coldfusion mx 7 server administration

2006 Adobe Systems Incorporated. All Rights Reserved.1

ColdFusion MX 7Server Administration

Steven Erat

Quality Assurance Engineer

Adobe [email protected]


World's Top Companies Use ColdFusion MX

In use at 75 of the Fortune 100 companies and at more than 10,000 other companies

worldwide, ColdFusion MX is one of the most widely adopted web technologies in the

industry. Here's a partial list of customers (with links to case studies) who rely on

ColdFusion for its signature server-scripting environment.

More than 125,000 ColdFusion servers deployed

Estimated base of over 300,000 developers

Purchased by more than 10,000 organizations

Used by nearly all major branches and agencies of the U.S. federal

government

Global network of more than 360 user groups

Thousands of third-party components and add-on

http://www.adobe.com/products/coldfusion/proven/


ColdFusion MX Administration Means Understanding: which ColdFusion server edition is needed

which ColdFusion server configuration is needed

how to install the ColdFusion server

how to connect the ColdFusion server to a web server

the installed ColdFusion directory structure

which ColdFusion services and processes are used

log file locations and purposes

how to configure datasources

how to tune ColdFusion server settings

how to install ColdFusion updates and hotfixes

how jvm memory management works

how ColdFusion templates are processed

how to monitor ColdFusion server activity

how to scale ColdFusion servers


Configurations, Editions, and Platforms

Configurations Server Configuration

Multi-server Configuration

J2EE Configuration

Editions Trial / Development, Standard, and Enterprise

Platforms

Windows 2000, 2003, XP

Solaris 8, 9, 10 on SPARC processors

Red Hat Enterprise Linux 3, 4 – SuSE Enterprise Linux 8, 9

Mac OS X 10.4 on PPC

http://www.adobe.com/products/coldfusion/productinfo/systemreqs/


ColdFusion MX 7 Edition Comparison Overview


ColdFusion MX Server Configuration Options

Configurations Server Configuration

easiest configuration

familiar to “pre-MX” users

Multi-server Configuration

installs full Jrun J2EE

Permits multiple instances

Permits clustering

J2EE Configuration

Tomcat

WebSphere

WebLogic


ColdFusion MX Server Architecture

OPERATING SYSTEM

Java Virtual Machine

J2EE SERVER ( JRun, WebSphere, Tomcat )

ColdFusion MX Application Server

Java App 1(JSP, Servlet, EJB)

App 1 App 2

Java App 2(JSTL, EL, Servlets)

CFMXODBCService

CFMXSearchService

( Verity K2 )


ColdFusion Server Configuration Directory Structure

bin/

lib/

logs/

runtime/bin/

runtime/lib/

runtime/logs/

runtime/servers/

wwwroot/


Server Config vs Multi-Server Config Directory Structure

Server Configuration Multi-Server Configuration with JRun

102006 Adobe Systems Incorporated. All Rights Reserved.

Jrun Server Instance “coldfusion”

ColdFusion MX Server always runs as a J2EE web application, even when

in Server Configuration. In Server Configuration the Jrun J2EE Server is

the default J2EE container, but Jrun is installed in a less obvious way.


ColdFusion Logs

ColdFusion logs – application.log useful for development and coding errors

JRun logs – useful for J2EE server problems such as system start up, crash, memory

Hot fix for System Error and System Out log file rotation http://www.adobe.com/go/8698aeb8


ColdFusion Configuration Files

ColdFusion server stores

configuration settings in xml

files

ColdFusion-specific xml config

files are in {cf_root}/lib

Jrun-specific config files are in

{cf_root}/runtime/lib and {cf_root}/runtime/servers/{server}/SERVE

R-INF


ColdFusion Windows Services

ColdFusion Server Configuration installs 4 Windows Services

ODBC Services not available on Unix, Linux, Mac (JDBC Only)


ColdFusion Processes

jrunsvc.exe – a 'parent process'

that watches the actual server

process and will restart it if crash

jrun.exe – the Jrun server that

provides the J2EE container which

hosts the ColdFusion server 'inside'

k2admin.exe, k2index.exe,

k2server.exe – these provide the

ColdFusion Search Service, better

known as the Verity text based

search service


Connection Between ColdFusion and Web Server

A JRun Connector Stub is a small program that runs inside the Web Server

The connector filters incoming HTTP requests and matches ColdFusion extensions like .cfm or .cfc

Matching requests are proxied from the Web Server to ColdFusion's request pool

The connector communicates with ColdFusion over the Jrun Proxy Port as shown in jrun.xml

ColdFusion MX Server

External Web Server

ConnectorStub

Client to Web ServerHTTP Connection

Connector to JRunTCP Connection

JRun Proxy Port 51010


Locating tools to configure external web servers

Wsconfig (Web Server Configuration) tool can be run in GUI mode, CLI

(command line) mode, or as Windows .bat file (or *nix .sh script)


Web Server Configuration - wsconfig.exe


Web Server Configuration – IIS_connector.bat

%CFUSION_HOME%\runtime\bin\wsconfig -server coldfusion -ws IIS -site 0 -coldfusion -cfwebroot


IIS Configuration

ColdFusion will install several IIS Virtual Directories

CFIDE and cfdocs virtual dirs can be skipped if -cfwebroot is not used


Extension Mappings in IIS


ISAPI Filter for Jrun Connector

As a client request from a

browser reaches the IIS Web

Server, the ISAPI filters will

first examine the URL for

patterns. If an request URL

contains an extension such

as .cfm or .cfc then Jrun

connector will divert the

request away from IIS for

processing by ColdFusion


wsconfig.properties


jrun.ini settings

The Jrun webserver connector can be traced and logged when

verbose is true (and webserver is restarted).


Jrun Proxy Service – External Web Server Request Pool Settings

JrunProxyService (jrpp) section of jrun.xml – settings related to the connector and the ColdFusion request pool.

C:\CFusionMX7\runtime\servers\coldfusion\SERVER-INF\jrun.xml


Relevant Ports

Netstat is available on Windows, Unix, Linux, and is useful to observe

active ports used on the system, and the applications to which they

belong


Built-in Jrun Web Server (JWS) Settings

Built-in Web Server Settings (Jrun Web Server or JWS)



Understanding Wsconfig

The wsconfig utility does the following:

Scans the port range 2900 – 3000 to find active ports (typical Jrun JNDI port

range)

Attempts to make TCP connection to each active port found

If active port is a Jrun server, the Jrun server opens a new random port, then

instructs wsconfig to reconnect to that new port (RMI Port).

Wsconfig provides web server config parameters to Jrun via RMI over TCP

Each Jrun server has configuration setting for JNDI Port and RMI Port

C:\CFusionMX7\runtime\servers\coldfusion\SERVER-INF\

jndi.properties

java.naming.provider.url=localhost:2920 <-- JNDI

jrun.naming.rmi.port=0 <------ RMI ( 0 means random)


Common Problems When Using wsconfig

ERROR: Could not connect to any Jrun/ColdFusion servers on host.

Server not running

-Start JRun4 or ColdFusion MX server

Server running

-JNDI listen port in jndi.properties blocked by TCP/IP filtering or firewall on server

-host restriction in security.properties blocking communications with server

A local firewall may block JNDI port (29NN) & the random RMI

port

1) define specific RMI port (i. e. jrun.naming.rmi.port=6543)

2) add firewall rules to permit JNDI and RMI connections on localhost

Ensure other non-JRun programs do not use port 2900-3000

Correct any HOSTNAME resolution problems


Connector Ports Recap

Wsconfig uses the JNDI and RMI ports when installing a

connector

JNDI - 2901, 2910, 2920, etc

RMI – default is 0 (random), but can choose your own

The connector uses only the Jrun Proxy Port

JRPP - 51010, 51011, etc... depending on version and number of instance


Basic ColdFusion MX Administration

The ColdFusion MX Administrator provides a browser-based interface for managing your ColdFusion

environment. You can configure many settings to provide optimal levels of security and

functionality.http://livedocs.macromedia.com/coldfusion/7/htmldocs/00001699.htm

http://www.macromedia.com/go/livedocs_cfmx7docs_configadmin


Queued Request Pool

Running Request Pool

Listener

Browser Request

HTTPResponse

HTTPRequest

Web Server

ColdFusionServer

Page Request Flow

Running Request Pool is Full

Request Pool has empty slot

A slot has opened inRequest Pool

Page Request has been processed

connstub

TCP 51010Jrun Proxy Port


Running Request Pool

ColdFusionServer

Page Processing Flow

is Trusted Cache

on ?

Is page in TemplateCache ?

Save Class Files ?

source file time stamp changed ?

Compile cfm toJava

bytecode

Process Request

N

Y

Y

Y

NN

Write class to

disk


CF Administrator – Server Settings

Simultaneous Request Setting – One of the most important settings. Controls size

of Running Request Pool, or how many requests can actively be operated on by

the CPU at any moment. 3-5/CPU is a rule of thumb, but depends on nature of

application code and underlying hardware


Server Settings > Caching

Set Max Cached Templates greater than total number of application templates (*)

When application hosted in production, enable Trusted Cache to boost performance

Compilation of CFM > Java byte code very fast. Turn off Save Class Files


Configuring the JVM for ColdFusion

Min Heap size (Xms), Max Heap size (Xmx)

JVM Arguments – Add custom JVM args here

ColdFusion Class Path

Settings stored in C:\CFusionMX7\runtime\bin\jvm.config (can edit manually, back up this

file!)

ColdFusion MX 7 Supported for use with Sun JVM 1.4_NN, but not 1.5 or 1.6


Adding Datasources


Add Datasource – Basic Settings


“Advanced” Datasource Options


“Advanced” Datasource Options

Connection String

Specify additional arguments as name-value pairs: sendStringAsUnicode=true;foo=bar;

Limit Connections

Limit total number of connections allowed to database for this datasource

Maintain Connections

When not checked, every connection will require new connection and will degrade

performance. When checked, connection pooling will be used; When request is

finished the connection will be checked into the pool to be reused by another

request.

Timeout (min) – How long should a datasource connection be idle before it is

closed ?

Interval (min) – How often should CF check for idle connections to be removed ?

Login Timeout – How long should CF wait when establishing a new connection ?


ColdFusion MX - Databases Supported


ColdFusion JDBC Driver Upgrades


Using “Third Party” or Other JDBC Drivers


Using “Third Party” or Other JDBC Drivers

Configuring the Oracle 10g Database Driver for ColdFusion MX as OTHERhttp://www.talkingtree.com/blog/index.cfm/2005/11/14/Oracle10gJDBCHowTo


Create Datasource – Where did it go?

Datasource settings stored in xml configfile, {cf_root}/lib/neo-query.xml

Backup this file periodically


Request Timeout - Warning

Databases are one of the most common reasons leading to server

queuing

After a ColdFusion request has sent the SQL to the RDMBS, the request will continue to

wait for the database to respond fully and finish sending all data

ColdFusion WILL NOT TIMEOUT a request that is waiting for the database

However, some JDBC drivers support a driver timeout including Oracle, SQL Server

Use <CFQUERY timeout=”NNN” . . . > for those drivers

If most or all active requests are waiting for a database, ColdFusion

throughput will decrease and new requests will begin to queue

When a Java stack trace is viewed a request can be observed as waiting"jrpp-749" prio=5 tid=0x010ba3b0 nid=0x24b3 runnable

at java.net.SocketInputStream.socketRead0(Native Method)

at java.net.SocketInputStream.read(SocketInputStream.java:129)

at macromedia.jdbc.oracle.net8.OracleDataProvider.ProcessPacketStartFromSocket


Monitoring Open Connections on Oracle


Debug Output Settings

Use only during development, not in production

Enable setting for Database Activity


IP Address Restriction for Debug Output

Debug output is only displayed to IP addresses registered in CF Admin

Debug output is generated for every request if enabled

Causes performance decline when ever enabled, even if not displayed


Debug Settings: Enable Robust Exception Information

Security hazard - Shows detailed error information TO ALL requests including datasource name, query information, table information, etc.


Debug Settings: Enable Debugging

Allowed IP addresses see the following: Actual SQL generated in CFQUERY tags

JDBC Statements and their parameter values, or Stored Procedure parameters

Query Execution Time and Records returned


Securing the ColdFusion Administrator: Password

Choose a strong password during installation or when updating password

Up to 50 characters – alphanumeric + punctuation characters – no spaces


Securing the CF Admin: Restrict access to /CFIDE/administrator/


Securing the CF Admin: Enable Private Intranet Access via JWS


Enable built-in Jrun Web Server (JWS)

Change interface setting from * to a private intranet address or localhost

127.0.0.1 or 192.168.*

Copy or Move CFIDE/administrator directory to CFusionMX7/wwwroot/

Access /CFIDE/administrator/ via private IP: http://192.168.10.1:8500/CFIDE/administrator/index.cfm


Sandbox Security – Create directory based sandbox


Sandbox Security: Data Source Permissions

Restrict ALL DATASOURCES for a given web application

Enable specific datasources as needed for specific web applications


Sandbox Security: DatasourcePermission – denied access

Company1.com template attempted to use datasource company2.com

Sandbox controlled access to datasource – company1 cannot use company2's dsn

Useful in ISP hosting to prevent snooping by other hosted customers


Ten Tips for securing your ColdFusion Application

http://www.adobe.com/devnet/security/articles/topten_tips.html


Configuring ColdFusion MX 7 Server Security

http://www.adobe.com/devnet/coldfusion/articles/cf7_security.html


ColdFusion Security Bulletins

http://www.adobe.com/support/security/


ColdFusion Application Security

http://stevenerat.breezecentral.com/p39473424/


Install ColdFusion Updates When Released

http://www.adobe.com/support/coldfusion/downloads_updates.html


Easy Installation of ColdFusion Updates

In CFMX 7 Administrator's System Information page, select the updater jar location in the Update File field, Submit, then restart CF. The updater file is copied to {cf_root}/lib/updates/


Server Settings > Java and JVM

A subset of JVM parameters are available through CF Administrator


The jvm.config file


The jvm.config file

Located in {cf_root}/runtime/bin/ in Server Configuration

Located in {Jrun_root}/bin/ in Multi-server Configuration

JVM settings can be modified through CF Administrator or by manually editing this file

MAKE A BACKUP OF THE ORIGINAL FILE

MAKE NEW BACKUPS EVERYTIME YOU EDIT THE FILE

Server will not start if improperly edited

java.home and java.args are the most commonly changed settings


Changing the JVM Version

ColdFusion MX 7.02 defaults to use built-in Sun JVM 1.4.2_05

Can install newer Sun JVM 1.4.2 (not supported with Java 5 or Java 6)

Edit java.home setting to point to the new JRE: C:/CFusionMX7/runtime/jre

Use forward slashes “/” or double backslashes “\\” to delimit path

Restart ColdFusion to use new JVM


Commonly Modified JVM Arguments

The -server arg must always appear in first position

-Xmx512m – The max heap size, default at 512 MB

-XX:MaxPermSize – The max Permanent Generation size (optional args use -XX: )

-XX:+UseParallelGC – Garbage Collection behavior (this is a Throughput collector)


The JVM Heap Spaces

New objects (ColdFusion variables, etc) go into the young generation “Eden”

GC removes unreferenced objects and moves referenced objects towards “Tenured”

JVM Heap = Eden + Survivor + Tenured. Permanent Generation is external to heap

PermGen holds ColdFusion Templates and other long lived objects

(source: http://java.sun.com/docs/hotspot/gc1.4.2/)


Using Visual GC Memory Monitoring Tool from Sun

(source: http://www.petefreitag.com/item/141.cfm )


JVM Tuning Resources

JVM Tuning – ColdFusion Developer's Journal – July 2006 http://cfdj.sys-con.com/read/264729_p.htm

Visual Garbage Collection – Pete Freitag's ColdFusion blog

http://www.petefreitag.com/item/141.cfm

Tuning Garbage Collection in JVM 1.4.2 – Sun.com

http://java.sun.com/docs/hotspot/gc1.4.2/

Garbage Collection, Frequently Asked Questions – Sun.com

http://java.sun.com/docs/hotspot/gc1.4.2/faq.html

Performance Under The Covers in ColdFusion MX – Jim Schley

http://www.adobe.com/devnet/coldfusion/articles/performance_61.html


Using Multiple J2EE Server Instances with

ColdFusion

Advantages for Using Multiple Instances of ColdFusion in Multi-Server or Jrun Config

http://www.adobe.com/devnet/coldfusion/j2ee/articles/multiple.html


Clustering Jrun Server Instances for use with

ColdFusion

Clustering ColdFusion MX for J2EE on Jrun

http://www.adobe.com/devnet/coldfusion/j2ee/articles/endtoend.html

HardwareLoad

Balancer


What's Going On Inside ColdFusion Server ?

How many requests are running ?

How many requests are queued ?

How many database hits are occurring ?

What templates are running ?

What are the slowest templates ?

What are the slowest queries ?

?Request Response


Tools to Monitor ColdFusion Server Internals

CFSTAT – a command line utility in {cf_root}/bin/

Jrun Metrics – Enable in jrun.xml, logs session count and

memory usage http://www.adobe.com/go/tn_19120


Tools to Monitor ColdFusion Server Internals

Thread dumps View all Java threads running in the JVM

See which .cfm / .cfc requests are executing to the line (and underlying Java methods)

Requires starting ColdFusion in a command prompt instead of Windows Service

Requires manual intervention to hit a keystroke combination (CTRL+BRK)

Requires manually reviewing thread dumps ( not easily learned )

Technote on Debugging ColdFusion server problems using Thread Dumps

http://www.adobe.com/go/tn_18339


Third Party Tools - SeeFusion.com


Third Party Tools - Fusion-Reactor.com


Coming 2007 – ColdFusion 8 “Scorpio” Server Monitor


Coming 2007 - ColdFusion MX 8 (Scorpio) Server Monitor

Unlocking the ColdFusion Blackbox

Sneak Peek: Scorpio Server Monitoring – Online Presentation by Ashwin

Matthew

“Just for all you folks who couldn’t make it out to MAX - here’s a peek at what Scorpio

may be offering up for server monitoring. This is the presentation I gave at MAX, with voice

over, but missing, alas, the live demos. It may take a little time to load because of all the

audio, so do be patient.”

http://blogs.sanmathi.org/ashwin/downloads/max2006preso/


More About ColdFusion 8 “Scorpio” on Adobe Labs

http://labs.adobe.com/wiki/index.php/Scorpio:FAQ


ColdFusion MX Hosting Providers / ISP

http://www.adobe.com/devnet/coldfusion/articles/select_isp.html

HostMySite, CrystalTech, MediaTemple, CFDynamics

Concerns: Sandbox Security? How many websites to a single CF Server? RDS? Debugging?

coldfusion mx 7 server administration

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