COMPAQ

Release Notes
Compaq JavaTM 2 SDK,
Standard Edition (J2SDK), v 1.3.1-beta
for Linux® Alpha

Linux Penguin Logo.

Contents

Introduction

Thank you for downloading the Compaq® JavaTM 2 SDK, Standard Edition (J2SDK), v 1.3.1-beta kit for Linux® Alpha. These release notes contain information specific to the Linux® Alpha port of the JavaTM 2 SDK.

This kit can be used to develop and run Java applets and programs on systems installed with Red Hat Linux® 6.2.

IMPORTANT: Please make sure you understand the Copyright (COPYRIGHT, installed file) and License (LICENSE, installed file) information before using this release.

J2SDK v 1.3.1 New Features

This kit installs Java 2 SDK version 1.3.1-beta. The J2SDK v 1.3.1-beta for Linux® Alpha is a new kit from Compaq.

Fixed Problems

This J2SDK v 1.3.1-beta kit contains no Compaq-specific fixes. However, we do recommend that you review Sun's J2SDK 1.3 Beta Important Bug Fixes and Changes documentation for information concerning bug fixes that Sun has made for this release.

Compatibility

J2SDK v 1.3.1-beta is compatible with previous versions of the Java 2 SDK. Most existing programs will run on the J2SDK v 1.3.1 platform. However, some important incompatibilities do exist and are thoroughly discussed in Sun's Java 2 Platform Compatibility with Previous Releases document. For specific J2SDK v 1.3.1-beta incompatibilities refer to the section, Incompatibilities in the Java 2 Platform, Standard Edition, v1.3.

Installation

The following sections describe how to install the J2SDK v 1.3.1-beta kit on your Linux® Alpha system.

Hardware Requirements

Following is a list of the hardware components required for the installation of the J2SDK v 1.3.1-beta:

  Processor: Alpha processor (all architectures) 
  Memory: Recommended minimum 64 MB RAM 
  Disk Space: ~120 MB minimum 
  Video: 16-bit color 

Software Requirements

This kit has been tested on Red Hat Linux 6.2 (2.2.14-6.0), using both Metro Link Motif 2.1.30-5 and LessTif 0.91.4-1. The testing results were acceptable with both versions. However, results were better with Metro Link Motif 2.1.30-5. With certain tests, Lesstif occasionally generated a segmentation violation when called from the Java 2 SDK native method sun.awt.motif.MTextFieldPeer.create(). This problem did not occur with Metro Link Motif.

During testing on Red Hat Linux 6.2, a problem with hanging defunct processes was encountered using glibc 2.1.3. Fixing the problem required patching the shared libraries libpthread.so and libpthread.so.0. So that users can take advantage of this fix, these shared libraries are temporarily provided as part of the Java kit. The shared libraries are located in /usr/java/jdk1.3.1/jre/lib/alpha/. If you are not using glibc 2.1.3, or do not wish to use these versions of libpthread.so and libpthread.so.0, then you can just rename them.

System Software

  Red Hat software: Red Hat 6.2 (2.2.14-6.0), glibc-2.1.3
  Compaq packages: libots-2.2.7-2, cpml_ev5-5.1.0-2 

Graphics Software (Optional)

  X:  XFree86 (version 3.* recommended)
  Motif Libraries:  Metro Link Motif 2.1.30-5 or LessTif 0.91.4-1.

Steps for Installing J2SDK v 1.3.1-beta for Linux Alpha

When you install the Java J2SDK v 1.3.1-beta package on your Red Hat Linux on Compaq Alpha system, all files are installed in directories under the directory /usr/java/jdk1.3.1.

To install, perform the following steps as superuser:

  1. Download the following binary kit as a compressed tar file:
       jdk-1.3.1-beta-linux-alpha.tgz 
    
  2. Untar it into a scratch directory:
       tar xzvf jdk-1.3.1-beta-linux-alpha.tgz
    

    The scratch directory now contains the kit (jdk-1.3.1-beta-linux-alpha.rpm) plus the following files:

       libots-2.2.7-2.alpha.rpm 
       cpml_ev5-5.1.0-2.alpha.rpm
  3. Install the required Compaq Packages (libots and cpml) as superuser:

    The libots package contains compiled code support needed by the Java 2 SDK. Cpml is a package of math functions used by the Java 2 SDK. Both of these packages must be installed before installing the J2SDK v 1.3.1-beta.

    Note: These two packages are required by other compiler products, so they may already be installed on your system. If so, there is no need to install them again. You can check for these packages with the following command:

         rpm -q -a | grep (package-file)   
    If they are not already installed, or if an older version is installed, you can install each package with the following command:
         rpm -i (package-file)
    
    In general, you can upgrade a previously installed package version using the command:
         rpm -U (package-file)
    
    Because this is the initial product release, the older versions you might have are beta or pre-beta versions that may not upgrade properly. So, before installing the product versions of any of these packages, be sure to erase any older versions using the following command:
         rpm -e (package-file)
    

    The nature of the dependencies between the packages requires that libots be installed first, then the cpml package. Besides math functions, the cpml package contains documentation files that can be listed by invoking the following command (after the package is installed):

         rpm -qd (package-file)  
    Or, before the package is installed you can use the command:
         rpm -qdp (package-file) 
  4. Install the Java RPM Package

    After installing libots and cpml you can then install the Java J2SDK v 1.3.1-beta package on your Red Hat Linux Compaq Alpha system. When you install the Java RPM package all files are installed in directories under the directory /usr/java/jdk1.3.1.

    If you want or need to uninstall the package or later releases of the package when available, see the section below on "Deinstalling RPM Packages". Only one J2SDK v 1.3.1 package may be installed on a system.

    Run the following rpm command, as superuser, to install the package:

      rpm -i -h jdk-1.3.1-beta-linux-alpha.rpm
    

    You can use the rpm command to display information about the package:

      % rpm -q -i -p jdk-1.3.1-beta-linux-alpha.rpm
      %         Name        : jdk              Relocations: (not relocateable)
      %         Version     : 1.3.1            Vendor: Compaq Computer Corporation
      %         Release     : beta             Build Date: Fri 02 Feb 2001 06:06:37 AM EST
      %         Install date: (not installed)  Build Host:
      %         folgers.zko.dec.com
      %         Group       : HPTC/CTG         Source RPM: jdk-1.3.1-beta.src.rpm
      %         Size        : 53946692         License: Copyright 2001 Compaq Computer Corporation
      %         Packager    : Compaq Java java-info@zko.dec.com
      %         URL         : http://www.compaq.com/java
      %         Summary     : Java(TM) 2 Software Development Kit, Standard Edition
      %         Description :
    
      %         The Java 2 SDK, Standard Edition includes the Java Virtual Machine,
      %         core class libraries and tools used by programmers to develop Java software
      %         applets and applications. The SDK also provides the foundation for
      %         Java-based application servers and more.
    
      %         The Java 2 Software Development Kit, SDK, is a development
      %         environment for building applications, applets, and components
      %         that can be deployed on the Java platform.
    
      %         The Java 2 SDK software includes tools useful for developing and
      %         testing programs written in the Java programming language and
      %         running on the Java platform.  These tools are designed to be used
      %         from the command line.  Except for applet viewer, these tools do not
      %         provide a graphical user interface.  
    
  5. After you have installed the J2SDK v 1.3.1-beta package, running the command "/usr/java/jdk1.3.1/bin/java -version" should display the following version information:
       % /usr/java/jdk1.3.1/bin/java -version
       java version "1.3.1"
       Java(TM) 2 Runtime Environment, Standard Edition
       Classic VM (build 1.3.1-beta, native threads, jit)
    

Deinstalling the J2SDK v 1.3.1 Kit

To uninstall the RPM package for J2SDK v 1.3.1-beta or future releases of J2SDK v 1.3.1 for Red Hat Linux on Compaq Alpha, perform the following steps as the superuser:

  1. Use the rpm command to determine what J2SDK v 1.3.1 package is installed. 
            
       % rpm -q -a | grep jdk    
       jdk-1.3.1-beta
    
  2. Use the rpm command to uninstall the J2SDK v 1.3.1 package. For example,
       % rpm -e jdk-1.3.1-beta
    

Contents of the Java 2 SDK

This section provides a general summary of the files and directories contained in the Java 2 SDK once it has been installed on your system.

Development Tools

(In the bin subdirectory.) Programs that will help you develop, execute, debug, and document programs written in the Java programming language. For further information, see the Tools documentation.

Additional libraries

(In the lib subdirectory.) Additional class libraries and support files required by the development tools.

Demo Applets and Applications

(In the demo subdirectory.) Examples, with source code, of programming for the Java platform. These include examples that use Swing and other Java Foundation Classes. The demos are installed in the following directory:

   /usr/java/jdk1.3.1/demo

C header Files

(In the include subdirectory.) Header files that support native-code programming using the Java Native Interface and the Java Virtual Machine Debugger Interface.

Old Native Interface Headers

(In the include-old subdirectory.) Header files that support native-code programming using older interfaces. The header files in include-old are provided only for backward-compatibility. These interfaces are deprecated, unsupported, and not available on all virtual machines for the Java 2 SDK platform.

Source Code

(In src.jar archive file.) Java programming language source files for all classes that make up the Java 2 core API (that is, source files for the java.*, javax.* and org.omg.* packages, but not for com.sun.* packages). This source code is provided for informational purposes only, to help developers learn and use the Java programming language. These files do not include platform-specific implementation code and cannot be used to rebuild the class libraries. To extract these files, use this command:

   jar xvf src.jar 

Do not modify core API source files. To extend the behavior of the core API, write subclasses of the core API classes.

For core API documentation, refer to the following sources:

Known Issues

This section provides descriptions of the known issues and limitations that exist in the Java 2 SDK. They include the following:

Using the Java 2 SDK on Linux® Alpha Systems

The following sections provide useful information and tips for using the JavaTM 2 SDK on Linux® Alpha systems.

Using Java 2 SDK v 1.3.1

J2SDK v 1.3.1 is installed in directory /usr/java/jdk1.3.1. To use the various Java commands, you should do one of the following:

Mandatory Flag for Compiling C/C++ Code for JNI on Linux® Alpha

All C/C++ code compiled for use with JNI must be built with either the -pthread flag if you are using the Compaq C/C++ compilers, or the -D_REENTRANT flag if you are using GNU compilers. Otherwise, your application may encounter severe multi-threading problems, even if your Java and C/C++ code do not explicitly use threads. For more information about the -pthread flag, please see the Compaq C/C++ compiler man pages.

Documentation and Other Information

Documentation

The installed documentation is in HTML format and includes this release notes file (which describes Java 2 SDK information specific to Linux® Alpha systems) and a readme.html file (which contains a brief summary of important instructions you should perform before you install this kit). These files are installed in the /usr/java/jdk1.3.1/docs directory.

Additionally, there is a java manpage that describes the java command .

Lastly, you can browse the J2SDK documentation on our Java web site.

More Information

For more information on this release, refer to the Changes and Release Notes for the J2SDK v 1.3.1 software from Sun Microsystems, and our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) web page.

If you are new to the Java programming language, you will want to browse or download the Java Tutorial at: http://java.sun.com/docs/books/tutorial/.

Problem Reporting

To report bugs or feature requests, use our web site bugreport.txt. This bug-report form gives you instructions for how to submit bugs and request features.

If you have questions not addressed by our FAQs, suggestions, or comments, please send e-mail to java-info@zko.dec.com.


© 2001 Compaq Computer Corporation.
Compaq Registered in U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
Java and all Java-based marks are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sun Microsystems, Inc.
Metro-X, ConfigX, Motif Complete!, Essential Elements for Linux and the Metro Link logo are trademarks of Metro Link in the United States and/or other countries.
Metro Motif Complete!, Essential Elements for Linux and the Metro Link logo are trademarks of Metro Link in the United States and/or other countries. Motif, UNIX, and The Open Group are trademarks of The Open Group.
Red Hat and all Red Hat-based trademarks and logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of Red Hat, Inc. in the United States and other countries.
All other product names mentioned herein may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies.
Compaq shall not be liable for technical or editorial errors or omissions contained herein. The information in this document is subject to change without notice.