When JBoss starts up, one of the first steps performed is to create an MBean server instance (javax.management.MBeanServer). The JMX MBean server in the JBoss architecture plays the role of a microkernel. All other manageable MBean components are plugged into JBoss by registering with the MBean server. The kernel in that sense is only an framework, and not a source of actual functionality. The functionality is provided by MBeans, and in fact all major JBoss components are manageable MBeans interconnected through the MBean server.