# Installation Notes

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JavaTM SE 6 Release Notes

#

# Linux Installation (32-bit)

| JDK Documentation

## Contents

> System Requirements
> JDK Installation Instructions
> Installation of Self-Extracting Binary
> Installation of RPM File
> Java Plugin Browser Registration Instructions
> Java Web Start Installation Notes
> Troubleshooting

## System Requirements

See supported System Configurations for information about supported platforms, operating systems, desktop managers, and browsers.

For issues, see the Troubleshooting section below.

## Installation Instructions

Installing the JDK automatically installs the Java Plugin and Java Web Start. Note that the Java Plugin needs to be registered with the browser. After installing the JDK, refer to:

- Java Plugin Browser Registration Instructions
- Java Web Start Installation Notes

Install formats - This version of the JDK is available in two installation formats.

- Self-extracting Binary File - This file can be used to install the JDK in a location chosen by the user. This one can be installed by anyone (not only root users), and it can easily be installed in any location. As long as you are not root user, it cannot displace the system version of the Java platform suppled by Linux. To use this file, see Installation of Self-Extracting Binary below.

- RPM Packages - A `rpm.bin` file containing RPM packages, installed with the `rpm` utility. Requires root access to install. RPM packages are the recommended method for installation on Linux. To use this bundle, see Installation of RPM File below.

Choose the install format that is most suitable to your needs.

> Note: For any text on this page containing the following notation, you must substitute the appropriate JDK update version number for the notation.

> >     <version>

> For example, if you were downloading update 6_01, the following command:

> >     ./jdk-6<version>-linux-i586.bin

> would become:

> >     ./jdk-6u1-linux-i586.bin

### Installation of Self-Extracting Binary

Use these instructions if you want to use the self-extracting binary file to install the JDK. If you want to install RPM packages instead, see Installation of RPM File.

1. Download and check the download file size to ensure that you have downloaded the full, uncorrupted software bundle.

> You can download to any directory you choose; it does not have to be the directory where you want to install the JDK.

> Before you download the file, notice its byte size provided on the download page on the web site. Once the download has completed, compare that file size to the size of the downloaded file to make sure they are equal.

2. Make sure that execute permissions are set on the self-extracting binary.

> Run this command:
> `chmod +x jdk-6<version>-linux-i586.bin`

3. Change directory to the location where you would like the files to be installed.

> The next step installs the JDK into the current directory.

4. Run the self-extracting binary.

> Execute the downloaded file, prepended by the path to it. For example, if the file is in the current directory, prepend it with "`./`" (necessary if "`.`" is not in the PATH environment variable):

> `./jdk-6<version>-linux-i586.bin`

> The binary code license is displayed, and you are prompted to agree to its terms.

> The JDK files are installed in a directory called `jdk1.6.0_<version>` in the current directory. Follow this link to see its directory structure. The JDK documentation is a separate download.

> Note about Root Access: Unbundling the software automatically creates a directory called `jdk1.6.0_<version>`. Note that if you choose to install the JDK 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 JDK 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 `jdk1.6.0_<version>`, the new software overwrites files of the same name in that `jdk1.6.0_<version>` directory. Please be careful to rename the old directory if it contains files you would like to keep.

> Note about System Preferences: By default, the installation script configures the system such that the backing store for system preferences is created inside the JDK's installation directory. If the JDK is installed on a network-mounted drive, it and the system preferences can be exported for sharing with Java runtime environments on other machines.

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

### Installation of RPM File

Use these instructions if you want to install JDK in the form of RPM packages. If you want to use the self-extracting binary file instead, see Installation of Self-Extracting Binary.

1. Download and check the file size.

> You can download to any directory you choose.

> Before you download the file, notice its byte size provided on the download page on the web site. Once the download has completed, compare that file size to the size of the downloaded file to make sure they are equal.

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

3. Extract and install the contents of the downloaded file.

> Change directory to where the downloaded file is located and run these commands to first set the executable permissions and then run the binary to extract and run the RPM file:

>     chmod a+x jdk-6<version>-linux-i586-rpm.bin

>     ./jdk-6<version>-linux-i586-rpm.bin

> Note that the initial "`./`" is required if you do not have "`.`" in your PATH environment variable.

> 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 and runs the file `jdk-6<version>-linux-i586.rpm` in the current directory.

> NOTE - If instead you want to only extract the RPM file but not install it, you can run the .bin file with the -x argument. You do not need to be root to do this.

4. Delete the `bin` and `rpm` file if you want to save disk space.

5. Exit the root shell.

The RPM packages creates two links /usr/java/latest and /usr/java/default.

- The /usr/java/latest link will always point to the version of Java that Sun Microsystems considers the latest version. Subsequent upgrades of the packages will overwrite this value if it is not the latest version.

- By default, /usr/java/default points to /usr/java/latest. However, if administrators change /usr/java/default to point to another version of Java, subsequent package upgrades will be provided by the administrators and cannot be overwritten.

When the JDK is installed, links to javac jar and javadoc are also created apart from the JRE links. These links point to the appropriate tool referenced by /usr/java/default. This allows the user to easily run the default version of these Java tools.
A new service script, named jexec, is added to /etc/init.d. This script allows users to directly execute any standalone JAR file that has an execution permission set. This can be demonstrated using an example from the JDK:

    	cd /usr/java/jdk1.6.0/demo/jfc/SwingSet2
    	chmod +x SwingSet2.jar
    	./SwingSet2.jar

### Java Plugin Browser Registration Instructions

> You must register the Java Plugin product with Netscape or Mozilla for the Plugin to work. Click on the following link to see the instructions for manual registration. Note that for SuSE the 8.1 or higher version of Mozilla must be used, and for non-SuSE Linux, the version of Mozilla must be 1.1 or higher. Please follow these instructions:

> Manual Registration Instructions

> Also see documentation on the Java Plugin component.

### Java Web Start Installation Notes

> This JDK release includes Java Web Start; it is installed automatically with the JDK. But note the following:

> - Compatibility: The release of Java Web Start that comes with this JDK/JRE can be run on SDK/JRE 1.2.2 or later. It will not work with SDK/JRE 1.1.x or earlier.
> - Upgrading from Previous Versions: If you have a previous release of Java Web Start, do not uninstall it. Uninstalling it will cause the download cache to be cleared, and all previously installed Java Web Start applications will have to be downloaded again. This new release will overwrite previous installations and automatically update browsers to use this new release. The configuration files and program files folder used by Java Web Start have not changed, so all your settings will remain intact after the upgrade.
> - Using Java Web Start with Netscape 6.x/7.x: For Netscape 6.x/7.x users, setup the Java Web Start MIME type (JNLP) in the Edit->Preferences->Navigator->Helper Applications section. The file extension is `jnlp`; MIME Type is `application/x-java-jnlp-file`. It should be handled by the `javaws` executable file in your Java Web Start directory. Also note that, due to a problem with the JavaScript in Netscape 6.x/7.x, you must use the non-JavaScript version of the demos page

### Troubleshooting

- To print on Linux, the `/usr/sbin/lpc` utility must be installed. This is a standard Linux utility. On RedHat 7.1, for example, this utility is in the "LPRng-3.7.4-22 RPM" package.