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Contents

System Requirements
Java 2 SDK Installation Instructions
   Installation of Self-Extracting Bin ary
   Installation of RPM File
Java Plug-in Installation Instructions
Java Web Start Installation Instructions

Known Problems

The following are known problems on the non-supported platforms.

• Behavior in comformance with the API specification is not guaranteed while running as superuser on any version of Linux whose kernel was compiled with the CONFIG_IP_TRANSPARENT_PROXY option. The default kernel shipped with the RedHat 6.2 distribution is compiled with this option. To avoid incompatibilities associated with this problem, either do not use the Java platform while superuser or else upgrade to a Linux operating system whose kernel was not compiled with the CONFIG_IP_TRANSPARENT_PROXY option. Red Hat 7.1 and later versions ship with the version 2.4 kernel which does not have this problem.

• When System.exit(int) is invoked on Red Hat 7.0, the program never exits with a non-zero value. This problem is apparently due to a bug in the exit function in libc.so library. To avoid this problem, use Red Hat 6.2 or Red Hat 7.1 rather than 7.0.

• If you use RedHat Linux 7 Server, you must manually install compat-libstdc++-6.21-2.9.0.0.i386.rpm to prevent "error while loading shared libraries" when using the Java HotSpot VMs. This file is located in the /RedHat/RPMS directory on the RedHat Linux 7 CD-ROM. You may also obtain a copy of this file from http://rpmfind.net. To install the file, use this command:

  rpm --install compat-libstdc++-6.21-2.9.0.0.i386.rpm
  

  It is not necessary to manually install compat-libstdc++-6.21-2.9.0.0.i386.rpm if you are using RedHat Linux 7 Workstation.

• Some early versions of Caldera OpenLinux use version 2.1.2-3 of glibc. Because that version is not greater than or equal to 2.1.2-11, the Java 2 SDK's rpm installer fails during its dependency check. We recommend that you obtain an updated version of the glibc library available from Caldera at the following locations:

  ftp.caldera.com:/pub/updates/eDesktop/2.4/current/RPMS
  

  or

  ftp.caldera.com:/pub/updates/eServer/2.3/current/RPMS
  

• An apparent bug in glibc 2.2-7 causes invalid hostnames of the form a.b.c.d.e to be resolved as a valid address. This bug means that, on platforms that use glibc 2.2-7, methods such as java.net.InetAddresss.getByName(String host) do not always throw UnknownHostException, as they should, when the hostname is invalid.

See also the Linux Notes section of the Release Notes.

• A self-extracting binary file named j2sdk-1_4_1_<version number>-linux-i586.bin which can be used to install the Java 2 SDK in any location you choose. If you are using this file, see Self-Extracting Binary.

• The j2sdk-1_4_1_<version number>-linux-i586-rpm.bin file containing RPM packages comprising the Java 2 SDK. If you are using this bundle, see Installation of RPM File.

The Java 2 SDK includes the Java Plug-in and Java Web Start products. Refer to:

• Java Plug-in Installation Instructions
• Java Web Start Installation Instructions

1. Check the download file size.

Before you download a file, notice that its byte size is provided on the download page on the web site. Once the download has completed, check that you have downloaded the full, uncorrupted software file.

2. Copy j2sdk-1_4_1_<version number>-linux-i586.bin to the directory into which you want to install the Java 2 SDK.

3. Run j2sdk-1_4_1_<version number>-linux-i586.bin

Launch the executable file you downloaded, j2sdk-1_4_1_<version number>-linux-i586.bin, by using the following commands from the directory in which it is located:

chmod a+x j2sdk-1_4_1_<version number>-linux-i586.bin

./j2sdk-1_4_1_<version number>-linux-i586.bin

The script displays a binary license agreement, which you are asked to agree to before installation can proceed. Once you have agreed to the license, the install script installs the Java 2 SDK in a directory named j2sdk1.4.1_<version number> in the current directory.

Note about System Preferences - By default, the installation script configures the system such that the backing store for system preferences is created inside the Java 2 SDK's installation directory. If the SDK is installed on a network-mounted drive, it and the system preferences can be exported for sharing with Java runtime environments on other machines. As an alternative, root users can use the -localinstall option when running the installation script, as in this example:

j2sdk-1_4_1_<version number>-linux-i586.bin -localinstall

See the Preferences API documentation for more information about preferences in the Java platform.

Note about Root Access - Unbundling the software automatically creates a directory called j2sdk1.4.1_<version number>. Note that if you choose to install the Java 2 SDK into system-wide location such as /usr/local, you must first become root to gain the necessary permissions. If you do not have root access, simply install the Java 2 SDK into your home directory, or a subdirectory that you have permission to write to.

Note about Overwriting Files - If you unpack the software in a directory that contains a subdirectory named j2sdk1.4.1_<version number>, the new software overwrites files of the same name in that j2sdk1.4.1_<version number> directory. Please be careful to rename the old directory if it contains files you would like to keep.

Installation of RPM File

1. Check the download file size.

Before you download a file, notice that its byte size is provided on the download page on the web site. Once the download has completed, check that you have downloaded the full, uncorrupted software file.

2. Run j2sdk-1_4_1_<version number>-linux-i586-rpm.bin and agree to the license it displays.

Launch the executable file you downloaded, j2sdk-1_4_1_<version number>-linux-i586-rpm.bin, by using the following commands from the directory in which it is located:

chmod a+x j2sdk-1_4_1_<version number>-linux-i586-rpm.bin

./j2sdk-1_4_1_<version number>-linux-i586-rpm.bin

The script displays a binary license agreement, which you are asked to agree to before installation can proceed. Once you have agreed to the license, the install script creates the file j2sdk-1_4_1_<version number>-linux-i586.rpm in the current directory.

3. Become root by running the su command and entering the super-user password.

4. Run the rpm command to install the packages that comprise the Java 2 SDK:

rpm -iv j2sdk-1_4_1_<version number>-linux-i586.rpm

5. Exit the root shell.

Java Plug-in Installation Instructions

For documentation on the Java Plug-in product, see:

http://java.sun.com/j2se/1.4/docs/guide/plugin/index.html

There are two ways to install/register the Java Plug-in product. Click on the following buttons to see the instructions for either manual or automatic (via the ControlPanel) installation.

Java Web Start Installation Instructions

Java 2 SDK 1.4.1 includes the Java Web Start product. Inside the SDK's jre directory you will find a ZIP file named javaws-1_2_0_<version number>-linux-i586-i.zip. The <version number> notation refers to the current Java Web Start version number.

Move this file to a location where you want to install the Java Web Start product (preferably outside the Java 2 SDK installation). Unzip the file. One of the files extracted will be install.sh. Run this script to install the Java WebStart product.