JBoss 7 is the latest Java EE application server to be released by Red Hat. Version 7 is certified against the Java EE 6 Web Profile and has been developed with productivity and speed in mind – the current version offering significant speed enhancements over previous versions. Not only is AS7 available as a download for developers, it is also an important aspect of Red Hat's OpenShift Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) offering. JBoss AS 7 Configuration, Deployment and Administration explains how to use all the components that make up the application server covering (as you would expect from the title) configuration, management, deployment and administration. Many of these features are different in AS 7 from previous versions of JBoss AS so this book is in invaluable resource. The book is aimed at administrators, developers and testers, so whatever your role, chances are you will find something useful in the book.

The book starts by showing how to download and install AS7. The procedure here is pretty much the same as for other versions of JBoss, so if you've used it before, you shouldn't experience any problems here. What is different however is the structure of the application server itself and the tools used to interact with it. The first chapter of the book explains how the new server is different from previous releases and begins to explain the basics of the server.

After introducing AS7, the book continues to go further into depth on the configuration side of the server. Configuration of thread pools, logging, datasources and EJB etc. is all covered in depth. Plenty of sample XML and diagrams are used to help with the discussions. The book also includes a chapter on configuring and managing JBoss domains which includes useful reading for those implementing and installing JBoss servers.

One of the main pieces of functionality in an enterprise application is probably handled via the Web Container. The book provides plenty of details on how to configure the JBoss Web Container and includes sample Eclipse based source code showing how to create and deploy a basic web application. Note that the emphasis throughout the book is on how the application server can be configured and maintained and not on how to develop Java EE applications. It is useful, from a developer's perspective, to occasionally see some source code to see the interaction with the server however.

In previous versions of the JBoss Application Server, managing the application server (for example creating datasources or JMS queues) was typically performed via manually editing XML files or via the JMX console. With AS 7, both a comprehensive CLI and Web Console are provided. The book contains extensive details of these together with details of how they can be configured.

For those interested in installing JBoss AS, the next few chapters will be extremely useful. Clustering and load balancing are described in-depth with many details included, for example different caching configuration and integration with Apache HTTP Server using mod_jk.

The final chapter of the book discusses cloud computing and how this relates to JBoss AS 7 in the form of OpenShift Express and OpenShift Flex. The author explains these services and then shows how to deploy and manage a simple Java EE application to the services. Given the nature of cloud computing, I believe these chapters will be essential reading for most developers.

If you're developing Java EE applications using JBoss AS 7, or planning to upgrade to AS 7 sometime soon, then I'd recommend this book. The book is useful to new users of AS 7 as well as to those that have been using the AS since it was first released as version 7 last year. Different sections of the book will appeal to different audiences (administrator, developer, tester etc.), but I think the use you'll get from this book will be invaluable.

Recommended reading for all users of JBoss AS 7

Thanks to Sean at Packt Publishing for sending me a copy of this book to review.

JBoss AS 7 Configuration, Deployment, and Administration by Francesco Marchioni. ISBN 978-1-84951-678-5

Don't forget you can win a free copy of this book by commenting about it on the Forums.

Prime Technology have announced the release of PrimeFaces 3.1 - "The Ultimate JSF Component Suite".

PrimeFaces contains over 100 JSF components and over 30 ui themes; a mobile optimized rendering engine and high performance push features which alltogether make Prime Faces one of the leading JSF 2 component suites. For a demonstration of the different components check out the Prime Faces Showcase.

Both the PrimeFaces libraries and source code can be downloaded from here - this also contains details of how to configure Prime Faces within a Maven build.

A few days ago, we linked to a poll running on the eclipse.org site asking users to help decide the name for the 2013 Eclipse simultaneous release. 

Eclipse community members have voted and the most popular suggested name, with nearly half the votes at 48%, is Kepler.

Apache Tomcat 7.0.25 has been released and is available for immediate download from http://tomcat.apache.org/download-70.cgi

Mark Thomas notes on the Tomcat mailing lists:

Today SpringSource, the makers of the Spring Framework are hosting 2 webinars entitled: "Modern Enterprise Java Architectures with Spring 3.1".

The webinars are to be held at 3pm UK time for European audiences and at 1pm EST for North American audiences.

Full details of the webinars can be found at:

• European Webinar
• North American Webinar

_A new Tomcat security issue has been reported that affects Tomcat versions 7.0.0 through 7.0.22, versions 6.0.0 through 6.0.33 and versions 5.5.0 through 5.5.34. 
According to the Tomcat mailing lists:

_"CVE-2012-0022 Apache Tomcat Denial of Service

Severity: Important

Description:
Analysis of the recent hash collision vulnerability identified unrelated inefficiencies with Apache Tomcat's handling of large numbers of parameters and parameter values. These inefficiencies could allow an attacker, via a specially crafted request, to cause large amounts of CPU to be used which in turn could create a denial of service.
The issue was addressed by modifying the Tomcat parameter handling code to efficiently process large numbers of parameters and parameter values.

Mitigation:
Users of affected versions should apply one of the following mitigations:
- Tomcat 7.0.x users should upgrade to 7.0.23 or later
- Tomcat 6.0.x users should upgrade to 6.0.35 or later
- Tomcat 5.5.x users should upgrade to 5.5.35 or later

Credit:
The inefficiencies in handling large numbers of parameters were identified by the Apache Tomcat security team.

A new Tomcat security issue has been reported that affects Tomcat versions 7.0.0 through 7.0.21 and versions 6.0.30 through 6.0.33. 
According to the Tomcat mailing lists:

To celebrate the release of JBoss AS7 Configuration, Deployment and Administration by Francesco Marchioni, Packt Publishing and Develop In Java are providing one competition winner with a free e-book of this title.

To be in with a chance of winning, all you have to do is reply to this post leaving a comment stating why you'd like a copy of the book or what you you think you'll learn from reading it.

The draw is open for four weeks until 12:00 GMT on 14th February 2012.  What better Valentines Day gift could you give someone?

For more information on the book, check out Packt Publishing's Web Site.

Remember, all you need to do to be in with a chance of winning the e-book is to reply to this blog post.

Good luck (and don't forget to leave your email address so we can contact the winner) !

A new community poll over on eclipse.org is asking readers to help decide the name of the 2013 annual release of Eclipse.  Each year the Eclipse Foundation releases a new version of Eclipse - this year it was Eclipse Indigo.

The 2013 release of Eclipse must start with the letter "K", and the suggestions for the poll are:

I know my favourite, what's yours?  Head on over to eclipse.org to cast your vote.  The poll will remain open until January 15.

Apache Commons Pool version 1.6 has been released.  In the release notification, Gary Gregory states: