Deploying updates of the Java development kit

The Java™ development kit is required to run TPF Toolkit. When an update of the Java development kit is available, as an administrator, you can deploy the update to your user installations of TPF Toolkit automatically.

About this task

For TPF Toolkit 4.6 Fix Pack 17 or later, the Java development kit that is used is IBM Semeru Runtime Open Edition 17. For more information, see Installing IBM Semeru Runtime Open Edition 17.

For TPF Toolkit 4.6 Fix Pack 16 or earlier, the Java development kit that is used is IBM SDK, Java Technology Edition. For more information, see Installing IBM SDK, Java Technology Edition.

The Java development kit is in use while TPF Toolkit is running. Therefore, updates must be applied when TPF Toolkit is not running. As an administrator, you must determine the best approach at your site to update user installations of TPF Toolkit with the new version of the Java development kit.

For Windows users, this procedure describes an update approach that starts TPF Toolkit from a batch script. This script ensures that an update of the Java development kit, if any, is applied before TPF Toolkit is started.

The TPF Toolkit product archive contains a sample feature project (SDKUpdateFeatureProject.zip) for you to deploy the Java development kit updates. You can import the feature project into your administrator instance of TPF Toolkit, customize the feature project, and add the feature project to your P2 update site. The next time your users start TPF Toolkit from the batch script, the Java development kit will automatically be updated to the new version.

Procedure

  1. Create a self-extracting archive of the Java development kit, for example, sdkSelfExtract.exe.
  2. Import the feature project (SDKUpdateFeatureProject.zip) into your workspace.
  3. Edit the feature project:
    1. Copy the self-extracting archive into the sdkUpdate folder in the project.
    2. Edit the sdkUpdatePending.txt file by setting sdkUpdatePending=true.
    3. Edit the TPFToolkit.bat file based on the remarks in the file.
    4. Add the feature project to your P2 update site.

What to do next

Instruct your users to start TPF Toolkit by using the TPFToolkit.bat file rather than the TPFToolkit.exe file. After the TPFToolkit.bat file is used for one time, your users can use the TPFToolkit.exe file again.