How to fix: cannot start Apache Axis2 standalone server on Windows, console stops printing at "Using AXIS2_HOME ..." and does not continue

The Problem

When I try to start Apache Axis2 standalone server on Windows, the console stops printing at "Using AXIS2_HOME path\to\axis2" and the server does not start:

C:\Users\me>%AXIS2_HOME%\bin\axis2server.bat
Using JAVA_HOME   C:\Users\me\Software\Oracle\Java\jdk-24.0.1
Using AXIS2_HOME  C:\Users\me\Software\Apache\Axis2\axis2-2.0.0
C:\Users\me>

Version information:
- Windows 11
- Java JDK 24.0.1
- Apache Axis2 2.0.0

What I've Tried

I've set up Axis2 according to the "Installing Axis2 as a Standalone Server using the Standard Binary Distribution" section in https://axis.apache.org/axis2/java/core/docs/installationguide.html.

I started Axis2 standalone server by running the following command in Command Prompt:

%AXIS2_HOME%\bin\axis2server.bat

I have checked to ensure that both %AXIS2_HOME% and %JAVA_HOME% point to the correct location.

In https://instantkhichri.blogspot.com/2016/02/how-to-start-apache-axis2-standalone.html?m=1, the possible reason mentioned for Axis2 server failing to start was incompatibility between Axis2 and Java versions. Hence, I have tried using all the LTS JDK versions down to JDK 8, but the same problem still occurred.

Solution

The Cause of the Problem

This problem occurs when Axis2 is installed in a directory with a longer path than what Axis2 expects. This results in one of the commands in axis2server.bat (in %AXIS2_HOME%\bin\) exceeding the length limit at runtime.

The problem command (at line 108):

"%_JAVACMD%" %JAVA_OPTS% -cp "!AXIS2_CLASS_PATH!" org.apache.axis2.kernel.SimpleAxis2Server %AXIS2_CMD_LINE_ARGS%

The AXIS2_CLASS_PATH environment variable contains the paths to all the .jar files in the %AXIS2_HOME%\lib\ directory. If the %AXIS2_HOME% path is too long, then AXIS2_CLASS_PATH will be too long, causing the above command to exceed the length limit. This causes the command to be evaluated as a blank command and not be executed.

Solutions

I would like to suggest three possible solutions.

Solution 1: Move Axis2 to a Shorter Path

This solution is a quick and easy fix that should work for most users. However, for users who would like to keep their software files organized into designated directories, consider Solution 2 instead.

Move your Axis2 installation directory to a shorter path. For example, C:\axis2.
Update %AXIS2_HOME% accordingly.
In Command Prompt, start the Axis2 standalone server using the command:
```
%AXIS2_HOME%\bin\axis2server.bat
```
In your browser, visit http://localhost:8080/axis2/services/ to verify that the server is running.

Solution 2: Edit `axis2server.bat` to Replace `AXIS2_CLASS_PATH` Concatenation With `%AXIS2_HOME%\lib\*` Wildcard

This solution involves editing the axis2server.bat file (in %AXIS2_HOME%\bin\) to replace the "for" loop concatenation logic (for storing the paths to all the .jar files in the AXIS2_CLASS_PATH environment variable) with the wildcard %AXIS2_HOME%\lib\* to represent all the .jar files in the %AXIS2_HOME%\lib\ directory.

Consider creating a backup file axis2server.bat.backup before proceeding.

In axis2server.bat, replace the following lines (originally at lines 101-102):

set AXIS2_CLASS_PATH=%AXIS2_HOME%;%AXIS2_HOME%\conf;%JAVA_HOME%\lib\tools.jar;
FOR %%c in ("%AXIS2_HOME%\lib\*.jar") DO set AXIS2_CLASS_PATH=!AXIS2_CLASS_PATH!;%%c

With the following line:

set AXIS2_CLASS_PATH=%AXIS2_HOME%;%AXIS2_HOME%\conf;%JAVA_HOME%\lib\tools.jar;%AXIS2_HOME%\lib\*

In Command Prompt, start the Axis2 standalone server using the command:
```
%AXIS2_HOME%\bin\axis2server.bat
```
In your browser, visit http://localhost:8080/axis2/services/ to verify that the server is running.

Solution 3: Edit `axis2server.bat` to Replace `AXIS2_CLASS_PATH` Environment Variable With a `.txt` File

Since this solution is more complicated, Solution 2 is preferred.

This solution involves editing the axis2server.bat file (in %AXIS2_HOME%\bin\) to use a .txt file instead of the AXIS2_CLASS_PATH environment variable to store the paths to all the .jar files in the %AXIS2_HOME%\lib\ directory.

Consider creating a backup file axis2server.bat.backup before proceeding.

In axis2server.bat, replace the following lines (originally at lines 100-102):

setlocal EnableDelayedExpansion
set AXIS2_CLASS_PATH=%AXIS2_HOME%;%AXIS2_HOME%\conf;%JAVA_HOME%\lib\tools.jar;
FOR %%c in ("%AXIS2_HOME%\lib\*.jar") DO set AXIS2_CLASS_PATH=!AXIS2_CLASS_PATH!;%%c

With the following two lines:

<nul set /p=%AXIS2_HOME%;%AXIS2_HOME%\conf;%JAVA_HOME%\lib\tools.jar>%AXIS2_HOME%\lib\_axis2classpath.txt
FOR %%c in ("%AXIS2_HOME%\lib\*.jar") DO <nul set /p=;%%c>>%AXIS2_HOME%\lib\_axis2classpath.txt

The first line is a command that initializes _axis2classpath.txt (in %AXIS2_HOME%\lib\) with the following content (without a newline):

%AXIS2_HOME%;%AXIS2_HOME%\conf;%JAVA_HOME%\lib\tools.jar

The second line is a command that appends the paths to all the .jar files in the %AXIS2_HOME%\lib\ directory to _axis2classpath.txt (without newlines).

In axis2server.bat, replace the following line (originally at line 108):
```
"%_JAVACMD%" %JAVA_OPTS% -cp "!AXIS2_CLASS_PATH!" org.apache.axis2.kernel.SimpleAxis2Server %AXIS2_CMD_LINE_ARGS%
```
With the following line:
```
"%_JAVACMD%" %JAVA_OPTS% -cp "@%AXIS2_HOME%\lib\_axis2classpath.txt" org.apache.axis2.kernel.SimpleAxis2Server %AXIS2_CMD_LINE_ARGS%
```
!AXIS2_CLASS_PATH! has been replaced with @%AXIS2_HOME%\lib_axis2classpath.txt, so that instead of using the environment variable AXIS2_CLASS_PATH, the value read from _axis2classpath.txt is used. This prevents the command from reaching the length limit.
In Command Prompt, start the Axis2 standalone server using the command:
```
%AXIS2_HOME%\bin\axis2server.bat
```
In your browser, visit http://localhost:8080/axis2/services/ to verify that the server is running.