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Important Web Design and Development Short Questions

Chapter: 26
Question 1:
What are the primary functions of Servlets?
Answer: Servlets can perform any task that a Java class can, such as connecting to databases or reading/writing files. They handle user requests, generate dynamic responses (usually HTML), and send these responses back to the client via a web server.
Chapter: 26
Question 2:
What are some advantages of using Servlets over traditional CGI?
Answer: Servlets offer several advantages over CGI, including convenience (using the entire Java API), efficiency (handling requests with lightweight threads rather than new processes), power (easily sharing data among Servlets), portability (Java-based), and cost-effectiveness (availability of free web servers like Apache).
Chapter: 26
Question 3:
What software and libraries are required to use Java Servlets?
Answer: To use Java Servlets, you need J2SE, additional J2EE libraries such as servlet-api.jar and jsp-api.jar, and a capable servlet web engine like Tomcat. These libraries can be downloaded separately or may come bundled with the web server.
Chapter: 26
Question 4:
How do you set up Tomcat using a .zip file?
Answer: To set up Tomcat using a .zip file, download the zip from the Apache Tomcat website, unzip it to a directory (e.g., C:\jakarta-tomcat-5.5.9), set the JAVA_HOME and CATALINA_HOME environment variables, set the CLASSPATH for servlet and JSP API, and test the server by running startup.bat and accessing http://localhost:8080 in a browser.
Chapter: 26
Question 5:
What is the purpose of the JAVA_HOME and CATALINA_HOME environment variables in Tomcat setup?
Answer: JAVA_HOME points to the root directory of the JDK, indicating where Java is installed. CATALINA_HOME points to the root directory of Tomcat, where its configuration and necessary files are located. These variables are crucial for Tomcat to locate Java and its own files.
Chapter: 26
Question 6:
What steps are involved in installing Tomcat using the .exe file?
Answer: For .exe installation, download the executable from the Tomcat website, run it, select "Full" install type, choose an installation folder, configure port and user settings, and complete the setup. Tomcat will start automatically if selected, and you can verify the installation by accessing http://localhost:8080 in a browser.
Chapter: 26
Question 7:
Why might setting the CLASSPATH variable be necessary when working with Servlets?
Answer: The CLASSPATH variable is needed to inform the Java compiler where to find the servlet classes (servlet-api.jar and jsp-api.jar). Without this, attempts to compile Servlets or related classes will fail due to unrecognized class errors.
Chapter: 27
Question 8:
What is the standard directory structure of a J2EE web application?
Answer: A J2EE web application has a standard directory structure including folders like WEB-INF for configuration files and classes for servlets and Java Beans. The top-level directory is webapps, and applications are deployed in separate folders.
Chapter: 27
Question 9:
What are the two forms of a web application hierarchy in Tomcat?
Answer: The two forms are "Unpack," where directories and files are in the file system separately, and "Pack," known as a Web Archive (WAR) file, which is used for deploying web applications.
Chapter: 27
Question 10:
Describe the purpose of the WEB-INF folder in a Tomcat web application.
Answer: The WEB-INF folder is used to store configuration files like web.xml and class files. It is not accessible directly from the web and helps in defining servlet configurations and storing classes and libraries.