IBM Support

'Failed to create the Java Virtual Machine' at startup when using Java 17 with IBM DevOps Test UI

Troubleshooting


Problem

IBM DevOps Test UI 11.0.2 is packaged with Java 17; however, the Java environment is not enabled by default. If a user attempts to manually enable the added Java 17 via Configure > Enable Environments for Testing > Java Environments, the application becomes unstable. Upon attempting to restart the product, the launch fails with the following error:

'Failed to create the Java Virtual Machine'

Symptom

The DevOps Test UI application fails to launch, resulting in a 'Failed to create the Java Virtual Machine' error message.

Cause

When a user clicks Enable for a manually added Java 17 environment via Configure > Enable Environments for Testing > Java Environments, the process incorrectly creates an ext folder in the jdk/lib directory containing bootstrap.jar. Additionally, an accessibility.properties file is generated in the lib folder, following legacy Java 8 configuration logic. As a result, JVM (Java Virtual Machine) initialization fails at startup, preventing the application from launching.

Resolving The Problem

This issue is identified as a product defect. To restore the application, perform the following workaround:

  • Navigate to the following directory:
    C:\Program Files\ibm\DevOpsTest\jdk\lib
  • Delete the ext folder (which contains the bootstrap.jar file).
  • Delete the accessibility.properties file generated during the enablement process.
  • Start IBM DevOps Test UI to confirm that the startup JVM issue is resolved and the application launches successfully.

Document Location

Worldwide

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Document Information

Modified date:
23 February 2026

UID

ibm17168010