Section 13.4. Java Web Servers

   

13.4 Java Web Servers

Once upon a time there was a software program known as the Java Web Server. This Web server was used to create dynamic funtionality on the fly for Web clients . It has been discontinued, as Sun has favored developing the IPlanet Web Server. (Note that ColdFusion MX runs on IPlanet.)

There are a number of popular Java Web application servers in use today. These include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Apache Jakarta Tomcat 4. The reference implementation was written in Java by the organization responsible for Apache Web Server. It is free and open source.

  • Macromedia JRun 4. The Enterprise and Professional versions of this container have been collapsed for version 4. JRun is a popular, affordable solution with easy administration and a very useful tag library included. JRun is also underneath ColdFusion MX, running the show.

  • New Atlanta Servlet Exec. A limited-functionality version is available for free at http://newatlanta.com.

  • Gefion Lite WebServer. A compact, free Web server derived from Tomcat, available at http://www.gefionsoftware.com.

  • JBoss 3. Available from jboss.org, this server acts as an Enterprise JavaBeans (EJB) container.

Note

ColdFusion MX Enterprise version now acts as a JSP and servlet container. That means that you can write a JSP, place it under CFMX's wwwroot , and it will be processed correctly. This can be a good way to test your JSPs in a familiar environment.


Sun's Java Web Server used to be a moderately used servlet container. It is no longer under development, however, and is not available for download. You may see reference to it in other sources, however, so it is mentioned here. We will use Tomcat for many of our examples, but the pages we'll write should work the same on any container.

13.4.1 Apache Jakarta Tomcat 4

The Apache Software Foundation makes the most popular Web server in the world. It also maintains the reference implementation for JSP and servlets via an agreement with Sun Microsystems. One of Apache's projects is called Jakarta, and its job is to create Java- related work. Apache's flagship product originated as an early implementation of the Java Servlet API called JServ. It is now known as Tomcat, a JSP and servlet container.

Tomcat is itself written in Java and is a free download. You can use Tomcat under the Apache license and even contribute to its development. You may sometimes come across the term Jasper; Jasper is simply a specific name for the JSP processing element of Tomcat.

Like ColdFusion MX, Tomcat has its own HTTP server built in. So you can download it and start testing JSPs immediately without needing to connect to an external server. This makes it easy to use in development. However, Tomcat integrates well with both Apache and IIS, and can be run simultaneously with other Java servers (such as JRun) without issue.


   
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Java for ColdFusion Developers
Java for ColdFusion Developers
ISBN: 0130461806
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2005
Pages: 206
Authors: Eben Hewitt

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