How do I download and install Java for my Solaris 32-bit computer?

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How do I download and install Java for my Solaris 32-bit computer?

This article applies to:

Platform(s): Solaris SPARC, Solaris x86
Browser(s): Firefox, Mozilla 1.4+
Java version(s): 6.0

Follow these steps to download and install Java for 32-bit Solaris.

Download
Install
Enable and Configure
Test Installation

Solaris System Requirements

See supported System Configurations for information about supported platforms, operating systems, desktop managers, and browsers.

Note: Prior to installing Java on Solaris ensure that:

You have installed the full set of required patches for this release.
See also Solaris Font Package Requirements for information about which font packages should be on your system.

Download

Go to java.com
Click on Free Java Download button.
The Solaris Manual Downloads page appears
Download the SPARC 32 Bit/x86 package by clicking on the Download button.
You can download the file to any of the directories on your system.
After downloading, verify that the:
For SPARC 32 bit
- Name of the file is jre-6u<update>-solaris-sparc.sh
- Size is approximately 19.42 MB
For x86
- Name of the file is jre-6u<update>-solaris-i586.sh
- Size is approximately 14.41MB

Install

Java comes in the form of a self-extracting binary file. Follow the instructions below to install Java:

Change to the directory in which you have downloaded. Type:
cd <directory path name>
For example, if you have downloaded the file to /tmp directory, type:
cd /tmp
Make sure that execute permissions are set on the self-extracting binary:
On SPARC 32 bit:
chmod a+x jre-6u<update>-solaris-sparc.sh
On x86:
chmod a+x jre-jre-6u<update>-solaris-i586.sh
Change directory to the location where you want to install. Type:
cd <directory path name> For example, to install the software in the /usr/java directory, type:
cd /usr/java
Run the self-extracting binary. For example,
On SPARC 32 bit:
/tmp/jre-6u<update>-solaris-sparc.sh
On x86:
/tmp/jre-6u<update>-solaris-i586.sh
The binary license agreement is displayed. Read through the agreement. Press the spacebar to display the next page. At the end, enter yes to proceed with the installation.

The files are installed in the jre1.5.0 sub-directory under the current directory.
Note: Java Plug-in and Java Web Start are automatically installed with Java.

Enable and Configure

Once the installation is complete, ensure that you enable and configure Java to run applets in your browser.
Steps to Enable Java for the browser:

Go to the plugins sub-directory under Mozilla installation directory. Type:
cd <Firefox installation directory>/plugins
In the current directory, create a symbolic link to Java libnpjp2.so file by typing:
For SPARC 32 bit
ln -s <Java installation directory>/lib/sparc/libnpjp2.so .
For x86
ln -s <Java installation directory>/lib/sparc/i386/libnpjp2.so .

Note: Be sure to include the period (.) at the end.

Example:
If Mozilla is installed in this directory:
/usr/lib/mozilla-1.4/

and if Java is installed in this directory:
/usr/java/jre6u2
Then type at the terminal to go to the browser plug-in directory:
cd /usr/lib/mozilla-1.4/plugins
Enter the following command to create a symbolic link to Java Plug-in for the Mozilla browser.
ln -s /usr/java/jre1.6.0_u<update>/lib/libnpjp2.so .
Start Mozilla browser or restart if it is already running. Note that if you have other Mozilla components (ie: Messenger, Composer, etc) running, you will need to restart them as well.
Go to Edit > Preferences.
Under Advanced category > Select Enable Java.
Java is now enabled for the browser.

Test Installation
To test that Java is installed and working properly on your computer, run this test applet.