AS 7 provides a lightweight, modular, and highly scalable application server architecture. It features a unified configuration model, improved performance, and simplified management interfaces. It can run in standalone mode as a traditional single JVM server or in domain mode for multi-server management of a cluster. The modular design allows the application server to start small and grow as needs change.

1. Heiko Braun, October 2011

2. Back to the future ...

3. AS 7 Key Features
• Fast and Lightweight
• Unified, user focused configuration
– No more intermixing of internal wiring and config
• Modular
– Only APIs, no AS implementation exposure
– True isolation (users can finally use their own XML parsers)
• Multiple consistent management interfaces
– CLI, Java API, HTTP API, Console
• Supports domain (multi-node) management
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4. Performance Improvements

5. Kernel Architecture
• Small and efficient
– 216K JAR
– Tiny memory overhead
• Highly concurrent & scalable state machine
• Multiple startup modes
– Active, Passive, On-Demand, ...
• Async start & stop
– Concurrent Service bootstrap
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6. Modular Classloading
• Small, lightweight and efficient
– O(1) Dep resolution
– Concurrent class loading
– 207k JAR
• “Pure” modular class loading
– Dependency declarations instead of visibility hierarchy
– Modules only see what they import (includes JDK classes!)
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7. Modular Classloading
• Modules delegate to one
another as peers (no parents)
• A graph, not a tree
• Much like multi-module
projects are configured in an
IDE
• JDK classes are modules too
• All module “see” java.*
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8. Subsystems
• THE extensibility point for AS7
• Defines management operations to represent all
available configuration and runtime actions
• Defines services as needed to carry out runtime behavior
• Installs deployment processors as needed
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9. Boot Time Results
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10. Memory Comparison
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11. Management & Configuration

12. Simplified Configuration
• End user configuration centralized in a few files
–No longer scattered all over the distribution
• Configuration files focused on end user configuration
–No internal service wiring details
• Config changes made via management tools
persisted back to the config file
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13. User-focused
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14. Management API
• Central Detyped Management API
– All management operations operate with/on DMR
(Detyped Management Representation)
• Auto-converts like dynamic languages
• Self describing
–Operations
–Attributes
–Metrics
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15. Management Protocol
[standalone@localhost:9999 /] /subsystem=web/connector=http:read-resource
{
"outcome" => "success",
"result" => {
"enable-lookups" => false,
"enabled" => true,
"max-post-size" => 2097152,
"max-save-post-size" => 4096,
"protocol" => "HTTP/1.1",
"redirect-port" => 8443,
"scheme" => "http",
"secure" => false,
"socket-binding" => "http",
"ssl" => undefined,
"virtual-server" => undefined
}
}
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16. Protocol Explained
[standalone@localhost:9999 /] /subsystem=web/connector=http:read-resource
{
"outcome" => "success",
"result" => {
"enable-lookups" => false,
"enabled" => true, Address
"max-post-size" => 2097152,
"max-save-post-size" => 4096,
"protocol" => "HTTP/1.1",
Operation
"redirect-port" => 8443,
"scheme" => "http",
"secure" => false,
Payload
"socket-binding" => "http",
"ssl" => undefined,
"virtual-server" => undefined
}
}
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17. Management Infrastructure
• Several entry-points:
– Java API
– HTTP Protocol
• Tooling
– Command Line Interface
– Web Management Interface
• Customization
– Easily integrate with other environments (scripting)
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18. 18

19. Operational Modes

20. Two Operational Modes
• Standalone
– Traditional JBoss single JVM server
– Management facilities IN-VM
– No lifecycle management (only shutdown)
• Domain
– Multi-JVM, multi-server model
– Management coordinated by Domain Controller Process
– Multiple server instances (JVMs) per Host
– Full lifecycle managed by Process Controller
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21. Domain topology
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22. Management Choices
• Basically, do you want to take advantage
of our multi-server management features?
–Yes: run in Domain Mode
–No: run in Standalone Mode
• Either way, you still get simplified
configuration and a robust management
API
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23. Grow with your needs

24. “Start small, grow big”
• Engineering requirements change:
– Project requirements
– Development teams & size
– System Capacity
• AS 7 can stay:
– Web Profile, EE Profile
– Server, Managed Domain
– Single Instance, Cluster
– Cloud
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25. Q&A
• AS 7 space on jboss.org
–http://community.jboss.org/en/jbossas/dev/
jboss_as7_development
• Mail list
–jboss-as7-dev@lists.jboss.org
• IRC
–#jboss-as7 on freenode
• JIRA
–https://issues.jboss.org/browse/AS71
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