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Apache Tomcat 7 Essentials
Apache Tomcat 7 Essentials

Apache Tomcat 7 Essentials: This book takes you from beginner to expert in logical stages, covering all the essentials of Tomcat 7 from trouble-free installation to building your own middleware servers. Packed with examples and illustrations.

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Apache Tomcat 7 Essentials

Chapter 2. Configuration and Deployment

In the previous chapter, you have installed Apache Tomcat 7 on DOS (Windows) and non-DOS (Linux/Unix,) operating systems. Now, it's time to discuss the different configuration and deployment strategy tools used by different IT industries.

In this chapter, we will discuss the following topics:

  • Configuration of Tomcat

  • Configuration of the virtual directory

  • Deployment of an application on Tomcat 7

Configuration files and their usage

Apache Tomcat 7 comes with a default setup, which can be directly used for a QA environment. We can customize Tomcat based on the environment specification; components such as Services, Servers, Engine, Connectors, Realm, and Valve can be configured. The Tomcat configuration files are available in the conf folder. Let's discuss the configuration properties and their usage.

Tomcat 7, by default, comes with seven configuration files (usually in XML format), and these files are very useful in order to customize Tomcat, based on the...

Configuration files and their usage


Apache Tomcat 7 comes with a default setup, which can be directly used for a QA environment. We can customize Tomcat based on the environment specification; components such as Services, Servers, Engine, Connectors, Realm, and Valve can be configured. The Tomcat configuration files are available in the conf folder. Let's discuss the configuration properties and their usage.

Tomcat 7, by default, comes with seven configuration files (usually in XML format), and these files are very useful in order to customize Tomcat, based on the environment needs. We shall install in the production or development environment.

The following screenshot shows the directory structure of the configuration directory for Tomcat 7:

It's very important from an administrator's point of view, to know about the configuration files and their usage in the Tomcat environment. Let's discuss the configuration properties one-by-one, as follows:

  • catalina.policy: This file describes the security...

Configuration of Tomcat 7


Until now, we have discussed the various configuration files of Tomcat 7. Now, the interesting part starts while implementing these in practical, or on live systems.

Before we learn the details of the Tomcat server configuration, let's quickly understand how the web application works from the following steps:

  1. 1. Whenever you hit the URL (for example, www.abc.com), the browser will contact the DNS server.

  2. 2. The DNS server will contact the ISP for the required information.

  3. 3. Once the web server accepts the request from the client browser, it will redirect it to the database server.

  4. 4. In turn, the database server will retrieve the query and respond it back to the web server.

  5. 5. The web server then forwards the same response to the client browser, and finally, the client browser will display the content to the user.

That's how the web browser gets the content generated by the web server. The following figure explains the web application functionality and different components...

Comparison of the datasource for common databases


Until now, we have seen how the datasource is configured on different databases. Let's quickly compare and find out what are the different syntaxes for each database:

  • Oracle: The following mentioned code describes the datasource parameter for the Oracle database:

    <Resource name="jdbc/tomcat7" auth="Container" type="javax.sql.DataSource" driverClassName="oracle.jdbc.OracleDriver" url="jdbc:oracle:thin:@127.0.0.1:1521:test" description="test database for tomcat 7" username="admin" password="admin" maxActive="20" maxIdle="10" maxWait="-1"/>
    
    
  • MySQL: The following mentioned code describes the datasource parameter for the MySQL database:

    <Resource name="jdbc/tomcat7" auth="Container" type="javax.sql.DataSource" driverClassName="org.postgresql.Driver" url="jdbc:postgresql://127.0.0.1:5432/tomcat7" username="tomcat7" password="tomcat" maxActive="20" maxIdle="10" maxWait="-1"/>
    
  • PostgreSQL: The following mentioned code describes the...

Deployment in Tomcat 7


Deployment is basically defined as the installation of the WAR files in the web application. In other words, we can define the unpacking of the WAR file in the Tomcat webapps directory.

Structure of the WebArchive

You develop your web application within a specified directory structure so that it can be archived and deployed on Tomcat 7. All servlets, classes, static files, and other resources belonging to a web application are organized under a directory hierarchy. The root of this hierarchy defines the document root of your web application. All files under this root directory can be served to the client, except for files under the special directory WEB-INF, located under the root directory. The name of your web application is used to resolve requests for components of the application.

Note

Always place private files (files which are not required to serve to the client) in the WEB-INF directory, under the root directory. All files under WEB-INF are private, and are not...

Types of deployment


The deployment staging mode determines how deployment files are made available to the target servers that must deploy an application or standalone module. The Tomcat 7 server provides three different options for staging files listed as follows:

  • Stage mode

  • Nostage mode

  • External_stage mode

The following table describes the behavior and best practices for using the different deployment staging modes:

Deployment Staging Mode

Behavior

When to Use

Stage

The Tomcat administrator first copies the deployment unit source files to the staging directories of the target servers and then the target servers deploy them using their local copy of the deployment files.

Deploying small or moderate-sized applications to multiple Tomcat 7 server instances.

Deploying small or moderate-sized applications to a cluster.

Nostage

The Tomcat administrator does not copy the deployment unit files. Instead, all servers deploy using the same physical copy of the deployment files, which must be...

Common issues in deployment, configuration, and their troubleshooting


There are multiple issues which may arise after the deployment and configuration on Tomcat. Let's discuss the different issues:

Scenario 1:

Issue: Users complain that after the deployment, they can still view the old code.

Troubleshooting steps:

  • Check if the latest file is present on the doc base.

  • Check the catalina.out in the logs directory of Tomcat 7 and whether the WAR filename is deployed or not.

  • If both are checked and the issue still persists, then stop the Tomcat service and clear the content of the temp directory under the work/Catalina/localhost using the following command:

cd /opt/apache-tomcat-7.0.12/temp/ rm -rf ../temp/*
cd /opt/apache-tomcat-7.0.12/work/Catalina/localhost/ rm -rf ../localhost/*
  • Restart the Tomcat service and ask the user to test the application.

Scenario 2:

Issue: Users complaining that they can view the current deployed code on one node and the other node still displays the previous version...

Summary


In this chapter, we have discussed the configuration of Tomcat including data source configuration for the different databases (Oracle, MySQL, and PostgreSQL) and the context path creation using a sample application, various ways to perform deployment including deployment using the Tomcat Manager for the sample application. We also discussed troubleshooting of common issues.

In the next chapter, we will discuss performance tuning for Tomcat 7 in terms of the JVM and OS level.

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Key benefits

  • Readymade solution for web technologies for migration/hosting and supporting environment for Tomcat 7
  • Tips, tricks, and best practices for web hosting solution providers for Tomcat 7
  • Content designed with practical approach and plenty of illustrations

Description

Apache Tomcat (or simply Tomcat) is an open source servlet container developed by the Apache Software Foundation (ASF). The latest major stable release, Apache Tomcat version 7 implements the Servlet 3 and JavaServer Pages 2 specifications from the Java Community Process, and includes many additional features that make it a useful platform for developing and deploying web applications and web services.Apache Tomcat 7 Essentials follows a practical approach to teach installing, configuring, and maintaining Tomcat. It helps you to understand the middle architecture for hosting multiple websites and also provides the confidence to implement middleware support. It imparts to you the capacity to resolve migration issues and also provides regular maintenance solutions. This is the first and only book to cover upgrading to Tomcat 7 from previous versions.The journey of the reader starts at the beginner level and ends at the expert level. The content is designed in such a way that it balances the theory and practical approach for understanding concepts related to handling middle ware and web issues.In this book, you will go through a three-phase life cycle. The first cycle consists of installation, configuration of Tomcat 7 on different OS, and other configurations related to JDBC, port, deployment etc. The second phase deals with the building of enterprise application setup and high availability architecture (clustering load balancing). The third and critical phase will teach you to handle critical issues, performance tuning, and best practices for various environment stacks like dev/QA/stage/production.This book gives you a wider vision of using Tomcat 7 in web technologies and the skill to optimize their performance using Apache Tomcat 7.

Who is this book for?

If you are a J2EE administrator, migration administrator, technical architect, or a project manager for a web hosting domain, and are interested in Apache Tomcat 7, then this book is for you. If you are someone responsible for installation, configuration, and management of Tomcat 7, then too, this book will be of help to you.

What you will learn

  • Learn to install Tomcat 7 on Windows/Linux step-by-step and resolve any issues faced during installation
  • Deploy multiple applications and troubleshoot any issues that occur during deployment
  • Implement best practices in the production environment and learn tricks to reduce your day to day work load
  • Dig deep into high availability architecture configuration (load balancing and clustering configuration) using front end web server like Apache and IIS
  • Become an expert in tuning the Tomcat for performance
  • Upgrade to Tomcat 7 successfully from the previous versions
  • Configure Tomcat for Dev/QA/stage/production environment and indulge into maintenance tips
  • Get familiar with thread dump analysis, monitoring JVM, database and OS related issues, and diagnose Tomcat 7 issues

Product Details

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Publication date : Mar 23, 2012
Length: 294 pages
Edition : 1st
Language : English
ISBN-13 : 9781849516624
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Publication date : Mar 23, 2012
Length: 294 pages
Edition : 1st
Language : English
ISBN-13 : 9781849516624
Vendor :
Apache
Category :
Languages :

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Table of Contents

11 Chapters
Installation of Tomcat 7 Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Configuration and Deployment Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Performance Tuning Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Integration of Tomcat with the Apache Web Server Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Securing Tomcat 7 Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Logging in Tomcat 7 Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Troubleshooting in Tomcat Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Monitoring and Management of Tomcat 7 Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Clustering in Tomcat 7 Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Tomcat Upgrade Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Advanced Configuration for Apache Tomcat 7 Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

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4 star 8.3%
3 star 25%
2 star 41.7%
1 star 8.3%
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gawils25 Feb 11, 2013
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon 5
I like the book because the Author gave not just theory, but a lot of step by step practical hands on information.So the book can be used two-flod. As a book that gives you a good understanding of Tomcat 7 and a manual that guides you with step by step instructions for different implementations of Tomcat.The Book addresses 5 main areas that were well covered.Tomcat installation on Linux and Windows, configuration, Web server setup, Security, and trouble-shooting issues.
Amazon Verified review Amazon
Jonas Okwara Dec 31, 2012
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I just Love The step by step approach of this book. Bought the Kindle edition and how convenient that had been for me
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Robert Alan Ward Jun 05, 2015
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Empty star icon 4
I like this book and it is already providing good value as a reference. I am not reading it cover to cover but as items come up in daily work it has helped several times already in the past month.
Amazon Verified review Amazon
Deepanshu Sarawagi Oct 31, 2016
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Empty star icon Empty star icon 3
This isn't a great book to learn Tomcat at professional level. Doesn't explain about Tomcat's architecture which is the most important chapter. Although, can be recommended for beginners.
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Chris Mar 09, 2013
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Empty star icon Empty star icon 3
Not a bad book but I didnt love it either. At times it was hard to follow and a bit wordy for me personally.
Amazon Verified review Amazon
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