NoClassDefFoundError for org.apache.log4j.helpers.AbsoluteTimeDateFormat in SimpleScheduler.doLoadImmediate() leads memory leak

On a fresh installation of Servicemix 4.3.0 does not expose org.apache.log4j.helpers by default although Pax logging bundle contains this package. At line:707 of Ode_1.3.5 version and line:732 of trunk, AbsoluteTimeDateFormat f = new AbsoluteTimeDateFormat(); line leads to NoClassDefFoundError for org.apache.log4j.helpers.AbsoluteTimeDateFormat. As this error is a subclass of throwable, it is not caught in catch() block.

This issue leads to huge memory leak under load as _processedSinceLastLoadTask.clear(); line can not be reached ever, 1 million requests will make your 1gb heap size drained and get your servicemix in a fullgc cycles.

I worked around this issue by wrapping log4j jar into servicemix by karaf@ osgi:install -s wrap:mvn:log4j/log4j/1.2.13 , and restarting whole system.

Also log4j dependencies are imported as resolution:optional in MANIFEST-MF in ode-jbi bundle.

To reproduce;

1 - reduce heap size in servicemix executable
2 - add jvm option : -verbosegc to watch gc and fullgc cycles on karaf console or -Xloggc:somefile.out for tailing a file for output
3 - set KARAF_DEBUG=true in case you want to debug and see _processedSinceLastLoadTask.size() shows increasing number of entries
3 - download servicemix 4.3.0 from apache
4 - in karaf console, features:install ode
5 - deploy a simple bpel flow, features:install examples-ode-ping-pong
6 - generate load either via JMeter or Soapui
7 - take a heap dump either via jmap or via JConsole finding mbean com.sun.management->HotSpotDiagnostic-> operations --> dumpHeap(heapdump.snapshot) , you can find dump file under $SMX_HOME
8 - analyse it via yourkit profiler or jprofiler, whatever suits you, you will see one object retain most of the memory, which is org/apache/ode/scheduler/simple/SimpleScheduler on object explorer window.