Integrating Resin

This chapter contains the information you need to install the base Resin server, whether you're a novice or an expert. As shown in the previous chapter, the fundamental component of the Resin server is code for handling Java servlets, JSP, and XTP templates. It just so happens that the developers also included an HTTP server for handling HTML, images, and other plug-ins. With the addition of an HTTP server, the Resin product can be installed in a matter of minutes and allows for rapid development and evaluation. For those of you who are already running a Web server, complete instructions for installing Resin using an external HTTP server can be found in Chapter 16, "Configuring Your Web Server."

Requirements for Installation

As with most all applications, there are minimum requirements for successful operation, and Resin is no different. Two of the most important considerations are ancillary software and physical server configuration.

Support Software

Resin requires that a Java Development Kit (JDK) be installed on the server where it will execute. The JDK version must be 1.4 or later; for the basic Resin server, you can use the Standard Edition rather than the Enterprise Edition. Note this isn't just a Java Runtime Environment (JRE) but the actual software development kit, including the Java compiler. To use the latest features of Java and Resin, install the 1.4 version of JSDK.

Tested Configurations

As of this writing, available Java versions include 1.2, 1.2.2, 1.3.1, and 1.4.x. We tested each of the installations on the Microsoft Windows and Linux platforms along with Resin and found that they worked as advertised.

Recommended Server Configuration

The Resin server itself is a fairly lightweight application, so the recommended server configuration primarily reflects the additional software needs. The following configuration is a base recommendation for a development platform:

• CPU: 300MHz or higher (Pentium II for Windows and Intel Linux)

• Memory: 128MB or higher

• Hard drive: 6GB or higher

For a production system, all three criteria will need to be expanded as appropriate. For the examples in this book, we used the following machine configurations:

Windows

• Windows 2000

• 600MHz Pentium III

• 768MB of RAM

• 40GB hard drive

Linux

• Mandrake 8.2

• 300MHz Pentium II

• 192MB of RAM

• 40GB hard drive