Java Hosting Frequently Asked Questions

Here we have listed a number of common questions people ask us about our HostBreak java web hosting services. Hopefully, this FAQ section will answer your questions. If you don't find the answer to your question below, please Contact us.

Where do I place JSPs
JSPs can be placed in the root "www" directory. Optionally, you can place them within the "www\WEB-INF" directory (or any directory created under "WEB-INF"). However, placing the JSP within "WEB-INF" requires changes to the web.xml file and a restart of our Tomcat server.

Where do I place Java servlets
Java servlets are placed within the "www\WEB-INF\classes" directory. If your servlets are contained within a Java package (e.g., "com.me.MyServlet"), then the package directory structure must exist within the "WEB-INF\classes" directory (e.g., "WEB-INF\classes\com\me").

Why doesn't my Java servlet get updated
If you change a servlet, recompile it, and re-FTP it to your "classes" directory, the servlet will normally be updated. However, our Tomcat server will cache the classes for added performance. If your servlet doesn't update immediately, try again at a later time and Tomcat should refresh it.

How is web.xml used
The web.xml file is a web deployment descriptor file used to define the layout of a web application, including the definition of such artifacts as servlets and JSPs. You can edit web.xml using any text editor, since it's a simple text file.

Does HostBreak support Extensible Stylesheet Language Transformations? If so, how
Yes. HostBreak has the Apache Software Foundation's (www.apache.org) Xalan package installed on our servers. You can access the Xalan classes from your servlets simply by properly importing them in your code (it is assumed that you've compiled your code with Xalan in your Java classpath). At runtime, Tomcat will find the proper Xalan classes.

Can I get my J2EE WAR file deployed
Yes. Send the WAR file to us at support and we'll deploy it within Tomcat.