[Biojava-l] [Dazzle] Servlet API update, and a `quick test' release

[Thomas Down]

I've now upgraded to Dazzle servlet to work with the Servlet
API version 2.2 -- previous versions used 2.1, but this now
seems to be dead.  It should also work with 2.3 containers,
once they start to appear.

For people looking for a  Servlet 2.2 container, the leading
open source product seems to be Tomcat (http://jakarta.apache.org/).
I've been testing with Tomcat 3.2beta7, and this seems to work
well.

One of the advantages of servlet 2.2 containers is that they
support a standard servlet deployment mechanisms.  I've prepared
a `quick test' release of Dazzle, based on the configuration I've
been using for some of my own testing.  You can download this
at:

  ftp://ftp.biojava.org/pub/biojava/dazzle/dazzle-test-0.05.war

This contains the servlet itself, the libraries it required
(BioJava and Xerces-J), some test data, and a deployment
descriptor file, all wrapped up in the Servlet 2.2 `Web application'
format.

To try it out:

  - Install a servlet 2.2 container (tomcat)

  - Download the test distribution and rename it to `das.war'

  - Drop das.war into the deployment directory of the container
    (The standard Tomcat distribution has a `webapps' directory).

  - Restart the servlet container

  - Test by pointing your web browser to:
        <base_url_of_container>/das
    This should give an HTML `welcome' page generated by the
    servlet

Let me know how this works out -- I'd be especially interested
if anyone was testing using a container other than Tomcat.

In the meantime, I'm still working on the bridge which will
allow us to serve EnsEMBL -- watch this space.

Thomas.
-- 
``If I was going to carry a large axe on my back to a diplomatic
function I think I'd want it glittery too.''
           -- Terry Pratchett