jManage 2.0-beta has been released. jManage 2.0 is an open source application management platform, which provides a centralized console for managing application clusters and distributed-application environments. Along with a JMX Console, jManage platform provides advanced features like Dashboards, Alerts, Graphs, Connectors, Security and SNMP support. jManage 2.0-beta contains the following major features:

• Dashboard framework, with two Java 5 dashboards.
• Connector framework for non-JMX applications, with a sample Oracle database connector.
• Application downtime tracking with ability to setup alerts when an application goes down.
• WebLogic 9.x support is now part of this release. This was earlier provided as a patch.
• UI Improvements.

You can download this release from Sourceforge. Do you see yourself using an open source application management solution in your production environment?

For a complementary monitoring utility with no dependency to JMX (although it also exports its data via JMX), have a look at MessAdmin. MessAdmin is a notification system and Session administration for J2EE Web Applications, giving detailed statistics and informations on any Web application. It installs as a plug-in to any Java EE WebApp, and requires zero-code modification.

For a complementary monitoring utility with no dependency to JMX (although it also exports its data via JMX), have a look at MessAdmin.
MessAdmin is a notification system and Session administration for J2EE Web Applications, giving detailed statistics and informations on any Web application. It installs as a plug-in to any Java EE WebApp, and requires zero-code modification.

Why would I want to avoid a JMX dependency today? Or put another way, why would I be interested in anything that does not allow me to fully leverage any JMX tooling built into the JVM (in Java 5 and higher) or that I've added?

Why would I want to avoid a JMX dependency today? Or put another way, why would I be interested in anything that does not allow me to fully leverage any JMX tooling built into the JVM (in Java 5 and higher) or that I've added?

MessAdmin does not avoid JMX: it exports all its data via JMX (as well as an integrated administration webapp). It does not *require* JMX to run, which means it only needs Java 1.3. I much as I would like to drop support from "old" JVMs, those are still used in production. If you're running a recent JVM, I will take advantage of it. If not, well... I will still work!

jManage seems a good management solution. But some points are not clear : - Is it a standard J2EE web application or a standalone application ? It seems to be tied to Jetty. - Which version of JDK is required ? Installation guide requires a 1.4 JDK, but Dashboard development guide examples use 1.5 features. Documentation may need an updgrade.

jManage seems a good management solution.

Thanks Franck !

Is it a standard J2EE web application or a standalone application ? It seems to be tied to Jetty.

It is a standard J2EE web application, but uses Jetty as the servlet container. This make jManage very easy to install and setup.

Which version of JDK is required ? Installation guide requires a 1.4 JDK, but Dashboard development guide examples use 1.5 features. Documentation may need an updgrade.

jManage 2.0 requires JDK 1.5. This has now been updated on the installation guide.

Great Job! I love the where you are taking JManage. It is my teams primary tool when troubleshooting at remote customer sites. Thanks for all the effort and this truly great and simple to use product! IMO - no other product compares to JManage - now with dashboards - we can offer specialized views geared towards our system to further reduce turnaround time in the field. Cheers - thanks again! Jody Brownell

Thanks Jody ! Please keep the feedback coming. Regards, Rakesh

We'd also like to invite folks who are looking for a comprehensive, open source management solution for their J2EE environments to check out Hyperic HQ. It includes autodiscovery, realtime and historical monitoring, control, and log tracking. It's available under the GPL and includes complete support for every app server, servlet container, web server, database, and operating system. It is available in source and binary form on SourceForge.net and directly from us at www.hyperic.com