When I use the @Addressing(enabled=true, required=false) JAX-WS annotation in my service implementation class, the web service fails with this exception if the JAX-WS client does not submit the Addressing headers. I believe per the attribute required=false, this should not be the case. As the matter of fact, when I try the same thing with the Metro JAX-WS framework this works fine. Here is the exception that the JBOSS JAX-WS framework throws. I am using JBOSS 5.1.0 GA.

16:04:23,375 ERROR [HandlerChainExecutor] Exception during handler processing
java.lang.NullPointerException
at org.jboss.ws.extensions.addressing.soap.SOAPAddressingPropertiesImpl.registerNamespaces(SOAPAddressingPropertiesImpl.java:204)
at org.jboss.ws.extensions.addressing.soap.SOAPAddressingPropertiesImpl.readHeaders(SOAPAddressingPropertiesImpl.java:106)
at org.jboss.ws.extensions.addressing.jaxws.WSAddressingServerHandler.handleInbound(WSAddressingServerHandler.java:85)
at org.jboss.wsf.common.handler.GenericHandler.handleMessage(GenericHandler.java:53)
at org.jboss.ws.core.jaxws.handler.HandlerChainExecutor.handleMessage(HandlerChainExecutor.java:305)
at org.jboss.ws.core.jaxws.handler.HandlerChainExecutor.handleMessage(HandlerChainExecutor.java:142)
at org.jboss.ws.core.jaxws.handler.HandlerDelegateJAXWS.callRequestHandlerChain(HandlerDelegateJAXWS.java:97)
at org.jboss.ws.core.server.ServiceEndpointInvoker.callRequestHandlerChain(ServiceEndpointInvoker.java:125)
at org.jboss.ws.core.server.ServiceEndpointInvoker.invoke(ServiceEndpointInvoker.java:172)
at org.jboss.wsf.stack.jbws.RequestHandlerImpl.processRequest(RequestHandlerImpl.java:474)
at org.jboss.wsf.stack.jbws.RequestHandlerImpl.handleRequest(RequestHandlerImpl.java:295)
at org.jboss.wsf.stack.jbws.RequestHandlerImpl.doPost(RequestHandlerImpl.java:205)
at org.jboss.wsf.stack.jbws.RequestHandlerImpl.handleHttpRequest(RequestHandlerImpl.java:131)
at org.jboss.wsf.common.servlet.AbstractEndpointServlet.service(AbstractEndpointServlet.java:85)
at javax.servlet.http.HttpServlet.service(HttpServlet.java:717)
at org.apache.catalina.core.ApplicationFilterChain.internalDoFilter(ApplicationFilterChain.java:290)
at org.apache.catalina.core.ApplicationFilterChain.doFilter(ApplicationFilterChain.java:206)
at org.jboss.web.tomcat.filters.ReplyHeaderFilter.doFilter(ReplyHeaderFilter.java:96)
at org.apache.catalina.core.ApplicationFilterChain.internalDoFilter(ApplicationFilterChain.java:235)
at org.apache.catalina.core.ApplicationFilterChain.doFilter(ApplicationFilterChain.java:206)
at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardWrapperValve.invoke(StandardWrapperValve.java:235)
at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardContextValve.invoke(StandardContextValve.java:191)
at org.jboss.web.tomcat.security.SecurityAssociationValve.invoke(SecurityAssociationValve.java:190)
at org.jboss.web.tomcat.security.JaccContextValve.invoke(JaccContextValve.java:92)
at org.jboss.web.tomcat.security.SecurityContextEstablishmentValve.process(SecurityContextEstablishmentValve.java:126)
at org.jboss.web.tomcat.security.SecurityContextEstablishmentValve.invoke(SecurityContextEstablishmentValve.java:70)
at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardHostValve.invoke(StandardHostValve.java:127)
at org.apache.catalina.valves.ErrorReportValve.invoke(ErrorReportValve.java:102)
at org.jboss.web.tomcat.service.jca.CachedConnectionValve.invoke(CachedConnectionValve.java:158)
at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardEngineValve.invoke(StandardEngineValve.java:109)
at org.apache.catalina.connector.CoyoteAdapter.service(CoyoteAdapter.java:330)
at org.apache.coyote.http11.Http11Processor.process(Http11Processor.java:829)
at org.apache.coyote.http11.Http11Protocol$Http11ConnectionHandler.process(Http11Protocol.java:598)
at org.apache.tomcat.util.net.JIoEndpoint$Worker.run(JIoEndpoint.java:447)
at java.lang.Thread.run(Thread.java:619)
16:04:23,406 ERROR [SOAPFaultHelperJAXWS] SOAP request exception
java.lang.NullPointerException
at org.jboss.ws.extensions.addressing.soap.SOAPAddressingPropertiesImpl.registerNamespaces(SOAPAddressingPropertiesImpl.java:204)
at org.jboss.ws.extensions.addressing.soap.SOAPAddressingPropertiesImpl.readHeaders(SOAPAddressingPropertiesImpl.java:106)
at org.jboss.ws.extensions.addressing.jaxws.WSAddressingServerHandler.handleInbound(WSAddressingServerHandler.java:85)
at org.jboss.wsf.common.handler.GenericHandler.handleMessage(GenericHandler.java:53)
at org.jboss.ws.core.jaxws.handler.HandlerChainExecutor.handleMessage(HandlerChainExecutor.java:305)
at org.jboss.ws.core.jaxws.handler.HandlerChainExecutor.handleMessage(HandlerChainExecutor.java:142)
at org.jboss.ws.core.jaxws.handler.HandlerDelegateJAXWS.callRequestHandlerChain(HandlerDelegateJAXWS.java:97)
at org.jboss.ws.core.server.ServiceEndpointInvoker.callRequestHandlerChain(ServiceEndpointInvoker.java:125)
at org.jboss.ws.core.server.ServiceEndpointInvoker.invoke(ServiceEndpointInvoker.java:172)
at org.jboss.wsf.stack.jbws.RequestHandlerImpl.processRequest(RequestHandlerImpl.java:474)
at org.jboss.wsf.stack.jbws.RequestHandlerImpl.handleRequest(RequestHandlerImpl.java:295)
at org.jboss.wsf.stack.jbws.RequestHandlerImpl.doPost(RequestHandlerImpl.java:205)
at org.jboss.wsf.stack.jbws.RequestHandlerImpl.handleHttpRequest(RequestHandlerImpl.java:131)
at org.jboss.wsf.common.servlet.AbstractEndpointServlet.service(AbstractEndpointServlet.java:85)
at javax.servlet.http.HttpServlet.service(HttpServlet.java:717)
at org.apache.catalina.core.ApplicationFilterChain.internalDoFilter(ApplicationFilterChain.java:290)
at org.apache.catalina.core.ApplicationFilterChain.doFilter(ApplicationFilterChain.java:206)
at org.jboss.web.tomcat.filters.ReplyHeaderFilter.doFilter(ReplyHeaderFilter.java:96)
at org.apache.catalina.core.ApplicationFilterChain.internalDoFilter(ApplicationFilterChain.java:235)
at org.apache.catalina.core.ApplicationFilterChain.doFilter(ApplicationFilterChain.java:206)
at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardWrapperValve.invoke(StandardWrapperValve.java:235)
at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardContextValve.invoke(StandardContextValve.java:191)
at org.jboss.web.tomcat.security.SecurityAssociationValve.invoke(SecurityAssociationValve.java:190)
at org.jboss.web.tomcat.security.JaccContextValve.invoke(JaccContextValve.java:92)
at org.jboss.web.tomcat.security.SecurityContextEstablishmentValve.process(SecurityContextEstablishmentValve.java:126)
at org.jboss.web.tomcat.security.SecurityContextEstablishmentValve.invoke(SecurityContextEstablishmentValve.java:70)
at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardHostValve.invoke(StandardHostValve.java:127)
at org.apache.catalina.valves.ErrorReportValve.invoke(ErrorReportValve.java:102)
at org.jboss.web.tomcat.service.jca.CachedConnectionValve.invoke(CachedConnectionValve.java:158)
at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardEngineValve.invoke(StandardEngineValve.java:109)
at org.apache.catalina.connector.CoyoteAdapter.service(CoyoteAdapter.java:330)
at org.apache.coyote.http11.Http11Processor.process(Http11Processor.java:829)
at org.apache.coyote.http11.Http11Protocol$Http11ConnectionHandler.process(Http11Protocol.java:598)
at org.apache.tomcat.util.net.JIoEndpoint$Worker.run(JIoEndpoint.java:447)
at java.lang.Thread.run(Thread.java:619)

Please advise on how to resolve this issue