---
title: Errors starting Java app server
source: https://docs.newrelic.com/docs/apm/agents/java-agent/troubleshooting/errors-starting-java-app-server
---

## Problem

You see error messages when starting the app server for your Java application. For example:

```
Error opening zip file: newrelic.jar 
Error occurred during initialization of VM 
Agent library failed to init: instrument
```

## Solution

The path to the Java agent `jar` file must be fully qualified in the `-javaagent` JVM switch. If the path is not correctly specified, errors will be thrown on app server startup, and the JVM will exit.

To correct this problem, specify the full path to the `newrelic.jar` file in the `-javaagent` switch. For example, if the `newrelic.jar` file is in a directory named `newrelic` inside the Tomcat home directory **/home/tomcat**, specify the switch like this:

```
-javaagent:/home/tomcat/newrelic/newrelic.jar
```