tomcat server not found

[whatif]

Hello,

I'm trying to configure a tomcat server to start developing servlet/jsp but I get server not found. Here is what I did so far:

Added CLASSPATH to .bash_profile and my servlet compiled successfully.

I typed which java which outputted /usr/bin/java

I then added export JAVA_HOME=/usr/bin/java to .bash_profile

Removed the comments around servlet-mapping as well as the Invoker.

Changed the permission of /usr/share/tomcat6/webapps to world access.

Logged out as root and then logged into my regular account to create WEB-INF/classes under /usr/share/tomcat6/webapps

I then moved the .class from the servlet I compiled to /usr/share/tomcat6/webappsWEB-INF/classes

started a terminal, su to service tomcat6 start then switched user to my normal account and type service tomcat6 status, the output was tomcat 6 running.

Finally, I started my web browser type localhost:8080/servlet/first
and I got server not found. Tried localhost:8080, server not found; however, if I type 127.0.0.1:8080/servlet/first or 127.0.0.1:8080, I get a white page with no error message.

The servlet first will only output Hello World.

I couldn't find the Context path="" docBase="" reloadable="true" line in server.xml

I also search in context.xml, web.xml, and tomcat-users.xml and couldn't find it.

Any suggestions please?

[Tolls]

First off, don't add CLASSPATH to your profile.
It's entirely unecessary and, in general, bad practice.

Next, I would put your servlet into a package. Using the default package is not a good idea. It can cause import problems.
Then I would ensure it is mapped. Do you have a web.xml for your app in WEB-INF?

[whatif]

I added the CLASSPATH to .bash_profile because the servlet won't compile and this is how it was suggested to be added. Where should I add it if not in the profile?

I don't have a web.xml for my app in WEB-INF. Many sources states that if I remove the comments around the Invoker that I don't need to write a web.xml, which is helpful during development. I don't know much about xml and was trying to find the easiest way to start learning servlet/jsp and as I learn I will get into other topics such as xml.

[Tolls]

How do you compile?
If it's on the command line then:
javac -cp<your classpath> <your classes>

[Tolls]

As for the web.xml, it's a fundamental part of a webapp, frankly, and skipping it is a hack that really doesn't help you understand how it all fits together.
It's not as if it's a complicated file.

[whatif]

If it's the web.xml that I'm missing, I will search online on how to write one. What about the <Context path="" docBase="" reloadable="true"> line in server.xml? Several online sources state I need to change the values of path and docBase but I can't find this line in server.xml

[Tolls]

I'd have to read the Tomcat docs, since I rarely have to touch those once a server is up.

[whatif]

I created a web.xml file inside /usr/share/tomcat6/webapps/WEB-INF, which contains the following lines:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="ISO-8859-1"?>

<!DOCTYPE web-app
PUBLIC "-//Sun Microsystems, Inc.//DTD Web Application 2.3//EN"
"http://java.sun.com/dtd/web-app_2_3.dtd">

<web-app>

<servlet>
<servlet-name>first</servlet-name>
<servlet-class>first</servlet-class>
</servlet>

<servlet-mapping>
<servlet-name>first</servlet-name>
<url-pattern>*.html</url-pattern>
</servlet-mapping>
</web-app>


I used the following url:

http://localhost:8080/servlet/first
http://localhost:8080/servlet/first.class
http://localhost:8080/servlet/first.html


Still I get server not found. Any thing else I should try?

[whatif]

I also tried a solution that was advice on a different forum, here it is:

I create app/WEB-INF/classes/app under webapps

added package app; to my servlet, compiled it and move the .class to webapps/app/WEB-INF/classes/app

changed the web.xml to

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="ISO-8859-1"?>

<!DOCTYPE web-app
PUBLIC "-//Sun Microsystems, Inc.//DTD Web Application 2.3//EN"
"http://java.sun.com/dtd/web-app_2_3.dtd">

<web-app>

<servlet>
<servlet-name>first</servlet-name>
<servlet-class>app.first</servlet-class>
</servlet>

<servlet-mapping>
<servlet-name>first</servlet-name>
<url-pattern>*.example</url-pattern>
</servlet-mapping>
</web-app>

save it to webapps/app/WEB-INF


I used the following url:

http://localhost:8080/app/servlet/first
http://localhost:8080/app/servlet/first.class
http://localhost:8080/app/servlet/first.html
http://localhost:8080/app/servlet/first.example

http://localhost:8080/app/first
http://localhost:8080/app/first.class
http://localhost:8080/app/first.html
http://localhost:8080/app/first.example


Still I get server not found!!!

[Tolls]

The latter one is the correct structure for the app, which is:
webapps/<your application name>/<standard folder structure>

Now it looks to me like it's Tomcat itself, which you really need to go through the docs for it step by step.
That includes checking you have the correct basic values in the tomcat xml files.
One of them might have the wrong port (for example).

Was this a fresh download from Apache?

[whatif]

I downloaded tomcat 7 and got it to work. Tomorrow I will test this simple servlet but I have one last question. Does the name of the directory under webapps have to be the same as the package directory? In the above listing it's apps, webapps/app/WEB-INF/classes/app. Could it be webapps/app/WEB-INF/classes/forms?

[Tolls]

No.
The name of the directory is your web application name, and does not have to have anything at all to do with your packages.
The package structure under classes, of course, must match your java class package structure.