Apache Tomcat

Apache Tomcat is the reference implementation of JavaServer Pages and Servlets. Although you can run JSP and Servlet applications in other application servers, such as BEA WebLogic Server or IBM WebSphere Application Server, Tomcat is all you need for basic applications. Tomcat is an open source project available for free from http://jakarta.apache.org/tomcat.

Because this book covers JSP 2.0, you need the current version of Tomcat 5.0. We've included Tomcat 5.0.x on the CD-ROM with this book, but by the time you read this a later version may be available, so be sure to check the Web site for an update.

Although Tomcat 5.0 is currently a beta version, it's relatively stable. All of the examples in this book work with it. If future versions of Tomcat 5.0 break an example, you'll find updated source code on the book's Web site at http://samspublishing.com. You can also begin to develop your own JSP 2.0 Web applications in anticipation of the final release. It is likely that a production quality release is close. As with all beta software, you should not place Tomcat 5 into a production system.