Debug J2EE application - JBoss server in different machine

[bsuresh]

I have my JBoss 4.0.5 server running in a solaris box and I do all my development in Windows using Netbeans IDE 5.5. Is it possible to debug a J2EE application that is hosted on this remote JBoss server using Netbeans?

I appreciate any tips.

- Suresh

[pjiricka]

Yes, you can use the Run > Attach Debugger... menu to attach the debugger to a running process. Before that, you need to start JBoss with the appropriate debug parameters, see JBoss or JDK documentation for exact steps.

BTW, note that there are some bugs with the NB 5.5 + JBoss 4.0.5 combination, you should use NB 5.5.1 RC with JBoss 4.0.5.

[bsuresh]

Thanks for a quick reply. That was very helpful and that took care of my remote debug needs.

I have a related question though. Adding a JBoss server through the server manager lets me do so much more like start/stop servers, deploy to server etc. However if I try to create a new JBoss server through server manager, it asks for the installation directory which is a folder in the local m/c. Is it possible to use this server manager infrastructure with a jboss server installed in a different machine?

(Eclipse JBossIDE allows me to do it.)

Thanks again for your prompt response.

[pjiricka]

Unfortunately not, what you are asking for is only available for Sun Appserver, not for JBoss. We will of course accept any community contribution that will make this possible for JBoss too.