This document describes the setup for the Descriptor Systems Apache Struts Programming Workshop.
This document applies to version 1.0.2 of the Struts Programming Workshop using the Apache Jakarta Tomcat 5.x container.
Important: Please print this document and as you install the software, mark up the document with the actual directory paths where you installed the software. Then leave a copy of the marked-up document for the instructor.
With the exception of the operating system, all of the required software is available at no charge for download (some packages will require you to register on a website).
If you have questions or difficulties with the installation, you can contact Joel Barnum at 319-362-3906 or email at .
Instructor machine hardware is the same as students, plus any additional requirements listed below.
Instructor machine software is the same as students, plus any additional requirements listed below.
Install the operating system. Be sure to install TCP/IP networking and give the computer a TCP/IP hostname. Install Internet Explorer if necessary.
Create a folder in the root directory of drive C: named java. You will install the required software into this directory.
Download the latest released Java2 Standard Edition Software Development Kit (JSDK) version 1.4.x for Windows and documentation package from:
http://java.sun.com/j2se/1.4.2/download.html
Note: Be sure to download the SDK, not the JRE!
Install the JSDK to the c:\java directory. You should end up with a subdirectory c:\java\j2sdk1.4.2 or something like that. Then unzip the documentation package to the same drive where you installed the JSDK (the goal is to get the "docs" directory as a a subdirectory under the JSDK directory).
Download the Eclipse 2.1.3 SDK for Windows from the Main Download Servers Page at:
http://archive.eclipse.org/eclipse/downloads/index.php
The filename should be something like eclipse-SDK-2.1.3-win32.zip. Unzip this archive to the c:\java directory. You should end up with a subdirectory named c:\java\eclipse.
WARNING: This class uses Eclipse 2.1.x, not Eclipse 3.x. BE SURE TO DOWNLOAD VERSION 2.1.x, NOT VERSION 3.x!
Download the Struts Course Required Software archive from http://www.descriptor.com/setupguides/struts/setup/eclipse-tomcat/struts-reqsoftware-tomcat-1.0.1.zip. Unzip the archive to the c:\java directory. You should end up with the following subdirectories:
Download the Struts Student Exercise archive from http://www.descriptor.com/setupguides/struts/setup/eclipse-tomcat/strutclass.zip. Unzip the archive to the root directory on Drive C:. You should end up with a subdirectory named c:\strutsclass.
Now you need to update environment variables. Go to Start - Settings - Control Panel - System and select the Environment tab. (In Windows 2000, press the Advanced Tab and then press the Environment button.) Put the following string at the beginning of the User PATH environment variable:
C:\java\j2sdk1.4.2_13\bin;c:\java\apache-ant-1.5.4\bin;
Make sure the drive and directory match where you actually installed the software.
Then define new User environment variables:
STRUTSCLASS_HOME=C:\strutsclass
JAVA_HOME=c:\java\j2sdk1.4.2_13
ANT_HOME=c:\java\apache-ant-1.5.4
Please ensure that the drive and directories of these settings match where you installed the software.
Warning: The environment variable names are case-sensitive! Please make sure the names are all uppercase characters.
Next, you need to edit the course configuration file and ensure that it's correct. Find the struts-ant.properties file in the c:\strutsclass directory and edit it using Notepad or other editor. In the configuration settings section, ensure that the paths are correct for where you installed the software. Note that this configuration file uses forward slashes instead of back slashes to separate directory paths.
To test the Java runtime installation, choose Start - Run, then enter cmd and press OK. In the new command prompt window, enter:
java -fullversion
You should see the version number of the JSDK that you installed. Then type:
javac
You should see the sign-on message from the Java compiler.
If either step fails, re-check the PATH environment variable.
To test the Ant installation, enter into the command prompt:
ant -version
You should see the version number of Ant.
If this step fails, recheck the ANT_HOME, JAVA_HOME and PATH environment variables.
To test the Eclipse installation, use Windows Explorer to navigate to the c:\java\eclipse directory and double-click eclipse.exe. Eclipse should start.
Test the Tomcat container. Start Tomcat with the following procedure:
In your command prompt, change to Tomcat's bin directory. For example assuming standard directories:
cd C:\java\jakarta-tomcat-5.0.16\bin
Start Tomcat by entering into the command prompt:
catalina run
Wait for Tomcat to display a "Server startup in xxxx ms" message. Then open your web browser and enter the URL:
http://localhost:8080
You should see Tomcat's homepage.
Stop Tomcat by pressing Control-C on the Tomcat command-prompt window.
Repeat the Student software setup on the instructor machine.
Download the Courseware Viewer from http://www.descriptor.com/viewer/binaries/setup.exe
To install, run the setup.exe program.
Download the Screen Show Archive from http://www.descriptor.com/setupguides/struts/setup/struts-screenshow.zip
To install, unzip struts-screenshow.zip to the root of drive c:.
Test the Courseware Viewer. From the Windows Start menu, choose Descriptor Systems - Courseware Viewer. Then use the File - Open menu to open the c:\strutsclass\foils\struts.crs file. You should see the Struts Workshop instructor display.