Installing Sun Java on Debian

• Note: these instructions give detailed steps for installing Sun Java following a recent installation of Debian. Before you install any new operating systems please make sure you have a backup of data that you want to save. Note: Java and Debian developers may find Installing Sun Java Development Tools on Debian useful
  
• While OS Installation instructions are beyond the scope of this document here are some recommendations to get you started:
  • Choose the etch release of Debian. This is the forthcoming new release of Debian as running testing or unstable is not recommended for new users.
  • These instructions will show you how to run a of etch with the sun-java5 package from unstable.
  • The best way to install Debian etch is with the new Debian Installer. For CD based installs burn a CD with the the netinst CD image (note: many other installation methods are available such as netboot and usb stick). Choose the beta2 version.
  • The new and provide detailed installation instructions.
• There are several different tools for installing software on Debian -- including graphical installers. For the purpose of this example the simple command line tools will be used. For the following steps please open a command window by selecting Applications | Accessories | Terminal.
• The first step is to configure the Advanced Packaging Tool () by setting up the files /etc/apt/apt.conf and /etc/apt/sources.list as shown here (note: there are likely Debian ). Once APT is configured execute apt-get update to inform the system which versions of software are available at the mirror you have chosen:
  
  
• Now you are ready to install the Sun Java^TM Runtime Environment (JRE) by executing
  apt-get -t unstable install sun-java5-jre sun-java5-plugin
  
  
• You will be prompted to accept the :
  
  
• Choose "Yes" to agree:
  
  
• If you have other Alternate Technologies (e.g. gcj) installed on your system you may need to choose the Sun JRE as the default with:
  update-java-alternatives --set java-1.5.0-sun
• Verify that Sun Java is available on your system (note: tcsh users may need to run rehash first) by executing java -version (if you use JAVA_HOME for running Java programs you can now set JAVA_HOME=/usr/lib/jvm/java-1.5.0-sun )
  
  
• Start (or restart) your web browser and by typing in the special URL about:plugins
  
  
• Now you can try running an applet :
  
  
• Congratulations -- you now have Sun Java on Debian! If you have any questions about your installation please post them to the .