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Posted to xindice-dev@xml.apache.org by "Vladimir R. Bossicard" <vl...@bossicard.com> on 2002/11/24 02:58:48 UTC
about writing howtos
Hi all,
things are starting to look much better and I really appreciate to see
other people being involved.
I just would like to share some thoughts about writing howtos.
For me, writing howtos is of course providing the user with an easy
step-by-step manual but also an opportunity to fix problems and improve
the project.
Few examples:
- installation howto: not everyone will will with the CVS repository (in
fact it's a minority) and the majority will try to compile the src
release (xindice-src.zip). But there's no such release right now... So
the first task it to write a task to create the releases (a first try is
in the contributor.xml file).
- tomcat howto: how can the location of the database be configured? The
war file is unpacked into (currently) xindice-1.1b. Since the end user
doesn't care about the version, how can Tomcat automatically reference
the webapps as 'Xindice'?
If we are able to ask the right questions, there are enough experience
on the ml to find the right answers.
That was my 2 cents of the day
Keep up the good work!
-Vladimir
--
Vladimir R. Bossicard
Apache Xindice - http://xml.apache.org/xindice
Re: about writing howtos
Posted by Joan M Carroll <jc...@world.std.com>.
On Tue, 26 Nov 2002, Michael Westbay wrote:
> The most platform independent way to explain how to start/stop Tomcat is to
> use <command>${TOMCAT_HOME}/bin/catalina.{sh|bat} {start|stop}</command>.
the RPM has no scripts at all in this dir ... but it *does* put the
following 'stuff' in my /usr/bin directory:
tomcat4
dtomcat4
jasper4
djasper4
jspc4
reloctomcat4
i feel enriched by having so many tools, and i promise a large bowl
of mint chip ice cream to anyone who can tell me what they are
(no rush, it's pretty cool now in this part of california)
Re: about writing howtos
Posted by Michael Westbay <we...@users.sourceforge.net>.
My Env: FreeBSD 4.6
Native JDK 1.3.1-p6
Tomcat v4.1.12 (from ports)
Xindice CVS (last week)
Joan M Carroll-san wrote:
> BUG #2
> ------
> I never read any doc about the 'tomcat4' command, but my
> distro did *not* come with startup/shutdown scripts. After
> nosing around, i found that 4.1.12 (RPM-only???) uses
This is a distrobution specific thing. FreeBSD's port installs
/usr/local/bin/tomcat41ctl for this.
The most platform independent way to explain how to start/stop Tomcat is to
use <command>${TOMCAT_HOME}/bin/catalina.{sh|bat} {start|stop}</command>.
=======
The only gotcha I ran into was that the context name MUST be renamed to
Xindice (with a capital 'X') to use the HTML based database browser. I
haven't had time, but one of the first things I want to modify in the sample
servlet is the anchor generator which appears to force the context name to
"/Xindice" for all drill-down links.
--
Michael Westbay
Work: Beacon-IT http://www.beacon-it.co.jp/
Home: http://www.seaple.icc.ne.jp/~westbay
Commentary: http://www.japanesebaseball.com/forum/
RE: about writing howtos
Posted by Joan M Carroll <jc...@world.std.com>.
thanks for all the help on the questions.
i'm still experimenting & digesting, so thanx!
meanwhile i also fooled around & found an answer to
my cocoon prob:
> i get a SQLException when tomcat loads cocoon, complaining about
> the 'cocoondb.properties'. It is a File I/O error (and yes,
i *presume* this is only a prob in the RPM distro:
i had to:
% chmod a+w $CATALINA_HOME/webapps/cocoon/WEB-INF/db/cocoondb.*
% chmod a+x $CATALINA_HOME/webapps/cocoon/WEB-INF/db/cocoondb.script
(then of course i had to reset my modified=no flag in the
cocoon.properties file because tomcat4 blew prior load)
hope this helps some poor rpm user out there... i'll try to
follow-up with cocoon people when i get a chance...
RE: about writing howtos
Posted by Dave Viner <dv...@yahoo-inc.com>.
Hi Joan,
Well, as you can guess, my platform currently in windows... here's what I
know.
BUG #1
Once I've installed the xindice*.war file, Tomcat does NOT unpack the new
war file. According to the Tomcat docs that I could find, it should.
"
Copy the web application archive file into directory
%CATALINA_HOME%/webapps/. When Tomcat is started, it will automatically
expand the web application archive file into its unpacked form, and execute
the application that way. This approach would typically be used to install
an additional application, provided by a third party vendor or by your
internal development staff, into an existing Tomcat installation. NOTE - If
you use this approach, and wish to update your application later, you must
both replace the web application archive file AND delete the expanded
directory that Tomcat created, and then restart Tomcat, in order to reflect
your changes"
from http://jakarta.apache.org/tomcat/tomcat-4.1-doc/appdev/deployment.html
However, when I delete the webapps/xindice-1.1b dir, and put a new war file
in, tomcat doesn't start. So the steps that I've been using are:
1. copy new war file from xindice_home to %CATALINA_HOME%/webapps
2. cd %CATALINA_HOME%/webapps/xindice-1.1b && jar -tf ../xindice-1.1b.war
3. re-edit the %CATALINA_HOME%/webapps/xindice-1.1b/WEB-INF/system.xml (if
you make any changes)
4. Reload the webapp from by accessing
http://localhost:8080/manager/html/reload?path=/xindice-1.1b
I too tried mucking w/ reloadable and other attributes, but I failed to find
any successful combination that did the right thing.
BUG #2
I don't have a tomcat4 script. I installed the jakarta-tomcat-4.1.12.zip
from
http://jakarta.apache.org/builds/jakarta-tomcat-4.0/release/v4.1.12/bin/
In the %CATALINA_HOME%\bin directory, I have:
D:\jakarta-tomcat-4.1.12\bin>dir
Volume in drive D is Data
Volume Serial Number is A3EB-9689
Directory of D:\jakarta-tomcat-4.1.12\bin
11/20/2002 12:12p <DIR> .
11/20/2002 12:12p <DIR> ..
09/23/2002 11:23a 24,589 bootstrap.jar
09/23/2002 11:23a 7,400 catalina.bat
09/23/2002 11:23a 8,556 catalina.sh
09/23/2002 11:23a 9,034 commons-daemon.jar
09/23/2002 11:23a 511 cpappend.bat
11/21/2002 05:02p <DIR> db
09/23/2002 11:23a 1,284 digest.bat
09/23/2002 11:23a 848 digest.sh
09/23/2002 11:23a 2,546 jasper.bat
09/23/2002 11:23a 2,833 jasper.sh
09/23/2002 11:23a 1,199 jspc.bat
09/23/2002 11:23a 795 jspc.sh
09/23/2002 11:23a 1,942 setclasspath.bat
09/23/2002 11:23a 1,661 setclasspath.sh
09/23/2002 11:23a 1,215 shutdown.bat
09/23/2002 11:23a 787 shutdown.sh
09/23/2002 11:23a 1,216 startup.bat
09/23/2002 11:23a 788 startup.sh
09/23/2002 11:23a 10,762 tomcat-jni.jar
09/23/2002 11:23a 65,536 tomcat.exe
09/23/2002 11:23a 2,168 tool-wrapper.bat
09/23/2002 11:23a 2,484 tool-wrapper.sh
21 File(s) 148,154 bytes
3 Dir(s) 6,080,847,872 bytes free
D:\jakarta-tomcat-4.1.12\bin>
So it appears to have both the *.bat and *.sh scripts for admininstrating.
QUESTION #1
I didn't have to edit anything in the configuration files of tomcat. I just
copied the xindice-1.1b.war to the %CATALINA_HOME%\webapps dir, and
restarted tomcat. All the right things just happened.
I too added a FileLogger (with great help from Vladimir).
dave
-----Original Message-----
From: Joan M Carroll [mailto:jcarroll@world.std.com]
Sent: Monday, November 25, 2002 3:31 PM
To: xindice-dev@xml.apache.org
Subject: RE: about writing howtos
On Mon, 25 Nov 2002, Dave Viner wrote:
> Hi Vladimir,
> I agree with you. We need more information in the HowTos for installing
> and using xindice and tomcat. However, I personally like to take things
in
i am doing some updates to your doc 'fixme's for linux
and - before I needlessly go off on a tangent - i have a
couple questions for other linux users:
My Env: RH Linux v8
JDK1.3.1_06
Tomcat v4.1.12 (RPM distro)
Cocoon v2.0.3 (binary)
Xindice CVS
A) Tomcat v4.1.12
BUG #1
------
Tomcat won't unpack the $CATALINA_HOME/webapp/*.war files for me.
I have to do this myself.
I read the mailing list items on this, and i found 3 open
bugs on it in bugzilla. i tried messing with 'reloadable' flag
etc but no joy. Developers' notes: this is a 'feature' when
reloadable=true(?)
Unless someone knows of a correction that i haven't tried yet,
i plan to write the doc instructing users to use the standard
procedures (put .war in webapps), then add a note that they
*may* need to unpack the .war themselves etc. with v4.1.12
(according to dev, they *will* need to self-unpack if
reloadable flag is on ... tho mine is not ....)
Any help here w.b. much appreciated.
BUG #2
------
I never read any doc about the 'tomcat4' command, but my
distro did *not* come with startup/shutdown scripts. After
nosing around, i found that 4.1.12 (RPM-only???) uses
'tomcat4 [start]|[stop]|[whathaveyou]'
i consider this a doc bug. however, i'm not sure if other
distros are still using scripts to stop/start the service.
again, i will make a note of it in the doc, unless i somehow
got hold of a weird&unusual tomcat rpm distro - plztellme;-o
QUESTION #1
-----------
i don't see instructions in our howto for editing
$CATALINA_HOME/conf/server.xml file. does win need to?
tomcat neophytes (like me) may need some guidance here.
i am not an authority, i fudged my settings:
reloadable=false (better performance & not needed)
crossContext=true (being friendly w our friends)
then i associated a FileLogger just for yucks
(your comments r welcome)
B) cocoon 2.0.3 w tomcat 4.1.12 (i.e. not for Tomcat howto)
NOTE: i spinelessly installed the binary ver for my JDK
i get a SQLException when tomcat loads cocoon, complaining about
the 'cocoondb.properties'. It is a File I/O error (and yes,
the modified property=no in the file)
checked buzilla and got 'Zarro Boogs found.'
i have ignored it, but - unless someone knows what's going
wrong - i will try to track down the problem before
writing the doc (geez doancha hate a 'howto' telling you to
ignore unknown errors...)
And that, my friends, is all i have to ask you about that.
RE: about writing howtos
Posted by Joan M Carroll <jc...@world.std.com>.
On Mon, 25 Nov 2002, Dave Viner wrote:
> Hi Vladimir,
> I agree with you. We need more information in the HowTos for installing
> and using xindice and tomcat. However, I personally like to take things in
i am doing some updates to your doc 'fixme's for linux
and - before I needlessly go off on a tangent - i have a
couple questions for other linux users:
My Env: RH Linux v8
JDK1.3.1_06
Tomcat v4.1.12 (RPM distro)
Cocoon v2.0.3 (binary)
Xindice CVS
A) Tomcat v4.1.12
BUG #1
------
Tomcat won't unpack the $CATALINA_HOME/webapp/*.war files for me.
I have to do this myself.
I read the mailing list items on this, and i found 3 open
bugs on it in bugzilla. i tried messing with 'reloadable' flag
etc but no joy. Developers' notes: this is a 'feature' when
reloadable=true(?)
Unless someone knows of a correction that i haven't tried yet,
i plan to write the doc instructing users to use the standard
procedures (put .war in webapps), then add a note that they
*may* need to unpack the .war themselves etc. with v4.1.12
(according to dev, they *will* need to self-unpack if
reloadable flag is on ... tho mine is not ....)
Any help here w.b. much appreciated.
BUG #2
------
I never read any doc about the 'tomcat4' command, but my
distro did *not* come with startup/shutdown scripts. After
nosing around, i found that 4.1.12 (RPM-only???) uses
'tomcat4 [start]|[stop]|[whathaveyou]'
i consider this a doc bug. however, i'm not sure if other
distros are still using scripts to stop/start the service.
again, i will make a note of it in the doc, unless i somehow
got hold of a weird&unusual tomcat rpm distro - plztellme;-o
QUESTION #1
-----------
i don't see instructions in our howto for editing
$CATALINA_HOME/conf/server.xml file. does win need to?
tomcat neophytes (like me) may need some guidance here.
i am not an authority, i fudged my settings:
reloadable=false (better performance & not needed)
crossContext=true (being friendly w our friends)
then i associated a FileLogger just for yucks
(your comments r welcome)
B) cocoon 2.0.3 w tomcat 4.1.12 (i.e. not for Tomcat howto)
NOTE: i spinelessly installed the binary ver for my JDK
i get a SQLException when tomcat loads cocoon, complaining about
the 'cocoondb.properties'. It is a File I/O error (and yes,
the modified property=no in the file)
checked buzilla and got 'Zarro Boogs found.'
i have ignored it, but - unless someone knows what's going
wrong - i will try to track down the problem before
writing the doc (geez doancha hate a 'howto' telling you to
ignore unknown errors...)
And that, my friends, is all i have to ask you about that.
RE: about writing howtos
Posted by Dave Viner <dv...@yahoo-inc.com>.
Hi Vladimir,
I agree with you. We need more information in the HowTos for installing
and using xindice and tomcat. However, I personally like to take things in
two steps. The first step is just to get everything running, sort of like a
completely vanilla out-of-the-box implementation. Then my second step is to
configure all the components the way I like. And the howtos I wrote reflect
this. They are very plain and just get things running. I think we need to
expand our FAQ section and describe common error in installing or using
tomcat. Whether those answers are in the same howto, or collected in a
general faq is not terribly important. After all, we are making hyperlinked
documents, so whether the information is on one page or two is not too
important. But, since I like to just "get things running" on my machines
first, I personally like howtos that do that. Then when I run into problems
or want more advanced configuration options, I re-read the howtos looking
for pointers to the information I'm looking for.
But I definitely think you are correct that "if we can ask the questions,
we can answer them"! And if not, we damn well better figure it out! We're
the -dev list! :)
dave
-----Original Message-----
From: Vladimir R. Bossicard [mailto:vladimir@bossicard.com]
Sent: Saturday, November 23, 2002 5:59 PM
To: xindice-dev@xml.apache.org
Subject: about writing howtos
Hi all,
things are starting to look much better and I really appreciate to see
other people being involved.
I just would like to share some thoughts about writing howtos.
For me, writing howtos is of course providing the user with an easy
step-by-step manual but also an opportunity to fix problems and improve
the project.
Few examples:
- installation howto: not everyone will will with the CVS repository (in
fact it's a minority) and the majority will try to compile the src
release (xindice-src.zip). But there's no such release right now... So
the first task it to write a task to create the releases (a first try is
in the contributor.xml file).
- tomcat howto: how can the location of the database be configured? The
war file is unpacked into (currently) xindice-1.1b. Since the end user
doesn't care about the version, how can Tomcat automatically reference
the webapps as 'Xindice'?
If we are able to ask the right questions, there are enough experience
on the ml to find the right answers.
That was my 2 cents of the day
Keep up the good work!
-Vladimir
--
Vladimir R. Bossicard
Apache Xindice - http://xml.apache.org/xindice