Release Notes Compaq Software Development Kit (SDK) v 1.3.1-1 for Linux® Alpha for the Java™ Platform

Contents

• Introduction
• SDK v 1.3.1 New Features
• Fixed Problems
• Compatibility
• Installation
  • Steps for Installing the SDK v 1.3.1-1 for Linux Alpha
  • Deinstalling the SDK v 1.3.1 Kit
• Known Issues
• Using the SDK on Linux Systems
  • Using SDK v 1.3.1
  • Mandatory Flag for Compiling C/C++ Code for JNI on Linux
• Contents of the SDK
• Documentation and Other Information
  • Documentation
  • More Information
• Problem Reporting

Introduction

Thank you for downloading the Compaq Software Development Kit (SDK) v 1.3.1-1 for Linux^® Alpha for the Java™ Platform (hereafter called the Compaq SDK or, simply, the SDK). These release notes contain information specific to the Linux Alpha port of the SDK.

The Compaq SDK v 1.3.1-1 kit implements the Java 2 SDK, Standard Edition, v 1.3.1, and is based on Sun Microsystem’s J2SDK 1.3.1 Linux Reference Release. It passes all the tests in Sun's Java Compatibility Kit test suite (JCK V1.3a). Use the java -version command to check the version of the SDK that you are using.

This kit can be used to develop and run Java applets and programs on Linux Alpha systems. It has been fully tested on Red Hat Linux^® 6.2 systems and Red Hat 7.1 systems; and SuSE^® 6.4, 7.0, and 7.1 systems.

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

SDK v 1.3.1 New Features

This kit installs SDK v 1.3.1-1, a new kit from Compaq.

Fixed Problems

This SDK v 1.3.1-1 kit contains no Compaq-specific fixes. However, we do recommend that you review Sun's J2SDK 1.3.1 Important Bug Fixes and Changes documentation for information concerning bug fixes that Sun has made for this release.

Compatibility

Compaq SDK v 1.3.1-1 is compatible with previous versions of the SDK. Most existing programs will run on the SDK 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 J2SDK v 1.3.1 incompatibilities refer to the section, Incompatibilities in the Java 2 Platform, Standard Edition, v1.3, on Sun's site.

Installation

The following sections describe how to install the SDK v 1.3.1-1 kit on your Linux Alpha system.

Hardware Requirements

Following is a list of the hardware components required for the installation of the SDK v 1.3.1-1:

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

Software Requirements

This kit requires Red Hat 6.2 or 7.1, or SuSE 6.4, 7.0, or 7.1. The kit also requires the following additional software packages:

• libots 2.2.7 or later
• libcpml
• Motif 2 or later

An RPM kit for libots is available as part of the SDK v 1.3.1-1 download. See Steps for Installing the SDK v 1.3.1-1 for Linux Alpha for information about installing this package.

RPM kits for libcpml are available from http://www.compaq.com/math/index.html. CPML is a package of math functions used by the SDK.

Motif kits are not provided as part of the SDK v 1.3.1-1 download. You must download your own version of Motif. The SDK v 1.3.1-1 kit has been tested using the configurations shown in the table below. Results were best when lesstif 0.92.6 or later or Metro Link Motif 2.1.30-5 was used.

When using the SDK on SuSE 7.1, we recommend that you upgrade to glibc-2.2.3-10, because of a problem with the System.exit(int) method caused by a bug in the exit() function in libc.so. The exit() function bug has been fixed in glibc-2.2.3-10.

Recommended System Software

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

Graphics Software (Optional)

  X:  XFree86 (version 3.* recommended)
  Motif Libraries: Metro Link Motif 2.1.30-5 or LessTif 0.92.6 or later.

Steps for Installing the SDK v 1.3.1-1 for Linux Alpha

Note: If you have installed the SDK v 1.3.1-beta package on your system, you must delete it before proceeding. Refer to Deinstalling the SDK v 1.3.1 Kit.

When you install the SDK v 1.3.1-1 package on your Linux 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-1.3.1-1-linux-alpha.tgz 
   

2. Untar it into a scratch directory:

      tar xzvf jdk-1.3.1-1-linux-alpha.tgz
   

   The scratch directory now contains the kit (jdk-1.3.1-1-linux-alpha.rpm).

3. Download the libots kit:

           libots-2.2.7-2.alpha.rpm

4. Install libots as superuser. (See Software Requirements.)

   The libots package contains compiled code support needed by the SDK. This package must be installed before installing the SDK v 1.3.1-1.

   Note: Because other compiler products require this package, it may already be installed on your system. If so, there is no need to install it again. You can check for this package using the following command:

        rpm -q -a | grep libots

   If it is not already installed, you can install the package using the following command:

        rpm -i libots-2.2.7-2.alpha.rpm
   

   In general, you can upgrade a previously installed package version using the command:

        rpm -U libots-2.2.7-2.alpha.rpm
   

   The nature of the dependencies between the packages requires that libots be installed first, before the cpml package.

5. Install libcpml and Motif, if they are not already installed on your system. (See Software Requirements.)
   
   
6. Install the SDK RPM Package.

   After installing libots, cpml, and Motif, you can then install the SDK v 1.3.1-1 RPM package on your Linux Alpha system. When you install the SDK 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 on "Deinstalling the SDK v 1.3.1 Kit." Only one SDK v 1.3.1 package may be installed on a system.

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

     rpm -i jdk-1.3.1-1-linux-alpha.rpm
   

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

     % rpm -q -i -p jdk-1.3.1-1-linux-alpha.rpm
     %         Name        : jdk              Relocations: (not relocateable)
     %         Version     : 1.3.1            Vendor: Compaq Computer Corporation
     %         Release     : 1            Build Date: Wed 11 Jul 2001 06:06:37 AM EST
     %         Install date: (not installed)  Build Host:
     %         folgers.zko.dec.com
     %         Group       : HPTC/CTG         Source RPM: jdk-1.3.1-1.src.rpm
     %         Size        : 51743219         License: Copyright 2001 Compaq Computer Corporation
     %         Packager    : Compaq Java java-info@compaq.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.  
   

7. After you have installed the SDK v 1.3.1-1 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 1.3.1-1, native threads, jit)
   

Deinstalling the SDK v 1.3.1 Kit

To uninstall the RPM package for SDK v 1.3.1-1 or future releases of SDK v 1.3.1 for Linux on Alpha, perform the following steps as superuser:

1. Use the rpm command to determine what SDK v 1.3.1 package is installed.

      % rpm -q -a | grep jdk    
      jdk-1.3.1-1
   

2. Use the rpm command to uninstall the SDK v 1.3.1 package. For example,

      % rpm -e jdk-1.3.1-1
   

Known Issues

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

• This kit does not support the Java plug-in product.
  
  
• You may encounter incorrect floating point denorms processing; this occurs because of a Linux kernel bug. Although this error will not affect most Java programs, you can download a patch that fixes the problem from our Linux Alpha Patch Installation page on our web site.
  
  
• The -Xincgc option is not supported.
  
  
• The -client, -hotspot, and -server options are silently ignored.
  
  
• You may see Motif warnings similar to the ones that follow. We do not believe that the warnings adversely affect applications, but we are investigating their cause.

      Warning: XtRemoveGrab asked to remove a widget not on the list 
  
      Warning: 
         Name: textA 
         Class: XmText 
         Attempt to destroy dropSite info for widget that 
      hasn't been added as a dropSite. 
      

Using the SDK on Linux Alpha Systems

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

Using SDK v 1.3.1

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

• Add the directory /usr/java/jdk1.3.1/bin to your PATH. For example:

      setenv PATH /usr/java/jdk1.3.1/bin:"$PATH"
  

  Then you can run the Java tools using their simple names: java, javac, etc. For example:

     % java  -version 
       java version "1.3.1"
       Java(TM) 2 Runtime Environment, Standard Edition
       Classic VM (build 1.3.1-1, native threads, jit)
  

• Explicitly specify the full path name of the desired SDK command. For example, to use the java command, type:

    % /usr/java/jdk1.3.1-1/bin/java -version
      java version "1.3.1"
      Java(TM) 2 Runtime Environment, Standard Edition
      Classic VM (build 1.3.1-1, native threads, jit)
  

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 the -D_REENTRANT flag. Otherwise, your application may encounter severe multi-threading problems, even if your Java and C/C++ code do not explicitly use threads.

Contents of the SDK

This section provides a general summary of the files and directories contained in the 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, refer to Java 2 SDK Tools and Utilities on Sun's site.

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 on Sun's site.

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.

Documentation and Other Information

Documentation

The installed documentation is in HTML format and includes this release notes file (which describes 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.

Also, you can browse the SDK Software Documentation on our web site.

For core API documentation, refer to the following sources:

• The Java Platform API Specification on Sun's site: This document provides brief descriptions of the API with an emphasis on specifications, not on examples.
• The Java Class Libraries, Second Edition, published by Addison-Wesley Longman as part of The Java Series. These volumes include much more elaborate descriptions, with definitions of terminology and examples for practically every class, interface, and member.

More Information

For more information on this release, refer to the Changes and Release Notes for the SDK 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 can browse or download the Java Tutorial on Sun's site at http://java.sun.com/docs/books/tutorial/.

Problem Reporting

To report bugs or feature requests, refer to our Contact Us web page.