zz: http://rosonsandy.blogdriver.com/rosonsandy/871539.html
1 - Tomcat的類載入器的結構
Tomcat Server在啟動的時候將構造一個ClassLoader樹，以保證模塊的類庫是私有的
Tomcat Server的ClassLoader結構如下：
+-----------------------------+
| Bootstrap |
| | |
| System |
| | |
| Common |
| / \ |
| Catalina Shared |
| / \ |
| WebApp1 WebApp2 |
+-----------------------------+
其中：
- Bootstrap - 載入JVM自帶的類和$JAVA_HOME/jre/lib/ext/*.jar
- System - 載入$CLASSPATH/*.class
- Common - 載入$CATALINA_HOME/common/...，它們對TOMCAT和所有的WEB APP都可見
- Catalina - 載入$CATALINA_HOME/server/...，它們僅對TOMCAT可見，對所有的WEB APP都不可見
- Shared - 載入$CATALINA_HOME/shared/...，它們僅對所有WEB APP可見，對TOMCAT不可見（也不必見）
- WebApp - 載入ContextBase?/WEB-INF/...，它們僅對該WEB APP可見
2 - ClassLoader的工作原理
每個運行中的線程都有一個成員contextClassLoader，用來在運行時動態地載入其它類
系統默認的contextClassLoader是systemClassLoader，所以一般而言java程序在執行時可以使用JVM自帶的類、$JAVA_HOME/jre/lib/ext/中的類和$CLASSPATH/中的類
可以使用Thread.currentThread().setContextClassLoader(...);更改當前線程的contextClassLoader，來改變其載入類的行為
ClassLoader被組織成樹形，一般的工作原理是：
1) 線程需要用到某個類，于是contextClassLoader被請求來載入該類
2) contextClassLoader請求它的父ClassLoader來完成該載入請求
3) 如果父ClassLoader無法載入類，則contextClassLoader試圖自己來載入
注意：WebApp?ClassLoader的工作原理和上述有少許不同：
它先試圖自己載入類（在ContextBase?/WEB-INF/...中載入類），如果無法載入，再請求父ClassLoader完成
由此可得：
- 對于WEB APP線程，它的contextClassLoader是WebApp?ClassLoader
- 對于Tomcat Server線程，它的contextClassLoader是CatalinaClassLoader
3 類的查找
ClassLoader類中loadClass方法為缺省實現，用下面的順序查找類：
1、調用findLoadedClass方法來檢查是否已經被加載。如果沒有則繼續下面的步驟。
2、如果當前類裝載器有一個指定的委托父裝載器，則用委托父裝載器的loadClass方法加載類，也就是委托給父裝載器加載相應的類。
3、如果這個類裝載器的委托層級體系沒有一個類裝載器加載該類，則使用類裝載器定位類的特定實現機制，調用findClass方法來查找類。
4 - 部分原代碼分析
4.1 - org/apache/catalina/startup/Bootstrap.java
Bootstrap中定義了三個classloader:commonLoader,catalinaLoader,sharedLoader.三者關系如下：
//注意三個自己定置的ClassLoader的層次關系：
// systemClassLoader (root)
// +--- commonLoader
// +--- catalinaLoader
// +--- sharedLoader
Tomcat Server線程的起點
構造ClassLoader樹，通過Thread.currentThread().setContextClassLoader(catalinaLoader)設置當前的classloader為catalinaLoader。
載入若干類，然后轉入org.apache.catalina.startup.Catalina類中
4.2 org.apache.catalina.loader.StandardClassLoader.java
通過看loadClass這個方法來看tomcat是如何加載類的，順序如下：
(0) Check our previously loaded class cache查找已經裝載的class
clazz = findLoadedClass(name);
(1) If a system class, use system class loader通過系統classloader來裝載class
ClassLoader loader = system;
clazz = loader.loadClass(name);
(2) Delegate to our parent if requested如果有代理則使用父類classloader
ClassLoader loader = parent;
if (loader == null)
loader = system;
clazz = loader.loadClass(name);
(3) Search local repositories 查找本地類池，比如$CATALINA_HOME/server
clazz = findClass(name);
(4) Delegate to parent unconditionally 默認使用代理裝載器
[查看代碼]
4.3 - org/apache/catalina/startup/ClassLoaderFactory.java
根據設置創建并返回StandardClassLoader的實例
[查看代碼]
4.4 - org/apache/catalina/loader/StandardClassLoader.java
類載入器
4.5 - org/apache/catalina/startup/SecurityClassLoad.java
該類僅包含一個靜態方法，用來為catalinaLoader載入一些類
[查看代碼]
Appendix - 參考
[1] http://jakarta.apache.org/tomcat/中的Tomcat 4.1.x文檔Class Loader HOW-TO
在一個JVM中可能存在多個ClassLoader，每個ClassLoader擁有自己的NameSpace。一個ClassLoader只能擁有一個class對象類型的實例，但是不同的ClassLoader可能擁有相同的class對象實例，這時可能產生致命的問題。如ClassLoaderA，裝載了類A的類型實例A1，而ClassLoaderB，也裝載了類A的對象實例A2。邏輯上講A1=A2，但是由于A1和A2來自于不同的ClassLoader，它們實際上是完全不同的，如果A中定義了一個靜態變量c，則c在不同的ClassLoader中的值是不同的。
[2] 深入Java2平臺安全
zz: http://mail-archives.apache.org/mod_mbox/tomcat-users/200212.mbox/raw/%3c20021204192034.P86616-100000@icarus.apache.org%3e
try {
Properties props = new Properties();
InputStream in = getClass().getResourceAsStream("/conf/db.properties");
props.load(in);
......
propertie1 = props.getProperty("propertie1");
The examples already given will find properties files for you just fine whether the file is in a directory structure or inside an archive. How do you think Java loads classes? It works out of archives, no? here are some various was to access a properties file ( or any resource, for that matter) in whether the app is deployed as a directory or as a .war file (even inside a .jar file in WEB-INF/lib)....
1. This will load a file in WEB-INF/classes/conf or any jar file in the classpath with a package of "conf"...
getClass().getResourceAsStream("/conf/db.properties");
2. This will load a file relative to the current class. For instance, if the class is "org.mypackage.MyClass", then the file would be loaded at "org.mypackage.conf.dbproperties". Note that this is because we didn't prepend "/" to the path. When that is done, the file is loaded from the root of the current classloader where this loads it relative to the current class...
getClass().getResourceAsStream("conf/db.properties");
3. This will find db.properties anywhere in the current classloader as long as it exists in a "conf" package...
getClass().getClassLoader().getResourceAsStream("conf/db.properties");
4. This will find the file in a "conf" directory inside the webapp (starting from the root). This starts looking in the same directory as contains WEB-INF. When I say "directory", I don't mean "filesystem". This could be in a .war file as well as in an actual directory on the filesystem...
getServletContext().getResourceAsStream("/conf/db.properties");
5. Of course you would probably not want just anyone seeing your db.properties file, so you'd probably want to put in inside WEB-INF of your webapp, so....
getServletContext().getResourceAsStream("/WEB-INF/conf/db.properties");
6. If your db.properties exists in another classloader which your app has access to, you can reach it by using:
Thread.currentThread().getContextClassLoader().getResourceAsStream("conf/db.properties");
that will act similar to getClass().getClassLoader(), but it can see across all available classloaders where the latter can only see within the classloader that loaded the current class.