After detecting/importing an AS 7 instance, JON can execute an operation:

"install an RHQ user"

which is intended to add a user/password to the mgmt-users.properties file in "domain/configuration" or in "standalone/configuration"

AS supports moving the base directory, for example "standalone" and up to a point JON supports that. However, AS also supports moving the "configuration" directory either with a relative path or an absolute path.
The JON plugin does not cope with this.

The problem is located in

rhq/source/modules/plugins/jboss-as-7/src/main/java/org/rhq/modules/plugins/jbossas7/helper/HostConfiguration.java

"relative-to" is a so called "named path"; an alias for a directory.
"path" is either relative to the resolved "relative-to" setting, or when the latter is not set, an absolute path

example:
path: mgmt-users.properties
relative-to: jboss.server.config.dir

Full path:    /opt/jboss/standalone/configuration/mgmt-users.properties

However, if "jboss.server.config.dir" has been redefine, lets say "/var/jboss/config"; then the above resolved to

/var/jboss/config/mgmt-users.properties

JON code breaks on this:


217     public File getSecurityPropertyFile(File baseDir, AS7Mode mode, String realm) {
218         String fileName = obtainXmlPropertyViaXPath("//security-realms/security-realm[@name='" + realm
219             + "']/authentication/properties/@path");
220         String relDir = obtainXmlPropertyViaXPath("//security-realms/security-realm[@name='" + realm
221             + "']/authentication/properties/@relative-to");
222 
223         String dmode;
224         if (mode == AS7Mode.STANDALONE)
225             dmode = "server";
226         else
227             dmode = "domain";
228 
229         File configDir;
230         if (relDir.equals("jboss." + dmode + ".config.dir")) {
231             configDir = new File(baseDir, "configuration");
232         } else {
233             configDir = new File(relDir);
234         }
235         File securityPropertyFile = new File(configDir, fileName);
236 
237         return securityPropertyFile;
238     }

problematic lines are:

229         File configDir;
230         if (relDir.equals("jboss." + dmode + ".config.dir")) {
231             configDir = new File(baseDir, "configuration");
232         } else {
233             configDir = new File(relDir);
234         }
235         File securityPropertyFile = new File(configDir, fileName);
236 
237         return securityPropertyFile;
238     }

As (for now) I assume the plugin cannot resolve the relative-to named path, a first correction to the code should be:

230         if (relDir == null || relDir.isEmpty()) {
231             return new File(fileName);
232         } else {
233             return new File(baseDir, "configuration");
234         }
238     }

This at least allows customers to set "path" to a fully qualified pathname for the file (and remove relative-to)
thus allowing to have the configuration directory elsewhere.


A better solution would be:


230         if (relDir == null || relDir.isEmpty()) {
231             return new File(fileName);
232         } else {
233             return new File(resolveNamedPath(relDir));
234         }
238     }

resolveNamedPath(..) would need to be able to ask JBoss to resolve the named path of course.
I'm not sure if that is possible right now.
I presume "AS7Mode mode" would need to be extended to take the configuration directory