A Upgrading to Oracle JRockit R28

This document contains information to help you upgrade to the Oracle JRockit R28, which is a new, major release of Oracle JRockit.

This document contains the following topics:

A.1 Supported Configurations

Ensure that Oracle JRockit is deployed on a supported configuration.

For information about operating systems and hardware platforms that Oracle JRockit supports, see "System Requirements and Supported Platforms for Oracle JRockit R28" at:

http://www.oracle.com/technology/software/products/ias/files/fusion_certification.html.

A.2 Java Version Dependencies

Oracle JRockit R28 supports the following Java versions. Ensure that your application complies with the Java specification corresponding to the Oracle JRockit release that you use.

Oracle JRockit JDK Release Supported Java Version Java API Specification

Oracle JRockit 5.0 R28

J2SE 5.0

http://java.sun.com/j2se/1.5.0/docs/api

Oracle JRockit 6 R28

Java SE 6

http://java.sun.com/javase/6/docs/api

For information about the Java version updates supported by Oracle JRockit, see the Oracle JRockit Release Notes.

Note:

Oracle JRockit R28 does not support J2SE 1.4.2 and earlier Java versions. Before upgrading to R28 from any of the following releases, ensure that the application is compatible with either J2SE 5.0 or Java SE 6.

  • Oracle JRockit 1.4.2 R27

  • Oracle JRockit 1.4.2 R26

  • Oracle JRockit 1.4.2 R24

  • Oracle JRockit 1.4.1 8.1 R23

  • Oracle JRockit 1.3.1 7.0 R23

A.3 Upgrade-Related Tasks

This section describes tasks that you must perform when upgrading to Oracle JRockit R28.

A.3.1 Verify the Release Number After Installation

After installing Oracle JRockit, verify the release number by using the java -version command.

The Oracle JRockit release number consists of two elements:

  • The detailed JRockit developer version number (for example, R28.2.0).

  • The detailed Java developer version number (for example, 1.6.0_29).

A.3.2 Ensure Compatibility of JVM Command-Line Options

Consider using as few JVM command-line options as possible. For the command-line options that you decide to use, be sure that you understand how they work; see the Oracle JRockit Command-Line Reference.

Oracle JRockit R28 includes several new -XX command-line options (see "Changes in Command-Line Options"), some of which are equivalents for deprecated options (see "Command-Line Options Deprecated and Removed in Oracle JRockit R28.0").

If your application start-up command contains any of the deprecated options, modify the startup command to use equivalent other options.

A.3.3 Test the Application in a Staging Environment

Before upgrading the production environment, test the application in a controlled staging environment. The staging environment should be as similar as possible to the required production environment. This includes hardware, software, usage patterns, and load.

Applications are sometimes sensitive to timing. An Oracle JRockit upgrade can sometimes expose errors in your application; for example, dependencies on unspecified behavior or APIs. Timing differences introduced when upgrading might, for instance, expose erroneous synchronization.