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Apache Tomcat Monitor Fails to Start as a Standard User

The version of Apache Tomcat shipped with CA Automation Point (version 6) includes a component called the Apache Tomcat Monitor. This component runs in the system tray area and allows you to control the running status of the Apache Tomcat server. Because this Apache Tomcat Monitor program (tomcat6w.exe) requires permission to interact with system services, it cannot be executed as a standard user (a user account not in the Administrators permission group). As a result, if a standard user signs in to the CA Automation Point server machine, the Apache Tomcat Monitor displays an error message ("Unable to open the service ‘Tomcat6’") and shuts down.

To allow this program to execute properly when launched as a standard user, the privilege level of the Apache Tomcat Monitor executable must be elevated to run as an administrator. The Microsoft Windows Server 2003 operating system does not provide a compatible permission elevation technique that allows this Tomcat Monitor program to start successfully when executed from a standard user account. If you are using the Microsoft Windows Server 2008 operating system, you can use the following steps to change the properties of the Apache Tomcat Monitor executable to allow a standard user to run this program with elevated privileges.

To change user permissions

1. Locate the tomcat6w.exe program in Windows Explorer (the default directory is C:\Program Files\Apache Software Foundation\Tomcat 6.0\bin).
2. Right-click the name of this file and select the Properties context menu item. 

   The tomcat6w Properties dialog displays.

3. Select the Compatibility tab and click either the "Show settings for all users" button or the "Change settings for all users" button at the bottom of the dialog.

   A new tomcat6w.exe Properties dialog displays with a single tab entitled Compatibility for all users. 

4. At the bottom of this dialog, in the Privilege Level group box, select the Run this program as an administrator. 

   The Apache Tomcat Monitor executable will now execute with the required privileges when run from a standard user account.

After making this change, a standard user may need to specify the administrator password each time they sign into the Microsoft Windows Server 2008 machine to launch the Apache Tomcat Monitor application.