Installing the Java Servlet Container

Before using the AskAnywhere server component you must have a Java servlet container (e.g., Apache Tomcat) installed on your computer.  We recommend installing an Apache Tomcat servlet container from Jakarta's web site.  Tomcat is one of the most widely used Java web servers and has been successfully tested with AskAnywhere.

Note:  We have tested AskAnywhere with Tomcat 4.0.6 and recommend that version.  As new versions of Tomcat become available, we cannot promise that they will function properly with AskAnywhere.  However, if you choose to use another version we suggest you use one as close in sequence as possible to 4.0.6.

• If you are sure that you want to use a Java servlet container that is already installed on your computer (e.g., you already have Tomcat installed), skip directly to Setting JAVA_HOME and CATALINA_HOME
• If you do not have Tomcat installed on your computer, are unsure about whether you have it installed, or are unsure that your Java servlet container is current or will work with the AskAnywhere server component, complete the following steps to install Tomcat.

Note:  Jakarta maintains the web sites and Apache Tomcat software mentioned in this section.  Therefore, the instructions provided here for installing Tomcat are meant only as a guide and may change without notice.  For more information about Tomcat and installing Tomcat, see the information provided at Jakarta’s web site.

1. Go to Jakarta's web site and download the appropriate standard (not LE), binary, release build version of Tomcat (e.g., jakarta-tomcat-4.0.6.exe for Windows, jakarta-tomcat-4.0.6.tar.gz for Unix-compatible environments, or jakarta-tomcat-4.0.6.zip).

Note:  The “.exe” files are executable files for Windows operating systems.  The “.tar.gz” files are a standard compression format typically used for Unix-compatible environments.  (These files are compressed with the GNU zip compression utility that can be found at http://www.gzip.org.)  The “.zip” files are standard zip files.  The “asc” files are used by the system with the associated “.exe”, “.tar.gz”, or “.zip” files.

2. Follow the instructions provided on the screens to complete the Tomcat installation.  Note: If you need additional detail from that which is provided on the screens, refer to Detailed Instructions for Downloading and Installing Tomcat in Windows or Detailed Instructions for Downloading and Installing Tomcat in Unix-compatible Environments. Directions for Unix-compatible environments also include OSX.

   Recommendations:

   • You may install this software anywhere you want; however, we recommend you use the default paths offered in the installers if you are using one.
   • For future reference, ensure that you note the location of all downloaded and installed files during each step of the installation process.
   
   • We recommend you accept the default settings for the install; however, the Tomcat Documentation and Tomcat Source Code are not required for the AskAnywhere server component and the NT Service is only required if you are using Windows NT.  If you are using Windows NT however, we recommend that you include the NT Service, as it will enable Tomcat to startup while the operating system is starting.
3. Complete the steps in Setting JAVA_HOME and CATALINA_HOME.

For additional information about Tomcat and installing Tomcat, refer to Jakarta's web site.

Installing the Java Virtual Machine | Table of Contents | Setting JAVA_HOME and CATALINA_HOME