Installing Solr 1.4 on Windows XP (Step by Step)

Introduction

I've been spending a lot of time using Solr recently.. So here's my guide to installing it on windows XP

Steps

Please follow the following steps to get Solr 1.4 running on a windows box:

• Download Solr 1.4 from here
  
• Download the latest Java JDK

Select Java SE Development Kit (JDK) jdk-6u17-windows-i586.exe

Installing Java SE Development Kit (JDK)

• You can leave everything checked if you want. However the Java DB isn't required. I'm installing that also as I'll be using java else where on this computer.

• The installer should ask you where you want to install the JDK. I've left mine with the default option:

Installing Tomcat

• Download the latest version of the windows Tomcat msi installer

Windows Service Installer apache-tomcat-6.0.20.exe

• Run the installation choosing everything except the Examples.

• Install to 'C:\apache\Tomcat'
  
• Set the Admin password as required
  
• Set the Java Runtime location (In my case that's the one installed with the Java JDK not the standard)

C:\Progra~1\Java\jdk1.6.0_18\jre

• Once installed checked that the service starts
  
• If the service doesn't start copy msvcr71.dll from C:\Program Files\Java\jre6\bin to the windows dir
  
• Test Tomcat to make sure you can access the admin page at http://127.0.0.1:8080

• Stop the Tomcat service to prepare the Solr install

Installing Solr 1.4

• Setup the Solr Directory e.g. c:\solr, d:\solr or whatever you want
  
• Extract the Solr installation to a temporary location

apache-solr-1.4.0.zip

• From within the extracted zip file copy the contents of examples\solr to the Solr directory you've created.
  
• Copy the solr.war file into the tomcat webapps directory (it may be called something else, so rename it to solr.war as this determine the address to the site.)

apache-solr-1.4.0\example\webapps C:\apache\Tomcat\webapps

• Right Click on the Tomcat's system tray icon and select configure...
  
• Add to the end of the Java options: 

-Dsolr.solr.home=c:\solr (change the directory if you installed solr somewhere else.)

• Right Click on the Tomcat's system tray icon and select Start.
  
• If everything worked correctly, you should see tomcat's system tray icon go green.
  
• Also you should be able to test Solr via http://127.0.0.1:8080/solr/admin/

• As a final sanity check, If you look at the settings in the top left of the Solr admin page.
  
• Make sure the Solr home is specified correctly. c:\solr (what you setup earlier)
  
• Ensure the Computer is the Server you're working on