Translation(s): English - español

NOTE:

java-package provides the ability to build a Debian package from a Java binary distribution by running make-jpkg <java binary archive file> (with archive files downloaded from providers listed below). Should your interest be more on the development with Java under Debian, then follow the Java link. To learn more about the packaging of Java-written programs and libraries for Debian, see Teams/JavaPackaging.

The package includes the make-jpkg command to do this. Typical usage consists in:

Supported Java binary distributions currently include:

Process

  1. Add a "contrib" component to /etc/apt/sources.list, for example: 

    # Debian 8 "Jessie"
deb http://httpredir.debian.org/debian/ jessie main contrib

  2. Update the list of available packages and install the java-package package: 

    # apt-get update && apt-get install java-package && exit

  3. Download the desired Java JDK/JRE binary distribution (Oracle). Choose tar.gz archives or self-extracting archives, do not choose the RPM!

  4. Use java-package to create a Debian package, for example: 

    $ make-jpkg jdk-8u51-linux-x64.tar.gz

  5. Install the binary package created: 

    $ su
# dpkg -i oracle-java8-jdk_8u51_amd64.deb

Configuration

By default the DebianAlternatives will automatically install the best version of Java as the default version. If the symlinks have been manually set they will be preserved by the tools. The update-alternatives tools try hard to respect explicit configuration from the local admin. Local manual symlinks appear to be an explicit configuration. In order to reset the alternative symlinks to their default value use the --auto option. 

# update-alternatives --auto java

If you'd like to override the default to perhaps use a specific version then use --config and manually select the desired version. 

# update-alternatives --display java
# update-alternatives --config java

Choose the appropriate number for the desired alternative.

The appropriate java binary will automatically be in PATH by virtue of the /usr/bin/java alternative symlink.

You may also use the update-alternatives tool from java-common package which lets you update all alternatives belonging to one runtime/development kit at a time. Steps to do so:

  1. List the Java alternatives presently installed and available on your system 
    • # sudo update-java-alternatives -l
  2. Set the default Java and update all alternatives 
    • # sudo update-java-alternatives -s <alternative>

      • Notes

        • Where <alternative> is the default Java. For example java-1.8.0-openjdk-amd64 or jdk-8-oracle-x64

        • This command will register all the java executables. And create symlinks for each of them.

        • If Terminal return any of the following errors, ignore them. Because ?IceaTea 8 isn't ready yet and those errors are about browser plugin only.

          • error: no alternatives for mozilla-javaplugin.so

          • plugin alternative does not exist: /usr/lib/jvm/java-8-openjdk-amd64/jre/lib/amd64/IcedTeaPlugin.so

Troubleshooting

Building process keeps crashing on override_dh_shlibdeps target

This problems is due to missing dependencies of java-package package (related issue: 782132). To fix it simply run as root: 

# apt-get install libgl1-mesa-glx libfontconfig1 libxslt1.1 libxtst6 libxxf86vm1 libgtk2.0-0

Building Oracle Java 6 From jdk-6u45-linux-x64.bin

# apt-get install libgl1-mesa-glx libgtk2.0-0 libxslt1.1 libxtst6 libxxf86vm1 libxt6

Building Oracle Java 8 on wheezy

When running make-jpkg on wheezy (i686) you can get this message:

notroot@debian:~$ fakeroot make-jpkg /home/notroot/jdk-8u101-linux-i586.tar.gz
Creating temporary directory: /tmp/make-jpkg.dUA0X8ychf
Loading plugins: /usr/share/java-package/common.sh /usr/share/java-package/j2re.sh /usr/share/java-package/j2sdk-doc.sh /usr/share/java-package/j2sdk.sh /usr/share/java-package/j2se.sh /usr/share/java-package/oracle-j2re.sh /usr/share/java-package/oracle-j2sdk-doc.sh /usr/share/java-package/oracle-j2sdk.sh

Detected Debian build architecture: i386
Detected Debian GNU type: i486-linux-gnu

No matching plugin was found.
Removing temporary directory: done

This can be fixed by installing the backports version of the java-package. apt-get install -t wheezy-backports java-package installs the package if backports are configured correctly. (idea based on bug #750092)

CategoryJava