sosreport (or rpm -Va, by default part of a sosreport) May Change /usr/java/latest symbolic link if it does not Point to Latest Installed Release (Doc ID 1597124.1)

Last updated on MARCH 30, 2023

Applies to:

Symptoms

This could only be reproduced with a specific set of circumstances.  This included installing a "newer" java runtime package, such as jre-7u9-linux-i586.rpm, then installing an older JRE version with the --force option.  The --force is required as RPM will not install an older version of the package without being forced to do so.  Some applications may utilize a similar type of configuration, for example a SunRay desktop may require a 32 bit version of Java.  This is suspected to behave similarly on all current versions of Linux, though it has not been verified on every version. 

Example:

1. install a version of java (the "newer" version for testing - 7u9 here)
   
   
2. install (force) an older version of java (6u30 for testing)
   ->  An rpm -i of the package will fail, as expected, as only one version of
   
   the package may reside in RPM:
     

Changes

As above, this has only been seen in a case where an older JRE version is installed, with a subsequent recreation of the /usr/java/latest symbolic link to point to the (older) version.  

Cause

My Oracle Support provides customers with access to over a million knowledge articles and a vibrant support community of peers and Oracle experts.