The JMS Publisher Type

The JMS audit log custom publisher makes it possible to publish audit event records to a JMS (Java Message Service) queue or topic.

Why Use JMS?

Publishing to JMS provides additional flexibility for correlation in environments that have multiple Waveset servers. In addition, JMS can be used in situations where there are restrictions on using the File audit log publisher, for example in Windows environments where the log may not be accessible to a client reporting tool while the server is running.

JMS offers several benefits for environments with multiple servers:

• The JMS message store centralizes (and simplifies) message storage and retrieval.

• The JMS architecture does not place restrictions on how many clients can access the service.

• The JMS protocol is easy to send through firewalls and other network infrastructure.

Point-to-Point or Publish-and-Subscribe?

Java Message System provides two models for messaging: the point-to-point or queuing model, and the publish and subscribe or topic model. Waveset supports both models.

In the point-to-point model, a producer posts messages to a particular queue and a consumer reads messages from the queue. Here, the producer knows the destination of the message and posts the message directly to the consumer’s queue.

The point-to-point model has the following characteristics:

• Only one consumer will get the message.

• The producer does not have to be running at the time the receiver consumes the message, nor does the receiver need to be running at the time the message is sent.

• Every message successfully processed is acknowledged by the receiver.

The publish and subscribe model, on the other hand, supports publishing messages to a particular message topic. Zero or more subscribers may register interest in receiving messages on a particular message topic. In this model, neither the publisher nor the subscriber know about each other. A good metaphor for this model is the anonymous bulletin board.

The publish and subscribe model has the following characteristics:

• Multiple consumers can receive messages.

• A timing dependency exists between publishers and subscribers. The publisher has to create a subscription before clients can subscribe. Once subscribed, subscribers have to remain continuously active to receive messages, unless a durable subscription has been established. In the case of a durable subscription, messages published while the subscriber is not connected will be redistributed when the subscriber reconnects.

For more information about JMS, see http://www.oracle.com/goto/glassfish.

Configuring the JMS Publisher Type

The JMS publisher formats audit events into JMS TextMessages. These TextMessages are then sent to either a queue or a topic, depending on the configuration. Text messages can be formatted as XML or Universal Logging Format (ULF), depending on configuration.

To enable the JMS publisher type, follow the steps in To Enable Custom Audit Publishers and select JMS from the New Publisher drop-down menu.

To configure the JMS publisher type, complete the Configure New Audit Publisher form. If you have questions about the form, refer to the i-Helps and online Help.