Note: This Java deployment guide describes features released prior to the Java SE 6 update 10 release. See Java Rich Internet Applications Development and Deployment for the latest information.
General Deployment Enhancements in J2SE 5.0
- Much of the common functionality between Java Plug-in and Java
Web Start has been combined. There is now a single Java Control
Panel for both. It replaces both the Java Plug-in Control Panel and
the Preference panel of the Java Web Start Application Manager. The
settings are used in both products. (4667682)
- Security: (1) This release features improved security access
and control, including both user- and system-level security options
and an expanded list of deployment properties. (4667645) (2)
Several new configuration properties have been added so that an
enterprise can customize user security settings. These allow
control of what applications a user is allowed to grant trust to,
and what permissions are given to code for which trust is granted.
Also, a user or enterprise can configure what information is to be
displayed on security warnings; and an enterprise can configure if
a user is allowed to run applications in the enhanced sandbox of
the JNLP API. An enterprise can also pre-accept its own
certificates so that users will not see any security warnings in
its own applications.
- Enterprise Configuration: Both deployment products can now be
configured with an enterprise configuration file. This file,
accessed as a URL, can set any set of configuration properties,
either as defaults, or as locked properties which cannot be
overridden by the user.
- Support is available for pack/crunch compression for
downloading Java applications and applets. Pack200, a new
hyper-compression format for JAR files defined by JSR-200, can
reduce the download size of JNLP applications and Java Plug-in
applets. File size can be reduced to about 1/8th of the original
size. (4666040)
- Support of browser keystores in Internet Explorer and Mozilla
in Java Plug-in and Web Start: Certificates and keys in browser
keystores will be used for signing verification, HTTPS server
authentication, and HTTPS client authentication. Certificates and
keys on the smart card exposed in the browser keystore will also be
recognized. See Browser
Keystores for more information. (4480333, 4957907)
- Support of time-stamped, signed JAR files: With time-stamping
now built into the signing tool, Java Plug-in and Java Web Start
now recognize the time-of-signing information when they verify a
signed JAR file. This solves the problem of a signed applet signed
with a valid certificate at time-of-signing but the certificate
expired later after the applet deployment. (4649690)
- Support of Client Authentication in HTTPS: This release
provides interactive user interface in Java Plug-in and Java Web
Start during HTTPS client authentication for users to select the
personal certificate from the personal keystore. (4802844)