VSI-I64VMS-OPENJDK80-V0800-222B-1-RNOTE.PDF

This document announces OpenJDK 8 for VSI OpenVMS I64 (V8.0-222B), released on August 24, 2020. Based on OpenJDK 8u222 and licensed under GNU GPL v2, it represents the current OpenJDK release for VSI OpenVMS.

Key improvements and fixes in this version address numerous issues, including debugger behavior, incomplete Java crash dumps, child process I/O, native code generation errors, IfExists() processing of file versions, sun.nio.fs.UnixPath.toRealPath() path resolution, and ROPRAND errors with atomic operations. Several C RTL features are now enabled via LIB$INITIALIZE. UseCompressedOops is no longer supported, and TypeProfileLevel is restricted. JVM exit statuses have been made consistent, and file cache/renaming problems are resolved.

Significant compatibility considerations for users migrating from Oracle Java 6 for HPE OpenVMS include:

• 64-bit Pointers: OpenJDK 8 exclusively uses 64-bit pointers, requiring C/C++ JNI application code to be recompiled (/POINTER_SIZE=64) and relinked due to potential symbol vector changes.
• File Naming: The system is more case-sensitive, mixed-syntax file names are not supported, and JAVA$FILENAME_CONTROLS defaults to "8". Wildcards are now supported in classpath specifications, and the JAVA$ENABLE_ENVIRONMENT_EXPANSION logical name is deprecated as classpath arguments are now always expanded.
• Runtime Changes: java.awt.headless defaults to "true" (requiring explicit setting to "false" for GUI applications). JAVA$FORK_PIPE_STYLE value "2" is no longer supported. JAVA$DAEMONIZE_MAIN_THREAD is deprecated as daemonization is now the default.
• Debugger/Logs: No debug versions of images are provided. Error logs are explicitly directed to SYS$SCRATCH.
• Incompatibilities: OpenJDK 8 is not compatible with the HPE Secure Web Browser or the Availability Manager Analyser.

System Requirements include VSI OpenVMS 8.4-1H1 or higher, a compatible TCP/IP stack, an ODS-5-enabled file system (ODS-2 is not supported for installation), DECWindows Motif V1.5+, the OpenVMS internationalization data kit (VMSI18N) for jdb, and enabled kernel Thread Manager upcalls.

Installation involves using a compressed OpenVMS PCSI kit (VSI-I64VMS-OPENJDK80-V0800-222B-1.PCSI$COMPRESSED) with PRODUCT INSTALL OPENJDK80, followed by @SYS$STARTUP:OPENJDK$SETUP.COM.

Known issues and changes highlight that defining JAVA$READDIR_CASE_DISABLE can improve performance but may cause javac "cannot find symbol" errors with mixed-case names on ODS-2. Setting socket buffer sizes or using DatagramSocket setBroadcast() requires SYSPRV, BYPASS, or OPER privileges. The jdb debugger requires VMSI18N for UTF-8 character conversions. OpenJDK will not function correctly if set process/case=sensitive or specific DECC$* logical names (DECC$FILENAME_UNIX_ONLY, DECC$DISABLE_TO_VMS_LOGNAME_TRANSLATION) are defined. An option (-Djdk.xml.maxXMLNameLimit) has been added to limit XML name length. The JAVA$FILE_OPEN_MODE logical name set to "3" can cause problems and is deprecated. JAVA$XCOMP_SAFE_MODE has been added to prevent ACCVIO errors when using the -Xcomp option.