Documentation Contents
Java Platform, Standard Edition Installation Guide
Contents Previous Next

# 3 JDK 8 Installation on the Oracle Solaris Operating System

This page describes several ways to install the JDK on Oracle Solaris.

This page has these topics:

- "System Requirements"

- "Installation Instructions Notation"

- "JDK 8 Installation Instructions for Oracle Solaris 11 using IPS packages"

- "Manual JDK 8 Installation Instructions"

- "Selecting the Default Java Platform"

See "JDK 8 and JRE 8 Installation Start Here" for general information about installing JDK 8 and JRE 8.

For information on enhancements to JDK 8 that relate to the installer, see "Installer Enhancements in JDK 8".

## System Requirements

This version of the JDK is supported on the Oracle Solaris 10 Update 9 or later OS, Oracle Solaris 11 Express OS, and Oracle Solaris 11 OS. For supported processors and browsers, see `http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/java/javase/certconfig-2095354.html`.

## Installation Instructions Notation

For any text on this page containing the following notation, you must substitute the appropriate JDK update version number for the notation.

    version

For example, if you are installing update JDK 8 update release 1, the following string representing the name of the bundle:

    jdk-8uversion-solaris-sparc.tar.gz

becomes:

    jdk-8u1-solaris-sparc.tar.gz

Note that, as in the preceding example, the `version` number is sometimes preceded with the letter `u`, for example, `8u1`, and sometimes it is preceded with an underscore, for example, `jdk1.8.0_01`.

## JDK 8 Installation Instructions for Oracle Solaris 11 using IPS packages

To install JDK 8 on Oracle Solaris 11, install the `jdk-8` package:

1. Make sure the `jdk-8` package is available from your IPS publisher.

       $ pkg list -a jdk-8

       NAME (PUBLISHER)        VERSION                    IFO
       developer/java/jdk-8    1.8.0.0-0.183.0.0.0.0.0    ---

   If you see an "i" in the I column, then the package is already installed.

   This package is available from the `solaris` publisher at `pkg.oracle.com` and also from other publisher origins. If you see a message that no such package is found, use the `pkg` `publisher` command to check your publisher origin and contact your system administrator or Oracle Support representative.

2. Make sure you have permission to install IPS packages.

   - Use the profiles command to list the rights profiles that are assigned to you. If you have the Software Installation rights profile, you can use the `pfexec` command to install and update packages.

         $ pfexec pkg install jdk-8

     Other rights profiles also provide installation privilege, such as System Administrator rights profile.

   - Depending on the security policy at your site, you might be able to use the `sudo` command with your user password to execute a privileged command.

         $ sudo pkg install jdk-8

   - Use the `roles` command to list the roles that are assigned to you. If you have the root role, you can use the `su` command with the root password to assume the root role.

         # pkg install jdk-8

## Manual JDK 8 Installation Instructions

The following table lists the options available for downloading the JDK 8 release on the Oracle Solaris platform.

Download File(s) | Architecture | Who Can Install
--- | --- | ---
`jdk-8u` `version``-solaris-sparcv9.tar.gz` | 64-bit SPARC | anyone
`jdk-8u` `version``-solaris-x64.tar.gz` | 64-bit x64, EM64T | anyone
`jdk-8u` `version``-solaris-sparcv9.tar.Z` | 64-bit SPARC | root
`jdk-8u` `version``-solaris-x64.tar.Z` | 64-bit x64, EM64T | root

Installation instructions are by file type:

- `.tar.gz` files: See "Installation of Oracle Solaris Archive Binaries (`.tar.gz`)". This technique allows you to install a private version of the JDK for the current user into any location, without affecting other JDK installations. However, it may involve manual steps to get some of the features to work (for example, the `-version:``release` option of the `java` command which allows you to specify the release to be used to run the specified class requires the correct path to the JDK release under `/usr/jdk`).

- `.tar.Z` files: See "Installation of Oracle Solaris SVR4 Packages (`.tar.Z`)". This technique allows you to perform a system-wide installation of the JDK for all users, and requires root access. Note that this is a legacy install option. See "JDK 8 Installation Instructions for Oracle Solaris 11 using IPS packages" for the recommended approach.

### Installation of Oracle Solaris Archive Binaries (`.tar.gz`)

You can install a JDK archive binary in any location that you can write to. It will not displace the system version of the Java platform provided by the Oracle Solaris OS. These instructions install a private version of the JDK.

Follow these steps to install:

1. Download the bundle.

   Before the file can be downloaded, you must accept the license agreement. The archive binaries can be installed by anyone in any location that you can write to.

   The `.tar.gz` archive file (also called a tarball) is a file that can be simultaneously uncompressed and extracted in one step.

2. Change directory to the location where you want the JDK to be installed.

3. Move the `.tar.gz` archive binaries to the current directory.

4. Unpack the tarball and install the JDK:

   - On SPARC processors:

         % gzip -dc jdk-8uversion-solaris-sparcv9.tar.gz | tar xf -

   - On x64/EM64T processors:

         % gzip -dc jdk-8uversion-solaris-x64.tar.gz | tar xf -

The JDK is installed in a directory called `jdk1.8.0_``version` in the current directory. For example, for the JDK 8 update 1 release, the directory would be named: `jdk1.8.0_01`.

The JDK documentation is a separate download. See `http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/java/javase/downloads/index.html#docs`.

### Installation of Oracle Solaris SVR4 Packages (`.tar.Z`)

Use these instructions if you want to use the `pkgadd` utility to install the JDK. This technique allows all users on your system to access Java.

If you do not have root access to your Oracle Solaris system, see "JDK 8 Installation Instructions for Oracle Solaris 11 using IPS packages" to install a private copy of the JDK.

Follow these steps to install:

1. Create a new directory to save the download bundle in, and change to that directory.

2. Download the bundle.

   Before the file can be downloaded, you must accept the license agreement.

3. Extract the contents of the compressed tar files:

   - On SPARC processors:

         % zcat jdk-8uversion-solaris-sparcv9.tar.Z | tar xf -

   - On x64/EM64T processors:

         % zcat jdk-8uversion-solaris-x64.tar.Z | tar xf -

   The first command creates a number of directories (`SUNWj8rt`, `SUNWj8dev`, `SUNWj8cfg`, `SUNWj8man`, and `SUNWj8jmp`) plus a few files in the current directory.

4. Assume the root role.

   You can use the `roles(1)` command to determine whether you are able to assume the root role.

5. Uninstall any earlier installation of the JDK packages.

   If your machine has an earlier 32-bit or 64-bit version of the JDK installed in the default location (/usr/jdk/jdk1.<major version>.0_<minor version>), you must uninstall it before installing a later version at that location.

   You can skip this step if you intend to install the JDK in a non-default location. For details, see "Selecting the Default Java Platform".

6. Run the `pkgadd` command to install the packages.

       # pkgadd -d . SUNWj8rt SUNWj8dev SUNWj8cfg SUNWj8man

   The command installs the JDK into `/usr/jdk/jdk1.8.0_``version`.

   See the `pkgadd(1)` and `admin(4)` man pages for information on installing the JDK in a non-default location.

7. Japanese users: Install man pages.

   If your machine has an earlier version of the Japanese man pages already installed in `usr/jdk/jdk1.8.0_``version`, you must uninstall that package before installing this version of the Japanese man pages at that location. Remove that package by running:

       # pkgrm SUNWj8jmp

   Then run the `pkgadd` command to install the new Japanese man page package.

       # pkgadd -d . SUNWj8jmp

8. To save space, delete the `tar` files and extracted `SUNW*` directories.

9. Exit the root role.

   No need to reboot.

## Selecting the Default Java Platform

This topic describes how the default Java platform is selected when running the Oracle Solaris SVR4 package installation (via the `pkgadd` command) of the JDK.

### Default Java Platform

Several versions of the Java platform can be present simultaneously on a Oracle Solaris system (using the default Oracle Solaris package installations), but only one can be the "default" Java platform. The default Java platform is defined by the directory that the `/usr/java` symbolic link points to. To determine the default version of the `java` executable, run:

    % /usr/java/bin/java -fullversion

The `/usr/java` symbolic link can change the default Java platform because there are symbolic links in `/usr/bin` (also known as `/bin`) that use it. (For example, the `/usr/bin/java` link refers to `/usr/java/bin/java`, which is the Java Runtime Environment). Many Java applications are compatible with later versions of the Java platform, but some applications might be less compatible.

### PATH Setting

The default Java is linked through `/usr/bin`, such as `/usr/bin/java`. If this is in the path before another version of Java is in the path, then that will be the version of Java run from the command line or from any other tool that uses the `PATH` environment variable to locate Java.

Contents Previous Next

Copyright © 1993, 2026, Oracle and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved.
Contact Us