How can I deploy web app on Tomcat from running app

Question

I would like to develop updater app. Lets say I\'ve got:
- Running Tomcat
- Running Updater App on the Tomcat
- Running old version of the app on the same Tomcat

Answer 1

If you use a "project lifecycle" tool, this undeploy/deploy can be automatized in the development cycle.

Saying that, I think about Maven2 and his "maven-deploy" plugin :

• mvn compile : java compilation
• mvn package : creation of the war file (for a webbapp project)
• mvn deploy : stop, undeploy the old application, deploy and start the new version !

After, you can couple this automatization with a continous integration server (like Hudson).