Simplify Upgrades, Patches and other Tomcat Administration & Configuration Tasks

Patching, Upgrading, and Downgrading Made Easy

tc Server lets you upgrade multiple run-time instances of Tomcat to the latest version easily and without risk, because no configuration changes are required at the instance level. SpringSource provides patch-level versioning and packaged Tomcat binaries that can be dropped into an existing tc Server installation without overwriting the current set. To upgrade an instance to the latest version, grab the latest set of binaries and drop them in. Then all it takes is a one-line command to bring one or more instances up to date. Downgrading is equally easy.

Simplify Administration Through Secure Web GUI and Command-Line Scripting

tc Server’s secure remote server administration capabilities eliminate the time-consuming manual steps typically required for enterprise-scale production deployment of Tomcat.

• Control server groups and instances—Calendar-based control action scheduling lets you pre-plan uptime and downtime. Set up additional servers to come online to meet expected demand spikes. Or utilize alert-driven events to dynamically bring supplemental instances online, and then shut them down when demand dips.
• Configure JVM and Tomcat server parameters—tc Server presents the most commonly adjusted Java virtual machine and Tomcat settings for configuration, via web GUI and scriptable command-line interface. You can easily set Java heap size, garbage collection parameters including detailed GC logging, and other options at the JVM level. You’ll find detailed documentation and guidelines for memory sizing embedded right in the tc Server interface. The most typically adjusted server.xml elements—including servlet, JSP, and static content configuration—are also presented and organized for rapid configuration. Make changes as needed, with support for easy rollback.
• Configure JDBC data sources and DB connection pooling—tc Server can assist you in setting up new data sources, by speeding configuration and ensuring correct syntax. In addition to the standard Commons DBCP, tc Server includes an advanced high-concurrency database connection pool (not found in ASF Tomcat) for extreme scalability. This exclusive high-performance DB connection pool is equipped with instrumentation for detailed reporting if and when database responses become slow.

Pre-Configured Templates

Configure and customize a single instance of Tomcat with your application’s requirements, and then use it as a template to rapidly provision new instances with an identical configuration. tc Server even provides pre-configured templates with advanced Tomcat features—use them for deploying new Tomcat instances, or create your own with your organization’s specific requirements.

Configure a standard template for developers containing all your customary security hooks and component drivers. Create a production deployment template with your application(s) completely configured, to automate the process of bringing up additional application copies. Tie the provisioning of new pre-configured instances into tc Server’s built-in monitoring framework, and you’re on your way to dynamic scaling.

Secure Group Application Management

Automate the deployment of your application(s) to multiple instances of tc Server in groups:

• Full-control application management via web portal and command line—Start, Stop, Reload, Deploy, and Undeploy applications.
• Provision new applications to remote tc Server instances in groups—securely via SSL in a single operation using cold or hot deploy methods.
• Push a single WAR file to multiple tc Server instances—in a single operation in real time, or schedule a deployment or application upgrade for future execution.
• Customized deployment behavior—extensible to include your specific requirements via Groovy API.

Multi-Instance Support

At the core of our provisioning functionality is support for multiple run-time instances of Tomcat using a single set of binaries. SpringSource pioneered commercial multi-instance support for both Tomcat and Apache HTTPD. With tc Server, we extend this leadership to include features tailored for the modern enterprise. Whether your Java apps are virtualized or running on bare metal, the ability to install once and deploy multiple times saves time and money, and provides the backbone for dynamic automated provisioning and other advanced features.