Installation Notes

      Java 2 Runtime Environment, Standard Edition Version 1.4.2
      Linux

Contents:

    + System Requirements
    + Java 2 Runtime Environment Installation Instructions
    + Installation of Self-Extracting Binary
    + Installation of RPM File
    + Java Plug-in Browser Registration Instructions
    + Java Web Start Installation Notes

System Requirements:

Java 2 Runtime Environment v 1.4.2 (J2RE) is supported on i586 Intel and
100% compatible platforms running Linux. For a list of supported
operating systems and desktop managers, see System Configurations.

A minimum of 32 megabytes of RAM are required. Recommended 48 megabytes
of RAM, 16-bit color mode.

You should have about 75 megabytes of free disk space before attempting
to install the Java 2 Runtime Environment software.

For issues, see the Troubleshooting shooting> section of the SDK
installation notes and the Linux Notes section of the Release Notes.
Also available is Known Problems on Non-Supported Platforms of the
SDK installation notes.

Installation Instructions:

Installing the Java 2 Runtime Environment automatically installs the
Java Plug-in and Java Web Start. Note that the Java Plug-in needs to be
registered with the browser. After installing the J2RE, refer to:

    + Java Plug-in Browser Registration Instructions
    + Java Web Start Installation Notes

Install formats - Java 2 Runtime Environment 1.4.2 is available in two
installation formats.

    + Self-extracting Binary File - This file can be used to install
      the Java 2 Runtime Environment 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, and
      installs by default in a location that replaces the system version
      of the Java platform supplied by 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 Java 2 Runtime Environment
    update version number for the notation.

       <version>

    For example, if you are downloading update 1.4.2_01, the following
    command:

       $ ./j2re-1_4_2_<version>-linux-i586.bin

    would become:

       $ ./j2re-1_4_2_01-linux-i586.bin


Installation of Self-Extracting Binary:

Use these instructions if you want to use the self-extracting binary
file to install the Java 2 Runtime Environment. 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 Java 2 Runtime Environment.

    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 j2re-1_4_2_<version>-linux-i586.bin 

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

    The next step installs the Java 2 Runtime Environment 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):

       $ ./j2re-1_4_2_<version>-linux-i586.bin

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

    The Java 2 Runtime Environment files are installed in a directory
    called j2re1.4.2_<version> in the current directory. Follow this
    link to see its directory structure.

    Note about Root Access: Unbundling the software automatically
    creates a directory called j2re1.4.2_<version>. Note that if you
    choose to install the Java 2 Runtime Environment 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 Runtime Environment 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 j2re1.4.2_<version>,
    the new software overwrites files of the same name in that
    j2re1.4.2_<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 Java 2 Runtime Environment's
    installation directory. If the J2RE 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:

        $ ./j2re-1_4_2_<version>-linux-i586.bin -localinstall

    This option causes the system preferences to be stored in the /etc
    directory from which they can be shared only by VMs running on the
    local machine. You must be root user for the -localinstall option to
    work.

    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 Java 2 Runtime Environment
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. Extract 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 the RPM file:

        $ chmod a+x j2re-1_4_2_<version>-linux-i586-rpm.bin

        $ ./j2re-1_4_2_<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 the file
    j2re-1_4_2_<version>-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 Runtime Environment:

      $ rpm -iv j2re-1_4_2_<version>-linux-i586.rpm

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

6. Exit the root shell.


Java Plug-in Browser Registration Instructions:

See Java Plug-in Browser Registration Instructions in the Installation
Notes for Java 2 SDK, Standard Edition, for Linux.


Java Web Start Installation Notes:

    This Java 2 Runtime Environment release includes Java Web Start; it
    is installed automatically with the Java 2 Runtime Environment. But
    note the following:

        + Compatibility: The release of Java Web Start that comes with
          this SDK/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

Copyright 2004 Sun Microsystems, Inc 
