After running a GeoServer war file installation in Tomcat for some time in Windows Server 2008 x64, I've become increasingly unhappy with Tomcat's chronic memory issues and leaks. Now that the GeoServer Windows installer appears to run in a 64-bit environment as a Windows service when used in tandem with a 32-bit JVM, I'm looking into abandoning the war file in favor of the Windows installer. What are the pros and cons of the Windows installer versus the war file in a 64-bit Windows environment?
[GIS] GeoServer in Windows x64 – war file installation versus Windows installer
geoserveropen-source-gisweb-mapping
Best Answer
I would go with the binary (OS Independent) download rather than the installer. This will let you use a 64bit JDK (and probably JRE) while giving you more flexibility about your set up. The installer can get very confused about permissions (well it's windows that gets confused) and generally be more hassle to set up than you save.
However in either case you can just point JAVA_HOME to a 64 bit VM and it will work out fine.