Update Java Version

SuperCHANNEL requires the Java Runtime Environment (JRE) to operate. A version of the JRE is supplied with the installation, and will be used automatically by default.

While you can continue to use the supplied JRE, there may be situations where you wish to update to a more recent version (for example where there are vulnerabilities uncovered in Java, and to comply with cyber security policy on keeping installed software up to date).

Follow the steps below to update to a newer version of the JRE.

SuperCHANNEL supports Java 8 only. It does not currently support Java 11 (which is used by other components of the SuperSTAR suite).

1. Download and install the Java 8 version you wish to upgrade to. Make sure you download the correct version of Java (32 or 64 bit) depending on whether you are using the 32 or 64 bit version of SuperCHANNEL.

2. Locate the following three scripts in the SuperCHANNEL bin directory under ProgramData (by default, this will be C:\ProgramData\STR\SuperCHANNEL\bin):

   • superchannel.bat (this script is used to launch the SuperCHANNEL GUI)

   • snu.bat (this script is used for command-line channelling)

   • superchannel_batch.bat (this script is used to launch the SuperCHANNEL batch utility for converting from the older SXV3 format).

3. Open the three files in a text editor, and locate the line in each one that sets the value of JAVA_HOME. For example:

   CODE

   set JAVA_HOME=C:\Program Files\STR\SuperCHANNEL\jre

4. Either:

   • Change the path to match the location where you have installed the updated JRE; or

   • Delete or comment out the entire line and define JAVA_HOME as a system variable in your Windows settings.

   

   In many cases, using a system variable will be preferable, as it allows you to update Java in future without having to make any further changes to the scripts. However, please note that other components of the SuperSTAR suite have different Java requirements (SuperCHANNEL only supports Java 8, while SuperSERVER, SuperADMIN, and SuperWEB2 only support Java 11), so you will only be able to use the system variable if SuperCHANNEL is installed on a system where all applications using the value of JAVA_HOME also support Java 8.

5. Save your changes to the three scripts.

6. Start SuperCHANNEL and verify that you can successfully connect to a source and target and build a dataset.

7. Once you have verified that the update is working, you can delete the C:\Program Files\STR\SuperCHANNEL\jre directory (which contains the supplied version of the JRE).