tummy.com: we do linux

Installing Tomcat5 on RHEL4 or CentOS4.2

First, you'll need some base packages that you may not have already installed.

yum install rpm-build gcc-java

If you're in North America, create a new yum repository file containing lines like the following:

[jpackage16-generic]
name=JPackage 1.6 Generic
baseurl=ftp://jpackage.hmdc.harvard.edu/JPackage/1.6/generic/free/
gpgcheck=1

[jpackage16-rhel40]
name=JPackage 1.6 for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4
baseurl=ftp://jpackage.hmdc.harvard.edu/JPackage/1.6/redhat-el-4.0/free/
gpgcheck=1

If you live outside of North America, please use the closest mirror.

Next, you'll need to import the Jpackage GPG key:

rpm --import http://www.jpackage.org/jpackage.asc

Get some SRPMs for building the non-free packages. I like installing these to /usr/local/src on Linux systems. If you prefer another directory (/tmp works well) use it instead.

cd /usr/local/src
wget ftp://jpackage.hmdc.harvard.edu/JPackage/1.6/generic/non-free/SRPMS/java-1.4.2-sun-1.4.2.09-1jpp.nosrc.rpm
wget ftp://jpackage.hmdc.harvard.edu/JPackage/1.6/generic/non-free/SRPMS/jta-1.0.1-0.b.4jpp.nosrc.rpm

Download some required files to /usr/src/redhat/SOURCES

This page was last updated on 2005-10-02. You might have to poke around on the to find the right files if Sun has changed those pages too much.

Build and install the non-free packages.

rpmbuild --rebuild /usr/local/src/java-1.4.2-sun-1.4.2.09-1jpp.nosrc.rpm
rpm -ivh /usr/src/redhat/RPMS/i586/java-1.4.2-sun-1.4.2.09-1jpp.i586.rpm
rpm -ivh /usr/src/redhat/RPMS/i586/java-1.4.2-sun-devel-1.4.2.09-1jpp.i586.rpm
rpmbuild --rebuild --without javadoc /usr/local/src/jta-1.0.1-0.b.4jpp.nosrc.rpm
rpm -ivh /usr/src/redhat/RPMS/noarch/jta-1.0.1-0.b.4jpp.noarch.rpm

And finally, install the free packages

yum install tomcat5 tomcat5-admin-webapps

"Tim N." has written to suggest that the above "yum install" line needs to also include "tomcat5-webapps". I'd imagine it really depends on whether you have dependence on the non-admin webapps or not. However, if you have problems or know you want the non-admin apps, you probably will want to install the "tomcat5-webapps" package as well.