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      The Tomcat Servlet/JSP Container

The Tomcat 5 Servlet/JSP Container

Tomcat Setup

Introduction
Windows

Installing Tomcat on Windows can be done easily using the Windows installer. Its interface and functionality is similar to other wizard based installers, with only a few items of interest.

  • Installation as a service: Tomcat will be installed as a Windows NT/2k/XP service no matter what setting is selected. Using the checkbox on the component page sets the service as "auto" startup, so that Tomcat is automatically startup when Windows starts. For optimal security, the service should be affected a separate user, with reduced permissions (see the Windows Services administration tool and its documentation).
  • Java location: The installer will use the registry or the JAVA_HOME environment variable to determine the base path of the JDK or a JRE. If only a JRE (or an incorrect path) is specified, Tomcat will run but will be unable to compile JSP pages at runtime. Either all webapps will need to be precompiled (this can be easily done using the Tomcat deployer), or the lib\tools.jar file from a JDK installation to the common\lib path of the Tomcat installation.
  • Tray icon: When Tomcat is run as a service, there will not be any tray icon present when Tomcat is running. Note that when choosing to run Tomcat at the end of installation, the tray icon will be used even if Tomcat was installed as a service.

The installer will create shortcuts allowing starting and configuring Tomcat. It is important to note that Tomcat administration web application can only be used when Tomcat is started.


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