PK88962: NOCLASSDEFFOUNDERROR WARNING DURING APPLICATION UPDATE

Fixes are available

APAR status

Closed as program error.

Error description

When performing a partial application update, when the update is
to modules having dependencies on other modules, a
NoClassDefFoundError exception can occur.  Generation of this
exception causes a warning message to be display, for example:

+++ Warning +++: Fri May 15 13:23:46 EDT 2009

java.lang.NoClassDefFoundError:
com/ibm/commerce/content/facade/AttachmentFacade
at java.lang.ClassLoader.defineClass0(Native Method)
at
java.lang.ClassLoader.defineClass(ClassLoader.java(Compiled
Code))

... lines omitted from the stack ...

at
org.eclipse.jem.java.impl.JavaClassImpl.getExtendedLookupIterato
r(JavaCl
assImpl.java:364)
at
org.eclipse.jem.java.impl.JavaClassImpl.collectMethodsExtended(J
avaClass
Impl.java:236)
at
org.eclipse.jem.java.impl.JavaClassImpl.getMethodsExtended(JavaC
lassImpl
.java:533)
at
org.eclipse.jem.java.impl.JavaClassImpl.listMethodExtended(JavaC
lassImpl
.java:957)
at
com.ibm.ws.management.application.client.util.getMethods(util.ja
va:309)
at
com.ibm.ws.management.application.client.EnsureMethodProtectionF
or20EJBH
elper.prepareTask(EnsureMethodProtectionFor20EJBHelper.java:98)
at

The key symptom is a NoClassDefFoundError and a stack showing
calls through types in the package "org.eclipse.jem.java".  The
exception has most often arising in a call from
EnsureMethodProtectionFor20EJBHelper.

Local fix

Problem summary

****************************************************************
* USERS AFFECTED:  All users of IBM WebSphere Application Server
****************************************************************
* PROBLEM DESCRIPTION: A NoClassDefFoundError may occur during *
*                      an application deployment or update     *
*                      operation, even for a properly          *
*                      packaged application.  The error can    *
*                      cause incomplete assignment of method   *
*                      protections.                            *
****************************************************************
* RECOMMENDATION:  When this error is seen, and if method      *
*                  protections are important for the           *
*                  application deployment, two actions are     *
*                  recommended:                                *
*                                                              *
*                  The error may be a result of an             *
*                  incompletely or incorrectly packaged        *
*                  application.  The error may be the result   *
*                  of incorrectly specified class-path in      *
*                  application modules or support jars.        *
*                                                              *
*                  To tell if the error is the result of       *
*                  either of these two cases, the application  *
*                  packaging should be reviewed and            *
*                  corrected.  This case can occur during      *
*                  application deployment, and can occur       *
*                  during an application update.               *
*                                                              *
*                  The error may be a result of a lack of      *
*                  visibility to required prerequisite         *
*                  classes.  In particular, this error has     *
*                  been seen frequently when an EJB class has  *
*                  a super type, parameter, or exception type  *
*                  which is located outside of the EJB jar     *
*                  which contains the EJB class.  The error    *
*                  results when an application operation, for  *
*                  example, a partial update operation, does   *
*                  not have visibility to the prerequisite     *
*                  classes.                                    *
*                                                              *
*                  To tell if this is the case, review the     *
*                  application structure and note if any       *
*                  class dependencies cross jar file           *
*                  boundaries.                                 *
*                                                              *
*                  The consequence of this case is most often  *
*                  missing or incomplete method protection     *
*                  assignments.                                *
*                                                              *
*                  For this case, to avoid the error,          *
*                  perform a full application update instead   *
*                  of a partial application update.            *
*                                                              *
*                  As a work-around, following the             *
*                  application installation or update          *
*                  operation, review the deployed              *
*                  should be reviewed, and updates should be   *
*                  made to complete method protection          *
*                  assignments, if necessary.                  *
*                                                              *
*                  Corrective actions are not necessary if     *
*                  method protection is not important to the   *
*                  application deployment.                     *
*                                                              *
*                  Also, corrective actions are necessary in   *
*                  cases where default method protections are  *
*                  assigned                                    *
****************************************************************
The error message is displayed as a result of a failure to
reflect class information for a Servlet or enterprise bean
class while processing application metadata.  IBM WebSphere
Application Server uses the Java Eclipse Model (JEM) to
reflect Servlet and Java Enterprise Java Bean (EJB) class
information.  For several reasons, as described in this note,
reflection of the class information may fail.

A failure to reflect the class information usually causes
some but not all class information to be generated.  Of several
types of class information, including the inheritance tree,
field, and method  information, the most significant is
method information.  For enterprise beans, the incomplete
listing of EJB methods can cause the incomplete assignment of
protections to those methods.

If method protection is not important to the application
deployment, there is no important consequence.  Also,
if default method protections are provided, there is no
important consequence: Runtime processing of the methods will
assign the correct method protection.  However, if method
protection is important, and no default assignments are
provided, the error is important.  Corrective action must be
taken, as described in the recommendations section.

As noted above, the error message is displayed as a result of
a failure to reflect class information.  The reflection of
class information is performed when processing application and
module metadata.  Reflection is performed in three cases:

1) Reflection of class information is performed during a new
application deployment.

2) Reflection of class information is performed when reviewing
an existing application deployment.

3) Reflection of class information is performed when making an
update to an already deployed application.

The failure can occur for several reasons.  The most frequent
and most notable case is case (2.4).  This case is easy to
trigger when performing a partial update operation.  The
reasons for the failure can be:

1) A corrupt java class file will cause a failure.

2) A missing java class file will cause a failure.

2.1) A java class file can be missing because of an error in the
packaging of the application which is being processed.

2.2) A java class file can be missing because of incorrect
placement of utility libraries in the application, or because
of incorrectly specified class-path elements in application
modules or utility jars.

2.3) A java class file can be missing because it exists in a
shared library, and these are not available to be loaded during
application deployment.

2.4) A java class file can be missing because a partial update
is being performed to an already deployed application.  For
example, when a single module is updated to an application
which contains other modules or utility jars.  In this case,
only the files for the update are available to be loaded.  A
dependency of the module being updated which reaches a utility
jar of the application which is not present in the update will
not be visible to the update operation.  However, the update
will still attempt to process the classes of the module, and
will fail because of the failure to reach the prerequisite
class.

This case (2.4) occurs because of a permanent limitation of
the processing of application updates.  During the update
processing, only the subset of the application which is being
updated is available for processing.

Problem conclusion

The information display for the error to reflect java class
information has been updated to be more appropriate for all
cases:

Because the error may lead to a failure to assign method
protections, and this is a serious error, a warning message is
displayed in all cases.  The warning provides a reference to
this APAR PK88962.

Because the error also occurs in many cases where there is no
consequential problem, to minimize log output in these cases,
a stack is only displayed when FINER logging is enabled for the
logger "com.ibm.config.eclipse.wtp".

The fix for this APAR is currently targeted for inclusion in
fix packs 6.0.2.39, 6.1.0.29, and 7.0.0.9.  Please refer to
the Recommended Updates page for delivery information:
http://www.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?rs=180&uid=swg27004980

Temporary fix

Comments

APAR Information

APAR number
PK88962
Reported component name
WEBS APP SERV N
Reported component ID
5724H8800
Reported release
60W
Status
CLOSED PER
PE
NoPE
HIPER
NoHIPER
Special Attention
NoSpecatt
Submitted date
2009-06-15
Closed date
2009-09-16
Last modified date
2009-09-16

APAR is sysrouted FROM one or more of the following:
APAR is sysrouted TO one or more of the following:

Fix information

Fixed component name
WEBS APP SERV N
Fixed component ID
5724H8800

Applicable component levels

R60A PSY
UP
R60H PSY
UP
R60I PSY
UP
R60P PSY
UP
R60S PSY
UP
R60W PSY
UP
R60Z PSY
UP
R61A PSY
UP
R61H PSY
UP
R61I PSY
UP
R61P PSY
UP
R61S PSY
UP
R61W PSY
UP
R61Z PSY
UP
R700 PSY
UP

[{"Business Unit":{"code":"BU059","label":"IBM Software w\/o TPS"},"Product":{"code":"SSEQTP","label":"WebSphere Application Server"},"Platform":[{"code":"PF025","label":"Platform Independent"}],"Version":"6.0","Line of Business":{"code":"LOB45","label":"Automation"}}]

Document Information

Modified date:
29 December 2021

Tips

PK88962: NOCLASSDEFFOUNDERROR WARNING DURING APPLICATION UPDATE

Fixes are available

Subscribe

APAR status

Closed as program error.

Error description

Local fix

Problem summary

Problem conclusion

Temporary fix

Comments

APAR Information

APAR number

Reported component name

Reported component ID

Reported release

Status

PE

HIPER

Special Attention

Submitted date

Closed date

Last modified date

APAR is sysrouted FROM one or more of the following:

APAR is sysrouted TO one or more of the following:

Fix information

Fixed component name

Fixed component ID

Applicable component levels

R60A PSY

R60H PSY

R60I PSY

R60P PSY

R60S PSY

R60W PSY

R60Z PSY

R61A PSY

R61H PSY

R61I PSY

R61P PSY

R61S PSY

R61W PSY

R61Z PSY

R700 PSY

Document Information

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