forwarding requests from web server to web server

[Blake Minghelli]

This may sound odd, but I would like advice on sending a request from one web server to another. For example, servlet S1 on web server A receives a requests and forwards it to servlet S2 on web server B. I know I can create a HttpURLConnection in servlet S1, but does anyone have any better suggestions? Thanks

[William Brogden]

Have you considered using the sendRedirect method of HttpServletResponse? You have to use it before any text has been sent - it tells the user's browser to do a new request to the specified URL.
Bill

[Blake Minghelli]

Thanks for the reply... Is that the only other way to get the job done?

[Harpartap Singh]

Get the ServletContext of the OTHER web app.
Using this new ServletContext, create a RequestDispatcher to the servlet you want to access, and then forward your request...

 ServletContext thisContext = getServletContext();// gets it from this GenericServlet
ServletContext otherContext = thisContext.getContext(urlPath);
RequestDispatcher rd = otherContext.getRequestDispatcher("otherServlet");
rd.forward(request, response);
// remember though from api documentation, about the urlPath - The given path must be begin with "/", is interpreted relative to the server's document root and is matched against the context roots of other web applications hosted on this container. 
 

Or something like this.
/hs