This tutorial can be completed in a 3-hour session, with guidance from instructor.
This installation and configuration guide is applicable to Tomcat 7, as well as the earlier versions.
Introduction
Introduction to Web Applications and HTTP
A web application, unlike standalone application, runs over the Internet. Examples of web applications are google, amazon, ebay, among others. A web application is a 3-tier (or multi-tier) client-server application, usually involving a database. Most of the web applications run on the HTTP application protocol, with browser as the client to access an HTTP server.
A web database application requires five components, as illustrated below:
- HTTP Server: E.g., Apache HTTP Server, Microsoft IIS, Apache Tomcat, and etc.
- HTTP Client (Browser): E.g., MSIE, FireFox, Chrome, and etc.
- Database: E.g., MySQL, Oracle, DB2, Infomix, MS SQL Server, MS Access, and etc.
- Client-Side Programs: could be written in HTML Form, JavaScript, VBScript, Flash, and etc.
- Server-Side Programs: could be written in Java Servlet/JSP, ASP, PHP, and etc.
A user, via a web browser, issue a URL to an HTTP server to start a web application. The web application first downloads a client-side program (such as an HTML form) into the browser. The user fills up the query criteria in the form. The client-side program sends the query parameters to a server-side program, which queries the database and returns the query result to the client. The client-side program displays the result on the browser.
HTTP is an asynchronous request-response application-layer protocol. A client sends a request message to the server. The server returns a response message to the client. The syntax of the message is defined in the HTTP specification.
Introduction to Apache Tomcat
Apache Tomcat is a Java-capable HTTP server, which could execute Java programs. It is the official Reference Implementation (RI) for Java Servlets and JavaServer Pages (JSP) technologies. Tomcat is an open-source project, under the "Apache Software Foundation" (which also provides the famous open-source industrial-strength Apache HTTP Server). The mother site for Tomcat is http://tomcat.apache.org. Alternatively, you can find tomcat via the Apache mother site @ http://www.apache.org.
How to Install Tomcat 7
STEP 0: Read the Tomcat Documentation
Tomcat's documentation is available at Tomcat mother site @ http://tomcat.apache.org. Select "Documentation" ⇒ "Tomcat 7.0".
STEP 1: Download Tomcat
- From http://tomcat.apache.org ⇒ Select "Downloads" ⇒ "Tomcat 7.0" ⇒ "7.0.xx" ⇒ "Binary Distributions" ⇒ "Core" ⇒ "zip" ⇒ "
apache-tomcat-7.0.xx.zip". - UNZIP into a directory of your choice. DO NOT unzip onto the Desktop (because its path is hard to locate). I suggest using "
d:\myproject". Tomcat will be unzipped into directory "d:\myproject\apache-tomcat-7.0.xx". For ease of use, we shall shorten and rename this directory to "d:\myproject\tomcat". Take note of Your Tomcat Installed Directory. Hereafter, I shall refer to the Tomcat installed directory as<TOMCAT_HOME>.
I recommend "zip" version, as you could simply delete the entire directory when Tomcat is no longer needed (without running any un-installer). You are free to move or rename the Tomcat's installed directory. You can install (unzip) multiple copies of Tomcat in the same machine.
