Error Deploying .war file with Spring Framework

Question

The app uses Spring Framework and it needs to have a environment variable named config.path, this can be configured at a file named web.xml. It looks like this:

<!-- Creates the Spring Container shared by all Servlets and Filters -->

<!-- *** Opcional, si no se quiere arrancar la aplicación con ninguna JAVA_OPT *** -->
<!-- context-param>
    <param-name>config.path</param-name>
    <param-value>ruta_absoluta_carpeta_ficheros_configuracion</param-value>
</context-param-->

<listener>
    <listener-class>es.mpt.dsic.inside.ws.configuration.ConfigLoaderListener</listener-class>       
</listener>

<context-param>
    <param-name>log4jConfigLocation</param-name>
    <param-value>file:${config.path}/log4j.properties</param-value>     
</context-param>

<listener>
    <listener-class>org.springframework.web.util.Log4jConfigListener</listener-class>
</listener>


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

<context-param>
    <param-name>contextConfigLocation</param-name>
    <param-value>
        classpath:es/mpt/dsic/inside/context/inside-ws-context.xml,
        /WEB-INF/mvc-dispatcher-servlet.xml,
        classpath:es/mpt/dsic/inside/context/inside-security-context.xml,
        classpath:es/mpt/dsic/inside/context/inside-context.xml
    </param-value>
</context-param>

<servlet>
    <servlet-name>CXFServlet</servlet-name>
    <servlet-class>org.apache.cxf.transport.servlet.CXFServlet</servlet-class>
    <load-on-startup>1</load-on-startup>
</servlet>

<servlet-mapping>
    <servlet-name>CXFServlet</servlet-name>
    <url-pattern>/ws/*</url-pattern>
</servlet-mapping>

<!-- Spring MVC -->
<servlet>
    <servlet-name>mvc-dispatcher</servlet-name>
    <servlet-class>org.springframework.web.servlet.DispatcherServlet</servlet-class>
    <load-on-startup>1</load-on-startup>
</servlet>
<servlet-mapping>
    <servlet-name>mvc-dispatcher</servlet-name>
    <url-pattern>/</url-pattern>
</servlet-mapping>

<!-- Spring Security -->
<filter>
    <filter-name>springSecurityFilterChain</filter-name>
    <filter-class>org.springframework.web.filter.DelegatingFilterProxy</filter-class>
</filter>
<filter-mapping>
    <filter-name>springSecurityFilterChain</filter-name>
    <url-pattern>/*</url-pattern>
</filter-mapping>


<!-- Spring encoding obligando a utf-8 -->
<filter>  
    <filter-name>encodingFilter</filter-name>  
    <filter-class>org.springframework.web.filter.CharacterEncodingFilter</filter-class>  
    <init-param>  
       <param-name>encoding</param-name>  
       <param-value>UTF-8</param-value>  
    </init-param>  
    <init-param>  
       <param-name>forceEncoding</param-name>  
       <param-value>true</param-value>  
    </init-param>  
</filter>  
<filter-mapping>  
    <filter-name>encodingFilter</filter-name>  
    <url-pattern>/*</url-pattern>  
</filter-mapping> 


<!-- Firma Trifasica -->
<servlet>
    <description>Servicio de firma electronica en 3 fases v2.1</description>
    <servlet-name>SignatureService</servlet-name>
    <servlet-class>es.gob.afirma.triphase.server.SignatureService</servlet-class>
</servlet>

<servlet-mapping>
    <servlet-name>SignatureService</servlet-name>
    <url-pattern>/SignatureService</url-pattern>
</servlet-mapping>

And I set it like this:

<context-param>
    <param-name>config.path</param-name>
    <param-value>/var/lib/tomcat8/webapps/aplicacion/resources/config</param-value>
</context-param>

Mi problem is that if I let those lines commented and try to deploy the app, I get this error at catalina.out:

    INFORMACIÓN: Despliegue del archivo /var/lib/tomcat8/webapps/inside.war de la aplicación web
abr 25, 2017 1:51:12 PM org.apache.jasper.servlet.TldScanner scanJars
INFORMACIÓN: Al menos un JAR, que se ha explorado buscando TLDs, aún no contenía TLDs. Activar historial de depuración para este historiador para una completa lista de los JARs que fueron explorados y de los que nos se halló TLDs. Saltarse JARs no necesarios durante la exploración puede dar lugar a una mejora de tiempo significativa en el arranque y compilación de JSP .
DEBUG: setDebug: JavaMail version 1.4ea
13:51:16,880 ERROR ContextLoader:308 - Context initialization failed
java.lang.IllegalArgumentException: Could not resolve placeholder 'config.path'
    at org.springframework.util.PropertyPlaceholderHelper.parseStringValue(PropertyPlaceholderHelper.java:173)
    at org.springframework.util.PropertyPlaceholderHelper.replacePlaceholders(PropertyPlaceholderHelper.java:125)
    at org.springframework.core.env.AbstractPropertyResolver.doResolvePlaceholders(AbstractPropertyResolver.java:151)
    at org.springframework.core.env.AbstractPropertyResolver.resolveRequiredPlaceholders(AbstractPropertyResolver.java:142)
    at org.springframework.core.env.AbstractEnvironment.resolveRequiredPlaceholders(AbstractEnvironment.java:440)
    at org.springframework.context.annotation.ConfigurationClassParser.doProcessConfigurationClass(ConfigurationClassParser.java:188)
    at org.springframework.context.annotation.ConfigurationClassParser.processConfigurationClass(ConfigurationClassParser.java:149)
    at org.springframework.context.annotation.ConfigurationClassParser.parse(ConfigurationClassParser.java:126)
    at org.springframework.context.annotation.ConfigurationClassPostProcessor.processConfigBeanDefinitions(ConfigurationClassPostProcessor.java:263)
    at org.springframework.context.annotation.ConfigurationClassPostProcessor.postProcessBeanDefinitionRegistry(ConfigurationClassPostProcessor.java:203)
    at org.springframework.context.support.AbstractApplicationContext.invokeBeanFactoryPostProcessors(AbstractApplicationContext.java:617)
    at org.springframework.context.support.AbstractApplicationContext.refresh(AbstractApplicationContext.java:446)
    at org.springframework.web.context.ContextLoader.configureAndRefreshWebApplicationContext(ContextLoader.java:385)
    at org.springframework.web.context.ContextLoader.initWebApplicationContext(ContextLoader.java:284)
    at org.springframework.web.context.ContextLoaderListener.contextInitialized(ContextLoaderListener.java:111)
    at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardContext.listenerStart(StandardContext.java:4812)
    at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardContext.startInternal(StandardContext.java:5255)
    at org.apache.catalina.util.LifecycleBase.start(LifecycleBase.java:147)
    at org.apache.catalina.core.ContainerBase.addChildInternal(ContainerBase.java:725)
    at org.apache.catalina.core.ContainerBase.addChild(ContainerBase.java:701)
    at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardHost.addChild(StandardHost.java:717)
    at org.apache.catalina.startup.HostConfig.deployWAR(HostConfig.java:939)
    at org.apache.catalina.startup.HostConfig$DeployWar.run(HostConfig.java:1812)
    at java.util.concurrent.Executors$RunnableAdapter.call(Executors.java:511)
    at java.util.concurrent.FutureTask.run(FutureTask.java:266)
    at java.util.concurrent.ThreadPoolExecutor.runWorker(ThreadPoolExecutor.java:1142)
    at java.util.concurrent.ThreadPoolExecutor$Worker.run(ThreadPoolExecutor.java:617)
    at java.lang.Thread.run(Thread.java:745)
abr 25, 2017 1:51:16 PM org.apache.catalina.core.StandardContext startInternal
GRAVE: One or more listeners failed to start. Full details will be found in the appropriate container log file
abr 25, 2017 1:51:16 PM org.apache.catalina.core.StandardContext startInternal
GRAVE: Falló en arranque del Contexto [/inside] debido a errores previos
13:51:16,938  WARN XmlWebApplicationContext:1028 - Exception thrown from ApplicationListener handling ContextClosedEvent
java.lang.IllegalStateException: ApplicationEventMulticaster not initialized - call 'refresh' before multicasting events via the context: Root WebApplicationContext: startup date [Tue Apr 25 13:51:12 CEST 2017]; root of context hierarchy
    at org.springframework.context.support.AbstractApplicationContext.getApplicationEventMulticaster(AbstractApplicationContext.java:337)
    at org.springframework.context.support.AbstractApplicationContext.publishEvent(AbstractApplicationContext.java:324)
    at org.springframework.context.support.AbstractApplicationContext.doClose(AbstractApplicationContext.java:1025)
    at org.springframework.context.support.AbstractApplicationContext.close(AbstractApplicationContext.java:988)
    at org.springframework.web.context.ContextLoader.closeWebApplicationContext(ContextLoader.java:556)
    at org.springframework.web.context.ContextLoaderListener.contextDestroyed(ContextLoaderListener.java:142)
    at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardContext.listenerStop(StandardContext.java:4859)
    at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardContext.stopInternal(StandardContext.java:5478)
    at org.apache.catalina.util.LifecycleBase.stop(LifecycleBase.java:224)
    at org.apache.catalina.util.LifecycleBase.start(LifecycleBase.java:159)
    at org.apache.catalina.core.ContainerBase.addChildInternal(ContainerBase.java:725)
    at org.apache.catalina.core.ContainerBase.addChild(ContainerBase.java:701)
    at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardHost.addChild(StandardHost.java:717)
    at org.apache.catalina.startup.HostConfig.deployWAR(HostConfig.java:939)
    at org.apache.catalina.startup.HostConfig$DeployWar.run(HostConfig.java:1812)
    at java.util.concurrent.Executors$RunnableAdapter.call(Executors.java:511)
    at java.util.concurrent.FutureTask.run(FutureTask.java:266)
    at java.util.concurrent.ThreadPoolExecutor.runWorker(ThreadPoolExecutor.java:1142)
    at java.util.concurrent.ThreadPoolExecutor$Worker.run(ThreadPoolExecutor.java:617)
    at java.lang.Thread.run(Thread.java:745)
13:51:16,939  WARN XmlWebApplicationContext:1036 - Exception thrown from LifecycleProcessor on context close
java.lang.IllegalStateException: LifecycleProcessor not initialized - call 'refresh' before invoking lifecycle methods via the context: Root WebApplicationContext: startup date [Tue Apr 25 13:51:12 CEST 2017]; root of context hierarchy
    at org.springframework.context.support.AbstractApplicationContext.getLifecycleProcessor(AbstractApplicationContext.java:350)
    at org.springframework.context.support.AbstractApplicationContext.doClose(AbstractApplicationContext.java:1033)
    at org.springframework.context.support.AbstractApplicationContext.close(AbstractApplicationContext.java:988)
    at org.springframework.web.context.ContextLoader.closeWebApplicationContext(ContextLoader.java:556)
    at org.springframework.web.context.ContextLoaderListener.contextDestroyed(ContextLoaderListener.java:142)
    at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardContext.listenerStop(StandardContext.java:4859)
    at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardContext.stopInternal(StandardContext.java:5478)
    at org.apache.catalina.util.LifecycleBase.stop(LifecycleBase.java:224)
    at org.apache.catalina.util.LifecycleBase.start(LifecycleBase.java:159)
    at org.apache.catalina.core.ContainerBase.addChildInternal(ContainerBase.java:725)
    at org.apache.catalina.core.ContainerBase.addChild(ContainerBase.java:701)
    at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardHost.addChild(StandardHost.java:717)
    at org.apache.catalina.startup.HostConfig.deployWAR(HostConfig.java:939)
    at org.apache.catalina.startup.HostConfig$DeployWar.run(HostConfig.java:1812)
    at java.util.concurrent.Executors$RunnableAdapter.call(Executors.java:511)
    at java.util.concurrent.FutureTask.run(FutureTask.java:266)
    at java.util.concurrent.ThreadPoolExecutor.runWorker(ThreadPoolExecutor.java:1142)
    at java.util.concurrent.ThreadPoolExecutor$Worker.run(ThreadPoolExecutor.java:617)
    at java.lang.Thread.run(Thread.java:745)
abr 25, 2017 1:51:17 PM org.apache.catalina.startup.HostConfig deployWAR
INFORMACIÓN: Deployment of web application archive /var/lib/tomcat8/webapps/inside.war has finished in 8.323 ms

But if the lines is not commented, tomcat doesnt start and catalina.out shows this:

abr 25, 2017 12:10:08 PM org.apache.jasper.servlet.TldScanner scanJars
INFORMACIÓN: Al menos un JAR, que se ha explorado buscando TLDs, aún no contenía TLDs. Activar historial de depuración para este historiador para una completa lista de los JARs que fueron explorados y de los que nos se halló TLDs. Saltarse JARs no necesarios durante la exploración puede dar lugar a una mejora de tiempo significativa en el arranque y compilación de JSP .
DEBUG: setDebug: JavaMail version 1.4ea

I know that is about the config, but I dont know how to proceed

_{Note: Never worked with .war files so Im a bit lost. Im using tomcat8.}

Answer 1

This line

<param-value>file:${config.path}/log4j.properties</param-value>  

Expects there to be a java system parameter specified, you do this in Tomcat by added to the JAVA_OPTS in catalina.sh, so you need somthing like this:

JAVA_OPTS='-Xmx256m -Djava.awt.headless=true -Dconfig.path=/var/lib/tomcat8/webapps/aplicacion/resources/config' 

Extract from catalina.sh from tomcat7 is below:

#   JAVA_OPTS       (Optional) Java runtime options used when any command
#                   is executed.
#                   Include here and not in CATALINA_OPTS all options, that
#                   should be used by Tomcat and also by the stop process,
#                   the version command etc.
#                   Most options should go into CATALINA_OPTS.
#