ActiveMQ: No suitable Log constructor

Question

I'm trying to run ActiveMQ on Mac OSX 10.5.7. I have Java version 1.5.0_19 and ActiveMQ 5.2.0. Below is the exception I get when running bin/activemq. It seems to be unable to find Log4j which is odd considering it comes with ActiveMQ and is definitely in the lib/optional directory. The only thing I can think of is that I have a conflict somewhere, but I can't imagine how this is possible. If anyone has any tips whatsoever I'm all ears. Googling produced almost no results with the same error, and the one person who has the exact error doesn't have a solution.

brad-robertsons-macbook-pro:apache-activemq-5.2.0
bradrobertson$ ./bin/activemq
ACTIVEMQ_HOME: /Users/bradrobertson/Java/apache-activemq-5.2.0
ACTIVEMQ_BASE: /Users/bradrobertson/Java/apache-activemq-5.2.0
Loading message broker from: xbean:activemq.xml
ERROR: java.lang.RuntimeException: Failed to execute start task. Reason: java.io.IOException: Could not load xbean factory:java.lang.ExceptionInInitializerError java.lang.RuntimeException: Failed to execute start task. Reason: java.io.IOException: Could not load xbean factory:java.lang.ExceptionInInitializerError
  at org.apache.activemq.console.command.StartCommand.runTask(StartCommand.java:98)
  at org.apache.activemq.console.command.AbstractCommand.execute(AbstractCommand.java:57)
  at org.apache.activemq.console.command.ShellCommand.runTask(ShellCommand.java:129)
  at org.apache.activemq.console.command.AbstractCommand.execute(AbstractCommand.java:57)
  at org.apache.activemq.console.command.ShellCommand.main(ShellCommand.java:79)
  at sun.reflect.NativeMethodAccessorImpl.invoke0(Native Method)
  at sun.reflect.NativeMethodAccessorImpl.invoke(NativeMethodAccessorImpl.java:39)
  at sun.reflect.DelegatingMethodAccessorImpl.invoke(DelegatingMethodAccessorImpl.java:25)
  at java.lang.reflect.Method.invoke(Method.java:585)
  at org.apache.activemq.console.Main.runTaskClass(Main.java:225)
  at org.apache.activemq.console.Main.main(Main.java:106)
Caused by: java.io.IOException: Could not load xbean factory:java.lang.ExceptionInInitializerError
  at org.apache.activemq.util.IOExceptionSupport.create(IOExceptionSupport.java:27)
  at org.apache.activemq.broker.BrokerFactory.createBrokerFactoryHandler(BrokerFactory.java:43)
  at org.apache.activemq.broker.BrokerFactory.createBroker(BrokerFactory.java:70)
  at org.apache.activemq.broker.BrokerFactory.createBroker(BrokerFactory.java:54)
  at org.apache.activemq.console.command.StartCommand.startBroker(StartCommand.java:115)
  at org.apache.activemq.console.command.StartCommand.runTask(StartCommand.java:74)
  ... 10 more
Caused by: java.lang.ExceptionInInitializerError
  at sun.reflect.NativeConstructorAccessorImpl.newInstance0(Native Method)
  at sun.reflect.NativeConstructorAccessorImpl.newInstance(NativeConstructorAccessorImpl.java:39)
  at sun.reflect.DelegatingConstructorAccessorImpl.newInstance(DelegatingConstructorAccessorImpl.java:27)
  at java.lang.reflect.Constructor.newInstance(Constructor.java:494)
  at java.lang.Class.newInstance0(Class.java:350)
  at java.lang.Class.newInstance(Class.java:303)
  at org.apache.activemq.util.FactoryFinder.newInstance(FactoryFinder.java:55)
  at org.apache.activemq.util.FactoryFinder.newInstance(FactoryFinder.java:42)
  at org.apache.activemq.broker.BrokerFactory.createBrokerFactoryHandler(BrokerFactory.java:41)
  ... 14 more
Caused by: org.apache.commons.logging.LogConfigurationException: org.apache.commons.logging.LogConfigurationException: No suitable Log constructor [Ljava.lang.Class;@abcc03 for org.apache.commons.logging.impl.Log4JLogger (Caused by java.lang.NoClassDefFoundError:org/apache/log4j/Category) (Caused by org.apache.commons.logging.LogConfigurationException: No suitable Log constructor [Ljava.lang.Class;@abcc03 for org.apache.commons.logging.impl.Log4JLogger (Caused by java.lang.NoClassDefFoundError: org/apache/log4j/Category))
  at org.apache.commons.logging.impl.LogFactoryImpl.newInstance(LogFactoryImpl.java:543)
  at org.apache.commons.logging.impl.LogFactoryImpl.getInstance(LogFactoryImpl.java:235)
  at org.apache.commons.logging.impl.LogFactoryImpl.getInstance(LogFactoryImpl.java:209)
  at org.apache.commons.logging.LogFactory.getLog(LogFactory.java:351)
  at org.apache.activemq.xbean.XBeanBrokerFactory.<clinit(XBeanBrokerFactory.java:43)
  ... 23 more
Caused by: org.apache.commons.logging.LogConfigurationException: No suitable Log constructor [Ljava.lang.Class;@abcc03 for org.apache.commons.logging.impl.Log4JLogger (Caused by java.lang.NoClassDefFoundError: org/apache/log4j/Category)
  at org.apache.commons.logging.impl.LogFactoryImpl.getLogConstructor(LogFactoryImpl.java:413)
  at org.apache.commons.logging.impl.LogFactoryImpl.newInstance(LogFactoryImpl.java:529)
  ... 27 more
Caused by: java.lang.NoClassDefFoundError: org/apache/log4j/Category
  at java.lang.Class.getDeclaredConstructors0(Native Method)
  at java.lang.Class.privateGetDeclaredConstructors(Class.java:2357)
  at java.lang.Class.getConstructor0(Class.java:2671)
  at java.lang.Class.getConstructor(Class.java:1629)
  at org.apache.commons.logging.impl.LogFactoryImpl.getLogConstructor(LogFactoryImpl.java:410)
  ... 28 more
ERROR: java.lang.Exception: java.io.IOException: Could not load xbean factory:java.lang.ExceptionInInitializerError java.lang.Exception: java.io.IOException: Could not load xbean factory:java.lang.ExceptionInInitializerError
  at org.apache.activemq.console.command.StartCommand.runTask(StartCommand.java:99)
  at org.apache.activemq.console.command.AbstractCommand.execute(AbstractCommand.java:57)
  at org.apache.activemq.console.command.ShellCommand.runTask(ShellCommand.java:129)
  at org.apache.activemq.console.command.AbstractCommand.execute(AbstractCommand.java:57)
  at org.apache.activemq.console.command.ShellCommand.main(ShellCommand.java:79)
  at sun.reflect.NativeMethodAccessorImpl.invoke0(Native Method)
  at sun.reflect.NativeMethodAccessorImpl.invoke(NativeMethodAccessorImpl.java:39)
  at sun.reflect.DelegatingMethodAccessorImpl.invoke(DelegatingMethodAccessorImpl.java:25)
  at java.lang.reflect.Method.invoke(Method.java:585)
  at org.apache.activemq.console.Main.runTaskClass(Main.java:225)
  at org.apache.activemq.console.Main.main(Main.java:106)
Caused by: java.io.IOException: Could not load xbean factory:java.lang.ExceptionInInitializerError
  at org.apache.activemq.util.IOExceptionSupport.create(IOExceptionSupport.java:27)
  at org.apache.activemq.broker.BrokerFactory.createBrokerFactoryHandler(BrokerFactory.java:43)
  at org.apache.activemq.broker.BrokerFactory.createBroker(BrokerFactory.java:70)
  at org.apache.activemq.broker.BrokerFactory.createBroker(BrokerFactory.java:54)
  at org.apache.activemq.console.command.StartCommand.startBroker(StartCommand.java:115)
  at org.apache.activemq.console.command.StartCommand.runTask(StartCommand.java:74)
  ... 10 more
Caused by: java.lang.ExceptionInInitializerError
  at sun.reflect.NativeConstructorAccessorImpl.newInstance0(Native Method)
  at sun.reflect.NativeConstructorAccessorImpl.newInstance(NativeConstructorAccessorImpl.java:39)
  at sun.reflect.DelegatingConstructorAccessorImpl.newInstance(DelegatingConstructorAccessorImpl.java:27)
  at java.lang.reflect.Constructor.newInstance(Constructor.java:494)
  at java.lang.Class.newInstance0(Class.java:350)
  at java.lang.Class.newInstance(Class.java:303)
  at org.apache.activemq.util.FactoryFinder.newInstance(FactoryFinder.java:55)
  at org.apache.activemq.util.FactoryFinder.newInstance(FactoryFinder.java:42)
  at org.apache.activemq.broker.BrokerFactory.createBrokerFactoryHandler(BrokerFactory.java:41)
  ... 14 more
Caused by: org.apache.commons.logging.LogConfigurationException: org.apache.commons.logging.LogConfigurationException: No suitable Log constructor [Ljava.lang.Class;@abcc03 for org.apache.commons.logging.impl.Log4JLogger (Caused by java.lang.NoClassDefFoundError: org/apache/log4j/Category) (Caused by org.apache.commons.logging.LogConfigurationException: No suitable Log constructor [Ljava.lang.Class;@abcc03 for org.apache.commons.logging.impl.Log4JLogger (Caused by java.lang.NoClassDefFoundError: org/apache/log4j/Category))
  at org.apache.commons.logging.impl.LogFactoryImpl.newInstance(LogFactoryImpl.java:543)
  at org.apache.commons.logging.impl.LogFactoryImpl.getInstance(LogFactoryImpl.java:235)
  at org.apache.commons.logging.impl.LogFactoryImpl.getInstance(LogFactoryImpl.java:209)
  at org.apache.commons.logging.LogFactory.getLog(LogFactory.java:351)
  at org.apache.activemq.xbean.XBeanBrokerFactory.<clinit(XBeanBrokerFactory.java:43)
  ... 23 more
Caused by: org.apache.commons.logging.LogConfigurationException: No suitable Log constructor [Ljava.lang.Class;@abcc03 for org.apache.commons.logging.impl.Log4JLogger (Caused by java.lang.NoClassDefFoundError: org/apache/log4j/Category)
  at org.apache.commons.logging.impl.LogFactoryImpl.getLogConstructor(LogFactoryImpl.java:413)
  at org.apache.commons.logging.impl.LogFactoryImpl.newInstance(LogFactoryImpl.java:529)
  ... 27 more
Caused by: java.lang.NoClassDefFoundError: org/apache/log4j/Category
  at java.lang.Class.getDeclaredConstructors0(Native Method)
  at java.lang.Class.privateGetDeclaredConstructors(Class.java:2357)
  at java.lang.Class.getConstructor0(Class.java:2671)
  at java.lang.Class.getConstructor(Class.java:1629)
  at org.apache.commons.logging.impl.LogFactoryImpl.getLogConstructor(LogFactoryImpl.java:410)
  ... 28 more

Answer 1

So, it was definitely a conflict with another log4j jar file. I think it's probably my eclipse plugin log4j that was conflicting. When i delete the log4j from activemq lib/optional it works.

Answer 2

This looks like the exception is being caused by a NoClassDefFoundError for org.apache.log4j.Category. You should make sure that the log4j jar is on the classpath.

Edit: Is there any way that you can inspect the value of the ACTIVEMQ_CLASSPATH variable? If you're invoking this through a script that is setting the variable, you might need to dig into the script to make sure it's adding all the directories you think it is to the classpath.