How to resolve Error listenerStart when deploying web-app in Tomcat 5.5?

Question

I've deployed an Apache Wicket web-application that uses Spring and Hibernate to my Tomcat 5.5 instance. When I navigate to the Tomcat Manager interface I see that the web-application I deployed is not running. When I press 'Start' I get the following error message; "FAIL - Application at context path /spaghetti could not be started".

My catalina.log contains the following:

Apr 15, 2010 1:51:22 AM org.apache.catalina.loader.WebappClassLoader validateJarFile  
INFO: validateJarFile(/var/lib/tomcat5.5/webapps/spaghetti/WEB-INF/lib/jsp-api-6.0.16.jar)   - jar not loaded. See Servlet Spec 2.3, section 9.7.2. Offending class: javax/servlet/jsp/JspPage.class  
Apr 15, 2010 1:51:22 AM org.apache.catalina.loader.WebappClassLoader validateJarFile  
INFO: validateJarFile(/var/lib/tomcat5.5/webapps/spaghetti/WEB-INF/lib/servlet-api-6.0.16.jar) - jar not loaded. See Servlet Spec 2.3, section 9.7.2. Offending class: javax/servlet/Servlet.class  
Apr 15, 2010 1:51:24 AM org.apache.catalina.core.StandardContext start  
SEVERE: Error listenerStart  
Apr 15, 2010 1:51:24 AM org.apache.catalina.core.StandardContext start  
SEVERE: Context [/spaghetti] startup failed due to previous errors

Excerpt from web.xml:

    <listener>
        <listener-class>
            org.springframework.web.context.ContextLoaderListener
        </listener-class>
    </listener>

Any help is greatly appreciated.

Answer 1

I found that following these instructions helped with finding what the problem was. For me, that was the killer, not knowing what was broken.

http://mythinkpond.wordpress.com/2011/07/01/tomcat-6-infamous-severe-error-listenerstart-message-how-to-debug-this-error/

Quoting from the link

In Tomcat 6 or above, the default logger is the”java.util.logging” logger and not Log4J. So if you are trying to add a “log4j.properties” file – this will NOT work. The Java utils logger looks for a file called “logging.properties” as stated here: http://tomcat.apache.org/tomcat-6.0-doc/logging.html

So to get to the debugging details create a “logging.properties” file under your”/WEB-INF/classes” folder of your WAR and you’re all set.

And now when you restart your Tomcat, you will see all of your debugging in it’s full glory!!!

Sample logging.properties file:

org.apache.catalina.core.ContainerBase.[Catalina].level = INFO
org.apache.catalina.core.ContainerBase.[Catalina].handlers = java.util.logging.ConsoleHandler