Release Notes - WildFly 8
- 31/07/2014 2:15 PM
Overview - WildFly 8
This Release Note covers all point releases for WildFly 8 that are offered by eApps. Upgrade instructions are included.
WildFly 8 is the continuation of the JBoss Application Server (JBoss AS) project. It is essentially JBoss AS 8, but the project was renamed by Red Hat in order to differentiate the open source JBoss AS project from the commercial Red Hat JBoss Middleware project.
WildFly 8 and above is only available for Virtual Servers running CentOS 6 (ISPmanager). If you are on a CentOS 5 (Webmin) or CentOS 4 (VPS) plan and need WildFly, you will need to migrate to a CentOS 6 (ISPmanager) plan. Contact eApps Sales for more information.
WildFly 8 and above requires Java SE 7 or Java SE 8. It will not run with Java SE 6.
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Along with the name change, WildFly 8 is a major update to the existing JBoss AS 7. This release has introduced new functionality and significant changes to the existing Application Server. If you are upgrading from any prior version of JBoss to WildFly, there is a HIGH RISK of data loss and downtime if you do not carefully test your existing application with this new version. |
eApps recommends, as a best practice, to maintain a staging server where you can test software upgrades before moving them into production. This approach will allow you to minimize the risk of data loss and downtime of your production service when performing software upgrades. If necessary, you can rebuild your staging Virtual Server on demand so that you have a fresh installation to test on. If you need more information about setting up a Virtual Server for staging or testing, please contact eApps Sales.
IMPORTANT: WildFly 8 has an extensive list of new features and changes. See the Official WildFly 8 Release Notes for a list of changes that may cause issues when upgrading: https://community.jboss.org/wiki/WildFly810FinalReleaseNotes. Please read this document carefully to understand all the changes in WildFly 8. Upgrading to this version may significantly impact the operation of your database and applications. All WildFly 8 documentation is located here: https://docs.jboss.org/author/display/WFLY8/Documentation
eApps Release Notes for WildFly 8.2
eApps Release Notes for WildFly 8.1
How to Upgrade
JBoss 6 or JBoss 7 to WildFly 8
WildFly 8.x to WildFly 8.y (newer version)
Highlighted Features and Fixes in WildFly 8.2
Features
- CDI 1.2 and Weld 2.2 are now available
- Web Sockets 1.1 APIs now supported in Undertow
- Management Module components can now be accessed/managed from the web UI
Fixes
- Session cookie ID for SSO now configurable
- Usability improvements in Web Console
- Undertow updated to 1.1.0
The Official Release Notes for WildFly 8.2 are available here - http://wildfly.org/news/2014/11/20/WildFly82-Final-Released/
Highlighted Features and Fixes in WildFly 8.1
Features
- WildFly now automatically adjusts web server thread pool defaults according to your system's capabilities
- Distribution size was decreased by slimming admin console and removing a few obsolete modules.
- Undertow subsystem now includes additional options in SSO and access log configuration.
Fixes
- Fix for usage of vault for system-properties throws java.lang.SecurityException
- SSO and programmatic authentication fixed
- Fix for adding context root to classpath as a resource-root not working
The Official Release Notes for WildFly 8.1 are available here - https://community.jboss.org/wiki/WildFly810FinalReleaseNotes
How to Upgrade
It is your responsibility to ensure that your application will work on the newer version of WildFly 8. There may be incompatibilities that will affect how your application works. Please make sure that you have read the official Release Notes and Changelog, and have done any necessary testing before upgrading a production application.
Before upgrading WildFly 8 make a backup of your database. Follow the instructions for your database: MySQL or PostgreSQL.
You should also make a backup of your application, your configuration, and any tunings or changes you have made. If you do not have current backups and something goes wrong during the upgrade process, you could have data loss.
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The upgrade from JBoss (any version) to WildFly 8 has to be done manually, there is no way to automate the process. Please read the upgrade instructions for your scenario and proceed accordingly. Failure to follow the correct upgrade instructions can result in data loss and extended downtime for your applications and users. |
To upgrade to WildFly 8, you will need to work from the command line using SSH, and you will need to be able to work as the root user. You will need to use yum to upgrade the application.
JBoss 6 or JBoss 7 to WildFly 8
There is no direct upgrade path from JBoss (any version) to WildFly (any version). To upgrade from any version of JBoss to WildFly you will need to make a backup of your existing application, database, configuration, and any customizations and tunings, and then uninstall JBoss and install WildFly 8. Once WildFly 8 is installed, you will need to redeploy your application and all configurations and databases.
It is highly recommended that you provision a test Virtual Server, install WildFly 8 and your database server, and then copy your existing application, configurations, and database to the test VS. This will allow you to fully test that your existing application will work with WildFly 8 before moving it into production. Once you have completed your testing you can then upgrade your production Virtual Server, and then cancel the test VS. Instructions on how to install WildFly 8 are available here - WildFly 8 Installation: http://support.eapps.com/ispmgr/wildfly8-install
To uninstall JBoss 6 or JBoss 7, log in as root to the ISPmanager Control Panel, and go to Server Settings > Applications. Locate JBoss 6 or JBoss 7 in the list of applications, click on it to highlight it, and then click on Delete in the upper-right corner. Wait a few minutes, and then click on the link to Applications again to see if the uninstall process has completed. You may have to click on Applications several times before you see the application removed.
Also be aware that WildFly 8 requires Java SE 7 or Java SE 8. It will not run with Java SE 6. If you are using Java SE 6, you will need to uninstall it and install either Java SE 7 or Java SE 8 (Java SE 8 is recommended). For more information see the Java SE 7 or Java SE 8 Release Notes.
Once the older version of JBoss has been removed and Java SE updated (if necessary), install WildFly 8. Click on WildFly 8 in the Applications list, and then click on Install in the upper-right corner. This will install WildFly 8. Wait a few minutes, then click on the link to Applications again to see if the install process has completed. You may have to click on Applications several times before you see the application installed.
Once the update completes, you will need to redeploy and restart your applications, customizations, and databases. Deploying your applications on WildFly is different than deploying on JBoss, see the relevant User Guide for more information:
- WildFly 8 in Standalone mode: http://support.eapps.com/ispmgr/wildfly8-standalone
WildFly 8.x to WildFly 8.y (newer version)
If you are currently running WildFly 8 and wish to update to a newer version of WildFly 8, you will need to make a backup of your existing application files, databases, and any configuration files related to your application. Then you will need to update WildFly 8 from the command line of the Virtual Server using yum, and then redeploy your applications.
The best case scenario is that you provision a test VS running the newer version of WildFly 8 and your database server, and deploy your application on the test VS to make sure that your existing WildFly 8 codebase works correctly with the new features in the newer version of WildFly 8. You need to test very thoroughly. Once you are sure that all works as expected, you could then perform the upgrade on the production server. You could then cancel the test VS in the Portal.
Upgrading WildFly 8 using yum
To upgrade WildFly 8 using yum, you will need to log in to the Virtual Server using SSH, and be able to work as the root user.
Once you are logged in, change directories to /opt, which is where the existing wildfly8 directory is located. Upgrade WildFly 8 the yum update wildfly8 command.
| [root@eapps-example ~]# cd /opt/ [root@eapps-example opt]# ll total 4 drwxr-xr-x 10 wildfly wildfly 4096 May 1 11:58 wildfly8 [root@eapps-example opt]# yum update wildfly8 |
Once the installation is complete, there will be two WildFly 8 directories - the wildfly8 directory which is the new version, and the wildfly8-pre-8.X.X.Final-upgrade directory, which contains all the files from the original wildfly8 directory.
| [root@eapps-example opt]# ll total 8 drwxr-xr-x 11 jboss jboss 4096 May 1 12:38 wildfly8 drwxr-xr-x 10 jboss jboss 4096 May 1 11:58 wildfly8-pre-8.X.X.Final-upgrade [root@eapps-example opt]# |
At this point, you need to redeploy your application, making sure that you have put all configuration files, tunings, JDBC connectors, and application files back in place. Be sure to restart WildFly 8 making any changes. See the User Guides listed above for information on how to deploy your files if needed.