Which Java Would I Use If I Run Linux?

Problem:

I run Linux on my hardware. Which version of Java do I use to run ParaChat Server Software?

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Solution:

ParaChat Server Software is a Java application, and requires Java to be present on your server hardware in order to run. If you are running the Linux platform, and Java is not already installed on your machine (check with your system administrator), we recommend downloading and installing Java 2 Platform, Standard Edition, v1.4.2 (J2SE). To do so, please visit:
http://java.sun.com/j2se/1.4.2/download.html

Select to download and install either 1) "J2SE v1.4.2_08 JRE includes the JVM technology", or 2) "J2SE v1.4.2_08 SDK includes the JVM technology." It does not matter which of these you select. JRE is sufficient to run the chat server. SDK includes JRE plus a Java compiler for development purposes. You do not need to select "NetBeans IDE + J2SE SDK" or "J2EE 1.4".

On Linux, Java is installed under "/usr/java/". For example, you may see a new directory "/usr/java/j2re1.4.2_08", if you downloaded JRE 1.4.2 release 08. To make Java available, follow these steps:

1. Become root
2. Type the following command:

ln -s /usr/java/j2re1.4.2_08/bin/java /usr/bin/java

Once completed, Java should be available. Type "java -version" at the command line, and you should see the Java release information:

java version "1.4.2_08"
Java(TM) 2 Runtime Environment, Standard Edition (build 1.4.2_08-b03)
Java HotSpot(TM) Client VM (build 1.4.2_08-b03, mixed mode)

Please note that the Java web page on the http://java.sun.com referenced above is updated frequently as new Java releases become available.