There are two main distribution packages for JasperReports Server.

The installer distribution package installs JasperReports Server, automatically configures the JasperReports Server database, and, if you choose the Install Sample Data option, installs sample data for working with tutorials.

The WAR file binary distribution contains the JasperReports Server web archive file as well as scripts to create and load the database. The WAR file distribution supports additional applications that are not supported by the installers.

Installer Support

The installers support the following operating systems (32 and 64 bit):

Installer Naming for 32-bit and 64-bit

Native 32- and 64-bit installers are supported. The 64-bit installer will put 64-bit versions of Java 7 and PostgreSQL 9 onto your system for increased speed and performance.

The installer file naming distinguishes the 32-bit installer from the 64-bit installer.

Note: You can install the 32-bit installer onto a 64-bit operating system, but we recommend that you install the 64-bit installer onto a 64-bit system. The 64-bit installer will not execute on a 32-bit system.

Installer Distribution Components

The installer is designed to get JasperReports Server up and running quickly. The server requires the Java environment, an application server, and database to run. The installer distribution bundles these components:

Installing with Existing Components

You can choose to deploy the bundled application or if you have existing components, the installer can deploy to these components. Both Apache Tomcat and the PostgreSQL database can be independently used as bundled or existing instances.

If you would like the installer to install Tomcat, choose the bundled Tomcat. If you already have Tomcat on your computer you can choose an existing Tomcat.

If you use an existing PostgreSQL, it can be on a local or remote machine. If it’s on a remote Linux machine, configure PostgreSQL to allow remote connections as described in Enabling Connections to a Remote Host.

For information about specific versions of third party applications supported by the installer, refer to the JasperReports Server release notes in the root of the installation directory.

Running Components as Windows Services

The Windows installer installs PostgreSQL and Tomcat as Windows Services. Users can manage JasperReports Server under the Windows operating system using Services in the Control Panel:

Control Panel > System and Security > Administrative Tools > Services

The bundled PostgreSQL and Tomcat applications restart automatically when the host Windows system restarts. If you do not want to run these components to automatically restart, you can change the Startup Type from automatic to manual.

You can find the PostgreSQL and Tomcat services under the following names:

You can also start JasperReports Server from the Windows Start menu.

WAR File Binary Distribution Support

Use the WAR file binary distribution package to install the JasperReports Server application if you cannot use the installer. The WAR file supports more applications than the installer. If you want to use a database other than PostgreSQL and/or an application server other than Apache Tomcat, install JasperReports Server using the WAR file.

The target database can be on a remote server. Using a remote PostgreSQL database on some Linux platforms requires a change to its configuration file, as described in Enabling Connections to a Remote Host.

The application server should reside on the local machine.

There are js-install shell scripts (for Linux and Window) included in the WAR file distribution which automate much of the installation tasks by using a single properties file. These scripts are named:

The main contents of the WAR file binary distribution are:

About Bundled Apache Ant

The War File Distribution ZIP comes with a bundled version of Apache Ant so you do not need to download or install Ant. The buildomatic Ant scripts come with Windows and Linux batch scripts that are pre-configured to use the bundled version of Apache Ant. The buildomatic Ant scripts are called from the command line in the following manner:

The bundled Apache Ant is version 1.8.1. This version or higher is required if you want to run your own version of Ant.

The bundled Apache Ant has an additional jar that extends Ant functionality. This jar is: ant-contrib.jar. This jar enables conditional logic in Ant. If you are running your own Ant, copy the ant-contrib.jar to your Ant/lib folder.