Guide to Install Continuum on Tomcat

Instructions for installing, deploying, configuring Continuum for the Apache Tomcat web container.

Sections:

Basics & Fundamentals

With every Tomcat version you will need a few things before you can deploy Continuum.

  1. Use at least Java JDK 1.5.0_11 to run Tomcat w/Continuum.
  2. A defined <Context> xml section to define the JNDI resources.
  3. The JavaMail / Activation JAR files.
  4. The Apache Derby JAR files.
  5. Configure ${appserver.base} java property.

Defining JNDI Resources.

Continuum will, on startup, ask the web container for a few JNDI configured resources, two JDBC DataSources, and one JavaMail session.

To configure these JNDI resources in the Tomcat Web Container, you will need to specify a <Context> section that Tomcat can utilize for those requests coming from Continuum.

Tomcat has 3 main ways to accomplish this (ordered by most recommended to least recommended)

  1. Creating a $CATALINA_HOME/webapps/continuum/META-INF/context.xml containing a <Context> element.
  2. Creating a $CATALINA_HOME/conf/Catalina/localhost/continuum.xml containing a <Context> element.
  3. Adding a <Context> Section into the $CATALINA_HOME/conf/server.xml

    The following are the JNDI names you will need to provide:

    • mail/Session
    • jdbc/continuum
    • jdbc/users

      The individual techniques for describing these resources, and the parameters associated with them are specific to the Tomcat version, resource type, and even JDBC implementation type.

      For the purposes of this document, the following assumptions are made.

      1. You are an Apache Tomcat administrator.
      2. You have an SMTP Server on localhost, port 25, with no login / password.
      3. You will be using the embedded Apache Derby database. (not an external database, that's another show)
      4. Details specific to Apache Tomcat, JavaMail, or Apache Derby are left for the reader to research on those projects websites.

The JavaMail / Activation JAR files

Note: Continuum requires JavaMail 1.4 (or later)

Apache Tomcat does not typically ship with a copy of the JavaMail or Activation jar files. In your role as the Apache Tomcat administrator of your installation, you will need to obtain these jar files and place it into your preferred lib directory.

The appropriate lib directory to choose is a personal preference, and we do not encourage or enforce a specific location for it, as all installations of Apache Tomcat are different.

For the record, we personally put them in the $CATALINA_HOME/common/lib/ directory.

Direct download links for these jar files.

The Apache Derby JAR files

Note:Continuum 1.2 has been tested with Apache Derby 10.1.3.1

The default installation of Continuum uses the Apache Derby 100% Java database to maintain Continuum-specific information, and also the Users / Security Database.

You will need to obtain the derby.jar and derbytools.jar and place them into your preferred lib directory.

We put them into the $CATALINA_HOME/common/lib/ directory.

Direct download links for these jar files:

Configure the appserver.base java property

The ${appserver.base} java property is used by the Continuum internal logging configuration to determine where to output its logs to. It is important to define this property either in the $CATALINA_OPTS system environment variable (if Tomcat is being launched via the command line) or the service properties (if being launched as a service or daemon).

The format typically expected is -Dappserver.base=<SOMEWHERE>

You can utilize the $CATALINA_HOME/bin/setenv.sh script to set this value in a tomcat specific way.

#!/bin/bash
# Keep the appserver.home and appserver.base values the same when running under Tomcat

export CATALINA_OPTS="-Dappserver.home=$CATALINA_HOME -Dappserver.base=$CATALINA_HOME"

Tomcat 5.0.x Specifics

Tested on Tomcat v5.0.28

These instructions explain how to deploy the Continuum 1.2 web application in an existing installation of Tomcat 5.0.x.

Extra Jars:

  • You will need the xalan-2.7.0.jar copied into your $CATALINA_HOME/common/lib/ directory.
  • The Xerces XML Implementation provided in Tomcat 5.0.x is old and will cause problems with Continuum and the internal JAXP implementation in JDK 1.5, we recommend that you remove the files in $CATALINA_HOME/common/endorsed/.
    <Context path="/continuum" docBase="/path/to/continuum-webapp-1.2.war" debug="0">
    
      <!-- JNDI Datasource for User/Security Database (REQUIRED) -->
      <Resource name="jdbc/users" auth="Container" type="javax.sql.DataSource"/>
      <ResourceParams name="jdbc/users">
        <parameter>
          <name>driverClassName</name>
          <value>org.apache.derby.jdbc.EmbeddedDriver</value>
        </parameter>
        <parameter>
          <name>factory</name>
          <value>org.apache.commons.dbcp.BasicDataSourceFactory</value> <!-- Sets up Database Connection Pooling -->
        </parameter>
        <parameter>
          <name>url</name>
          <value>jdbc:derby:database/users;create=true</value> <!-- Adjust path to suit -->
        </parameter>
        <parameter>
          <name>username</name>
          <value>sa</value>
        </parameter>
        <parameter>
          <name>password</name>
          <value></value>
        </parameter>
      </ResourceParams>
    
      <!-- JNDI Datasource for Continuum Database (REQUIRED) -->
      <Resource name="jdbc/continuum" auth="Container" type="javax.sql.DataSource"/>
      <ResourceParams name="jdbc/continuum">
        <parameter>
          <name>driverClassName</name>
          <value>org.apache.derby.jdbc.EmbeddedDriver</value>
        </parameter>
        <parameter>
          <name>factory</name>
          <value>org.apache.commons.dbcp.BasicDataSourceFactory</value> <!-- Sets up Database Connection Pooling -->
        </parameter>
        <parameter>
          <name>url</name>
          <value>jdbc:derby:database/continuum;create=true</value> <!-- Adjust path to suit -->
        </parameter>
        <parameter>
          <name>username</name>
          <value>sa</value>
        </parameter>
        <parameter>
          <name>password</name>
          <value></value>
        </parameter>
      </ResourceParams>
    
      <Resource name="mail/Session" auth="Container" type="javax.mail.Session"/>
      <ResourceParams name="mail/Session">
        <parameter>
          <name>mail.smtp.host</name>
          <value>localhost</value>
        </parameter>
     </ResourceParams>
    </Context>

Tomcat 5.5.x Specifics

Tested on Tomcat v5.5.17 and v5.5.25

This example <Context> assumes technique #2 in the Define JNDI Resource list. (This example lists out the docBase to the war file itself.)

<Context path="/continuum"
         docBase="/path/to/continuum-webapp-1.2.war">

  <Resource name="jdbc/users"
            auth="Container"
            type="javax.sql.DataSource"
            username="sa"
            password=""
            driverClassName="org.apache.derby.jdbc.EmbeddedDriver"
            url="jdbc:derby:database/users;create=true" />

  <Resource name="jdbc/continuum"
            auth="Container"
            type="javax.sql.DataSource"
            username="sa"
            password=""
            driverClassName="org.apache.derby.jdbc.EmbeddedDriver"
            url="jdbc:derby:database/continuum;create=true" />

  <Resource name="mail/Session"
            auth="Container"
            type="javax.mail.Session"
            mail.smtp.host="localhost"/>
</Context>

Warning: The Tomcat 5.5.20 and 5.5.23 releases are missing MailSessionFactory and a few other classes. JNDI mail sessions will not work. Use Tomcat 5.5.17 or see the workaround on Bug 40668.

Tomcat 6.0.x Specifics

Tested on Tomcat v6.0.14

<Context path="/continuum"
         docBase="/path/to/continuum-webapp-1.2.war">

  <Resource name="jdbc/users"
            auth="Container"
            type="javax.sql.DataSource"
            username="sa"
            password=""
            driverClassName="org.apache.derby.jdbc.EmbeddedDriver"
            url="jdbc:derby:database/users;create=true" />

  <Resource name="jdbc/continuum"
            auth="Container"
            type="javax.sql.DataSource"
            username="sa"
            password=""
            driverClassName="org.apache.derby.jdbc.EmbeddedDriver"
            url="jdbc:derby:database/continuum;create=true" />

  <Resource name="mail/Session"
            auth="Container"
            type="javax.mail.Session"
            mail.smtp.host="localhost"/>
</Context>