SEVERE: Error starting static Resources in Tomcat server console

Question

Long time back , i have deployed a DWR Webapp example , which i got from net . I ran into issues , and i deleted that war file from webapps , temp and from localhost folders but still i am getting these errrors under tomcat console while starting the server

INFO: Initialization processed in 795 ms
Mar 7, 2012 5:31:25 PM org.apache.catalina.core.StandardService start
INFO: Starting service Catalina
Mar 7, 2012 5:31:25 PM org.apache.catalina.core.StandardEngine start
INFO: Starting Servlet Engine: Apache Tomcat/6.0.33
Mar 7, 2012 5:31:25 PM org.apache.catalina.startup.HostConfig deployDescriptor
INFO: Deploying configuration descriptor DWR.xml
Mar 7, 2012 5:31:25 PM org.apache.catalina.core.StandardContext resourcesStart
SEVERE: Error starting static Resources
java.lang.IllegalArgumentException: Document base C:\Softwares\apache-tomcat-6.0.33\webapps\DWR does not exist or is not a readable directory
        at org.apache.naming.resources.FileDirContext.setDocBase(FileDirContext.java:142)
        at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardContext.resourcesStart(StandardContext.java:4320)
        at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardContext.start(StandardContext.java:4489)
        at org.apache.catalina.core.ContainerBase.addChildInternal(ContainerBase.java:799)
        at org.apache.catalina.core.ContainerBase.addChild(ContainerBase.java:779)
        at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardHost.addChild(StandardHost.java:601)
        at org.apache.catalina.startup.HostConfig.deployDescriptor(HostConfig.java:675)
        at org.apache.catalina.startup.HostConfig.deployDescriptors(HostConfig.java:601)
        at org.apache.catalina.startup.HostConfig.deployApps(HostConfig.java:502)
        at org.apache.catalina.startup.HostConfig.start(HostConfig.java:1317)
        at org.apache.catalina.startup.HostConfig.lifecycleEvent(HostConfig.java:324)
        at org.apache.catalina.util.LifecycleSupport.fireLifecycleEvent(LifecycleSupport.java:142)
        at org.apache.catalina.core.ContainerBase.start(ContainerBase.java:1065)
        at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardHost.start(StandardHost.java:840)
        at org.apache.catalina.core.ContainerBase.start(ContainerBase.java:1057)
        at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardEngine.start(StandardEngine.java:463)
        at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardService.start(StandardService.java:525)
        at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardServer.start(StandardServer.java:754)
        at org.apache.catalina.startup.Catalina.start(Catalina.java:595)
        at sun.reflect.NativeMethodAccessorImpl.invoke0(Native Method)
        at sun.reflect.NativeMethodAccessorImpl.invoke(NativeMethodAccessorImpl.java:39)
        at sun.reflect.DelegatingMethodAccessorImpl.invoke(DelegatingMethodAccessorImpl.java:25)
        at java.lang.reflect.Method.invoke(Method.java:597)
        at org.apache.catalina.startup.Bootstrap.start(Bootstrap.java:289)
        at org.apache.catalina.startup.Bootstrap.main(Bootstrap.java:414)
Mar 7, 2012 5:31:25 PM org.apache.catalina.core.StandardContext start
SEVERE: Error in resourceStart()
Mar 7, 2012 5:31:25 PM org.apache.catalina.core.StandardContext start
SEVERE: Error getConfigured
Mar 7, 2012 5:31:25 PM org.apache.catalina.core.StandardContext start
SEVERE: Context [/DWR] startup failed due to previous errors
Mar 7, 2012 5:31:25 PM org.apache.catalina.core.StandardContext stop
INFO: Container org.apache.catalina.core.ContainerBase.[Catalina].[localhost].[/DWR] has not been started
Mar 7, 2012 5:31:25 PM org.apache.catalina.startup.HostConfig deployDescriptor
INFO: Deploying configuration descriptor DWRExample.xml
Mar 7, 2012 5:31:25 PM org.apache.catalina.core.StandardContext resourcesStart
SEVERE: Error starting static Resources
java.lang.IllegalArgumentException: Document base C:\Softwares\apache-tomcat-6.0.33\webapps\DWRExample does not exist or is not a readable directory
        at org.apache.naming.resources.FileDirContext.setDocBase(FileDirContext.java:142)
        at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardContext.resourcesStart(StandardContext.java:4320)
        at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardContext.start(StandardContext.java:4489)
        at org.apache.catalina.core.ContainerBase.addChildInternal(ContainerBase.java:799)
        at org.apache.catalina.core.ContainerBase.addChild(ContainerBase.java:779)
        at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardHost.addChild(StandardHost.java:601)
        at org.apache.catalina.startup.HostConfig.deployDescriptor(HostConfig.java:675)
        at org.apache.catalina.startup.HostConfig.deployDescriptors(HostConfig.java:601)
        at org.apache.catalina.startup.HostConfig.deployApps(HostConfig.java:502)
        at org.apache.catalina.startup.HostConfig.start(HostConfig.java:1317)
        at org.apache.catalina.startup.HostConfig.lifecycleEvent(HostConfig.java:324)
        at org.apache.catalina.util.LifecycleSupport.fireLifecycleEvent(LifecycleSupport.java:142)
        at org.apache.catalina.core.ContainerBase.start(ContainerBase.java:1065)
        at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardHost.start(StandardHost.java:840)
        at org.apache.catalina.core.ContainerBase.start(ContainerBase.java:1057)
        at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardEngine.start(StandardEngine.java:463)
        at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardService.start(StandardService.java:525)
        at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardServer.start(StandardServer.java:754)
        at org.apache.catalina.startup.Catalina.start(Catalina.java:595)
        at sun.reflect.NativeMethodAccessorImpl.invoke0(Native Method)
        at sun.reflect.NativeMethodAccessorImpl.invoke(NativeMethodAccessorImpl.java:39)
        at sun.reflect.DelegatingMethodAccessorImpl.invoke(DelegatingMethodAccessorImpl.java:25)
        at java.lang.reflect.Method.invoke(Method.java:597)
        at org.apache.catalina.startup.Bootstrap.start(Bootstrap.java:289)
        at org.apache.catalina.startup.Bootstrap.main(Bootstrap.java:414)
Mar 7, 2012 5:31:25 PM org.apache.catalina.core.StandardContext start
SEVERE: Error in resourceStart()
Mar 7, 2012 5:31:25 PM org.apache.catalina.core.StandardContext start
SEVERE: Error getConfigured
Mar 7, 2012 5:31:25 PM org.apache.catalina.core.StandardContext start
SEVERE: Context [/DWRExample] startup failed due to previous errors
Mar 7, 2012 5:31:25 PM org.apache.catalina.core.StandardContext stop
INFO: Container org.apache.catalina.core.ContainerBase.[Catalina].[localhost].[/DWRExample] has not been started
Mar 7, 2012 5:31:25 PM org.apache.catalina.startup.HostConfig deployDescriptor
INFO: Deploying configuration descriptor host-manager.xml

Answer 1

I ran into something similar after deleting a web app, the work directory, and the temp directory and seeing the same kind of error.

The first INFO statement before the SEVERE item logged indicates that there is a remnant of the deleted webapp that remains as a configuration item.

I was able to find an xml file nested somewhere inside conf (conf/Catalina/localhost) that had an xml file associated with the deleted web app and when I deleted it, the error went away.

Answer 2

The context for the phantom project is being cached in the server.xml in the workspace plugin directory. This procedure worked to get rid of the SEVERE message

1. cd to /path/to/workspace/.metadata/.plugins/org.eclipse.wst.server.core/tmp0/conf
2. edit the server.xml file
3. Inside the directive remove the <Context> directive where the docBase attribute matches your phantom project
4. Restart server in eclipse