[LOG4J2-2316] NullPointerException while calling Configurator.setLevel()

• Type: Bug
• Status: Resolved
• Priority: Major
• Resolution: Fixed
• Affects Version/s: 2.11.0
• Component/s: Core, Web/Servlet

Environment

webapplication running in tomcat 8.5

• Assignee: Unassigned
• Reporter: Ranjit Dsouza
• Created: 13/Apr/18 17:29
• Updated: 22/Jul/18 16:19
• Resolved: 22/Jul/18 08:07

Description

Hi I want to report an intermittent issue in my webapplication wherein log4j throws an NPE.

Here is the stack trace:

java.lang.NullPointerException

                at org.apache.logging.log4j.core.config.LoggerConfig.getLevel(LoggerConfig.java:268)

                at org.apache.logging.log4j.core.Logger$PrivateConfig.<init>(Logger.java:384)

                at org.apache.logging.log4j.core.Logger.updateConfiguration(Logger.java:365)

                at org.apache.logging.log4j.core.LoggerContext.updateLoggers(LoggerContext.java:652)

                at org.apache.logging.log4j.core.LoggerContext.updateLoggers(LoggerContext.java:641)

                at org.apache.logging.log4j.core.config.Configurator.setLevel(Configurator.java:296)

                at com.netbackup.logging.util.DebugLoggerFactory.getLogger(DebugLoggerFactory.java:346)

                at com.netbackup.logging.util.DebugLoggerFactory.getLogger(DebugLoggerFactory.java:359)

                at com.netbackup.logging.util.WebServiceLoggerFactory.getLogger(WebServiceLoggerFactory.java:14)

                at com.netbackup.common.logging.LoggerFactory.getLogger(LoggerFactory.java:34)

 

Log4j code where the NPE occurs: (LoggerConfig.java)

    /**
     * Returns the logging Level.
     *
     * @return the logging Level.
     */
    public Level getLevel()

{         return level == null ? parent.getLevel() : level;     }

//This is the line where the NPE gets thrown

 

Inference is parent(LoggerConfig) itself was null. When can this situation arise?