Context Configuration File - auto-expand WAR

[Dirk Schreckmann]

Is there something to specify in a context configuration file that would instruct Tomcat to expand a WAR?
At the moment, I'm using the following context configuration file. With it, Tomcat 4.1.x doesn't expand the WAR, but the web app does run successfully. (Of course, a few things do end up in the work directory.)

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<Context debug="0" docBase="./admin.war" path="/admin" privileged="true">
</Context>

[William Brogden]

In server.xml we find:

       <Host name="localhost" debug="0" appBase="webapps"
       unpackWARs="true" autoDeploy="true">
 

[Dirk Schreckmann]

The host tag in my server.xml file looks the same.
However, when I install and start a WAR, with the above context configuration file, using the manager app, the WAR is not expanded.
This may just be some buggy behavior of Tomcat 4.1.27. I can repeat it on four different machines.

[William Brogden]

Sounds like the unpack rule is only applied when Tomcat is starting up and searching for new WAR files. What happens when you restart Tomcat?
Bill

[Dirk Schreckmann]

If I (re)start Tomcat with the context configuration file in place, then the WAR is not expanded. If I simply remove the context configuration file, then the WAR is expanded (when restarting, or if the WAR alone is simply added to the webapp folder while Tomcat is already running). That's why I was thinking that maybe I should be adding something to the context configuration file to get the WAR to expand.
I'd simply go without the context configuration file, but then I can't use my Ant script to install/uninstall/start/stop/restart the web app through the manager app, which seems to require the context configuration file.
[ May 09, 2004: Message edited by: Dirk Schreckmann ]