This section describes setting up the Java environment and command-line options to enable gathering relevant data for troubleshooting. Follow these steps to set up Java.
Update the Java version: As a first step, use the latest Java version to avoid spending time on troubleshooting issues in Java that have been fixed. Often, a problem caused by a bug in the Java runtime is fixed in the latest update release. Working on the latest Java version helps avoid some known and common issues.
Set up the Java environment to debug: Consider the following scenarios while setting up a bigger Java application, starting an application with a launcher script, or running distributed Java on several machines.
Make it easy to change the Java version: Using the latest Java version helps avoid many runtime issues. If your application starts by running a script, make sure that you have to update the Java path in only one place. If you run in a distributed system, think about easy ways to change the Java versions across all of the machines.
Make it easy to change the Java command-line options: Sometimes while troubleshooting you may want to change Java options; for example, to add a verbose output, to turn off a feature, or to tune Java for better performance. Make sure to prepare the systems for these changes.
In a Java application that is running remotely, for example in a testing framework or a cloud solution, make sure you can still change the Java flags easily. Sometimes the application takes command-line parameters or you may want to try a flag quickly to reproduce a problem. Prepare the systems to make these changes easy.
