If you run IBM i you will doubtless be aware that Java has been available on that platform for many...
With the advent of OS/400 v7r4, IBM has reduced the number of Java versions that are available. This is a good thing because Java 8 was a significant step forward and all previous versions have long been redundant. The versions available now are:
- Java 1.8 32 bit
- Java 1.8 64 bit
- Java 11 64 bit
Note that there is no 32 bit version of Java 11. Java 11 is the latest long term supported release (LTS).
Normally you can use the latest version of Java and all will work fine, however, there are a few Java packages that have been deprecated (signalled for removal) and were ultimately removed in the latest (post Java 8) version. If you have a product which relies on any of them then you won’t be able to use Java 11 until the product itself has been updated to replace those now obsolete requirements.
So, the short version of ‘Shall I upgrade to Java 11’ is to check with your product vendor(s) and do some testing before going live.
Mark Wheadon, Director. May 2021.
#PacSolUK #Java #IBMi #os400 #iSeries
