So when i do this:

<property name="balancer">${modclusterBalancerName:default}</property>

and also load the value via the properties service:

modclusterBalancerName=setfrompropfilewithcoloninvar

mod_cluster sets it to

"default" (i can see it in the balancer manager)

and the jmx console shows the same variable as

(the value from the properties service).

So mod_cluster and the properties services clearly aren't "communicating".

Perhaps my depends statement was wrong? Seems like the sar would load later than the properties service tho.

Is mod_cluster not able to access properties set via the properties service?

or can pojo's not take variable subs?

Ok ... i now understand! :-) Sar's load too early (i also had trouble setting messaging properties, and now i know why).

If anyone else gets stuck on this ... see:

1. http://community.jboss.org/thread/154338 ... which leads to

2. http://community.jboss.org/message/547324#547324 ... which is explained beautifully with

3. http://community.jboss.org/message/367141#367141

With an mbean in jboss-service.xml which looks like:

<!-- ==================================================================== -->
   <!-- An MBean to set mod_cluster properties:                              -->
   <!-- http://community.jboss.org/message/367141#367141                     -->
   <!-- ==================================================================== -->

   <mbean code="org.jboss.varia.property.SystemPropertiesService"
      name="jboss:type=Service,name=MySystemProperties">
        <attribute name="Properties">
                modclusterBalancerName=setviambean
        </attribute>
   </mbean>

It works.

I'd prefer to use the properties-service as opposed to modifying core configs (one more thing to sort out on upgarde etc etc vs my OWN properties file) but this works.

I did try sticking the sar in deploy.last ... but that didn't seem to deploy.

Anyway ... forums and RTFming wins again. Hope this thread helps future doofuses (doofii?) like me!

And to put it back in a file ...

<attribute name="URLList">
                ./conf/props/system.properties
        </attribute>

works fine ... i guess this is really more for JBoss stuff ... i may leave my developers using the "real" properties services so they can't clobber any system props.