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- Installation -

jChatBox is a 100% JAVA JSP/Servlets chat application.
Read
[General] instructions to install jChatBox on your servlet engine.
You can also read [
security features] to make jChatBox installation 'perfect'.

For more information on specific platform installation follow links below :
[Tomcat] [JRun] [Resin]
[Weblogic] [ServletExec] (
much more to come ...)
[Webappcabaret.com]

General

Here are basic steps to install jChatBox in your servlet engine (Note that you should follow specific installation instructions if your JSP/Servlets engine is listed above).

  1. Add xerces.jar and jchatbox.jar to the CLASSPATH of your web application.
    (e.g. : Put these files under WEB-INF/lib/).
  2. Copy conf/,admin/,skin_classic/,skin_mirc/,skin_tv/ folders AND configureme.jsp into the documentRoot of your web application.
    (e.g. : Put all these under a folder jchatbox/ in your web server).
  3. Create logs/ folder with RW access under your web application. Check that conf/jchatbox.xml file is RW too.
    (e.g. Use chmod 777 under Unix or Linux).
  4. Follow configuration instructions to setup configureme.jsp AND conf/jchatbox.xml before launching your servlet engine.
  5. Run jChatBox :
    Administration : http://yourserver.com/jChatBoxPath/admin/index.jsp
    Users main : http://yourserver.com/jChatBoxPath/skin_mirc/login.jsp
    Note : You can replace skin_mic in the URL above by others skins.
Tomcat [homepage]

We assume that $TOMCAT_HOME is the folder where you've installed TOMCAT and 8080 is the default port.

  1. Create a new webapp :
    - Create jchatbox/ folder under $TOMCAT_HOME/webapps/ folder.
    -
    Create WEB-INF/lib folder under jchatbox/ folder.
    - Edit $TOMCAT_HOME/conf/server.xml and declare jchatbox Context as :
              <Context path="/jchatbox"
                   docBase="webapps/jchatbox"
                   debug="0"
                   reloadable="true">
              </Context>

  2. Copy xerces.jar and jchatbox.jar under jchatbox/WEB-INF/lib/ folder.
  3. Copy conf/,admin/,skin_classic/,skin_mirc/,skin_tv/ folders AND configureme.jsp under jchatbox/ folder.
  4. Create logs/ folder with RW access under jchatbox/ folder. Check that jchatbox/conf/jchatbox.xml file is RW too.
  5. Follow configuration instructions to setup configureme.jsp AND conf/jchatbox.xml before launching Tomcat.
  6. Run jChatBox :
    Administration : http://yourserver.com:8080/jchatbox/admin/index.jsp
    Users main : http://yourserver.com:8080/jchatbox/skin_mirc/login.jsp
    Note : You can replace skin_mic in the URL above by others skins like skin_classic or skin_tv.
JRun  [homepage]

We assume that $JRUN_HOME is the folder where you've installed JRUN and 8100 is the default port.

  1. Copy xerces.jar and jchatbox.jar under $JRUN_HOME/servers/default/default-app/WEB-INF/lib/ folder.
  2. Copy conf/,admin/,skin_classic/,skin_mirc/,skin_tv/ folders AND configureme.jsp under $JRUN_HOME/servers/default/default-app/ folder.
  3. Create logs/ folder with RW access under $JRUN_HOME/servers/default/default-app/ folder. Check that $JRUN_HOME/servers/default/default-app/conf/jchatbox.xml file is RW too.
  4. Follow configuration instructions to setup configureme.jsp AND conf/jchatbox.xml before launching JRun default server.
  5. Run jChatBox :
    Administration : http://yourserver.com:8100/admin/index.jsp
    Users main : http://yourserver.com:8100/skin_mirc/login.jsp
    Note : You can replace skin_mic in the URL above by others skins like skin_classic or skin_tv.
Resin [homepage]

We assume that $RESIN_HOME is the folder where you've installed RESIN and 8080 is the default port.

  1. Copy xerces.jar and jchatbox.jar under $RESIN_HOME/doc/WEB-INF/lib/ folder.
  2. Copy conf/,admin/,skin_classic/,skin_mirc/,skin_tv/ folders AND configureme.jsp under $RESIN_HOME/doc/ folder.
  3. Create logs/ folder with RW access under $RESIN_HOME/doc/ folder. Check that $RESIN_HOME/doc/conf/jchatbox.xml file is RW too.
  4. Follow configuration instructions to setup configureme.jsp AND conf/jchatbox.xml before launching Resin.
  5. Run jChatBox :
    Administration : http://yourserver.com:8080/admin/index.jsp
    Users main : http://yourserver.com:8080/skin_mirc/login.jsp
    Note : You can replace skin_mic in the URL above by others skins like skin_classic or skin_tv.
WebLogic [homepage]

We assume that $WLS_HOME is the folder where you've installed WEBLOGIC SERVER and 7001 is the default port.

Weblogic Server 5.1 :

  1. Create jchatbox/ folder under $WLS_HOME/myserver/ folder.
  2. Copy xerces.jar and jchatbox.jar under $WLS_HOME/myserver/jchatbox/ folder.
  3. Copy conf/,admin/,skin_classic/,skin_mirc/,skin_tv/ folders AND configureme.jsp under $WLS_HOME/myserver/public_html/ folder.
  4. Create logs/ folder with RW access under $WLS_HOME/myserver/jchatbox/ folder. Check that $WLS_HOME/myserver/public_html/conf/jchatbox.xml file is RW too.
  5. Add $WLS_HOME/myserver/jchatbox/xerces.jar and $WLS_HOME/myserver/jchatbox/jchatbox.jar to WEBLOGIC_CLASSPATH variable in the script that launches Weblogic Server.
  6. Follow configuration instructions to setup configureme.jsp AND conf/jchatbox.xml before launching Weblogic.
  7. Modify COOKIEID from JSESSIONID to WebLogicSession in jchatbox.xml.
  8. Run jChatBox :
    Administration : http://yourserver.com:7001/admin/index.jsp
    Users main : http://yourserver.com:7001/skin_mirc/login.jsp
    Note : You can replace skin_mic in the URL above by others skins like skin_classic or skin_tv

Weblogic Server 6.0 SP2+ :

  1. Create jchatbox/ folder under $WLS_HOME/config/yourdomain/applications folder.
  2. Copy xerces.jar under $WLS_HOME.
  3. Copy jchatbox.jar under jchatbox/WEB-INF/lib folder. Create a simple webapp descriptor file (web.xml - not empty) under jchatbox/WEB-INF.
  4. Copy conf/,admin/,skin_classic/,skin_mirc/,skin_tv/ folders AND configureme.jsp under jchatbox/ folder.
  5. Create jchatboxlogs/ folder with RW access under jchatbox/ folder. Check that jchatbox/conf/jchatbox.xml file is RW too.
  6. Add $WLS_HOME/xerces.jar to the beginning of CLASSPATH variable in the script that launches Weblogic Server.
  7. Follow configuration instructions to setup configureme.jsp AND conf/jchatbox.xml before launching Weblogic.
  8. Run jChatBox :
    Administration : http://yourserver.com:7001/jchatbox/admin/index.jsp
    Users main : http://yourserver.com:7001/jchatbox/skin_mirc/login.jsp
    Note : You can replace skin_mic in the URL above by others skins like skin_classic or skin_tv.
ServletExec  [homepage]

We assume that $SERVLETEXEC_HOME is the folder where you've installed SERVLETEXEC and 8080 is the default port of the plugged web server.

  1. Create jchatbox/ under folder $SERVLETEXEC_HOME.
    Create WEB-INF/lib/ subfolders under jchatbox/ folder.
  2. Copy jchatbox.jar and xerces.jar into $SERVLETEXEC_HOME/jchatbox/WEB-INF/lib/ folder.
  3. Copy conf/,admin/,skin_classic/,skin_mirc/,skin_tv/ folders AND configureme.jsp under $SERVLETEXEC_HOME/jchatbox/ folder.
  4. Create logs/ folder with RW access under $SERVLETEXEC_HOME/jchatbox/ folder. Check that $SERVLETEXEC_HOME/jchatbox/conf/jchatbox.xml file is RW too.
  5. Add a new Web Application from ServletExec administration Panel :
    Application Name : jchatbox
    URL Context Path : /jchatbox/
    Location : /HDPath/tojChatBoxFolder
    (Create automatically missing ressources if needed).
  6. Follow configuration instructions to setup configureme.jsp AND conf/jchatbox.xml before launching ServletExec.
  7. Run jChatBox :
    Administration : http://yourserver.com:8080/jchatbox/admin/index.jsp
    Users main : http://yourserver.com:8080/jchatbox/skin_mirc/login.jsp
    Note : You can replace skin_mic in the URL above by others skins like skin_classic or skin_tv.
WebAppCabaret.com  [homepage]

We assume that $ACCOUNT_HOME is the main folder of your webappcabaret.com account.
Note that jChatBox setup under webappcabaret.com is not easy (not for novice), only FRAMED mode rooms are supported, BUFFERED-FRAMED rooms will not work.

  1. Go the "Context Status" section and switch it OFF.
  2. Thanks to "File Mgr" tool, upload jchatbox.jar and xerces.jar into $ACCOUNT_HOME/WEB-INF/lib/ folder.
  3. Create and upload conf/,admin/,skin_classic/,skin_mirc/,skin_tv/ folders AND configureme.jsp under $ACCOUNT_HOME/ folder.
  4. Create logs/ folder under $ACCOUNT_HOME/ folder.
  5. Go to "Help" section, follow "Directory Tree" link to learn about absolute path of your account. It should be something like : /usr/ngasi/contexts/$ACCOUNT_HOME/$ACCOUNT_HOME (let's say $YOURABSOLUTEPATH).
  6. Follow configuration instructions to setup configureme.jsp AND conf/jchatbox.xml thanks to your absolute path above.
    To be more precise :
    Go back to "File Mgr" tool to edit $ACCOUNT_HOME/configureme.jsp and mofify XMLjChatBox variable to $YOURABSOLUTEPATH/conf/jchatbox.xml
    Then edit
    $ACCOUNT_HOME/conf/jchatbox.xml and setup LOGFOLDER tag with $YOURABSOLUTEPATH/logs and BACKUPFILE tag with $YOURABSOLUTEPATH/logs/backup.ser
  7. Go to "Help" section, follow "One Banner for Frames Framework" link to copy/paste HTML code about MAIN frame. Thanks to "File Mgr" tool, edit $ACCOUNT_HOME/skin_mirc/room.jsp to paste HTML code between second FRAMESET tags. Modify FRAMESET tag as : <frameset rows="60,*,68" ......
    Do the same modification for all room.jsp in each skin folder.
  8. Run jChatBox :
    Go to "Context Status" section and switch it ON.
    Administration : http://www.webappcabaret.com/youraccount/admin/index.jsp
    Users main : http://www.webappcabaret.com/youraccount/skin_mirc/login.jsp
    Note : You can replace skin_mic in the URL above by others skins like skin_classic or skin_tv.
Security

Depending on your usage of jChatBox you have to pay attention to security.
What does it mean ?...Do you want jChatBox logs files, license file or configuration file downloadable ? Do you want administration page available for anyone ?
All these 'security problems' are possible if you followed installation instructions above.

  1. How to protect configuration files ?
    You have to move conf/ folder outside of the documentRoot of your web server. That way, it can't be possible to access conf/ folder from the web.
    However conf/jchatbox.xml must be RW otherwise it can't be updated through administration GUI.
  2. How to protect log files ?
    You have to move logs/ folder
    outside of the documentRoot of your web server. That way, it can't be possible to access logs/ folder from the web.
    However logs/ folder must be RW otherwise backup will fail.

  3. How to protect administration page ?
    admin/ folder should be renamed and/or moved. So, users who know jChatBox application couldn't access administration page by trying http://yourserver.com/admin/index.jsp
    Warning : Moving admin/ folder means that you have to edit admin/index
    .jsp file to modify the path to configureme.jsp (default is <%@ include file="../configureme.jsp" %>).
    You also need to update chatroom.jsp to modify link to log in chatroom :
    <a href=\"../skin_mirc/room.jsp\" target= ......>
  4. Does SYSTEM password stored as plain text ?
    No, jChatBox stores the SYSTEM password as its MD5 hash value. If you forget your password then you have to use default MD5 value into jchatbox.xml : 5f4dcc3b5aa765d61d8327deb882cf99. Then SYSTEM password will be : password.
  5. Could I use HTTPS with jChatBox ?
    Yes, it should work except for buffered-framed chatrooms.
  6. Does jChatBox needs Cookies to run ?
    Yes, jChatBox won't run without Cookies. They are needed for session tracking. However the URL rewriting session tracking is in progress...
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