JVM Monitor to Track Java Application Performance
Track KPIs for multi-vendor JVM servers in one place
Track KPIs for multi-vendor JVM servers in one place
Discover database and infrastructure issues faster
Discover database and infrastructure issues faster
Troubleshoot web service and API issues in real time
Troubleshoot web service and API issues in real time
Monitor vital statistics from JVM with a JMX monitoring tool
Monitor vital statistics from JVM with a JMX monitoring tool
When Managed Beans (MBeans)—objects that can represent devices, applications, system objects, and service-oriented networks—are registered to an MBean Server, you can manage and monitor them with Java Management Extensions (JMX). You can also use JMX technology to monitor your Java virtual machines (JVMs), thanks to their built-in instrumentation. Given the complexity of the relationship between JVMs, JMX, and MBeans, it’s essential to monitor metrics for all three to optimize JVM performance.
SAM is equipped with a predefined JMX Monitor that can poll available MBeans on JVMs results and Java application servers. With SAM, you can monitor:
- JVM memory consumption
- CPU usage
- Garbage collection
- Memory pool size and usage
- Memory heap size and usage
- Loaded and unloaded classes
- Thread count and thread dumps
- MBean
- Transaction response time
- And more
By monitoring these metrics, you can gain a deeper understanding of your JVMs, allowing you to troubleshoot problems, track memory leaks, avoid outages, and optimize JVM performance more effectively.
View JVM performance in a broader context with the Orion Platform
View JVM performance in a broader context with the Orion Platform
Comprehensive and scalable, the SolarWinds® Orion® Platform is an integrated solution built to provide a centralized view of SolarWinds network products and IT operations products for monitoring your IT environment’s infrastructure, applications, network, servers, storage resources, logs, databases, and more.
With SAM insights remote clients can monitor, compare different elements’ performance in real time on the Orion Platform and manage applications in Java Virtual Machine (JVM) environments via Managed Beans (MBeans). Equipped with easy-to-understand charts and the ability to configure automatic alerts based on specific metric thresholds, SAM enables them to thoroughly understand their JVM performance and quickly act when issues arise.
Get More on Java VM Monitoring
What is JVM?
Though it’s possible to run Java applications on physical hardware, many organizations opt to run Java applications on Java virtual machines (or JVMs). In addition to running programs written in Java, JVMs can interpret bytecode, enabling computers to execute commands from programs originally written in other languages, so long as they’re compiled to Java bytecode.
Running Java applications on JVMs installed in a cloud or hybrid environment enables organizations to increase their computing power without investing in more hardware, which can quickly become costly. Using Java virtual machines also eliminates the need to rewrite code developed on one Java system for use on other Java-enabled systems, saving you valuable time.
As with most software, monitoring and managing Java virtual machines are essential. Using Java Management Extensions (JMX) to manage resources at runtime requires creating Managed Beans (or MBeans) and registering them to an MBean server.
How does a Java virtual machine work?
As a form of abstract machines and part of the Java Runtime Environment (JRE), JVMs are compatible with cloud or hybrid environments and can support Java applications. Serving as run-time engines for Java applications, Java virtual machines are responsible for loading, verifying, and executing Java bytecode. They also allow Java code developed on one system to run on other Java-enabled systems without recoding.
The Java compiler generates byte-code-containing .class files when compiling a .java file, which are then read by the Class loader. Next, the JVM stores the loaded class’ fully qualified name, its immediate parent class, and variable, modifier, and method information in the method area. The JVM will then create an object to represent the .class file in heap memory, and when it comes to loading classes, JVMs follow the Delegation-Hierarchy principle.
JVM memory is complex and composed of the method area, the heap area, the stack area, PC registers, and native method stacks. Consequently, it’s important to invest in quality JVM memory monitoring tools. Other components of JVMs include the interpreter, the Just-In-Time Compiler (JIT), and the garbage collector.
It’s crucial to actively monitor JVM and Java Management Extensions (JMX) metrics to ensure optimal performance. Monitoring Java involves collecting JVM metrics to identify when JVM resource usage negatively impacts Java application performance. Key metrics to pay attention to include heap size, garbage collection, object creation, and those involving memory or CPU usage.
Why is monitoring JVMs important?
Java virtual machine monitoring is necessary for any organization with Java applications, as JVM performance affects Java application performance. Neglecting to engage in Java VM monitoring can lead to application problems, poor server performance, and negative financial consequences. Performed with Java Management Extensions, Java virtual machine monitoring should be one of your organization’s top priorities.
Memory leaks often occur within JVMs. By consistently monitoring heap memory, non-heap memory, and garbage collections with a JVM performance monitoring tool, you can identify which applications are using memory and CPU ineffectively, detect memory leaks, and make optimizations accordingly to avoid potential slowdowns, crashes.
With a Java VM monitoring tool like SAM, you can easily monitor JVM CPU usage and other metrics like the number of applications running in your JVM, server details, and response time to gain a more thorough understanding of your JVMs. Engaging in quality Java virtual machine monitoring can help you detect and respond to issues causing suboptimal Java application performance, quickly.
What does a JVM monitoring tool do?
An effective JVM monitoring tool will gather vital JVM performance metrics, offering deep insights into your JVM and enabling you to ensure your Java applications run smoothly. With the help of a JVM performance monitoring tool, you can easily access up-to-date data, from memory heap consumption to response time, to better understand your JVMs and, by extension, your Java applications’ performance.
However, many organizations rely on JVMs from various vendors, which can complicate and lengthen the JVM monitoring process. Using a JVM performance monitoring tool designed to support multi-vendor JVM server monitoring, such as SAM, will enable you to monitor JVMs performance—regardless of whether they’re from the same vendor.
Since Java Management Extensions enable users to monitor applications running in your JVMs, monitoring JMX metrics should be part of your JVM monitoring strategy. Using a JMX monitor to poll MBeans will give you valuable insights into your JMX servers and JVMs. Several JVM monitoring tools will even have remote JVM monitoring capabilities or allow you to define warning thresholds for specific JMX and JVM metrics.
Along with JMX performance, hardware health and server hardware performance also impact Java application performance. With a comprehensive server and application monitoring tool like SAM, you can more easily monitor your hardware and operating system alongside your JMX and JVM metrics to optimize Java application performance. A JVM performance monitoring tool may also be equipped with comprehensive reporting capabilities, enabling you to view and understand historic performance metrics in addition to current data.
How does JVM performance monitoring work in SAM?
Underperforming Java virtual machines and Java applications can lead to ineffective CPU and memory usage, so Java VM monitoring can be essential. SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor (SAM) is equipped with Java VM monitoring tools that use SNMP and JMX protocols to monitor key performance metrics across different types of Java application servers, enabling you to proactively monitor your JVMs and Java application servers in a central interface.
With more than 1,200 monitoring templates, plus the ability to customize or create your own templates, SAM simplifies the monitoring process. You can easily monitor your JVMs—even if they’re from different vendors or servers—using easily digestible drag-and-discover charts and grouping capabilities. Within the grouping tab, you can group and aggregate your JMX applications and JVMs, enabling you to see availability and performance metrics in a single window and dig down into problematic groups. You can also view minimum, maximum, and average statistical data and performance metrics, such as response time, garbage collections, CPU consumption, memory heap size, application compiler time, wait time, network traffic, and more.
With the user-friendly interface in SAM, you can map JVM dependencies and quickly track, monitor, and identify the root cause of memory leaks or bottlenecks in your JVM. You can even configure automatic alerts for each metric, enabling you to receive alerts whenever custom thresholds are crossed without being overwhelmed by unnecessary alerts.
While other Java virtual machine monitoring tools may not be designed to monitor both on-premises and cloud-based resources, SAM is built to help you monitor your hybrid environment. In addition to providing real-time insights, offering robust alerting and reporting capabilities, and monitoring your JVMs, SAM enables you to monitor and access metrics for your physical servers and hardware, such as fan speed, power supply, and temperature. SAM simplifies JVM monitoring in JBoss and even offers at-a-glance insights into operating system availability and application performance as well as infrastructure dependency mapping, providing you with a comprehensive view of your IT environment.
By monitoring key JVM metrics with an intuitive JVM monitor, SAM is designed to help you improve JVM and application performance.
Related Features and Tools
Other SolarWinds Tools to Help Improve JVM Environment:
Other Features:
What is JVM?
Though it’s possible to run Java applications on physical hardware, many organizations opt to run Java applications on Java virtual machines (or JVMs). In addition to running programs written in Java, JVMs can interpret bytecode, enabling computers to execute commands from programs originally written in other languages, so long as they’re compiled to Java bytecode.
Running Java applications on JVMs installed in a cloud or hybrid environment enables organizations to increase their computing power without investing in more hardware, which can quickly become costly. Using Java virtual machines also eliminates the need to rewrite code developed on one Java system for use on other Java-enabled systems, saving you valuable time.
As with most software, monitoring and managing Java virtual machines are essential. Using Java Management Extensions (JMX) to manage resources at runtime requires creating Managed Beans (or MBeans) and registering them to an MBean server.
Easily monitor application performance with an effective JVM monitor
Server & Application Monitor
- Automatically discover applications and monitor servers
- Quickly monitor the performance and availability of Microsoft Azure and Amazon AWS services
- Engage in best practices with the help of built-in templates
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SAM, an Orion module, is built on the SolarWinds Platform