Introduction
Apache Tomcat is the java web server which runs the PhixFlow web application.
This guide covers downloading and installing Tomcat 9 on Windows and Windows Server.
Prerequisites
You have installed Windows / Windows Server
You can login as a user with admin privileges.
You have installed Java.
Instructions
Download and Install Tomcat
Download the latest version
Go to the tomcat downloads page, find the latest Binary Distributions section, then the Core sub-heading, and click on 32-bit/64-bit Windows Service Installer.
Install Tomcat
Run the installer.
Do not accept the default Destination Folder as this will result in path names that are too long and/or contain spaces, causing the PhixFlow webapp to fail to start.
Instead, choose a short folder name e.g.
c:/app/tomcat9
On Choose Install Location, set Destination Folder to a short folder name e.g. c:/app/tomcat9.
Accept all other recommended defaults.
Set the tomcat administrator password to something secure.
Configure the service wrapper
You must configure the service wrapper before using it to start tomcat:
Click Configure Tomcat
Java Tab
Switch to the Java Tab.
Java Options
Add these lines to Java Options:
-verbose:gc -Djava.awt.headless=true
Memory
Set Initial Memory Pool and Maximum Memory Pool to the required memory sizes.
General Tab
Startup Type
If you want to start/stop Tomcat manually, set Startup Type to Manual
If you want Tomcat to start automatically when Windows starts, set Startup Type to Automatic
Run under service account
You may wish to run tomcat under a service account. This is advisable for long running installations. But note that this is not strictly nessary; for temporary or ad-hoc systems, running tomcat with the default option - under Local System account - is generally fine.
To do this:
- Open services on the server
- Open the properties for the Apache Tomcat service, and in the Log On tab, enter the service account.
Conclusion
From this point on, you can use Monitor Tomcat to start/stop tomcat