cannot allocate servlet instance

[Vijay Kumar Vankadara]

(root cause java.lang.NoClassDefFoundError)
I am getting the following error when I invoke the servlet (or access the servlet directly)..
looks like the problem is with the class path.. (but other servlets in the same directory are working)
I have placed the server.class (the servlet) and three other classes used by server.class in the examples/web-inf/classes directory
i have the classpath set as
.;c:\Program Files\Apache Group\Tomcat 4.1\common\lib\servlet.jar;C:\Program Files\Apache Group\Tomcat 4.1\webapps\examples\WEB-INF\classes
if the problem is not with classpath.. whatelse couldbe the problem??
StandardWrapperValve[invoker]: Servlet.service() for servlet invoker threw exception
javax.servlet.ServletException: Cannot allocate servlet instance for path /examples/servlet/server
at org.apache.catalina.servlets.InvokerServlet.serveRequest(InvokerServlet.java:427)
at org.apache.catalina.servlets.InvokerServlet.doPost(InvokerServlet.java:216)
at javax.servlet.http.HttpServlet.service(HttpServlet.java:760)
at javax.servlet.http.HttpServlet.service(HttpServlet.java:853)
at org.apache.catalina.core.ApplicationFilterChain.internalDoFilter(ApplicationFilterChain.java:247)
at org.apache.catalina.core.ApplicationFilterChain.doFilter(ApplicationFilterChain.java:193)
at filters.ExampleFilter.doFilter(ExampleFilter.java:149)
at org.apache.catalina.core.ApplicationFilterChain.internalDoFilter(ApplicationFilterChain.java:213)
at org.apache.catalina.core.ApplicationFilterChain.doFilter(ApplicationFilterChain.java:193)
at filters.ExampleFilter.doFilter(ExampleFilter.java:149)
at org.apache.catalina.core.ApplicationFilterChain.internalDoFilter(ApplicationFilterChain.java:213)
at org.apache.catalina.core.ApplicationFilterChain.doFilter(ApplicationFilterChain.java:193)
at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardWrapperValve.invoke(StandardWrapperValve.java:260)
at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardPipeline$StandardPipelineValveContext.invokeNext(StandardPipeline.java:643)
at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardPipeline.invoke(StandardPipeline.java:480)
at org.apache.catalina.core.ContainerBase.invoke(ContainerBase.java:995)
at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardContextValve.invoke(StandardContextValve.java:191)
at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardPipeline$StandardPipelineValveContext.invokeNext(StandardPipeline.java:643)
at org.apache.catalina.authenticator.AuthenticatorBase.invoke(AuthenticatorBase.java:471)
at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardPipeline$StandardPipelineValveContext.invokeNext(StandardPipeline.java:641)
at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardPipeline.invoke(StandardPipeline.java:480)
at org.apache.catalina.core.ContainerBase.invoke(ContainerBase.java:995)
at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardContext.invoke(StandardContext.java:2396)
at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardHostValve.invoke(StandardHostValve.java:180)
at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardPipeline$StandardPipelineValveContext.invokeNext(StandardPipeline.java:643)
at org.apache.catalina.valves.ErrorDispatcherValve.invoke(ErrorDispatcherValve.java:170)
at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardPipeline$StandardPipelineValveContext.invokeNext(StandardPipeline.java:641)
at org.apache.catalina.valves.ErrorReportValve.invoke(ErrorReportValve.java:172)
at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardPipeline$StandardPipelineValveContext.invokeNext(StandardPipeline.java:641)
at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardPipeline.invoke(StandardPipeline.java:480)
at org.apache.catalina.core.ContainerBase.invoke(ContainerBase.java:995)
at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardEngineValve.invoke(StandardEngineValve.java:174)
at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardPipeline$StandardPipelineValveContext.invokeNext(StandardPipeline.java:643)
at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardPipeline.invoke(StandardPipeline.java:480)
at org.apache.catalina.core.ContainerBase.invoke(ContainerBase.java:995)
at org.apache.coyote.tomcat4.CoyoteAdapter.service(CoyoteAdapter.java:223)
at org.apache.coyote.http11.Http11Processor.process(Http11Processor.java:405)
at org.apache.coyote.http11.Http11Protocol$Http11ConnectionHandler.processConnection(Http11Protocol.java:380)
at org.apache.tomcat.util.net.TcpWorkerThread.runIt(PoolTcpEndpoint.java:508)
at org.apache.tomcat.util.threads.ThreadPool$ControlRunnable.run(ThreadPool.java:533)
at java.lang.Thread.run(Thread.java:536)
----- Root Cause -----
java.lang.NoClassDefFoundError
at sun.reflect.NativeConstructorAccessorImpl.newInstance0(Native Method)
at sun.reflect.NativeConstructorAccessorImpl.newInstance(NativeConstructorAccessorImpl.java:39)
at sun.reflect.DelegatingConstructorAccessorImpl.newInstance(DelegatingConstructorAccessorImpl.java:27)
at java.lang.reflect.Constructor.newInstance(Constructor.java:274)
at java.lang.Class.newInstance0(Class.java:306)
at java.lang.Class.newInstance(Class.java:259)
at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardWrapper.loadServlet(StandardWrapper.java:892)
at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardWrapper.allocate(StandardWrapper.java:658)
at org.apache.catalina.servlets.InvokerServlet.serveRequest(InvokerServlet.java:408)
at org.apache.catalina.servlets.InvokerServlet.doPost(InvokerServlet.java:216)
at javax.servlet.http.HttpServlet.service(HttpServlet.java:760)
at javax.servlet.http.HttpServlet.service(HttpServlet.java:853)
at org.apache.catalina.core.ApplicationFilterChain.internalDoFilter(ApplicationFilterChain.java:247)
at org.apache.catalina.core.ApplicationFilterChain.doFilter(ApplicationFilterChain.java:193)
at filters.ExampleFilter.doFilter(ExampleFilter.java:149)
at org.apache.catalina.core.ApplicationFilterChain.internalDoFilter(ApplicationFilterChain.java:213)
at org.apache.catalina.core.ApplicationFilterChain.doFilter(ApplicationFilterChain.java:193)
at filters.ExampleFilter.doFilter(ExampleFilter.java:149)
at org.apache.catalina.core.ApplicationFilterChain.internalDoFilter(ApplicationFilterChain.java:213)
at org.apache.catalina.core.ApplicationFilterChain.doFilter(ApplicationFilterChain.java:193)
at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardWrapperValve.invoke(StandardWrapperValve.java:260)
at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardPipeline$StandardPipelineValveContext.invokeNext(StandardPipeline.java:643)
at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardPipeline.invoke(StandardPipeline.java:480)
at org.apache.catalina.core.ContainerBase.invoke(ContainerBase.java:995)
at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardContextValve.invoke(StandardContextValve.java:191)
at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardPipeline$StandardPipelineValveContext.invokeNext(StandardPipeline.java:643)
at org.apache.catalina.authenticator.AuthenticatorBase.invoke(AuthenticatorBase.java:471)
at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardPipeline$StandardPipelineValveContext.invokeNext(StandardPipeline.java:641)
at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardPipeline.invoke(StandardPipeline.java:480)
at org.apache.catalina.core.ContainerBase.invoke(ContainerBase.java:995)
at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardContext.invoke(StandardContext.java:2396)
at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardHostValve.invoke(StandardHostValve.java:180)
at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardPipeline$StandardPipelineValveContext.invokeNext(StandardPipeline.java:643)
at org.apache.catalina.valves.ErrorDispatcherValve.invoke(ErrorDispatcherValve.java:170)
at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardPipeline$StandardPipelineValveContext.invokeNext(StandardPipeline.java:641)
at org.apache.catalina.valves.ErrorReportValve.invoke(ErrorReportValve.java:172)
at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardPipeline$StandardPipelineValveContext.invokeNext(StandardPipeline.java:641)
at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardPipeline.invoke(StandardPipeline.java:480)
at org.apache.catalina.core.ContainerBase.invoke(ContainerBase.java:995)
at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardEngineValve.invoke(StandardEngineValve.java:174)
at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardPipeline$StandardPipelineValveContext.invokeNext(StandardPipeline.java:643)
at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardPipeline.invoke(StandardPipeline.java:480)
at org.apache.catalina.core.ContainerBase.invoke(ContainerBase.java:995)
at org.apache.coyote.tomcat4.CoyoteAdapter.service(CoyoteAdapter.java:223)
at org.apache.coyote.http11.Http11Processor.process(Http11Processor.java:405)
at org.apache.coyote.http11.Http11Protocol$Http11ConnectionHandler.processConnection(Http11Protocol.java:380)
at org.apache.tomcat.util.net.TcpWorkerThread.runIt(PoolTcpEndpoint.java:508)
at org.apache.tomcat.util.threads.ThreadPool$ControlRunnable.run(ThreadPool.java:533)
at java.lang.Thread.run(Thread.java:536)

[Vijay Kumar Vankadara]

now i added
<servlet>
<servlet-name>
server
</servlet-name>
<servlet-class>
server
</servlet-class>
</servlet>
and
<servlet-mapping>
<servlet-name>server</servlet-name>
<url-pattern>/server</url-pattern>
</servlet-mapping>
in the web.xml... even then it is giving the same error..
My servlet "server.class" is using three other classes(not servlets) which are also placed in the classes directory.
would that need to be changed.
should i mention about these files in the web.xml..
am i missing something???

[Mike Curwen]

If the classes that the servlet uses are in packages, did you put those classes in the appropriate (matching) directory structure?

[Vijay Kumar Vankadara]

i have not created any package.. the classes my servlet is using are places in the same directory in which my servlet is present..
i.e examples/web-inf/classes
is it a must that i create a package if my servlet is using other classes??
thanks in advance,
vijay

[Franz Degenhardt]

No, you dont need to build packages.
But the rootfolder of your classes needed by your servlet is your applikation-folder, examples/ in your case.
But I would erase the example context an try to define your own context-element in server.xml.
HTH Franz Degenhardt

[Mike Curwen]

I noticed in the stack trace:
Cannot allocate servlet instance for path /examples/servlet/server

1. If you're using Tomcat 4.1.12 or above, you've enabled the /servlet invoker ? (it's disabled by default, a *change* since 4.1.11 and below).

2. You provide a mapping, but then don't use it. In web.xml, you have "/server" mapped to the "server" servlet.

Try invoking "/examples/server", since you have this mapping in place. And make sure that what is in the <servlet-class> tag is the exact name of the servlet class.

3. As for packages.. If in your servlet you import your 3rd party classes with a line like:

import com.somecompany.helperclass1;
import com.somecompany.helperclass2

Then you need to put those classes not in the WEB-INF/classes folder, but in the WEB-INF/classes/com/somecompany folder. OR... package them in a jar file and place the jar file in WEB-INF/lib

Same thing applies to your servlet. If you servlet is com.mycompany.servlet1 then you need to put it at WEB-INF/classes/com/mycompany and the <servlet-class> tag should say 'com.mycompany.servlet1'