Oracle JInitiator&Java Native Plugin on Windows7-IE8

Oracle JInitiator & Java Native Plug-in

VS Windows 7 / IE8:

Workarounds for Known Issues

CREATED BY: Diego Barrueco

CREATED ON: November, 2010

Document Control

Change Record

Date Author Version

Reference

November, 2010 Diego Barrueco

1.1 Draft

July, 2011 Diego Barrueco

1.2 Added workarounds for two new issues

Table of Contents

Document Control....................................................................ii

Table of Contents....................................................................iii

Disclaimer................................................................................iv

NO WARRANTIES.................................................................ivLIMITATION OF LIABILITY.....................................................iv

Topic Essay..............................................................................5

Assumptions........................................................................5

“Tab has been recovered” issue..............................................6

Marking the target site as “Trusted”...................................6Set “Trusted” sites security level as follows........................6Disable “Data Execution Prevention” (DEP)........................7Install Java 5 (Optional).......................................................8Replace Java library packed with Oracle JInitiator (Conditional)........................................................................9

“Mismanaged cookies” issue on IE8+....................................12

Disabling new “merge” IE8+ functionality........................12

“Forms” not opening after Java Native Plug-In implementation/upgrade........................................................13

Clearing “Java” client cache..............................................13

APPENDINX A..........................................................................15

How to re-enable DEP........................................................15

Disclaimer

NO WARRANTIES

I expressly disclaim any warranty for the instructions provided in this document. The document is provided 'As Is' without any express or implied warranty of any kind, including but not limited to any warranties of merchantability, non-infringement, or fitness of a particular purpose. I do not warrant or assume responsibility for the accuracy or completeness of any information, text, graphics, links or other items contained within this document. I make no warranties respecting any harm that may be caused by the transmission of a computer virus, worm, time bomb, logic bomb, or other such computer program. I further expressly disclaim any warranty or representation to Authorized Users or to any third party.

LIMITATION OF LIABILITY

In no event shall I be liable for any damages (including, without limitation, lost profits, business interruption, or lost information) rising out of 'Authorized Users' use of or inability to use the information provided in this document, even if I have been advised of the possibility of such damages. In no event will I be liable for loss of data or for indirect, special, incidental, consequential (including lost profit), or other damages based in contract, tort or otherwise. I shall have no liability with respect to the content of the this document or any part thereof, including but not limited to errors or omissions contained therein, libel, infringements of rights of publicity, privacy, trademark rights, business interruption, personal injury, loss of privacy, moral rights or the disclosure of confidential information.

Topic Essay

Workarounds for known Oracle JInitiator issues are documented.

Assumptions

The following statements are true:

1. One of the following Windows versions is installed: Windows7, Windows Vista, Windows XP SP3 (Data Execution Prevention -DEP- is not available on previous versions)

2. The reader has basic Windows operation skills

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“Tab has been recovered” issue

This issue comes up when trying to access any “Forms” based function from the main Oracle Applications web page. This particular problem is usually tied to Oracle JInitiator 1.3.1.x versions. However, environments where Java Native Plug-in has been deployed may present a similar problem if the “Data Execution Prevention” (DEP) is enabled on the client machine (Windows7, Windows Vista, and Windows XP SP3).

Marking the target site as “Trusted”

In order to work properly, the target site must be included in the “Trusted” sites list:

1. Navigate to Control Panel -> Internet Options -> Security -> Trusted Sites

2. Click on “Sites”

3. If the site you are trying to connect does not use SSL (URLs starting with “https://”), uncheck the “Require server verification” checkbox.

4. Type the corresponding URL in the “Add this web site to the zone” field

5. Press “Add”

6. Press “Close”

7. If selected, uncheck the “Enable protected mode” checkbox

8. Press “Ok”

9. Restart IE

10. Access the target site by entering the corresponding URL and pressing “Go”

11. Verify “Trusted Site|Protected mode:Off” in the status bar as shown bellow

Set “Trusted” sites security level as follows

Change security settings as follows:

1. Navigate to Control Panel -> Internet Options -> Security -> Trustes Sites

2. Click on “Custom level”

3. Set properties as follows

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4. Press “Ok”

5. Press “Yes”

6. Press “Ok”

Disable “Data Execution Prevention” (DEP)

Oracle Support recommends setting DEP to either “Essential Windows programs and services only” or “All programs and services except for those I select” (Requires including all corresponding Java components -Javaw.exe, etc- in the exceptions list). However, in some cases none of them seem to work (The Browser keeps complaining that DEP terminated the process in order to protect your computer …) so the only way to access Oracle Applications is actually disabling the feature.

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1. Search for the “Command prompt” icon on the task bar

2. Right click on the icon and select “Run as Administrator”

3. Execute the following command:

C:\> bcdedit /set {current} nx AlwaysOff

4. Restart computer

5. Verify DEP disabled:

a. Navigate to Control Panel -> System and Security -> System -> Advanced System Settings -> Advance tab

b. Click on “Performance”

c. Go to “Data Execution Prevention” tab

CAUTION: The best option is making Oracle JInitiator work with DEP enabled. Unfortunately, that may not be so easy, especially on machines where multiple versions of this software coexist. Before disabling DEP you must analyze your client configuration (Windows Service Pack, installed security updates, Antivirus / Antispyware solution, firewall, network configuration, etc.) in order to ascertain whether by doing so you are putting your data at risk or not. Proceed at your own risk.

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Install Java 5 (Optional)

If not done already, install Java 5 (Java 6 versions are preferred but they don’t seem to work in all cases). Recommended versions are:

Java version Get it from URL

1 1.5.0.13 Java site http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/java/archive-139210.html 2 1.5.0.22 Java site http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/java/archive-139210.html3 JRE 1.6.0_22 build 3 (6u22-

b03)Oracle Support Patch 10189354 (*)

4 JRE 1.6.0_21 build 8 (6u21-b08)

Oracle Support Patch 10021403 (*)

5 JRE 1.6.0_20 build 5 (6u20-b05)

Oracle Support Patch 9915543 (*)

(*) Please see “Deploying Sun JRE (Native Plug-in) for Windows Clients in Oracle E-Business Suite 11i [ID 290807.1]” for further information.

Replace Java library packed with Oracle JInitiator (Conditional)

If you’re using IE8, every time you try to open Oracle Forms the browser session will crash. If that happens, follow the steps bellow to overcome the issue.

1. Navigate to My computer -> C:\ -> Program files -> Java -> jre<Your version> -> bin -> Client

2. Right click on “jvm.dll” (Right panel) and select “Copy”

3. Navigate to My computer -> C:\ -> Program files -> Oracle -> JInitiator <Your version> -> bin -> hotspot

4. Right click on “hotspot” and select “Paste”

5. Select “Copy and Replace” on the dialog box

Note: It would be a good idea to backup the file before replacing it. However, if you run into any trouble, you can always re-install Oracle JInitiator (Uninstall it from “Control Panel” and allow the site to re-upload it to your computer on first logon).

6. Navigate to “Control Panel” -> Oracle JInitiator <Your version>

7. Change Oracle JInitiator properties as follows

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8. Press “Apply”

9. Go back to the “Cache” tab

10. Press “Clear JAR cache”

11. Close the window (Do not press “Reset”)

12. Navigate to “My computer” -> “C:\” -> Users

13. Right click on <Your user name> and then select New -> Folder from then context menu

14. Set “Oracle JAR Cache” as the new directory name (The directory structure here must match the “JAR cache location” property defined on step 7)

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“Mismanaged cookies” issue on IE8+

When using IE8 or higher (All Windows versions) to create multiple Oracle Applications connections simultaneously (This is, connecting to one Oracle Applications environment and then opening another session for either the same or a new environment without closing the previous one), the last session overrides the previous ones. Thus, everything (Users, functions, responsibilities, etc.) gets mixed up due to the way IE handles cookies.

Disabling new “merge” IE8+ functionality

In order to work properly, shortcut used to start the IE must be changed as follows:

1. Close all IE windows

2. Right click on the shortcut used to start IE

3. Click on properties

4. Navigate to the “Target” field

5. Go to the end of the line

6. Change command text as follows:

Command before change Command after the change

"C:\Program Files\Internet Explorer\iexplore.exe" "C:\Program Files\Internet Explorer\iexplore.exe" -nomerge

7. Press “Apply” button

8. Press “OK” button

9. Clear IE cache (Including cookies just in case)

Note: Please notice that you’re only changing the selected shortcut. Not all of them. If you access Oracle Application using a different shortcut you will experience the same issue again.

Also, please bear in mind that depending on the shortcut you use, the change may be overwritten but

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Windows patches. If that is the case, you must carry out the modification again.

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“Forms” not opening after Java Native Plug-In implementation/upgrade

Some times, after implementing/upgrading Java Native Plug-In, Oracle Forms refuses to open. That is, although logging in to Oracle Apps is possible, after selecting a forms-based function –Standard configuration- o any forms-based responsibility –Personal Home Page configuration-, the Java applet control window –Secondary IE or middle window- opens successfully but it just sits there with very unfriendly “Done” message …

Clearing “Java” client cache

In order to overcome this issue, clear Java client cache as follows:

1. Close all IE windows

2. Navigate to “Control Panel->Java”

3. Click on “Settings” (General tab)

4. Clear Java cache by pressing the “Delete Files” button

5. Press “OK” button

6. Press “Apply” button

7. Press “OK” button

Note: Please be aware that next time you access Oracle Applications, opening forms will take a little more

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time than usual as the information in the Java cache will have to be re-generated (Several files will be downloaded again from the web server you’re connecting to). Be patient … Further connections should be within normal parameters.

Important: There is a note in the Java Official site which states that in order to fix this problem you should change the Java security setting associated to the “Mixed code” to “Disable verification”. This is incorrect. Oracle Applications must work with the standard value (“Enable – Show warning if needed”) for the mentioned setting in place. I suggest you explore any other option before considering a change in the security level.

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APPENDINX A

How to re-enable DEP

Just in case you need to re-enable DEP, here you are the steps to carry out the task:

1. Search for the “Command prompt” icon on the task bar

2. Right click on the icon and select “Run as Administrator”

3. Execute the corresponding command

Essential Windows programs and services All programs and services except for those I select

C:\> bcdedit /set {current} nx OptIn C:\> bcdedit /set {current} nx AlwaysOn

4. Restart computer

5. Verify DEP enabled

a. Navigate to Control Panel -> System and Security -> System -> Advanced System Settings -> Advance tab

b. Click on “Performance”

c. Go to “Data Execution Prevention” tab

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