Bug#753372: NullPointerException when starting tomcat8-examples in Tomcat Web Application Manager

[Heinrich Schuchardt]

Dear maintainer,

the bug #753372 is still reproducable on Jessie.

Please, find appended the relevant lines of catalina.out, which 
indicates a NullPointerException.

Best regards

Heinrich Schuchardt

INFORMATION: Deploying configuration descriptor 
/etc/tomcat8/Catalina/localhost/examples.xml
Sep 07, 2014 12:00:20 PM 
org.apache.catalina.startup.SetContextPropertiesRule begin
WARNUNG: [SetContextPropertiesRule]{Context} Setting property 
'allowLinking' to 'true' did not find a matching property.
Sep 07, 2014 12:00:20 PM org.apache.catalina.core.ContainerBase 
addChildInternal
SCHWERWIEGEND: ContainerBase.addChild: start:
org.apache.catalina.LifecycleException: Failed to start component 
[StandardEngine[Catalina].StandardHost[localhost].StandardContext[/examples]]
         at 
org.apache.catalina.util.LifecycleBase.start(LifecycleBase.java:154)
         at 
org.apache.catalina.core.ContainerBase.addChildInternal(ContainerBase.java:724)
         at 
org.apache.catalina.core.ContainerBase.addChild(ContainerBase.java:700)
         at 
org.apache.catalina.core.StandardHost.addChild(StandardHost.java:714)
         at 
org.apache.catalina.startup.HostConfig.deployDescriptor(HostConfig.java:581)
         at 
org.apache.catalina.startup.HostConfig$DeployDescriptor.run(HostConfig.java:1686)
         at 
java.util.concurrent.Executors$RunnableAdapter.call(Executors.java:471)
         at java.util.concurrent.FutureTask.run(FutureTask.java:262)
         at 
java.util.concurrent.ThreadPoolExecutor.runWorker(ThreadPoolExecutor.java:1145)
         at 
java.util.concurrent.ThreadPoolExecutor$Worker.run(ThreadPoolExecutor.java:615)
         at java.lang.Thread.run(Thread.java:745)
Caused by: java.lang.NullPointerException
         at 
org.apache.tomcat.util.scan.StandardJarScanner.process(StandardJarScanner.java:291)
         at 
org.apache.tomcat.util.scan.StandardJarScanner.scan(StandardJarScanner.java:158)
         at 
org.apache.catalina.startup.ContextConfig.processJarsForWebFragments(ContextConfig.java:1851)
         at 
org.apache.catalina.startup.ContextConfig.webConfig(ContextConfig.java:1115)
         at 
org.apache.catalina.startup.ContextConfig.configureStart(ContextConfig.java:767)
         at 
org.apache.catalina.startup.ContextConfig.lifecycleEvent(ContextConfig.java:302)
         at 
org.apache.catalina.util.LifecycleSupport.fireLifecycleEvent(LifecycleSupport.java:117)
         at 
org.apache.catalina.util.LifecycleBase.fireLifecycleEvent(LifecycleBase.java:90)
         at 
org.apache.catalina.core.StandardContext.startInternal(StandardContext.java:5083)
         at 
org.apache.catalina.util.LifecycleBase.start(LifecycleBase.java:150)
         ... 10 more

Sep 07, 2014 12:00:20 PM org.apache.catalina.startup.HostConfig 
deployDescriptor
SCHWERWIEGEND: Error deploying configuration descriptor 
/etc/tomcat8/Catalina/localhost/examples.xml
java.lang.IllegalStateException: ContainerBase.addChild: start: 
org.apache.catalina.LifecycleException: Failed to start component 
[StandardEngine[Catalina].StandardHost[localhost].StandardContext[/examples]]
         at 
org.apache.catalina.core.ContainerBase.addChildInternal(ContainerBase.java:727)
         at 
org.apache.catalina.core.ContainerBase.addChild(ContainerBase.java:700)
         at 
org.apache.catalina.core.StandardHost.addChild(StandardHost.java:714)
         at 
org.apache.catalina.startup.HostConfig.deployDescriptor(HostConfig.java:581)
         at 
org.apache.catalina.startup.HostConfig$DeployDescriptor.run(HostConfig.java:1686)
         at 
java.util.concurrent.Executors$RunnableAdapter.call(Executors.java:471)
         at java.util.concurrent.FutureTask.run(FutureTask.java:262)
         at 
java.util.concurrent.ThreadPoolExecutor.runWorker(ThreadPoolExecutor.java:1145)
         at 
java.util.concurrent.ThreadPoolExecutor$Worker.run(ThreadPoolExecutor.java:615)
         at java.lang.Thread.run(Thread.java:745)

Sep 07, 2014 12:00:20 PM org.apache.catalina.startup.HostConfig 
deployDescriptor
INFORMATION: Deployment of configuration descriptor 
/etc/tomcat8/Catalina/localhost/examples.xml has finished in 116 ms