How to configure Java not to check for updates in the frozen computer lab

Home > e-infrastructure, Glitches&Errors, Translation, translation-software > How to configure Java not to check for updates in the frozen computer lab

2014/02/26 plagwitz Leave a comment Go to comments

Many applications – both web-based or standalone – in the LRC rely on Java. They currently all start Java with the autoupdater:
and may at least temporarily allow for Java versions not tested for compatibility with LRC applications
which should not cause permanent problems, since the computers are frozen, but does cause client s unnecessary hassle and delays
provided that
1. the LRC applications have been tested to work with the reasonably recent version of Java in the LRC image
2. and staying on this version for, say, a term, causes no overarching security concerns (if it does, the more recent Java version should be frozen into the underlying software image anyway, after testing for compatibility with LRC applications).
The answer how to shut out the autoupdater is likely in the Java control panel. This screenshot is from version 7.51 while we have 7.45, but likely similar
Registry keys note 32-bit and 64-bit)
1. HKLM\SOFTWARE\JavaSoft\Java Update\Policy EnableAutoUpdateCheck
2. HKLM\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\JavaSoft\Java Update\Policy EnableAutoUpdateCheck
3. HKLM\SOFTWARE\JavaSoft\Java Update\Policy EnableJavaUpdate
4. HKLM\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\JavaSoft\Java Update\Policy EnableJavaUpdate
For programmatically configuring this, a quick web search finds this:

deployment.expiration.check.enabled

Boolean

true

Must be “true” to prompt users to update the JRE when an out-of-date JRE is found on their system. Set to “false” to suppress the prompt.

This is a setting in here: The deployment.config file is used for specifying the System-Level deployment.properties in the infrastructure. By default no deployment.config file exists; thus, no system-wide deployment.properties file exists. If deployment.config exists, it is located in one of the directories shown in the following table.
Operating System:Windows
Location
• <Windows Directory>\Sun\Java\Deployment\deployment.config
• ${deployment.java.home}\lib\deployment.config
in addition, likely this should be included: “SomeKey=SomeValue, may be locked by including another key, SomeKey.locked … so that the user cannot change it”.
Information is from http://docs.oracle.com/javase/7/docs/technotes/guides/jweb/index.html which may likely contain other information needed to configure JAVA in the LRC environment.

Thomas' Work Space