Updating the IBM Java

IBM RPA includes IBM Java as one of its components. Each IBM RPA version deploys the latest version available of IBM Java SRE 8 x64 when it's released. This procedure focuses on how you can apply the latest security fixes for IBM Java on your server to keep it secure.

Refer to Subscribing to security bulletins to receive security bulletins notifications for IBM Robotic Process Automation.

This procedure applies to the IBM RPA on premises server.

Before you begin

Before you update the IBM Java package, you must follow the steps:

Confirm the IBM Java version

Confirm what is the Java version on your server by using the java -version command. Based on the output, verify whether it's needed to apply the security fixes:

  1. Open the Windows™ command prompt.
  2. Go to the JRE directory in "C:\Program Files\IBM Robotic Process Automation\IBM Robotic Process Automation\IBM_JRE_8036\".
  3. Enter the java -version command.

Check the environment variables

Confirm if the JAVA_HOME environment variable is pointing to the right folder:

  1. Open the Windows™ environment variables.
  2. In the System Properties window, click Environment Variables.
  3. In the User variables box, open the JAVA_HOME variable.
  4. Set its value to "C:\Program Files\IBM Robotic Process Automation\IBM Robotic Process Automation\IBM_JRE_8036\jre".
  5. Repeat the process of the steps 3 and 4 for System variables.

Confirm if the Path environment variable is pointing to the JAVA_HOME variable:

  1. Open the Windows™ environment variables.
  2. In the System Properties window, click Environment Variables.
  3. In the System variables box, edit the Path environment variable.
  4. Click New to add a new path, and set its value to "%JAVA_HOME%"
  5. Click OK.

Stop services

Stop the services that use IBM Java:

  1. On the Windows Start menu, search for Task Manager application.
  2. Go to the Services tab and stop the following services:
    • umsServer
    • AutomationService
    • IBMRPAWatsonNLPRuntimeService
    • IBMRPAWDGLicenseMetricService
  3. Optional: Back up the "C:\Program Files\IBM Robotic Process Automation\IBM Robotic Process Automation\IBM_JRE_8036\" folder.

Procedure

This procedure is composed by the following steps:

Download the IBM Java SRE

Download the .zip JRE package for Windows x64. You must contact IBM Support and require the update for IBM Java that is delivered as a component of IBM RPA. Refer to the security bulletin that alerts about security vulnerabilities that affect them.

Replace the JRE files

Follow the procedure after you receive the JRE package:

  1. Extract the files to a folder.
  2. Copy the folder named jre.
  3. Paste it to "C:\Program Files\IBM Robotic Process Automation\IBM Robotic Process Automation\IBM_JRE_8036" folder. It replaces the older one.

What to do next

After you update the files on the JRE directory, confirm if your environment is working:

You must be able to load the IBM RPA Control Center page, and log in with your user and password.