zz: http://rosonsandy.blogdriver.com/rosonsandy/871539.html
1 - Tomcat的类载入器的结构
Tomcat Server在启动的时候将构造一个ClassLoader树，以保证模块的类库是私有的
Tomcat Server的ClassLoader结构如下：
+-----------------------------+
| Bootstrap |
| | |
| System |
| | |
| Common |
| / \ |
| Catalina Shared |
| / \ |
| WebApp1 WebApp2 |
+-----------------------------+
其中：
- Bootstrap - 载入JVM自带的类和$JAVA_HOME/jre/lib/ext/*.jar
- System - 载入$CLASSPATH/*.class
- Common - 载入$CATALINA_HOME/common/...，它们对TOMCAT和所有的WEB APP都可见
- Catalina - 载入$CATALINA_HOME/server/...，它们仅对TOMCAT可见，对所有的WEB APP都不可见
- Shared - 载入$CATALINA_HOME/shared/...，它们仅对所有WEB APP可见，对TOMCAT不可见（也不必见）
- WebApp - 载入ContextBase?/WEB-INF/...，它们仅对该WEB APP可见
2 - ClassLoader的工作原理
每个运行中的线程都有一个成员contextClassLoader，用来在运行时动态地载入其它类
系统默认的contextClassLoader是systemClassLoader，所以一般而言java程序在执行时可以使用JVM自带的类、$JAVA_HOME/jre/lib/ext/中的类和$CLASSPATH/中的类
可以使用Thread.currentThread().setContextClassLoader(...);更改当前线程的contextClassLoader，来改变其载入类的行为
ClassLoader被组织成树形，一般的工作原理是：
1) 线程需要用到某个类，于是contextClassLoader被请求来载入该类
2) contextClassLoader请求它的父ClassLoader来完成该载入请求
3) 如果父ClassLoader无法载入类，则contextClassLoader试图自己来载入
注意：WebApp?ClassLoader的工作原理和上述有少许不同：
它先试图自己载入类（在ContextBase?/WEB-INF/...中载入类），如果无法载入，再请求父ClassLoader完成
由此可得：
- 对于WEB APP线程，它的contextClassLoader是WebApp?ClassLoader
- 对于Tomcat Server线程，它的contextClassLoader是CatalinaClassLoader
3 类的查找
ClassLoader类中loadClass方法为缺省实现，用下面的顺序查找类：
1、调用findLoadedClass方法来检查是否已经被加载。如果没有则继续下面的步骤。
2、如果当前类装载器有一个指定的委托父装载器，则用委托父装载器的loadClass方法加载类，也就是委托给父装载器加载相应的类。
3、如果这个类装载器的委托层级体系没有一个类装载器加载该类，则使用类装载器定位类的特定实现机制，调用findClass方法来查找类。
4 - 部分原代码分析
4.1 - org/apache/catalina/startup/Bootstrap.java
Bootstrap中定义了三个classloader:commonLoader,catalinaLoader,sharedLoader.三者关系如下：
//注意三个自己定置的ClassLoader的层次关系：
// systemClassLoader (root)
// +--- commonLoader
// +--- catalinaLoader
// +--- sharedLoader
Tomcat Server线程的起点
构造ClassLoader树，通过Thread.currentThread().setContextClassLoader(catalinaLoader)设置当前的classloader为catalinaLoader。
载入若干类，然后转入org.apache.catalina.startup.Catalina类中
4.2 org.apache.catalina.loader.StandardClassLoader.java
通过看loadClass这个方法来看tomcat是如何加载类的，顺序如下：
(0) Check our previously loaded class cache查找已经装载的class
clazz = findLoadedClass(name);
(1) If a system class, use system class loader通过系统classloader来装载class
ClassLoader loader = system;
clazz = loader.loadClass(name);
(2) Delegate to our parent if requested如果有代理则使用父类classloader
ClassLoader loader = parent;
if (loader == null)
loader = system;
clazz = loader.loadClass(name);
(3) Search local repositories 查找本地类池，比如$CATALINA_HOME/server
clazz = findClass(name);
(4) Delegate to parent unconditionally 默认使用代理装载器
[查看代码]
4.3 - org/apache/catalina/startup/ClassLoaderFactory.java
根据设置创建并返回StandardClassLoader的实例
[查看代码]
4.4 - org/apache/catalina/loader/StandardClassLoader.java
类载入器
4.5 - org/apache/catalina/startup/SecurityClassLoad.java
该类仅包含一个静态方法，用来为catalinaLoader载入一些类
[查看代码]
Appendix - 参考
[1] http://jakarta.apache.org/tomcat/中的Tomcat 4.1.x文档Class Loader HOW-TO
在一个JVM中可能存在多个ClassLoader，每个ClassLoader拥有自己的NameSpace。一个ClassLoader只能拥有一个class对象类型的实例，但是不同的ClassLoader可能拥有相同的class对象实例，这时可能产生致命的问题。如ClassLoaderA，装载了类A的类型实例A1，而ClassLoaderB，也装载了类A的对象实例A2。逻辑上讲A1=A2，但是由于A1和A2来自于不同的ClassLoader，它们实际上是完全不同的，如果A中定义了一个静态变量c，则c在不同的ClassLoader中的值是不同的。
[2] 深入Java2平台安全
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.