Guide to Install Continuum on Tomcat

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

Server Configuration

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 with 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 system 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 several ways to accomplish this, with the most practical being to create a $CATALINA_HOME/conf/Catalina/localhost/continuum.xml file containing a <Context> element.

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, rather than an external database.
  4. Details specific to Apache Tomcat, JavaMail, or Apache Derby are left for the reader to research on those projects websites.

More information on using other supported databases is available in the Administrator's Guide on External Databases.

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 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 derby.jar and place it into your preferred lib directory.

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

Direct download links for this JAR file:

  • Derby 10.1.3.1 - derby-10.1.3.1.jar

    If you have configured a different database, please copy that JDBC driver in place of the Derby driver.

Configure the appserver.base Java system property

The ${appserver.base} system 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=/path/to/continuum-base

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"

Context XML Example

The following context.xml has been tested on Tomcat v5.5.25 and Tomcat v6.0.14.

<Context path="/continuum" docBase="/path/to/continuum-webapp-1.4.1.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>