Chapter 3. Installing JBoss Web Server on Red Hat Enterprise Linux from RPM packages

You can install JBoss Web Server on Red Hat Enterprise Linux from archive files or RPM packages. If you want to install JBoss Web Server from RPM packages, the installation packages are available from Red Hat Subscription Management. The RPM installation option is available for Red Hat Enterprise Linux versions 7, 8, and 9.

Installing JBoss Web Server from RPM packages deploys Tomcat as a service and installs Tomcat resources into absolute paths.

3.1. Prerequisites

  • You have installed a supported Java Development Kit (JDK) by using the YUM package or from a compressed archive.
  • Your system is compliant with Red Hat Enterprise Linux package requirements.

3.1.1. Installing a JDK by using the YUM package manager

You can use the YUM package manager to install a Java Development Kit (JDK). For a full list of supported JDKs, see JBoss Web Server operating systems and configurations.

Procedure

  1. Subscribe your Red Hat Enterprise Linux system to the appropriate channel:

    • OpenJDK:

      • rhel-7-server-rpms
      • rhel-8-server-rpms
      • rhel-9-server-rpms

    • IBM:

      • rhel-7-server-supplementary-rpms
      • rhel-8-server-supplementary-rpms
      • rhel-9-server-supplementary-rpms
    Important

    Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 is no longer supported and subsequently was removed from the documentation.

  2. As the root user, execute the command to install a 1.8 JDK: 

    # yum install java-1.8.0-<VENDOR>-devel

    Replace <VENDOR> with ibm or openjdk

  3. Run the following commands as the root user to ensure the correct JDK is in use: 

    # alternatives --config java
    # alternatives --config javac

    These commands return lists 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.

    Important

    All software that use the java and javac commands uses the JDK set by alternatives. Changing Java alternatives may impact on the running of other software.

3.1.2. 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

  1. If the JDK was downloaded from the vendor’s website (Oracle or OpenJDK), use the installation instructions provided by the vendor and set the JAVA_HOME environment variable.

  2. If the JDK was installed from a compressed, archive, set the JAVA_HOME environment variable for Tomcat:

    1. In the bin directory of Tomcat (JWS_HOME/tomcat/bin), create a file named setenv.sh.

    2. In the setenv.sh file, enter the JAVA_HOME path definition. For example: 

      $ cat JWS_HOME/tomcat/bin/setenv.sh

export JAVA_HOME=/usr/lib/jvm/jre-1.8.0-openjdk.x86_64

3.1.3. 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.

Note

The package requirements vary depending on the version of Red Hat Enterprise Linux you are using.

  • 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 and apr packages that Red Hat Enterprise Linux provides.

    • To install the openssl package, enter the following command as the root user: 

      # yum install openssl

    • To install the apr package, enter the following command as the root user: 

      # yum install apr

  • You must remove the tomcatjss package before you install the tomcat-native package. The tomcatjss 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: 

    # yum remove tomcatjss
Note
  • On Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7, JBoss Web Server uses the openssl and apr packages that Red Hat JBoss Core Services provides.
  • On Red Hat Enterprise Linux versions 8 and 9, JBoss Web Server does not provide openssl and apr packages. JBoss Web Server uses the openssl and apr packages that Red Hat Enterprise Linux provides. If you want to use OpenSSL or APR on Red Hat Enterprise Linux version 8 or 9, you must install the openssl and apr packages from the operating system, as described earlier in this section.

3.2. Attaching subscriptions to Red Hat Enterprise Linux

Before you download and install the RPM packages for JBoss Web Server, you must register your system with Red Hat Subscription Management, and subscribe to the respective Content Delivery Network (CDN) repositories. You can subsequently perform some verification steps to ensure that a subscription provides the required CDN repositories.

Important

Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 is no longer supported and subsequently was removed from the documentation.

Procedure

  1. Log in to the Red Hat Subscription Management web page.
  2. Click the Systems tab.
  3. Click the Name of the system that you want to add the subscription to.
  4. Change from the Details tab to the Subscriptions tab, then click Attach Subscriptions.
  5. Select the check box next to the subscription you want to attach, and then click Attach Subscriptions.

Verification

  1. Log in to the Red Hat Subscriptions web page.
  2. In the Subscription Name column, click the subscription that you want to select.

  3. Under Products Provided, you require both of the following:

    • JBoss Enterprise Web Server
    • Red Hat JBoss Core Services

Additional resources

3.3. Installing JBoss Web Server from RPM packages by using YUM

You can use the YUM package manager to install JBoss Web Server from RPM packages on Red Hat Enterprise Linux.

Prerequisites

Procedure

  1. To subscribe to the JBoss Web Server CDN repositories for your operating system version, enter the following command: 

    # subscription-manager repos --enable <repository>
    Note

    In the preceding command, replace <repository> with the following values:

    • On Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7, replace <repository> with both jws-5-for-rhel-7-server-rpms and jb-coreservices-1-for-rhel-7-server-rpms.
    • On Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8, replace <repository> with jws-5-for-rhel-8-x86_64-rpms.
    • On Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9, replace <repository> with jws-5-for-rhel-9-x86_64-rpms.

  2. To install JBoss Web Server, enter the following command as the root user: 

    # yum groupinstall jws5
    Important

    When you install JBoss Web Server from RPM packages, the JWS_HOME folder is /opt/rh/jws5/root/usr/share.

Note
  • You can install each of the packages and their dependencies individually rather than use the groupinstall command. The preferred method is to use groupinstall.
  • The Red Hat JBoss Core Services repositories are required for installing JBoss Web Server on Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 only. The Red Hat JBoss Core Services repositories are not required for installing JBoss Web Server on Red Hat Enterprise Linux version 8 or 9.
  • The feature to enable NFS usage by using Software Collection is enabled. For more information about this feature, see the Packaging Guide: Using Software Collections over NFS.

3.4. Starting JBoss Web Server when installed from RPMs

When you install JBoss Web Server from RPM packages, you can use the commmand line to start JBoss Web Server. You can subsequently view the output of the service status command to verfiy that Tomcat is running successfully.

Important

Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 is no longer supported and subsequently was removed from the documentation.

Procedure

  • Enter the following command as the root user: 

    # systemctl start jws5-tomcat.service
    Note

    This is the only supported method of starting JBoss Web Server for an RPM installation.

Verification

3.5. Stopping JBoss Web Server when installed from RPMs

When you install JBoss Web Server from RPM packages, you can use the command line to stop JBoss Web Server. You can subsequently view the output of the service status command to verfiy that Tomcat is running successfully.

Important

Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 is no longer supported and subsequently was removed from the documentation.

Procedure

  • Enter the followng command as the root user: 

    # systemctl stop jws5-tomcat.service

Verification

  • To verify that Tomcat is no longer running, enter the following command as any user: 

    # systemctl status jws5-tomcat.service
Note

For more information about installing and configuring HTTPD on RHEL 8, see Deploying Different Types of Server: Setting up the Apache HTTP web server.

3.6. Configuring JBoss Web Server services to start at system startup

When you install JBoss Web Server from RPM packages, you can configure JBoss Web Server services to start at system startup.

Procedure

  • Enter the following command: 

    # systemctl enable jws5-tomcat.service
Important

Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 is no longer supported and subsequently was removed from the documentation.

3.7. 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.

3.7.1. SELinux policy information for jws5-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 jws5-tomcat-selinux packages in your JBoss Web Server installation provide a jws5_tomcat policy. The following table contains information about the supplied SELinux policy.

Table 3.1. RPMs and default SELinux policies

NamePort InformationPolicy Information

jws5_tomcat

Four ports in http_port_t (TCP ports 8080, 8005, 8009, and 8443) to allow the tomcat process to use them

The jws5_tomcat policy is installed, which sets the appropriate SELinux domain for the process when Tomcat executes. It also sets the appropriate contexts to allow Tomcat to write to the following directories:

  • /var/opt/rh/jws5/lib/tomcat
  • /var/opt/rh/jws5/log/tomcat
  • /var/opt/rh/jws5/cache/tomcat
  • /var/opt/rh/jws5/run/tomcat.pid

Additional resources

3.7.2. Enabling SELinux policies for a JBoss Web Server RPM installation

When you install JBoss Web Server from RPM packages, the jws5-tomcat-selinux package provides SELinux policies for JBoss Web Server. These packages are available in the JBoss Web Server channel.

Procedure

  1. Install the jws5-tomcat-selinux package: 

    yum install -y jws5-tomcat-selinux