Best Practice for copy/rename default after rpm installation

[mrectenwald]

System administrator installed jboss as 5.1.2 using the rpm file on Linux 5. I am fairly new to jboss and only worked with zip file installation. I am familiar copying the default directory, renaming and deploying applications. I would copy/rename the default directory several times to deploy applications, thereby, spreading out application deployments among several jboss instances. I would assume that this is a good practice. My problem is when I copy/rename the default directory the symbolic links follow due to the rpm installation. If I copy the directory outside Linux 5 and copy it back into the server directory I would loose the symbolic links (obviously). I'm not sure by performing this copy action if this may cause problems.

Anyone out there want to share their experiences when spreading out their deployments among multiple server instances with a rpm installation. What is the best practice for deploying applications using a rpm installation?

[peterj]

I would never install JBoss AS from an RPM package, not even in production! In fact, I never install any Java components using the package manager - I always download them from the respective web sites so that I know what I am getting and where they get installed.

But if your sysadmin insists on using an RPM, then I would use "ls -al", and follow all of the @#$% symlinks (one symlink I can understand, but i've seen 4 or 5 to get to the bottom of things) to determine exactly where the server directory is located and do my copying there using the actual directory path.

[mrectenwald]

Thanks for the immediate reply. I used ls -al to follow all bleeping links resulting in higher blood pressure. I'm not quite sure what the advantage of the rpm file installation other than installing jboss updates (if there are such a thing). Are you familiar with any RedHat/JBoss best practices that I can use as ammunition to persuade sysadmin to use zip file vs rpm file installation? I searched the Internet and this site not finding anything specific.

[peterj]

Sorry, but I don't know of any official recommendations or best practices in this regard. But you'll find numerous instances of my recommendation both in this forum and at Java Ranch. IIRC, others have suggested the same.

I do not know if RedHat supplies patches to the JBoss AS installed via an RPM (a JBoss team member might know or could find out). I rather doubt it because the community edition is never patched (though you can apply patches yourself); if you need automatic patching you have to get the enterprise edition (and pay RedHat more $$$).

[mrectenwald]

Thanks Peter. You certainly gave me good information for some arm twisting.