Java Background

ResponseMaster runs on top of Java and, when we introduced ResponseMaster in 2001, Java was owned by Sun Microsystems and free for all to use. Sun Microsystems was acquired by Oracle in 2009 and Oracle continued to make Java available for all to use free of charge. As of April 16, 2019, Oracle changed Java’s licensing agreement to no longer offer Java free of charge for commercial use. Java continues to be available from Oracle for commercial use by purchasing a subscription.

Fortunately, a number of organizations have stepped into the void left by Oracle and continue to offer Java commercial use free of charge. After reviewing many of these organizations, we have decided to certify ResponseMaster on the Adoptiun (formally AdoptOpenJDK) distributions of Java. Adoptiun was selected due to the fact that much of the Java community has coalesced around their distribution of Java.

As of ResponseMaster version 776, Extreme Messaging will certify ResponseMaster on both the Oracle and the Adoptiun distributions of Java. ResponseMaster release notes will contain the specific version of Java for which a version of ResponseMaster was certified.  Also see below.

Please Note: When installing AdoptOpenJDK Java, you will need to enable the Oracle Java compatibility options. This is done by selecting the option to enable a) Set JAVA_HOME Variable & b) JavaSoft (Oracle) registry keys please select the option during the installation process. Please review the following post: Installing ResponseMaster w/AdoptOpenJDK Java for all the details.

If you are using Oracle Java, you can use the default installation selections.

Some other Java facts you might find useful:

a) Should I install the JRE or the JDK?

They will both work however, if you are not planning on doing Java development, you should install the JRE.

b) What is the difference between the JRE and the JDK Java bundles?

 A version of Java is generally bundled two ways:

JRE -> Java Runtime Environment. This is what most people will want to download and use to run ResponseMaster. This provides a runtime version of Java and does not include any of the components used to build applications using Java.
JDK -> Java Development Kit. This provides all the Java components required to develop, build, and distribute Java applications.

c) Can you install a new version of Java over an older version of Java?

Absolutely NOT.
We have identified a number of issues with how the Java installers do NOT address compatibility issues properly between versions. You can leave your system in an unknown state if you have two versions of Java installed. To eliminate these issues, you must uninstall all of the versions of Java you have on your computer prior to installing the new version of Java. This is even the case when upgrading from Oracle Java 8 to a higher version of Oracle Java. See this for more details: https://java.com/en/download/help/remove_olderversions.html

ResponseMaster Version 796 Supported Java Distributions

Adoptium (formally AdoptOpenJDK)

Download Page: https://adoptium.net/temurin/releases

Open Source Version (Free)

  • Java 18
  • Java 17

Oracle

Download Page: https://www.oracle.com/java/technologies/downloads/#jdk18-linux

Open Source Version (Free)

  • Java 18
  • Java 17

Oracle Licensed (Supported)

  • Java 8
  • Java 11

ResponseMaster Support Articles

Typical Error Messages