Installing Sun Java System Web Server 7.0 on OpenSolaris Operating System

Sriram Natarajan, with contributions from Marina Sum, July 2008

OpenSolaris 2008.05 Operating System (henceforth, OpenSolaris OS) includes the Java 6 Platform, Standard Edition (Java 6 SE Platform). However, Sun's highly scalable Sun Java System Web Server 7.0 (henceforth, Web Server) is bundled with the Java 5 SE Platform. An attempt to install Web Server on the OpenSolaris OS will result in an error message that reports the absence of the compatible libraries needed within the OS to support the bundled platform. See Figure 1.

Figure 1: Error Message on Installation of Web Server on OpenSolaris OS
(Click to Enlarge)

Because Web Server does support the Java 6 SE Platform, go ahead and upgrade. Conveniently, the Web Server installer enables you to adopt the Java 6 SE Platform runtime in the OpenSolaris OS. Only a few steps are involved. Read on for the details.

Procedure

1. On a terminal window, download and install the development package binaries for the Java 6 SE Platform from the OpenSolaris OS repository. Type:

2. % pfexec pkg install java-dev
   

3. Download the Web Server binaries and unpack the tar ball to a directory, for example, /tmp. Type:

4. % cd /tmp
   % gunzip -c  
                       
   tar-ball-name | tar xvf -
                     

5. Start the Web Server installer by pointing to the Java 6 SE Platform runtime within the OpenSolaris OS. Type:

6. % ./setup --javahome /usr/jdk/latest
   

7. Follow the prompts in the screens of the installation wizard: Accept the license, specify the installation location, and so forth. When you are prompted to choose between an express and a custom installation mode, select Custom. See Figure 2.

   

   Figure 2: Screen for Specifying the Installation Type
   (Click to Enlarge)

8. On the next screen, select "Reuse existing Java SE Development Kit (JDK) 1.5.0_15 or greater from the following location" and click Next. See Figure 3.

   

   Figure 3: Screen for Specifying the Latest Java SE SDK
   (Click to Enlarge)

9. Complete the installation by specifying an administration password in the subsequent screen. Click Finish.

Upcoming Enhancement

Forthcoming for the OpenSolaris OS repository is a package for the Web Server Image Packing System (IPS). Installing Web Server on that OS should then be much simpler.

Questions or Comments?

If you have questions or comments, please post them on the Web Server Forum.

About the Authors

Sriram Natarajan, a member of the Sun Java System Web Server development team, has been working on Web Server 7 releases since 2004. Before that, he worked on the development of Sun Java System Active Server Pages. Sriram's blog addresses a variety of technical topics.

Marina Sum is a staff writer for Sun Developer Network. She has been writing for Sun since 1989, mostly in the technical arena. Marina blogs on Sun products, technologies, events, publications, and unsung heroes.

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