OK, I think I have a better grasp on this now. I think I was hung up more on the 'who starts the chain' more than I was what happens as a result. So, based on this design, there is no concept of a JBoss instance existing without a ProfileService, they are effectively one and the same in terms of the 'client view'. The ProfileService really takes over what the old JMX system used to provide but with a ton of more features (versioning, dynamic lifecycle including a STOP, etc). Let me know if I am on the right track. View the original post : http://www.jboss.com/index.html?module=bb&op=viewtopic&p=3992370#... Reply to the post : http://www.jboss.com/index.html?module=bb&op=posting&mode=reply&a...