Classloader issues in tomcat 4.1.x (SDK1.4.2), using multi-containers

[David Henry <db...@yahoo.com>]

We are trying to setup a Tomcat Service for our developers.   The intention is that our platform is to be consolidated, meaning we will be running multiple Tomcat Containers under a single Tomcat installation (in this case 4.1.29).  

We work with a number of scientists who have paid for a 3rd Party application that was certified using the LE version of Tomcat.   For various reasons, we do not want to manage a seperate Tomcat Platform just for one application.   

The vendor chose to throw a version of the xerces.jar file into their /WEB-INF/lib directory.   Since the LE version does not come with any xerces jars in the /common/endorsed directory, the application works fine in the LE version, but when we try to port it over to our Full Edition, it fails with a java.lang.VerifyError 

We have kept the default jar files in the /common/endorsed directory (xerces.jar, xercesImpl.jar, and xmlParser.jar), and other applications are referencing them.   If I remove the xerces.jar and xercesImpl.jar from the /endorsed directory, the application works, but this is not an acceptable solution, because other applications are using these jar's.   

I also cannot modify the vendor's code-base, else it nulls our support 
agreement for the application.   So........................I need some 
help :)

Is there a way to force the Container to use the applications xerces.jar file without impacting the applications functions?  I thought of two possibilities:  
 
1. modify the -D argument for the endorsed.dirs directory, so that I can seperate out their version of the jar file from the install base and not impact other applications.   
 
2. use the <loader> element to turn delegation to true.   


Any assistance is appreciated,

David Henry





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