This page is for system administrators who are upgrading Tomcat.
Overview
The instructions on this page provide guidance on how to upgrade:
- a standard Tomcat setup
- a Tomcat setup with some configuration changes to
server.xml
andweb.xml
.
Most PhixFlow installations use a standard Tomcat setup. Some common variations are:
SSL termination is handled in Tomcat to provide a secure connection. This means you have installed a certificate.
Tomcat uses a non-standard port number.
PhixFlow can export large files because the limit set by
maxPostSize
has been increased or disabled; see Configuring Large Image Upload.
To upgrade, we recommend you install the target version of Tomcat as a new installation, then move resources and configuration changes from the previous install. This means the common variations listed above will be moved into the new installation.
Tomcat provides a tool for comparing configuration files between patch versions; for example, for version 9 see https://tomcat.apache.org/migration-9.html#Upgrading_9.0.x. However, at PhixFlow, we have found it easier and more reliable to treat even minor upgrades as new installations.
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On Linux
The following instructions assume that Tomcat is installed in /opt/tomcat
, as recommended in PhixFlow’s installation instructions. If you have installed Tomcat somewhere else, remember to replace /opt/tomcat
in commands with your installation directory.
Step 1 Identify your current version of Tomcat
At the command line, enter:
Code Block |
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/opt/tomcat/bin/version.sh |
Step 2 Check your configuration (if necessary)
You can skip this step if you have:
- made no configuration changes to Tomcat
- notes or a checklist of your configuration.
If you have made configuration changes but cannot remember what they are, you can find out by comparing your current configuration files to those in a standard installation.
- Find your current version of Tomcat on the Tomcat download page:
- for version 8: http://tomcat.apache.org/download-80.cgi
- for version 9: https://tomcat.apache.org/download-90.cgi
- for older versions of Tomcat look for your version under
Archives
→ <your version> →bin
. Download the link with the formatapache-tomcat-VERSION.
tar.gz
Download your current version to a temporary location, for example
/tmp/tmpTomcat
, and unpack it:Code Block cd /tmp mkdir tmpTomcat cd tmpTomcat curl -O https://archive.apache.org/dist/tomcat/tomcat-8/v8.0.45/bin/apache-tomcat-8.0.45.tar.gz tar xvf apache-tomcat-8*tar.gz --strip-components=1
Use the
diff
command to compare theconf
directory with your current installation'sconf
directory, for example:Code Block diff /opt/tomcat/conf /tmp/tmpTomcat/conf
- Make a note of any differences between the two configurations.
You will need to reproduce these changes in the new installation in Step 5, below.
In particular, check for changes in:- server.xml
- context.xml
- web.xml
- tomcat-users.xml.
PhixFlow does not recommend updates to this file but you may have enabled internal Tomcat users.
Remove your temporary download. For example:
Code Block cd /tmp rm -r tmpTomcat
Step 3 Back-up the current Tomcat installation
Stop Tomcat.
If you have installed Tomcat to run undersystemd
, enter:Code Block sudo systemctl stop tomcat
Move the current
/opt/tomcat
directory into a backup.Code Block sudo mv /opt/tomcat/ /opt/tomcat-back
Step 4 Install the new version of Tomcat
To install the required new version of Tomcat:
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Step 5 Configure the new version of Tomcat
Move the PhixFlow webapp from the backup into the new Tomcat
webapps
directory.Code Block sudo mv /opt/tomcat-back/webapps/phixflow /opt/tomcat/webapps/
If you have custom folders, move them back into the new Tomcat installation, for example
tomcat/secure
andtomcat/metadata
.Apply the standard configuration settings and hardening steps; see Install Tomcat.
Copy your specific configurations from the backup files into the Tomcat configuration files, for example: SSL termination, non-standard ports, etc.
Copy only the sections that are specific to your installation.Tip You do not need to re-create the service configuration for Tomcat. For example, if you previously installed Tomcat to run under
systemd
, the service script will continue to work after the upgrade.You may need to revise your service configuration if you have:
also updated Java
not installed Tomcat in the same location as previously.
Step 6 Restart and Test
Restart Tomcat
Code Block sudo systemctl start tomcat
Test that Tomcat is running and the PhixFlow webapp can run:
Code Block sudo systemctl status tomcat curl http://localhost:8080/phixflow/start.html
Check that you are now running the required version of Tomcat:
Code Block /opt/tomcat/bin/version.sh
On Windows
The following instructions assume that you already have Tomcat 9 installed in c:\app\tomcat9
, as recommended in PhixFlow’s installation instructions. If Tomcat is at a different version, and/or you have chosen to install it in a different location, remember to replace
in the following commands with your installation directory.c:\app\tomcat9
Step 1 Identify your current version of Tomcat
To run the following process you must have the following environment variables set:
- CATALINA_HOME
- and either JAVA_HOME or JRE_HOME.
If you have not set these variables, you can set them in your current session. For example, in Powershell, enter:
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$env:JAVA_HOME="C:\Program Files\Java\jre1.8.0_282" $env:CATALINA_HOME="C:\app\tomcat9" |
To check the version, in PowerShell enter:
Code Block |
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& "C:\app\tomcat9\bin\version.bat" |
Step 2 Check your configuration
You can skip this step if you have:
- made no configuration changes to Tomcat
- notes or a checklist of your configuration.
If you have made configuration changes but cannot remember what they are, you can compare your configuration files to those in a standard installation.
Download a new copy of your current version of Tomcat.
- Find your current version of tomcat on the Tomcat download page:
- for version 8: http://tomcat.apache.org/download-80.cgi
- for version 9: https://tomcat.apache.org/download-90.cgi
- for older versions of Tomcat look for your version under
Archives
→ <your version> →bin
. Download the link with the formatapache-tomcat-VERSION-windows-x64.zip
- Download your current version and unpack it to a temporary directory, for example
TempCurrent
. Do not install it. Use the
compare
command to find the differences between theTempCurrent\conf
files and those in your current installation'sconf
directory. For example, in PowerShell, enter:Code Block compare-object (get-content c:\app\tomcat9\conf\file.xml) (get-content TempCurrent\conf\file.xml)
In particular, you are looking for differences in the following files:
- server.xml
- context.xml
- web.xml
- tomcat-users.xml.
PhixFlow does not recommend updates to this file but you may have enabled internal Tomcat users.
- Make a note of any differences between your current installation and the test installation.
You will need to reproduce these changes in the new installation in Step 5 below. - Remove your temporary download.
Step 3 Back up the current Tomcat installation
Copy the entire
tomcat9
folder to a backup location.If your log files are large and you do not want to retain them, as a minimum, you must back up the following
tomcat9\
sub-folders:webapps
conf
lib
bin
- and if they exist:
metadata
andsecure.
Step 4 Note your Java setup
- Check and make a note of your changes to the Java setup, including those required by PhixFlow.
In particular, note:- the path of the Java Virtual Machine
Java options. Make a note of any options you have added in addition to the PhixFlow recommendations. PhixFlow recommends:
Insert excerpt Install Tomcat on Windows Install Tomcat on Windows nopanel true - Memory allocation
- On the server, open Services → Apache Tomcat service properties:
If Tomcat is running under a service account, make a note of the service account name. Ensure you have the service account password.
Step 5 Uninstall the current version of Tomcat
Note |
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We do not recommend using Uninstall.exe in the |
- Open Add or remove programs.
- Locate Tomcat and click Uninstall.
- Windows asks if you want to remove all files:
- Recommended - Click Yes if you have taken a backup of the necessary folders in Step 3.
- Alternatively - Click No if you want Windows to keep the
conf
,logs
,null
andwebapps
directories, as well as any other directories you have added.
Step 6 Install the new version of Tomcat
To install the required new version of Tomcat, follow the instructions on Install Tomcat on Windows. Remember to reapply the settings:
recommended for PhixFlow; see Configure the service wrapper
you noted in Step 4, such as:
JVM path
memory settings
service account; see Run under service account.
Step 7 Configure the new version of Tomcat
Copy the PhixFlow webapp from the backup into the new Tomcat
webapps
directory, for example frombackup\webapps\phixflow
totomcat9\webapps\phixflow
.
This step means PhixFlow configuration files, such asphixflow-datasource.xml
are updated with your configuration.If you have custom folders, copy them back into the new Tomcat installation, for example
tomcat9\secure
andtomcat9\metadata
.Apply the standard configuration settings and hardening steps; see Install Tomcat.
Copy your specific configurations (as identified in Step 2) from the backup files into the Tomcat configuration files, for example: SSL termination, non-standard ports, etc.
Copy only the sections that are specific to your installation.- If you are using MS SQL Server integrated authentication, remember to replace the Java option to set the classpath for
sqljdbc_auth.dll
. This should be included in the Java options you noted in Step 4, above. To be certain, you can check instructions for Tomcat configuration on MS SQL Server Integrated Authentication.
Step 8 Restart and Test
Restart the Tomcat service and check that it is running.
Start the PhixFlow webapp and check that it is running.
Check that you are now running the required version of Tomcat.
Assuming you have set the JAVA_HOME or JRE_HOME environment variable, in PowerShell, enter:Code Block & "C:\app\tomcat9\bin\version.bat"