Overview - WildFly 9

This Release Note covers all point releases for WildFly 9 that are offered by eApps. Upgrade instructions are included.

WildFly is the continuation of the JBoss Application Server (JBoss AS) project. It is essentially JBoss AS 8, but the project was renamed by Red Hat in order to differentiate the open source JBoss AS project from the commercial Red Hat JBoss Middleware project.

WildFly 9 and above is only available for Virtual Servers running CentOS 6 or CentOS 7. If you are on a CentOS 5 (Webmin) or CentOS 4 (VPS) plan and need WildFly, you will need to migrate to a CentOS 6 or CentOS 7 plan. Contact eApps Sales for more information.

WildFly 9 and above requires Java SE 7 or Java SE 8. It will not run with Java SE 6.

Along with the name change, WildFly is a major update to the existing JBoss AS 7. This release has introduced new functionality and significant changes to the existing Application Server. If you are upgrading from any prior version of JBoss to WildFly, there is a HIGH RISK of data loss and downtime if you do not carefully test your existing application with this new version.

eApps recommends, as a best practice, to maintain a staging server where you can test software upgrades before moving them into production. This approach will allow you to minimize the risk of data loss and downtime of your production service when performing software upgrades. If necessary, you can rebuild your staging Virtual Server on demand so that you have a fresh installation to test on. If you need more information about setting up a Virtual Server for staging or testing, please contact eApps Sales.

IMPORTANT: WildFly 9 has an extensive list of new features and changes. See the Official WildFly 9 Release Notes for a list of changes that may cause issues when upgrading: WildFly 9 Release Notes. Please read this document carefully to understand all the changes in WildFly 9. Upgrading to this version may significantly impact the operation of your database and applications. All WildFly 9 documentation is located here: WildFly 9 Documentation

eApps Release Notes for WildFly 9.0.2
eApps Release Notes for WildFly 9.0.1

How to Upgrade
JBoss 6 or JBoss 7 to WildFly 9
WildFly 8 to WildFly 9

Highlighted Features and Fixes in WildFly 9.0.2

Features

WildFly 9.0.2 is a bug fix and security release, no new features have been added.

Fixes

• Weld updated to 2.2.16.SP1
• HAL updated to 2.8.13.Final

The official Release Notes for WildFly 9.0.2 are available here - http://wildfly.org/release/9.0.2/

Highlighted Features and Fixes in WildFly 9.0.1

Features

• Certified implementation of Java EE7 full and web profile specifications
• Front end load balancer support available
• Support for datasource templates (PostgreSQL, MySQL, Oracle, SQLServer, DB2, and Sybase)
• Offline CLI mode for server management

Fixes

• HAL upgraded to 2.7.4 Final
• Infinispan upgraded to 7.2.3 Final
• Undertow upgraded to 1.2.9 Final
• WildFly Core upgraded to 1.0.1 Final

The official Release Notes for WildFly 9.0.1 are available here - http://wildfly.org/release/9.0.1/

How to Upgrade

It is your responsibility to ensure that your application will work on the newer version of WildFly. There may be incompatibilities that will affect how your application works. Please make sure that you have read the official Release Notes and Changelog, and have done any necessary testing before upgrading a production application.

Before upgrading WildFly make a backup of your database. Follow the instructions for your database: MySQL, MariaDB, or PostgreSQL.

You should also make a backup of your application, your configuration, and any tunings or changes you have made. If you do not have current backups and something goes wrong during the upgrade process, you could have data loss.

The upgrade from JBoss (any version) or any previous version of WildFly to WildFly 9 has to be done manually, there is no way to automate the process. Please read the upgrade instructions for your scenario and proceed accordingly. Failure to follow the correct upgrade instructions can result in data loss and extended downtime for your applications and users.

JBoss 6 or JBoss 7 to WildFly 9

There is no direct upgrade path from JBoss (any version) to WildFly (any version). To upgrade from any version of JBoss to WildFly 9 you will need to make a backup of your existing application, database, configuration, and any customizations and tunings, and then uninstall JBoss and install WildFly 9. Once WildFly 9 is installed, you will need to redeploy your application and all configurations and databases.

It is highly recommended that you provision a test Virtual Server, install WildFly 9 and your database server, and then copy your existing application, configurations, and database to the test VS. This will allow you to fully test that your existing application will work with WildFly 9 before moving it into production. Once you have completed your testing you can then upgrade your production Virtual Server, and then cancel the test VS. Instructions on how to install WildFly 9 are available here - WildFly Installation

To upgrade from JBoss to WildFly, you will need to do the following:

1. Uninstall JBoss from the ISPmanager Control Panel
2. Install a supported version of Java SE from the ISPmanager Control Panel (if necessary)
3. Install WildFly 9 from the ISPmanager Control Panel and redeploy your applications and databases

1. Uninstall JBoss from the ISPmanager Control Panel

To uninstall JBoss 6 or JBoss 7, log in as root to the ISPmanager Control Panel.

• For ISPmanager 4, go to Server Settings > Applications, and locate your version of JBoss. Click to highlight it, and then click on Delete in the upper-right corner.

• For ISPmanager 5, go to Settings > Features, and locate your version of JBoss. Click to highlight it, and then click on Delete in the upper-left corner.

Wait a few minutes, and then click on the link to Applications or Features again to see if the uninstall process has completed. You may have to click several times before you see the application removed.

2. Install a supported version of Java SE from the ISPmanager Control Panel (if necessary)

Also be aware that WildFly 9 requires Java SE 7 or Java SE 8. It will not run with Java SE 6. If you are using Java SE 6, you will need to uninstall it and install either Java SE 7 or Java SE 8 (Java SE 8 is recommended). For more information see the Java SE 7 or Java SE 8 Release Notes.

3. Install WildFly 9 from the ISPmanager Control Panel and redeploy your applications and databases

Once the older version of JBoss has been removed and Java SE updated (if necessary), install WildFly 9.

• For ISPmanager 4, go to Server Settings > Applications, and locate WildFly 9. Click to highlight it, and then click on Install.

• For ISPmanager 5, go to Settings > Features, and locate WildFly 9. Click to highlight it, and then click on Install.

Wait a few minutes, then click on the link to Applications or Features again to see if the install process has completed. You may have to click several times before you see the application installed.

Once the update completes, you will need to redeploy and restart your applications, customizations, and databases. Deploying your applications on WildFly is different than deploying on JBoss, see the relevant User Guide for more information: WildFly Deployment in Standalone Mode

WildFly 8 to WildFly 9

There is no direct upgrade path from WildFly 8 to WildFly 9 To upgrade from WildFly 8 to WildFly 9 you will need to make a backup of your existing application, database, configuration, and any customizations and tunings, and then uninstall WildFly 8 and install WildFly 9. Once WildFly 9 is installed, you will need to redeploy your application and all configurations and databases.

It is highly recommended that you provision a test Virtual Server, install WildFly 9 and your database server, and then copy your existing application, configurations, and database to the test VS. This will allow you to fully test that your existing application will work with WildFly 9 before moving it into production. Once you have completed your testing you can then upgrade your production Virtual Server, and then cancel the test VS. Instructions on how to install WildFly 9 are available here - WildFly Installation

To upgrade from WildFly 8 to WildFly 9, you will need to do the following:

1. Uninstall WildFly 8 from the ISPmanager Control Panel
2. Install WildFly 9 from the ISPmanager Control Panel and redeploy your applications and databases

1. Uninstall WildFly 8 from the ISPmanager Control Panel

To uninstall WildFly 8, log in as root to the ISPmanager Control Panel.

• For ISPmanager 4, go to Server Settings > Applications, and locate WildFly 8. Click to highlight it, and then click on Delete in the upper-right corner.

• For ISPmanager 5, go to Settings > Features, and locate WildFly 8. Click to highlight it, and then click on Delete in the upper-left corner.

Wait a few minutes, and then click on the link to Applications or Features again to see if the uninstall process has completed. You may have to click several times before you see the application removed.

2. Install WildFly 9 from the ISPmanager Control Panel and redeploy your applications and databases

Once the older version of WildFly 8 has been removed, install WildFly 9.

• For ISPmanager 4, go to Server Settings > Applications, and locate WildFly 9. Click to highlight it, and then click on Install.

• For ISPmanager 5, go to Settings > Features, and locate WildFly 9. Click to highlight it, and then click on Install.

Wait a few minutes, then click on the link to Applications or Features again to see if the install process has completed. You may have to click several times before you see the application installed.

Once the update completes, you will need to redeploy and restart your applications, customizations, and databases. Deploying your applications on WildFly is different than deploying on JBoss, see the relevant User Guide for more information: WildFly Deployment in Standalone Mode