You can also take a look at the sample chapter 5 "Controlling Web Application Behavior with web.xml" from the book
More Servlets and JavaServer Pages. You can download it from the book's website
www.moreservlets.com. It is a great resource on understanding the deployment descriptor file (i.e. web.xml). Of course, the book is an even better resource for understanding Servlets & JSPs as a whole
[ February 14, 2005: Message edited by: Mark Vedder ]