After several tries and jar additions to war file I got more logs on the error: Oct 25, 2013 3:16:54 PM org.apache.catalina.startup.HostConfig deployWAR INFO: Deploying web application archive drools-service.war Oct 25, 2013 3:16:55 PM org.apache.catalina.core.ApplicationContext log INFO: Initializing Spring root WebApplicationContext log4j:WARN No appenders could be found for logger (org.springframework.web.context.ContextLoader). log4j:WARN Please initialize the log4j system properly. log4j:WARN See http://logging.apache.org/log4j/1.2/faq.html#noconfig for more info. SLF4J: Failed to load class "org.slf4j.impl.StaticLoggerBinder". SLF4J: Defaulting to no-operation (NOP) logger implementation SLF4J: See http://www.slf4j.org/codes.html#StaticLoggerBinder for further details. Oct 25, 2013 3:16:56 PM org.apache.catalina.core.StandardContext listenerStart SEVERE: Exception sending context initialized event to listener instance of class org.springframework.web.context.ContextLoaderListener org.springframework.beans.factory.BeanCreationException: Error creating bean with name 'node1': Invocation of init method failed; nested exception is java.lang.NullPointerException at org.springframework.beans.factory.support.AbstractAutowireCapableBeanFactory.initializeBean(AbstractAutowireCapableBeanFactory.java:1338) at org.springframework.beans.factory.support.AbstractAutowireCapableBeanFactory.doCreateBean(AbstractAutowireCapableBeanFactory.java:473) at org.springframework.beans.factory.support.AbstractAutowireCapableBeanFactory$1.run(AbstractAutowireCapableBeanFactory.java:409) at java.security.AccessController.doPrivileged(Native Method) at org.springframework.beans.factory.support.AbstractAutowireCapableBeanFactory.createBean(AbstractAutowireCapableBeanFactory.java:380) at org.springframework.beans.factory.support.AbstractBeanFactory$1.getObject(AbstractBeanFactory.java:264) at org.springframework.beans.factory.support.DefaultSingletonBeanRegistry.getSingleton(DefaultSingletonBeanRegistry.java:222) at org.springframework.beans.factory.support.AbstractBeanFactory.doGetBean(AbstractBeanFactory.java:261) at org.springframework.beans.factory.support.AbstractBeanFactory.getBean(AbstractBeanFactory.java:185) at org.springframework.beans.factory.support.AbstractBeanFactory.getBean(AbstractBeanFactory.java:164) at org.springframework.beans.factory.support.DefaultListableBeanFactory.preInstantiateSingletons(DefaultListableBeanFactory.java:423) at org.springframework.context.support.AbstractApplicationContext.finishBeanFactoryInitialization(AbstractApplicationContext.java:728) at org.springframework.context.support.AbstractApplicationContext.refresh(AbstractApplicationContext.java:380) at org.springframework.web.context.ContextLoader.createWebApplicationContext(ContextLoader.java:255) at org.springframework.web.context.ContextLoader.initWebApplicationContext(ContextLoader.java:199) at org.springframework.web.context.ContextLoaderListener.contextInitialized(ContextLoaderListener.java:45) at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardContext.listenerStart(StandardContext.java:3972) at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardContext.start(StandardContext.java:4467) at org.apache.catalina.core.ContainerBase.addChildInternal(ContainerBase.java:791) at org.apache.catalina.core.ContainerBase.addChild(ContainerBase.java:771) at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardHost.addChild(StandardHost.java:526) at org.apache.catalina.startup.HostConfig.deployWAR(HostConfig.java:905) at org.apache.catalina.startup.HostConfig.deployWARs(HostConfig.java:740) at org.apache.catalina.startup.HostConfig.deployApps(HostConfig.java:500) at org.apache.catalina.startup.HostConfig.check(HostConfig.java:1345) at org.apache.catalina.startup.HostConfig.lifecycleEvent(HostConfig.java:303) at org.apache.catalina.util.LifecycleSupport.fireLifecycleEvent(LifecycleSupport.java:119) at org.apache.catalina.core.ContainerBase.backgroundProcess(ContainerBase.java:1337) at org.apache.catalina.core.ContainerBase$ContainerBackgroundProcessor.processChildren(ContainerBase.java:1601) at org.apache.catalina.core.ContainerBase$ContainerBackgroundProcessor.processChildren(ContainerBase.java:1610) at org.apache.catalina.core.ContainerBase$ContainerBackgroundProcessor.run(ContainerBase.java:1590) at java.lang.Thread.run(Thread.java:722) Caused by: java.lang.NullPointerException at org.drools.grid.impl.GridImpl.createGridNode(GridImpl.java:145) at org.drools.container.spring.beans.GridNodeBeanFactory.afterPropertiesSet(GridNodeBeanFactory.java:63) at org.springframework.beans.factory.support.AbstractAutowireCapableBeanFactory.invokeInitMethods(AbstractAutowireCapableBeanFactory.java:1369) at org.springframework.beans.factory.support.AbstractAutowireCapableBeanFactory.initializeBean(AbstractAutowireCapableBeanFactory.java:1335) ... 31 more Oct 25, 2013 3:16:56 PM org.apache.catalina.core.StandardContext start SEVERE: Error listenerStart Oct 25, 2013 3:16:56 PM org.apache.catalina.core.StandardContext start SEVERE: Context [/drools-service] startup failed due to previous errors Oct 25, 2013 3:16:56 PM org.apache.catalina.core.ApplicationContext log INFO: Closing Spring root WebApplicationContext Oct 25, 2013 3:16:56 PM org.apache.catalina.loader.WebappClassLoader clearReferencesThreads SEVERE: A web application appears to have started a thread named [Camel Thread 0 - ShutdownTask] but has failed to stop it. This is very likely to create a memory leak. Oct 25, 2013 3:16:56 PM org.apache.catalina.loader.WebappClassLoader clearThreadLocalMap SEVERE: A web application created a ThreadLocal with key of type [null] (value [com.sun.xml.bind.v2.ClassFactory$1@2cfd46df]) and a value of type [java.util.WeakHashMap] (value [{class org.apache.camel.model.UnmarshalDefinition=java.lang.ref.WeakReference@2837f18c, class org.apache.camel.model.FromDefinition=java.lang.ref.WeakReference@70d332f4, class org.apache.camel.spring.CamelContextFactoryBean=java.lang.ref.WeakReference@39b66b0a, class org.apache.camel.model.RouteDefinition=java.lang.ref.WeakReference@772d7b1f, class javax.xml.bind.annotation.adapters.CollapsedStringAdapter=java.lang.ref.WeakReference@4aee6d59, class org.apache.camel.model.ToDefinition=java.lang.ref.WeakReference@6b4d147d, class org.apache.camel.model.MarshalDefinition=java.lang.ref.WeakReference@117c5194, class org.apache.camel.model.PolicyDefinition=java.lang.ref.WeakReference@78cfd483}]) but failed to remove it when the web application was stopped. To prevent a memory leak, the ThreadLocal has been forcibly removed. Oct 25, 2013 3:16:56 PM org.apache.catalina.loader.WebappClassLoader clearThreadLocalMap SEVERE: A web application created a ThreadLocal with key of type [org.springframework.core.NamedThreadLocal] (value [Prototype beans currently in creation]) and a value of type [null] (value [null]) but failed to remove it when the web application was stopped. To prevent a memory leak, the ThreadLocal has been forcibly removed. Oct 25, 2013 3:16:56 PM org.apache.catalina.loader.WebappClassLoader clearThreadLocalMap SEVERE: A web application created a ThreadLocal with key of type [org.springframework.core.NamedThreadLocal] (value [XML bean definition resources currently being loaded]) and a value of type [null] (value [null]) but failed to remove it when the web application was stopped. To prevent a memory leak, the ThreadLocal has been forcibly removed. Still can't understand what is causing null pointer exception. -- View this message in context: http://drools.46999.n3.nabble.com/Error-deploying-knowledge-base-war-on-t... Sent from the Drools: User forum mailing list archive at Nabble.com.