JBoss EAP 7/6 deadlocks on a logging ConsoleHandler and java.io.PrintStream

Solution Verified - Updated

Environment

  • Red Hat JBoss Enterprise Application Platform (EAP)
    • 6.x
    • 7.x

Issue

  • JBoss EAP 7/6 became unresponsive. Thread dumps showed the following deadlock:
"http-/0.0.0.0:80-2":
        at java.util.logging.StreamHandler.publish(StreamHandler.java:174)
        - waiting to lock <0x00000000f93c4498> (a java.util.logging.ConsoleHandler)
        at java.util.logging.ConsoleHandler.publish(ConsoleHandler.java:88)
        at org.jboss.logmanager.LoggerNode.publish(LoggerNode.java:290)
        at org.jboss.logmanager.LoggerNode.publish(LoggerNode.java:298)
        at org.jboss.logmanager.Logger.logRaw(Logger.java:721)
        at org.jboss.logmanager.Logger.log(Logger.java:506)
        at org.jboss.stdio.AbstractLoggingWriter.write(AbstractLoggingWriter.java:71)
        - locked <0x00000000fa687ef8> (a java.lang.StringBuilder)
        at org.jboss.stdio.WriterOutputStream.finish(WriterOutputStream.java:143)
        at org.jboss.stdio.WriterOutputStream.flush(WriterOutputStream.java:164)
        - locked <0x00000000fa68c960> (a sun.nio.cs.UTF_8$Decoder)
        at java.io.PrintStream.write(PrintStream.java:432)
        - locked <0x00000000fa687e90> (a java.io.PrintStream)
        at org.jboss.stdio.StdioContext$DelegatingPrintStream.write(StdioContext.java:225)
        at sun.nio.cs.StreamEncoder.writeBytes(StreamEncoder.java:202)
        at sun.nio.cs.StreamEncoder.implFlushBuffer(StreamEncoder.java:272)
        at sun.nio.cs.StreamEncoder.implFlush(StreamEncoder.java:276)
        at sun.nio.cs.StreamEncoder.flush(StreamEncoder.java:122)
        - locked <0x00000000f93deff0> (a java.io.OutputStreamWriter)
        at java.io.OutputStreamWriter.flush(OutputStreamWriter.java:212)
        at java.util.logging.StreamHandler.flush(StreamHandler.java:225)
        - locked <0x00000000f93de058> (a java.util.logging.ConsoleHandler)
        at java.util.logging.ConsoleHandler.publish(ConsoleHandler.java:89)
        at org.jboss.logmanager.LoggerNode.publish(LoggerNode.java:290)
        at org.jboss.logmanager.LoggerNode.publish(LoggerNode.java:298)
        at org.jboss.logmanager.LoggerNode.publish(LoggerNode.java:298)
        at org.jboss.logmanager.LoggerNode.publish(LoggerNode.java:298)
        at org.jboss.logmanager.LoggerNode.publish(LoggerNode.java:298)
        at org.jboss.logmanager.LoggerNode.publish(LoggerNode.java:298)
        at org.jboss.logmanager.LoggerNode.publish(LoggerNode.java:298)
        at org.jboss.logmanager.Logger.logRaw(Logger.java:721)
        at org.jboss.logmanager.Logger.log(Logger.java:672)
        at org.jboss.logmanager.Logger.log(Logger.java:684)
        at org.jboss.logging.JBossLogManagerLogger.doLog(JBossLogManagerLogger.java:40)
        at org.jboss.logging.Logger.debug(Logger.java:382)
        ...

"http-/0.0.0.0:80-1":
        at java.io.PrintStream.flush(PrintStream.java:285)
        - waiting to lock <0x00000000fa687e90> (a java.io.PrintStream)
        at org.jboss.stdio.StdioContext$DelegatingPrintStream.flush(StdioContext.java:209)
        at sun.nio.cs.StreamEncoder.implFlush(StreamEncoder.java:278)
        at sun.nio.cs.StreamEncoder.flush(StreamEncoder.java:122)
        - locked <0x00000000f93c6680> (a java.io.OutputStreamWriter)
        at java.io.OutputStreamWriter.flush(OutputStreamWriter.java:212)
        at java.util.logging.StreamHandler.flush(StreamHandler.java:225)
        - locked <0x00000000f93c4498> (a java.util.logging.ConsoleHandler)
        at java.util.logging.ConsoleHandler.publish(ConsoleHandler.java:89)
        at org.jboss.logmanager.LoggerNode.publish(LoggerNode.java:290)
        at org.jboss.logmanager.LoggerNode.publish(LoggerNode.java:298)
        at org.jboss.logmanager.LoggerNode.publish(LoggerNode.java:298)
        at org.jboss.logmanager.LoggerNode.publish(LoggerNode.java:298)
        at org.jboss.logmanager.LoggerNode.publish(LoggerNode.java:298)
        at org.jboss.logmanager.LoggerNode.publish(LoggerNode.java:298)
        at org.jboss.logmanager.LoggerNode.publish(LoggerNode.java:298)
        at org.jboss.logmanager.Logger.logRaw(Logger.java:721)
        at org.jboss.logmanager.Logger.log(Logger.java:672)
        at org.jboss.logmanager.Logger.log(Logger.java:684)
        at org.jboss.logging.JBossLogManagerLogger.doLog(JBossLogManagerLogger.java:40)
        at org.jboss.logging.Logger.debug(Logger.java:382)
        ...
  • There is a deadlock between multiple ConsoleAppenders, for example:
"ServerService Thread Pool -- 58":
	at org.apache.log4j.AppenderSkeleton.doAppend(AppenderSkeleton.java:231)
	- waiting to lock <0x0000000702fa6888> (a org.apache.log4j.ConsoleAppender)
	at org.apache.log4j.JBossAppenderHandler.doPublish(JBossAppenderHandler.java:34)
	at org.jboss.logmanager.ExtHandler.publish(ExtHandler.java:76)
	at org.jboss.logmanager.LoggerNode.publish(LoggerNode.java:302)
	at org.jboss.logmanager.LoggerNode.publish(LoggerNode.java:310)
	at org.jboss.logmanager.Logger.logRaw(Logger.java:719)
	at org.jboss.logmanager.Logger.log(Logger.java:504)
	at org.jboss.stdio.AbstractLoggingWriter.write(AbstractLoggingWriter.java:71)
	- locked <0x0000000702fa9458> (a java.lang.StringBuilder)
	at org.jboss.stdio.WriterOutputStream.finish(WriterOutputStream.java:143)
	at org.jboss.stdio.WriterOutputStream.flush(WriterOutputStream.java:164)
	- locked <0x0000000702fa9510> (a sun.nio.cs.UTF_8$Decoder)
	at java.io.PrintStream.write(PrintStream.java:482)
	- locked <0x0000000702fa93f0> (a java.io.PrintStream)
	at org.jboss.stdio.StdioContext$DelegatingPrintStream.write(StdioContext.java:264)
	at sun.nio.cs.StreamEncoder.writeBytes(StreamEncoder.java:221)
	at sun.nio.cs.StreamEncoder.implFlushBuffer(StreamEncoder.java:291)
	at sun.nio.cs.StreamEncoder.implFlush(StreamEncoder.java:295)
	at sun.nio.cs.StreamEncoder.flush(StreamEncoder.java:141)
	- locked <0x0000000700121e10> (a java.io.OutputStreamWriter)
	at java.io.OutputStreamWriter.flush(OutputStreamWriter.java:229)
	at org.apache.log4j.helpers.QuietWriter.flush(QuietWriter.java:59)
	at org.apache.log4j.WriterAppender.subAppend(WriterAppender.java:324)
	at org.apache.log4j.WriterAppender.append(WriterAppender.java:162)
	at org.apache.log4j.AppenderSkeleton.doAppend(AppenderSkeleton.java:251)
	- locked <0x00000007001213b8> (a org.apache.log4j.ConsoleAppender)
	at org.apache.log4j.JBossAppenderHandler.doPublish(JBossAppenderHandler.java:34)

"ServerService Thread Pool -- 75":
	at org.apache.log4j.AppenderSkeleton.doAppend(AppenderSkeleton.java:231)
	- waiting to lock <0x00000007001213b8> (a org.apache.log4j.ConsoleAppender)
	at org.apache.log4j.JBossAppenderHandler.doPublish(JBossAppenderHandler.java:34)
	at org.jboss.logmanager.ExtHandler.publish(ExtHandler.java:76)
	at org.jboss.logmanager.LoggerNode.publish(LoggerNode.java:302)
	at org.jboss.logmanager.LoggerNode.publish(LoggerNode.java:310)
	at org.jboss.logmanager.Logger.logRaw(Logger.java:719)
	at org.jboss.logmanager.Logger.log(Logger.java:504)
	at org.jboss.stdio.AbstractLoggingWriter.write(AbstractLoggingWriter.java:71)
	- locked <0x0000000700123fe0> (a java.lang.StringBuilder)
	at org.jboss.stdio.WriterOutputStream.finish(WriterOutputStream.java:143)
	at org.jboss.stdio.WriterOutputStream.flush(WriterOutputStream.java:164)
	- locked <0x0000000700124098> (a sun.nio.cs.UTF_8$Decoder)
	at java.io.PrintStream.write(PrintStream.java:482)
	- locked <0x0000000700123f78> (a java.io.PrintStream)
	at org.jboss.stdio.StdioContext$DelegatingPrintStream.write(StdioContext.java:264)
	at sun.nio.cs.StreamEncoder.writeBytes(StreamEncoder.java:221)
	at sun.nio.cs.StreamEncoder.implFlushBuffer(StreamEncoder.java:291)
	at sun.nio.cs.StreamEncoder.implFlush(StreamEncoder.java:295)
	at sun.nio.cs.StreamEncoder.flush(StreamEncoder.java:141)
	- locked <0x0000000702fa72c8> (a java.io.OutputStreamWriter)
	at java.io.OutputStreamWriter.flush(OutputStreamWriter.java:229)
	at org.apache.log4j.helpers.QuietWriter.flush(QuietWriter.java:59)
	at org.apache.log4j.WriterAppender.subAppend(WriterAppender.java:324)
	at org.apache.log4j.WriterAppender.append(WriterAppender.java:162)
	at org.apache.log4j.AppenderSkeleton.doAppend(AppenderSkeleton.java:251)
	- locked <0x0000000702fa6888> (a org.apache.log4j.ConsoleAppender)
	at org.apache.log4j.JBossAppenderHandler.doPublish(JBossAppenderHandler.java:34)

Resolution

  1. Remove log4j ConsoleAppender from application-level code and log configs.
  2. For versions below JBoss EAP 6.4.2, upgrade to JBoss EAP 6.4.2+ or later.

As a workaround a simple change on the configuration is to disable stdout/stderr in the JBoss EAP logging subsystem:

            <logger category="stdout">
                <level name="OFF"/>
            </logger>
            <logger category="stderr">
                <level name="OFF"/>
            </logger>

Root Cause

Diagnostic Steps

  1. Troubleshoot using thread dumps and additional steps mentioned in Java application unresponsive
  2. Check application level log configs for appenders writing to the console/standard output.
Components
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