--- title: java-agent-8210 source: https://docs.newrelic.com/docs/release-notes/agent-release-notes/java-release-notes/java-agent-8210 --- > #### ⚠️ CAUTION > > **Known issues**: This release has a known issue with certain uses of Netty Reactor that can cause memory leaks. > Please consider using another version. [Download this agent version](https://download.newrelic.com/newrelic/java-agent/newrelic-agent/8.21.0/) ## New features and improvements - Enhances visibility into Reactor `Mono.flatMap` calls [2308](https://github.com/newrelic/newrelic-java-agent/pull/2308) - Adds new instrumentation for Spring-Kafka and distributed tracing when using the core Kafka client library [2312](https://github.com/newrelic/newrelic-java-agent/pull/2312) - Adds `KafkaConsumerConfig` event support for Kafka 3.7+ [2358](https://github.com/newrelic/newrelic-java-agent/pull/2358) ## Fixes - Fixes the `distributed_tracing.sampler` config [2330](https://github.com/newrelic/newrelic-java-agent/pull/2330) - Fixes an Illegal Access Error that can occur when using Scala 2.12 and JDK 11. In cases where Scala 2.12 is not detectable by the agent (we check the system classloader for this - notably, sbt will load Scala classes into custom Scala loaders), there is also a feature flag to manually enable the fix via system property `-Dnewrelic.config.class_transformer.illegal_access_fix=true` [2334](https://github.com/newrelic/newrelic-java-agent/pull/2334) - Fix netty 'Unknown' transactions [2274](https://github.com/newrelic/newrelic-java-agent/pull/2274) [2355](https://github.com/newrelic/newrelic-java-agent/pull/2355) - This fix moves previous netty instrumentation changes behind a feature flag, which provides additional visibility in some cases involving HTTP2 transactions. To reenable this granularity (at the possible cost of seeing ‘Unknown’ transactions), use the config setting: ```yaml netty: http2: frame_read_listener: start_transaction: true ``` - 8.20 has a logic error in the agent config so the fix is only official in agent version 8.21 and up. - Adds a restriction on when to add distributed trace headers for SQS messages. This is based on how large the contents of a message is in bytes and the and the size of attributes. Messages with size greater than 251 KB and/or with 9 or more attributes are excluded from getting distributed trace headers added [2353](https://github.com/newrelic/newrelic-java-agent/pull/2353) - Allows the `org.crac` JAR to be shadowed to prevent conflicts with customer environments. [2344](https://github.com/newrelic/newrelic-java-agent/pull/2344) - Backports changes made in PR #1927 to prevent `NullPointerExceptions` to older versions of the `vertx-core` instrumentation [2327](https://github.com/newrelic/newrelic-java-agent/pull/2327) - Prevents excessive transaction segments from being created by `HttpUrlConnection` method calls (e.g. `getInputStream`) when they are not associated with an external call. This behavior can be controlled by the following config options: `NEW_RELIC_CLASS_TRANSFORMER_COM_NEWRELIC_INSTRUMENTATION_HTTPURLCONNECTION_VERBOSE=false`, sys prop `-Dnewrelic.config.class_transformer.com.newrelic.instrumentation.httpurlconnection.verbose=false`, or equivalent stanza in `newrelic.yml`. Default setting is `true` (i.e. non-external `getInputStream` and other response handler methods will be reported as before). [2365](https://github.com/newrelic/newrelic-java-agent/pull/2365) ## Security - Upgrades the `com.newrelic.agent.java:infinite-tracing-protobuf` for better security with infinite tracing [2339](https://github.com/newrelic/newrelic-java-agent/pull/2339) - Replaces `snakeyaml` with `com.konloch:safeyaml` to address a security vulnerability [2333](https://github.com/newrelic/newrelic-java-agent/pull/2333) ## Deprecations The following instrumentation modules are deprecated and will be removed in the next major release: - `aws-wrap-0.7.0` - `java.completable-future-jdk8` - `play-2.3` - `netty-3.4` - `Struts v1` ## IAST CSEC Version Update to 1.7.0 [2348](https://github.com/newrelic/newrelic-java-agent/pull/2348) Changelog: ## Update to latest version [#procedures] To identify which version of the Java agent you're currently using, run `java -jar newrelic.jar -v`. Your Java agent version will be printed to your console. Then, to update to the latest Java agent version: 1. Back up the **entire** [Java agent root directory](https://docs.newrelic.com/docs/agents/manage-apm-agents/troubleshooting/find-agent-root-directory#java-agent) to another location. Rename that directory to `NewRelic_Agent#.#.#`, where `#.#.#` is the agent version number. 2. [Download the agent.](https://docs.newrelic.com/docs/release-notes/agent-release-notes/java-release-notes). 3. Unzip the new agent download file, then copy `newrelic-api.jar` and `newrelic.jar` into the original [Java agent root directory](https://docs.newrelic.com/docs/agents/manage-apm-agents/troubleshooting/find-agent-root-directory#java-agent). 4. Compare your old `newrelic.yml` with the newly downloaded `newrelic.yml` from the zip, and [update the file if needed](#diff). 5. Restart your Java dispatcher. If you experience issues after the Java agent update, restore from the backed-up New Relic agent directory. ## Update agent config differences [#diff] We add new settings to `newrelic.yml` as we release new versions of the agent. You can use `diff` or another diffing utility to see what's changed, and add the new config settings to your old file. Make sure not to overwrite any customizations you've made to the file, such as your license key, app name, or changes to default settings. For example, if you `diff` the default `newrelic.yml` files for Java agent versions 7.10.0 and 7.11.0, the results printed to the console will be like: ```yaml ➜ diff newrelic_7.10.0.yml newrelic_7.11.0.yml ... 107a108,119 > # Whether the log events should include context from loggers with support for that. > context_data: > > # When true, application logs will contain context data. > enabled: false > > # A comma separated list of attribute keys whose values should be sent to New Relic. > #include: > > # A comma separated list of attribute keys whose values should not be sent to New Relic. > #exclude: > 125a138 > 128c141 < enabled: false --- > enabled: true ... ``` In this example, these lines were added to the default `newrelic.yml` in Java agent version 7.11.0. If you're moving to 7.11.0 or higher, you should add these new lines to your original `newrelic.yml`. ## Support statement: - New Relic recommends that you upgrade the agent regularly to ensure that you're getting the latest features and performance benefits. Additionally, older releases will no longer be supported when they reach [end-of-life](https://docs.newrelic.com/docs/using-new-relic/cross-product-functions/install-configure/notification-changes-new-relic-saas-features-distributed-software/).