Setting up and checking your environment on AIX

Set up the correct environment for the AIX® Java™ virtual machine (VM) to run correctly during AIX installation from either the installp image or the product with which it is packaged.

Note that the 64-bit Java VM can work on a 32-bit kernel if the hardware is 64-bit. In that case, you must enable a 64-bit application environment using smitty:System Environments -> Enable 64-bit Application Environment.

Occasionally the configuration process does not work correctly, or the environment might be altered, affecting the operation of the VM. In these conditions, you can make checks to ensure that the Java VM's required settings are in place:

  1. Check that the SDK and Java runtime files were installed in the correct location and that the correct permissions are set. Test the java and javac commands to ensure they are executable.

    The default installation directory is listed in Conventions. For developer kits packaged with other products, the installation directory might be different; consult your product documentation.

  2. Ensure that the PATH environment variable points to the correct Java executable (using which java), or that the application you are using is pointing to the correct Java directory. You must include /usr/java8/jre/bin:/usr/java8/bin in your PATH environment variable . If it is not present, add it by using export PATH=/usr/java8/jre/bin:/usr/java8/bin:$PATH.
  3. Ensure that the LANG environment variable is set to a supported locale. You can find the language environment in use using echo $LANG, which should report one of the supported locales as documented in the User Guide shipped with the SDK.
  4. Ensure that all the prerequisite AIX maintenance and APARs have been installed. The prerequisite APARs and filesets will have been checked during an installation by using smitty or installp. You can find the list of prerequisites in the User Guide that is shipped with the SDK. Use lslpp -l to find the list of current filesets. Use instfix -i -k <apar number> to test for the presence of an APAR and instfix -i | grep _ML to find the installed maintenance level.

Directory requirements

The system dump agent must be configured to target a directory.

Both the user running the Java application and the group the user is in must have execute and write permissions for that directory. This can be set using the IBM_COREDIR environment variable.

The system dump agents can also be configured on the command line. See Using dump agents for more information.