Installing JBoss Operations Network (JON)

Deon Lackey
JON Installation Components

1. Backend Database JON

Server
• Stores data

• Communicates with JON server

2. JON Server + resource support plugins dB

3. Local Agent

• Performs monitoring / management tasks

Local
Agent
JON Environment Recommendations

• Install the database, server, and agent on separate systems.

• Database system should have adequate memory for:

- monitoring metrics

- configuration changes

- other data

• Server is installed in organizational or physical divisions

• Agent is installed on locally managed system

Demo Environment

• Postgres 8.4 database on Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6.3

• JBoss Operations Network Supported Configurations article:

- https://access.redhat.com/knowledge/articles/112523

• JBoss Operations Network Installation Guide:

- https://access.redhat.com/knowledge/docs/en-US/JBoss_Operations_Network/3.1/html/Installation_Guide/
index.html
Basic Install Procedure

1. Setup postgres server - ‘yum install postgresql-server’

2. Set password for postgres user - ‘passwd postgres’
3. Initialize postgres database - ‘service postgresql initdb’
4. Start postgres service - ‘service postgresql start’
5. Login to postgres server - ‘su postgres’;
- set password for postgres user on postgres service - ‘ALTER USER postgres PASSWORD ‘password’;’
6. Create a user for the JON server - ‘CREATE USER rhqadmin PASSWORD ‘rhqadmin’;’
7. Create database to store JON information - ‘CREATE DATABASE rhq OWNER rhqadmin;’
8. Allow system users to authenticate to database using MD5 authentication:
- open pg_hba.conf file for editing (var/lib/pgsql/data/pg_hba.conf)
- at bottom of file, change all ‘ident’ entries to ‘md5’
- restart postgres service - ‘service postgresql restart’
Installing JBoss Operations Network (JON) Server
Deon Lackey
System Installation Requirements

• JON Servers/Agents require static IP addresses / resolvable host names

• Java Development Kit (ie OpenJDK 1.6.0, Sun JDK, IBM JDK)

• Set up a system user for JON server to run as (not root)

Basic Install Procedure

1. Install a JDK (Open JDK, Sun JDK, IBM JDK, etc)

2. Create a JON user - ‘useradd [username]’
3. Create a JON directory - ‘mkdir jboss-on’
4. Assign directory to JON user - ‘chown [username] jboss-on/’
5. Install JON sever base distribution (package available from Customer Portal “Downloads” area)
- switch to JON user
- unzip the server package ‘unzip [dir path] jon-server-3.1.1.GA.zip
- point the JON server to JDK (in jon-server-3.1.1.GA/bin/, edit rhq-server.sh and set ‘JAVA_HOME’ path to
your JDK location, ie ‘RHQ_SERVER_JAVA_HOME=”/usr”)

6. Start the JON server - ‘./rhq-server.sh start’

7. Browse to server installer page - ‘http://yourservername.com:7080/installer/start.jsf’
8. Configure server connection settings as needed (connection URL, username/password, port) and install
Installing JBoss Operations Network (JON) Agent
Deon Lackey
JON Agent Overview

1. Local service, collects:

- monitoring information

- configuration content data

- other info

2. Sends data to server

3. Server sends:
Local JON
- alerting information service Server
- configuration updates

- new content / other changes in JON

JON Agent

• Two packages available:

- traditional .jar file installable on any supported platform

- Customer Portal > Downloads > JBoss Enterprise Middleware Downloads > JBoss Operations Network Product

- Download from JON Server

- .rpm available in JON 3.1.1 for RHEL 6

- Customer Portal > Downloads > RHEL 6 Channel > JBoss Application Platform Product Channel
Install Package Pros & Cons

• .jar packages:

- platform independent

- system users tricky to set up

• .rpm packages:

- sets up system user automatically

- sets up automatic service for JON Agent

- contains handy configuration tools

- requires JON 3.1.1 and RHEL 6

Considerations for JON Agent

• JON Agent interacts with both the platform and applications on that platform

• Certain applications may have restrictions on type of user JON Agent can run as (ie Tomcat, EAP, Apache)

• JON Agent .rpm package circumvents this by:

- creating a system user to run as

- creating a system service which starts up / shuts down automatically with system

- creating service configuration tools to simplify Agent configuration

Basic Install Procedure

1. Install JON Agent .rpm - ‘rpm -ivh jboss-on-agent-3.1.1.GA-1.el6_3.noarch.rpm’

2. Run config command to set up Agent - ‘service jon-agent config’

- give the Agent a unique name

- IP Address is determined (must be a static IP)

- accept standard Agent Port

- set Transport Socket/Parameters

- configure RHQ Server Hostname/IP Address

- configure RHQ Server Transport Protocol/Parameters

- enter RHQ Server Alias

3. Start Agent service - ‘service jon-agent start’