About the difference between JRE and Java SDK on IBM TRIRIGA Compatibility matrix information

Answer

Note:

JVM = Java Virtual Machine. A JVM is used to run an application written in Java. The code runs in the JVM container with the resources provided by the JVM options at startup. JVMs typically run on a server that is hosted to provided services to a client.

JRE = Java Runtime Environment. A JRE is typically called from a browser to perform a Java action required at a client. A client in this context is generally a browser connecting to a JVM hosted application.

On the Complete IBM TRIRIGA Support and Compatibility Matrix there are the following Java code versions to check:


[A] On Java EE Application Server (IBM WebSphere and Oracle WebLogic), you will find the Java SDK (SE Development Kit) used for running the servers or JVMs (Java Virtual Machines). It needs to be compatible with the IBM TRIRIGA Platform release you are running.

For WebSphere Application Server, you may confirm its Java SDK version by checking its System.out log file. The header information in this file brings the current Java SDK version used for the JVM/server.

WebSphere [IBMJAVA71 7.1.2.10 cf051507.01]Platform 8.5.5.5 [BASE 8.5.5.5 cf051507.01] running with process name IBMTest01Cell\IBMTestNode01\server1 and process id 6168
Host Operating System is Windows Server 2008 R2, version 6.1
Java version = 1.7.0, Java Runtime Version = pwa6470_27sr2fp10-20141218_02 (SR2 FP10), Java Compiler = j9jit27, Java VM name = IBM J9 VM
was.install.root = C:\IBM\WebSphere\AppServer
user.install.root = C:\IBM\WebSphere\AppServer\profiles\AppSrv01
Java Home = C:\IBM\WebSphere\AppServer\java_1.7.1_64\jre

The SystemOut.log location information is available on this IBM WebSphere Wiki page: How to view logging information inside Websphere application server

For WebSphere Liberty Profile, you may confirm its Java SDK by checking its message.log file. The header information in this file brings the current Java SDK version used for the JVM/server:

product = WebSphere Application Server 8.5.5.5 (wlp-1.0.8.cl50520150305-2202)
wlp.install.dir = C:/IBM/TririgaIBMTest/wlp/
java.home = C:\Program Files\Java\jre7
java.version = 1.7.0_80
java.runtime = Java(TM) SE Runtime Environment (1.7.0_80-b15)
os = Windows Server 2008 R2 (6.1; amd64) (en_US)
process = 2228@nc9072077012

The message.log location information is available on this IBM WebSphere Wiki page: Liberty:Logging and Trace


For Oracle Weblogic, you may ask your System Administrator to check on the WebLogic setDomain.env file the current JAVA_HOME value. That brings the current version information of the Java SDK being used. Alternatively, you can get this information on Oracle WebLogic server by following these steps:

(1) Open a command prompt window (Windows) or Terminal(Unix/Linux) and go to the appropriate directory:

Windows system: WL_HOME\server\bin
UNIX system: WL_HOME/server/bin

(2) Make sure that your environment is set up properly by entering the following command at the prompt:

Windows: setWLSenv.cmd
UNIX:. ./setWLSenv.sh

(3) Enter the following command at the prompt:


java -version



[B] On the client's/end-users machine, you may have installed the Java SE Runtime Environment (JRE) version. For confirming its version, follow:

(1) For Windows, open a command prompt Window and run: Java -version
(2) For Windows, go to Start -> Control Panel -> Java -> (the "Java Control Panel" box opens) -> Java tab -> View button.
(3) For Linux, Open a terminal and run: Java -version


About Java versions covered on this document:

(a) Java SDK (SE Development Kit): It is a program development environment for creating Java applets and applications. This includes a runtime environment that will "sit on top" of the Operating System layer and also the tools and programming that developers need to compile, debug, run applets and applications written in the Java language.

(b) JRE (Java SE Runtime Environment): Also called Java Runtime, it is part of the Java Development Kit (JDK). Java SDK is a set of programming tools for developing Java applications. JRE provides the minimum requirements for executing a Java application. This includes the the Java Virtual Machine (JVM), core classes and supporting files;