HAL is the codename for WildFly management console. In this tutorial we will have a preview over the “HAL.next” which is next major version of the HAL management console. It ships with new features and uses the latest GWT release.
Install HAL management console
The first thing we will learn is how to install the HAL.next management console. In order to do that, we need a fresh copy of WildFly 11.x (http://wildfly.org/downloads/).
Once you have installed WildFly 11, download the Hal Project (or git clone it) from https://github.com/hal/hal.next/archive/develop.zip
Next build the project with:
$ mvn clean install -P prod,theme-hal
When the build is complete, start the hal standalone application with:
$ java -jar standalone/target/hal-standalone-<version>.jar
Now we will start wildfly and we will configure to allow http origins from Hal.next console.
In Standalone mode:
/core-service=management/management-interface=http-interface:list-add(name=allowed-origins,value=http://localhost:9090) reload
In Domain mode:
/host=master/core-service=management/management-interface=http-interface:list-add(name=allowed-origins,value=http://localhost:9090 reload --host=master
Connect to the Hal.next console
Now it’s time to check if everything works as expected so connect to the HAL.next Management Interface at. http://localhost:9090/console/
Connect and check that you are displaying the new HAL Console:
Selection bookmarkable URLs
The first thing worth mentioning is that now every selection done across the Console has its own unique URL. In the standard console only the applications (the screens you normally use to view and modify resources) have an URL. Having an unique URL has also maintenance advantages as you can control or filter through Proxy rewrite rules what the user is selecting:
Drag and Drop deployment
Another cool add-on is that you are allowed to drag and drop deployments from your navigator windows:
Pin subsystems so that they are always at hand
Next, you can check that every subsystem in the configuration can be pinned so that it stays at the top of the panel. This makes easier to pick up the ones you use more frequently
Macro recording
You can record a set of actions you perform on the Management console and save it:
Once you have recorded the macro, simply give it a name so that it can be reused:
Now go on with management changes. When you are done, select from the bottom widget “Stop Macro Recording“. Once done, you can play macro everytime you need it:
Domain topology overview
Another improvement in the Hal.next console is the Domain topology which provides an overview of the servers in each Domain’s host along with their status:
Install extensions
Finally it’s worth mentioning that you can extend the features of the console with extensions. They are written in JavaScript and should use the JavaScript API to build the UI and interact with the management endpoint.
Here is a sample of console headers Extensions, which are available from https://rawgit.com/hal/js-extensions/master/loglevel/extension.json and https://rawgit.com/hal/js-extensions/master/whoami/extension.json
Acknowledgements:
I’d like to thanks Harald Pehl and Claudio Miranda for the awesome work done so far on the Hal.next console and for all the tips shared to write this article!
References:
https://github.com/hal/hal.next
