You would normally enable jdb by adding debug options into your Java start up command by attaching debugging into JVM process, like the following:

DEBUG_OPTS=”-Xdebug -Xrunjdwp:transport= dt_socket,address=1044,server=y,suspend
=n”

You would consider adding this into your Glassfish’s(V2, in my case) start up script asadmin as below:

“$AS_JAVA”/bin/java “$DEBUG_OPTS” -Dcom.sun.aas.instanceName=server -Djava.libra
ry.path=”$AS_NSS”:”$AS_INSTALL/lib”:”$AS_ICU_LIB” -Dcom.sun.aas.configRoot=”$AS_
CONFIG” -Djava.endorsed.dirs=”$AS_INSTALL/lib/endorsed” -Dcom.sun.aas.processLau
ncher=”SE” -cp “$AS_DERBY_INSTALL/lib/derby.jar”:”$AS_INSTALL/jbi/lib/jbi-admin-
cli.jar”:”$AS_INSTALL/jbi/lib/jbi-admin-common.jar”:”$AS_INSTALL/lib”:”$AS_INSTA
LL/lib/appserv-rt.jar”:”$AS_INSTALL/lib/appserv-ext.jar”:”$AS_INSTALL/lib/javaee
.jar”:”$AS_INSTALL/lib/appserv-se.jar”:”$AS_INSTALL/lib/admin-cli.jar”:”$AS_INST
ALL/lib/appserv-admin.jar”:”$AS_INSTALL/lib/commons-launcher.jar”:”$AS_INSTALL/l
ib/install/applications/jmsra/imqjmsra.jar” -Dcom.sun.appserv.admin.pluggable.fe
atures=com.sun.enterprise.ee.admin.pluggable.EEClientPluggableFeatureImpl com.su
n.enterprise.cli.framework.CLIMain “${@}”

Actually this will not work.

You have to log into the Glassfish admin console, under:

Application server

JVM General Settings

Debug
Enabled (check it)

Hit save

Restart Glassfish.

You’ll see Glassfish start up script spits the following message:

Listening for transport dt_socket at address: 9009
Application server is listening at address 9009 for debugger to attach using transport dt_socket

It started to listen at port 9009 by default instead of 1044.

You’ll configure your Eclipse accordingly to do remote debugging. Remember the port number 9009 instead of 1044.