Apache Tomcat Server 3.1, The

Mathematics and Computer Education, Fall 2002 by Ashbacher, Charles

A public domain HTTP server available as a free download from the Jakarta Project home page at http://www.jakarta.apache.org

Windows and Linux versions are available

I was recently faced with the necessity of teaching a course in Java Server Pages or JSPs. In these times of financial rigor, my client could not spend any additional money for software. Therefore, it came down to teach the class with free software or not at all. Since the Java Development Kit (JDK) is free and I was aware of the Tomcat server and what it could do, my answer was "No problem! " Loading the package was a snap, and linking it to the JDK required only a minor modification to the tomcat.bat file.

With this setup, I was able to teach a complete course in JSPs to my client. We covered all of the basics and I went on to teach a similar class to another group of students. Both groups were pleased with the performance of the server. The only problem we had was that Tomcat does not easily reload, so it was sometimes necessary to stop and restart the server; but this was easy, and most of the class was used to doing that occasionally with browsers. Tomcat linked well with the JDK, making the compilation errors those of the JDK, so in that aspect of the process, Tomcat was largely transparent.

I recommend the use of Tomcat in the teaching of JSPs. Not only is it less expensive than the more complex products, but the reduced complexity makes it easier for the students to learn and reduces the blood pressure of the teacher as there is nothing more frustrating than having to spend the bulk of class time holding hands with the students as they walk through a complex IDE. They really don't learn the IDE and they certainly don't learn the primary topic.

Charles Ashbacher

http://www.ashbacher.com