Debian Admin published a guide about setting up Apache Tomcat 5.5 on Debian GNU/Linux 4.0

Apache Tomcat is a web container, or application server developed at the Apache Software Foundation (ASF). Tomcat implements the servlet and the JavaServer Pages (JSP) specifications from Sun Microsystems, providing an environment for Java code to run in cooperation with a web server. It adds tools for configuration and management but can also be configured by editing configuration files that are normally XML-formatted. Tomcat includes its own internal HTTP server.

How to setup Apache Tomcat 5.5 on Debian Etch