoss ON Server on my environment?

JBoss ON Server uses either a Postgres (8.2.4 and up) or Oracle (10g, 10gR2) database.

Are there installation and consulting services available for JBoss ON Server?

Please contact your sales representative for a Red Hat Professional Services engagement.

Interoperability and CustomizatIon

Does JBoss ON manage products such as SuSe, Solaris or Windows?

JBoss ON provides multi-platform support for all of the above, both as a JBoss ON server and managed node. This includes the ability to monitor these platforms, as well as administer JBoss Application Servers hosted on these. Please see the product sheet for additional details.

Does JBoss ON work with other availability management products such as HP OpenView, IBM Tivoli or BMC Performance Manager (formerly PATROL)?

JBoss ON Server can send SNMP traps for alerting to any of the above solutions allowing you to correlate incidents in the environment.

Does the JBoss ON Server have an API access layer?

Currently no, but an API layer for the server is on the JBoss ON roadmap. JBoss ON does provide a plug-in API for extensibility of our agents.

Can JBoss ON manage third party or custom content?

JBoss ON can deploy and manage custom applications and content within your JBoss Application Server container. Additionally, the plug-in API can be use to extend the management capabilities of JBoss ON to other resources.

Security Implications

My environment will not allow me to have a network connection from my JBoss ON back to the JBoss customer Service Portal What other options do I have?

While running in detached mode, the JBoss ON Server will not have access to certified content, so patching capabilities will be impaired. All other JBoss ON Server functionality will remain.

How is security implemented between JBoss ON server and it's managed nodes?

All communications can be encrypted using SSL certificates between the JBoss ON Server and its managed nodes.

Version History

What's new in JBoss ON 2.0? (released May 2008)

The JBoss ON agent has been redesigned to a new plug-in architecture for extensibility. Managing application server configurations across the enterprise has been improved.

Key New Features

• AMPS, a new plug-in API for broader integration with third-party resources
• Auto-update of plug-ins, including configuration information
• Better data model for improved performance and better reporting capabilities
• Dynamic resource groups based upon rules
• Rollback and auditing of configuration changes
• Agent support for all Java5 platforms (HP-UX, AIX, FreeBSD, Mac OSX)
• Remote agent configuration
• True SSL encryption and authentication for bi-directional server-agent communications
• Trickle-down group security through recursive groups