RIG Deployment Guide for OpenJDK 17

Overview

When starting a Client from a RIG via a browser (e.g., http://<fqdnorip>/), the client which is presently downloaded and being ran is the older 2023.3 client which continues to use JRE 1.8. Starting with release 2023.4, there is a newer RIG client that requires OpenJDK 17 to execute. In this article you will find the necessary steps to run a RIG client using OpenJDK 17.

OpenWebStart

Java Web Start (JWS) was deprecated in Java 9. Starting with Java 11, JWS was removed from the Oracle JRE and OpenJDK runtime distributions. This means clients that have the latest version of Java installed can no longer use JWS-based applications.

OpenWebStart (OWS) is an open-source reimplementation of the JWS technology. It provides the most commonly used features of JWS and the JNLP standard so your customers can continue using applications based on JWS and JNLP without any change. OWS is based on Iced-Tea-Web and the JNLP-specification defined in JSR-56.

OWS is released under the GNU General Public License v2 with Classpath Exception (link). OWS is free to run for the end-user. Subscription and Premium Support for OWS can be purchased separately by customers from a third-party provider (link).

Due to the license terms, OWS has to be downloaded to the workstation and installed by the customer. The RIG client will be supported with release 1.8.0 and above of OWS that is available for Windows, macOS, and Linux platforms.

Installing and Configuring OWS

Installation

1. Download OWS from the official OpenWebStart Downloads page to the preferred workstation, then follow the Setup Wizard’s command prompts.

2. Ensure the checkbox for A custom JNLPX mimetype (*.jnlpx) is selected to associate it with OWS.

3. If Oracle JRE 1.8.0 is installed on the workstation, deselect the checkbox for The default JNLP mimetype (*.jnlp) to continue using JWS for Oracle JRE 1.8.0.

OWS provides the ability to automatically download builds of OpenJDK 17 runtime by Eclipse Temurin (Adoptum), Zulu Community Edition (Azul), and BellSoft Liberica. The Eclipse build is going to be downloaded unless a different one is configured in JVM Manager as described in The Definitive Guide To OpenWebStart.

To use an OpenJDK 17 runtime vendor that cannot be automatically downloaded by OWS, download the installer from the vendor’s website, then install it. For example, you can download the Red Hat build of OpenJDK 17 runtime that is supported by the RIG Client.

Configuration

In order to configure OWS to use the OpenJDK 17 runtime that is installed locally, follow these steps:

1. Open the OWS Settings application and select JVM Manager.

2. Click on the Add local… button and select Red Hat OpenJDK 17 runtime that was previously installed.

Selecting the Find local button enables OWS to configure JVM’s already installed on the local file system. OWS checks a few default locations. but the list of default locations is not exhaustive as OWS may not find all JVM’s on the local file system.

Starting the RIG Client with OpenJDK 17

To download the RIG Client from a RIG, CIP, or EIP running release 2023.4 or later, use a web browser on the workstation to connect to FQDN or the IP address of a host where the server that a connection is being established to is installed as follows: http://<fqdnorip>/rigclient17.jnlpx. If your web browser displays a “Save As” prompt, save the downloaded configuration file with the desired name and .jnlpx extension to the desktop, then double-click it to start the RIG Client.

In a case where the local OpenJDK 17 runtime has been configured, it will be used to run the RIG Client. Otherwise, OWS will automatically download OpenJDK 17 and start the RIG Client.

Client Debug Logging

If for any reason there is an issue with running the client, then application logging will help debug the root problem. By default, this option is not turned on but can easily be enabled with the OWS Settings application.

The default behavior is to “Hide” the Log Console and not to log to a file. Changing the Log Console to “Show” will open the console windows displaying logging in real-time. Selecting the Log to file checkbox will send the log output to the Log Folder.

If you have any questions, contact support at: support@nectarcorp.com.