Chapter 2. Installing JBoss Web Server on Red Hat Enterprise Linux from archive files
You can install JBoss Web Server on Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) from archive files or RPM packages. If you want to install JBoss Web Server from archive files, you can download and extract the JBoss Web Server archive files from the Red Hat Customer Portal.
When you install JBoss Web Server from an archive file, you can manage the product in different ways. For example, you can use a system daemon at system startup or manage JBoss Web Server from a command line.
You can install JBoss Web Server on RHEL versions 8 and 9. Red Hat does not provide a distribution of JBoss Web Server 6.x for RHEL 7 systems.
2.1. Prerequisites
- You have installed a supported Java Development Kit (JDK) by using the DNF package manager or from a compressed archive.
- Your system is compliant with Red Hat Enterprise Linux package requirements.
2.1.1. Installing a JDK by using the DNF package manager
You can use the DNF package manager to install a Java Development Kit (JDK). For a full list of supported JDKs, see JBoss Web Server operating systems and configurations.
This procedure describes how to install OpenJDK. If you want to install the Oracle JDK, see the Oracle documentation for more information.
Procedure
Subscribe your Red Hat Enterprise Linux system to the appropriate channel:
- rhel-8-server-rpms
- rhel-9-server-rpms
To install a supported JDK version, enter the following command as the root user:
# dnf install java-<version>-openjdk-headless
In the preceding command, replace
java-<version>
withjava-11
orjava-17
.NoteJBoss Web Server 6.x does not support OpenJDK 8.
To ensure the correct JDK is in use, enter the following command as the root user:
# alternatives --config java
The preceding command returns a list of available JDK versions with the selected version marked with a plus (
+
) sign. If the selected JDK is not the desired one, change to the desired JDK as instructed in the shell prompt.ImportantAll software that uses the
java
command uses the JDK set byalternatives
. Changing Java alternatives might impact on the running of other software.
2.1.2. Installing a JDK from a compressed archive
You can install a Java Development Kit (JDK) from a compressed archive such as a .zip
or .tar
file. For a full list of supported JDKs, see JBoss Web Server operating systems and configurations.
Procedure
-
If you downloaded the JDK from the vendor’s website (Oracle or OpenJDK), use the installation instructions provided by the vendor and set the
JAVA_HOME
environment variable. If you installed the JDK from a compressed archive, set the
JAVA_HOME
environment variable for Tomcat:-
In the
bin
directory of Tomcat (JWS_HOME/tomcat/bin
), create a file namedsetenv.sh
. In the
setenv.sh
file, enter theJAVA_HOME
path definition. For example:$ cat JWS_HOME/tomcat/bin/setenv.sh export JAVA_HOME=/usr/lib/jvm/jre-<version>-openjdk.x86_64
In the preceding example, replace
jre-<version>
withjre-11
orjre-17
.
-
In the
2.1.3. Red Hat Enterprise Linux package requirements
Before you install JBoss Web Server on Red Hat Enterprise Linux, you must ensure that your system is compliant with the following package requirements.
On Red Hat Enterprise Linux version 8 or 9, if you want to use OpenSSL or Apache Portable Runtime (APR), you must install the
openssl
andapr
packages that Red Hat Enterprise Linux provides.To install the
openssl
package, enter the following command as the root user:# dnf install openssl
To install the
apr
package, enter the following command as the root user:# dnf install apr
You must remove the
tomcatjss
package before you install thetomcat-native
package. Thetomcatjss
package uses an underlying Network Security Services (NSS) security model rather than the OpenSSL security model.To remove the
tomcatjss
package, enter the following command as the root user:# dnf remove tomcatjss
2.2. Downloading and extracting archive files for a base release of JBoss Web Server
A base release is the initial release of a specific product version (for example, 6.0.0
is the base release of version 6.0). You can download the JBoss Web Server archive files from the Software Downloads page on the Red Hat Customer Portal.
Prerequisites
- You have installed a supported Java Development Kit (JDK) by using the DNF package manager or from a compressed archive.
- Your system is compliant with Red Hat Enterprise Linux package requirements.
Procedure
- Open a browser and log in to the Red Hat Customer Portal.
- Click the Downloads tab.
- From the Product Downloads list, select Red Hat JBoss Web Server.
- On the Software Downloads page, from the Version drop-down list, select the appropriate JBoss Web Server version.
Click Download next to the
Red Hat JBoss Web Server 6.0.0 Application Server
file.The downloaded file is named
jws-6.0.0-application-server.zip
on your local host.If you also want to download the native JBoss Web Server components for your operating system, click Download next to the
Red Hat JBoss Web Server 6.0.0 Optional Native Components for <platform> <architecture>
file. In this situation, ensure that you select the correct file that matches the platform and architecture for your system.The downloaded file is named
jws-6.0.0-optional-native-components-<platform>-<architecture>.zip
(for example,jws-6.0.0-optional-native-components-RHEL8-x86_64.zip
).Extract the downloaded archive files to your installation directory.
For example:
# unzip jws-6.0.0-application-server.zip -d /opt/ # unzip -o jws-6.0.0-optional-native-compoonents-<platform>-<architecture>.zip -d /opt/
The top-level directory for JBoss Web Server is created when you extract the archive. This document refers to the top-level directory for JBoss Web Server as JWS_HOME
.
2.3. Downloading and extracting archive files for JBoss Web Server patch updates
If product patch updates are available for the appropriate JBoss Web Server version, you can install the archive files for the latest cumulative patches. You can download the JBoss Web Server archive files from the Software Downloads page on the Red Hat Customer Portal.
You cannot use cumulative patch updates to install the base (X.X.0) release of a product version. For example, the installation of a 6.0.2 patch would install the 6.0.1 and 6.0.2 releases but cannot install the base 6.0.0 release.
Service pack releases are cumulative. By downloading the latest service pack release, you also install any previous service pack releases automatically.
Prerequisites
Procedure
- Open a browser and log in to the Red Hat Customer Portal.
- Click the Downloads tab.
- From the Product Downloads list, select Red Hat JBoss Web Server.
- On the Software Downloads page, from the Version drop-down list, select the appropriate JBoss Web Server version.
- Click the Patches tab.
Click Download next to the latest
Red Hat JBoss Web Server 6.0 Update XX Application Server
file.The downloaded file is named
jws-6.0.x-application-server.zip
on your local host.If you also want to download the native JBoss Web Server components for your operating system, click Download next to the latest
Red Hat JBoss Web Server 6.0 Update XX Optional Native Components for <platform> <architecture>
file. In this situation, ensure that you select the correct file that matches the platform and architecture for your system.The downloaded file is named
jws-6.0.x-optional-native-components-<platform>-<architecture>.zip
(for example,jws-6.0.x-optional-native-components-RHEL8-x86_64.zip
).Extract the downloaded archive files to your installation directory.
For example:
# unzip jws-6.0.x-application-server.zip -d /opt/ # unzip -o jws-6.0.x-optional-native-compoonents-<platform>-<architecture>.zip -d /opt/
2.4. Managing JBoss Web Server by using systemd
when installed from an archive file
When you install JBoss Web Server from an archive file on Red Hat Enterprise Linux, you can use a system daemon to perform management tasks. Using the JBoss Web Server with a system daemon provides a method of starting the JBoss Web Server services at system startup. The system daemon also provides start, stop and status check functions.
On Red Hat Enterprise Linux versions 8 and 9, the default system daemon is systemd
.
Prerequisites
Procedure
To determine which system daemon is running, enter the following command:
$ ps -p 1 -o comm=
If
systemd
is running, the following output is displayed:systemd
To set up the JBoss Web Server for
systemd
, run the.postinstall.systemd
script as the root user:# cd JWS_HOME/tomcat # sh .postinstall.systemd
To control the JBoss Web Server with
systemd
, you can perform any of the following steps as the root user:To enable the JBoss Web Server services to start at system startup by using
systemd
:# systemctl enable jws6-tomcat.service
To start the JBoss Web Server by using
systemd
:# systemctl start jws6-tomcat.service
NoteThe
SECURITY_MANAGER
variable is now deprecated for JBoss Web Server configurations that are based on archive file installations. Consider the following deprecation comment:# SECURITY_MANAGER has been deprecated. To run tomcat under the Java Security Manager use: JAVA_OPTS="-Djava.security.manager -Djava.security.policy==\"$CATALINA_BASE/conf/"catalina.policy\"""
To stop the JBoss Web Server by using
systemd
:# systemctl stop jws6-tomcat.service
To verify the status of the JBoss Web Server by using
systemd
:# systemctl status jws6-tomcat.service
NoteAny user can run the
status
operation.
Additional resources
2.5. JBoss Web Server configuration for managing archive installations from the command line
When you install JBoss Web Server from an archive file on Red Hat Enterprise Linux, you can start and stop JBoss Web Server directly from the command line. Before you can run JBoss Web Server from the command line, you must perform the following series of configuration tasks:
-
Set the
JAVA_HOME
environment variable for Tomcat. -
Create a
tomcat
user and its parent group. -
Grant the
tomcat
user access to JBoss Web Server.
When you manage JBoss Web Server by using a system daemon rather than from the command line, the .postinstall.systemd
script performs these configuration steps automatically.
2.5.1. Setting the JAVA_HOME environment variable for Apache Tomcat
Before you run JBoss Web Server from the command line for the first time, you must set the JAVA_HOME
environment variable for Apache Tomcat.
Prerequisites
Procedure
-
On a command line, go to the
JWS_HOME/tomcat/bin
directory. -
Create a file named
setenv.sh
. In the
setenv.sh
file, enter theJAVA_HOME
path definition.For example:
export JAVA_HOME=/usr/lib/jvm/jre-11-openjdk.x86_64
2.5.2. Creating a Tomcat user and group
Before you run JBoss Web Server from the command line for the first time, you must create a tomcat
user account and user group to enable simple and secure user management. On Red Hat Enterprise Linux, the user identifer (UID) for the tomcat
user and the group identifier (GID) for the tomcat
group both have a reserved value of 53
.
You must perform all steps in this procedure as the root user.
Prerequisites
Procedure
-
On a command line, go to the
JWS_HOME
directory. Create the
tomcat
user group:# groupadd -g 53 -r tomcat
Create the
tomcat
user in thetomcat
user group:# useradd -c "tomcat" -u 53 -g tomcat -s /sbin/nologin -r tomcat
The preceding commands set both the UID and the GID to 53
. If you subsequently want to change the UID and GID values, see Changing the UID and GID for the tomcat
user and group.
2.5.3. Granting the Tomcat user access to JBoss Web Server
Before you run JBoss Web Server from the command line for the first time, you must grant the tomcat
user access to JBoss Web Server by assigning ownership of the Tomcat directories to the tomcat
user.
You must perform all steps in this procedure as the root user.
Prerequisites
Procedure
-
Go to the
JWS_HOME
directory. Assign ownership of the Tomcat directories to the
tomcat
user:# chown -R tomcat:tomcat tomcat/
Ensure that the
tomcat
user has execute permissions for all parent directories:# chmod -R u+X tomcat/
Verification
Verify that the
tomcat
user is the owner of the directory:# ls -l
2.6. Starting JBoss Web Server from the command line when installed from an archive file
When you install JBoss Web Server from an archive file on Red Hat Enterprise Linux, you can start JBoss Web Server directly from the command line.
Prerequisites
Procedure
Enter the following command as the
tomcat
user:$ sh JWS_HOME/tomcat/bin/startup.sh
2.7. Stopping JBoss Web Server from the command line when installed from an archive file
When you install JBoss Web Server from an archive file on Red Hat Enterprise Linux, you can stop JBoss Web Server directly from the command line.
Prerequisites
Procedure
Enter the following command as the
tomcat
user:$ sh JWS_HOME/tomcat/bin/shutdown.sh
2.8. SELinux policies for JBoss Web Server
You can use Security-Enhanced Linux (SELinux) policies to define access controls for JBoss Web Server. These policies are a set of rules that determine access rights to the product.
2.8.1. SELinux policy information for jws6-tomcat
The SELinux security model is enforced by the kernel and ensures that applications have limited access to resources such as file system locations and ports. SELinux policies ensure that any errant processes that are compromised or poorly configured are restricted or prevented from running.
The jws6-tomcat-selinux
packages in your JBoss Web Server installation provide a jws6_tomcat
policy. The following table contains information about the supplied SELinux policy.
Name | Port Information | Policy Information |
---|---|---|
|
Four ports in |
The
|
Additional resources
- RHEL 8: Using SELinux
- RHEL 9: Using SELinux
2.8.2. Installing SELinux policies for a JBoss Web Server archive installation
In this release, the archive packages provide SELinux policies. The tomcat
folder of the jws-6.0.0-application-server-<platform>-<architecture>.zip
archive includes the .postinstall.selinux
file. If required, you can run the .postinstall.selinux
script.
Procedure
Install the
selinux-policy-devel
package:dnf install -y selinux-policy-devel
Run the
.postinstall.selinux
script:cd <JWS_home>/tomcat/ sh .postinstall.selinux
Add access permissions to the required ports for JBoss Web Server:
semanage port -a -t http_port_t -p tcp <port>
NoteThe JBoss Web Server has access to ports
8080
,8009
,8443
and8005
on Red Hat Enterprise Linux systems.When additional ports are required for JBoss Web Server, use the preceding
semanage
command to provide the necessary permissions, and replace<port>
with the required port.Start Tomcat:
<JWS_home>/tomcat/bin/startup.sh
Check the context of the running process expecting
jws6_tomcat
:ps -eo pid,user,label,args | grep jws6_tomcat | head -n1
Verify the contexts of the Tomcat directories. For example:
ls -lZ <JWS_home>/tomcat/logs/
By default, the SElinux policy that JBoss Web Server provides is not active and the Tomcat processes run in the unconfined_java_t
domain. This domain does not confine the processes.
If you choose not to enable the SELinux policy that is provided, you can take the following security measures:
-
Restrict file access for the
tomcat
user, so that thetomcat
user only has access to the files and directories that are necessary for the JBoss Web Server runtime. - Do not run Tomcat as the root user.
When JBoss Web Server is installed from an archive file, Red Hat does not officially support the use of network file sharing (NFS). If you want your JBoss Web Server installation to use an NFS-mounted file system, you are responsible for ensuring that SELinux policies are modified correctly to support this type of deployment.
2.9. Changing the UID and GID for the tomcat
user and group
On Red Hat Enterprise Linux, the user identifer (UID) for the tomcat
user and the group identifier (GID) for the tomcat
group both have a reserved value of 53
. Depending on your setup requirements, you can change the UID and GID for the tomcat
user and group to some other value.
To avoid SELinux conflicts, use UID and GID values that are less than 500. If SELinux is set to enforcing
mode, UID and GID values greater than 500 might cause unexpected issues.
Prerequisites
-
You have created a
tomcat
user account and group.
Procedure
-
If JBoss Web Server is already running, stop JBoss Web Server as the
tomcat
user. For more information, see Stopping JBoss Web Server from the command line when installed from an archive file. To view the current UID and GID for the
tomcat
user and group, enter the following command as the root user:id tomcat
The preceding command displays the user account and group details. For example:
uid=53(tomcat) gid=53(tomcat) groups=53(tomcat)
To assign a new GID to the
tomcat
group, enter the following command as the root user:groupmod -g <new_gid> tomcat
For example:
groupmod -g 410 tomcat
To assign a new UID to the
tomcat
user, enter the following command as the root user:usermod -u <new_uid> -g <new_gid> tomcat
For example:
usermod -u 401 -g 410 tomcat
To reassign file and directory permissions to the new UID, enter the following command as the root user:
# find / -not -path '/proc*' -uid <original_uid> | perl -e '$ug = @ARGV[0]; foreach $fn (<STDIN>) { chomp($fn);$m = (stat($fn))[2];chown($ug,-1,$fn);chmod($m,$fn)}' <new_uid>
In the preceding command, replace <original_uid> with the old UID and replace <new_uid> with the new UID. For example, to reassign file and directory permissions from UID
53
to UID401
, enter the following command:# find / -not -path '/proc*' -uid 53 | perl -e '$ug = @ARGV[0]; foreach $fn (<STDIN>) { chomp($fn);$m = (stat($fn))[2];chown($ug,-1,$fn);chmod($m,$fn)}' 401
To reassign file and directory permissions to the new GID, enter the following command as the root user:
# find / -not -path '/proc*' -gid <original_gid> | perl -e '$ug = @ARGV[0]; foreach $fn (<STDIN>) { chomp($fn);$m = (stat($fn))[2];chown(-1,$ug,$fn);chmod($m,$fn)}' <new_gid>
In the preceding command, replace <original_gid> with the old GID and replace <new_gid> with the new GID. For example, to reassign file and directory permissions from GID
53
to GID410
, enter the following command:# find / -not -path '/proc*' -gid 53 | perl -e '$ug = @ARGV[0]; foreach $fn (<STDIN>) { chomp($fn);$m = (stat($fn))[2];chown(-1,$ug,$fn);chmod($m,$fn)}' 410
-
To restart JBoss Web Server as the
tomcat
user, see Starting JBoss Web Server from the command line when installed from an archive file.
Additional resources