how to debug J2ee application ?

[Sam Zou]

Hi,

I'm learning J2ee and I'd like to use and debug
Java adventure. I tried to find some information but found nothing.
What I tried to debug , is to start the j2ee server by adding the following options into the bin/asadmin.bat file:
-Xdebug -Xrunjdwp:transport=dt_socket,address=8000,server=y,suspend=n
This it doesn't work because the j2ee server is started with the javaw.exe virtual machine. So I'm stuck here.
My first question: 1- what visual debugger is great to debug J2ee apps ??
I'd like to known what are the steps to:
2- how to start the j2ee server in order to attach the jdb or a visual
debugger ?
3- when starting the j2ee server, what do i have to do in order to step
into the code source of Java adventure and follow function calls ?
4- how do I have to start the jdb to attach to the J2ee server ?
5- Any useful tip to debug J2ee apps ! :-)

Thanks in advance !
Waltereo

[Lasse Koskela]

Have you seen this? (I assume "asadmin" means you're using SunONE)

[Howard Kushner]

Originally posted by Sam Zou:

what visual debugger is great to debug J2ee apps ??

Hello Sam,
IMHO - WebSphere Studio Application Developer is the best IDE, but YMMV.
You can dowload a free eval copy, but it is big, but it is good. I will be happy to answer any question about it. Post them right here and I'll check back.
Regards,

[Sam Zou]

Thanks for your responses.
Yes I'm trying to use SunOne. In fact I'm trying different Apps to debug Java Adventure blueprint. I have to give a deeper try for debugging with Sunone

Howard,
The problem I have with websphere is that I'm not able to create a project that contains all the file from the Java Adventure Blueprint from Sun.
I guess the first step is to be able to create a project that include all files from adventure.
Do you have an idea how to do that
My second question is, if I use Websphere to debug, which Apps server do I have to use in order to be able to debug ? Do I have to use Websphere apps server or any J2ee compliant server ?
Thanks in advance.

Sam