Using Java Web Start with Oracle E-Business Suite (Doc ID

2188898.1)
What is Java Web Start?

Java Web Start provides a browser-independent architecture for deploying Java

technology-based applications to the client desktop. With Java Web Start, users can
launch a Java application by clicking a link in a web page. The link points to a Java
Network Launch Protocol (JNLP) file, which instructs Java Web Start software to
download, cache, and run the application. This way, users can download and launch
applications without going through additional installation procedures.

Java Web Start software is installed as part of the Java Runtime Environment (JRE)
software. Users do not have to install Java Web Start software separately or perform
additional tasks to use Java Web Start applications.

1.2 Architectural Comparison of Java Plug-in and Java Web Start

The following architectural diagrams illustrate the differences between the Java Plug-in
and Java Web Start on the client (desktop) tier:

How Does Java Web Start Impact the Oracle E-Business Suite Architecture?

Java Web Start is included in the Java Runtime Environment (JRE). The following table
lists the minimum JRE release required on the client tier to use Java Web Start with
Oracle E-Business Suite.

Oracle E- Minimum JRE Release

Business Suite
Release
12.2  JRE 8 Update 301 or later
(for macOS Big Sur and
earlier clients) 1
 JRE 8 Update 181 or later
(for multiple Forms session
support) 2
 JRE 8 Update 171 or later
(for macOS Catalina and
earlier clients) 3
 JRE 8 Update 144 b01 Patch
26512977 or later 4
 JRE 8 Update 141 b15 Patch
25951321 5
 JRE 8 Update 131 b31 Patch
25767257
 JRE 8 Update 121 b33 Patch
25450542

All Web Browsers

A few product-specific Java applets run directly within the web browser when using the
Java Plug-in. The functional flows involving those Java applets have been improved to
support Java Web Start. As a result, these Java applets appear as a separate Java
window instead of being displayed directly within the web browser when running them
with Java Web Start.

6.2 Microsoft Internet Explorer

Internet Explorer supports both Java Web Start and the Java Plug-in for launching the
Forms application and regular Java applets as part of Oracle E-Business Suite.
Default behavior

Launching Java content with Java Web Start should provide a comparable user
experience to that seen with the Java Plug-in. The frmservlet.jnlp is downloaded to the
web browser's cache directory and automatically removed from that location by the
Java Web Start Launcher.

There are no specific browser configuration steps required.

6.3 Mozilla Firefox Extended Support Release (ESR)

Firefox ESR 68.x and Firefox ESR 78.1 and later supports Java Web Start for running
the Forms application and regular Java applets as part of Oracle E-Business Suite.
Firefox ESR is supported on both Windows and macOS platforms.

6.3.1 Firefox ESR for Windows Users

6.3.2 Firefox ESR for macOS Users

6.3.1 Firefox ESR for Windows Users

Default behavior

By default, Firefox ESR requires the user to choose the appropriate action on what to
do with the JNLP file that is downloaded when launching, for example, the Forms
application using Java Web Start.

1. Open Firefox.
2. Log in to Oracle E-Business Suite.
3. Choose a responsibility (for example, System Administrator).
4. Click on an Oracle Forms-based menu item (such as Security → User → Define)
to initiate the download of the frmservlet.jnlp file.
5. Firefox displays the following message: "What should Firefox do with this file?",
as shown in the following image:
 6. Choose the first option "Open with" and in the corresponding drop-down list,
select 'Java(TM) Web Start Launcher (default)."
7. Select the check box "Do this automatically for files like this from now on" in
order to associate the JNLP file extension with the Java Web Start Launcher
executable on the client PC.
8. Click OK.

You only need to do this once: future instances of the Forms application or a Java
applet will then always launch using Java Web Start, providing a comparable user
experience to that seen with the Java Plug-in.

Each new frmservlet.jnlp (Windows) or frmservlet-n (macOS) file is saved into the

default download location as defined in Firefox. The Java Web Start Launcher will
automatically remove this file from that location.

Note (Windows only): If you had inadvertently chosen "Save As" and saved the JNLP
file to the desktop, you will need to manually launch it from the desktop.

Manually configuring JNLP file association (Windows only)

The JNLP file association can also be manually configured by complete the following
steps in Firefox:

1. Click Menu.
2. Click the Options icon.
3. Select the Applications tab.
 4. Search for Content type "JNLP File."
5. In the Action drop-down list, select "Use Java(TM) Web Start Launcher
(default)."

6.3.2 Firefox ESR for macOS Users

This section describes the behavior of Firefox ESR 78.x and earlier on macOS when
launching an Oracle Forms application or Java applet in an EBS environment that has
the patches listed in 4.7 Required Patches for Supporting Firefox ESR on macOS (Big
Sur and Earlier) Using Java Web Start applied.

Oracle E-Business Suite uses the Java Web Start protocol handler on macOS clients to
launch an Oracle Forms application or Java applet. The Java Web Start protocol handler
handles the custom URI schemes jnlp: and jnlps:. It runs the Java Web Start launcher
which downloads the frmservlet.jnlp, and then starts the Java Web Start application,
for example, the Forms application.

Note: If your Oracle E-Business Suite environment only has the patches listed in 4.6
Required Patches for Supporting Firefox ESR on macOS (Catalina and Earlier) Using
Java Web Start applied, then Firefox ESR behaves in the same way on macOS and
Windows. For further information about the default browser behavior of Firefox ESR,
see "Default Behavior" in 6.3.1 Firefox ESR for Windows Users.

Default behavior

By default, Firefox ESR 78.x and earlier on macOS requires the user to choose the
appropriate action on what to do when the user launches the Forms application using
Java Web Start.

1. Open Firefox.
2. Log in to Oracle E-Business Suite.
3. Choose a responsibility (for example, System Administrator).
4. Click on an Oracle Forms-based menu item (such as Security → User → Define).
5. A new browser tab opens, showing a page with the message "Launching Oracle
forms-based application."
6. Firefox displays a Launch Application dialog window, as shown in the following
image:
 7. Choose "JavawsLauncher" from the Launch Application dialog window.
8. Select the check box "Remember my choice for jnlps links." to associate the JNLP
protocol scheme with the Java Web Start Launcher executable on the client.
9. Click Open link.

You only need to do this once: future instances of the Forms application or a Java
applet will then always launch using Java Web Start, providing a comparable user
experience to that seen with the Java Plug-in.

The new browser tab in step 5 will close automatically after a short period, or you can
close the tab manually at any time.

6.4 Google Chrome

Google Chrome has not supported the Java Plug-in since release 45. Therefore, the
Forms application and regular Java applets as part of the Oracle E-Business Suite can
only run with Java Web Start.

Recommended browser configuration using Chrome policies (Windows only)

Google Chrome version 84 and later supports automatic opening of the Forms
application and regular Java applets as part of Oracle E-Business Suite offering the best
user experience for the end users. This requires the configuration of two Chrome
policies.
Chrome policy Description Required value
AutoOpenFileTypes 1 List of file types that should be jnlp

automatically opened on download.

AutoOpenAllowedForURLs URLs where AutoOpenFileTypes can .ebs.example.com 
2

apply.

1
 Chrome policy AutoOpenFileTypes requires Windows clients to be joined to a Microsoft
Active Directory domain, running on Windows 10 Pro, or enrolled in Chrome Browser
Cloud Management.
2
 It is recommended to match the exact hostname of the Oracle E-Business Suite web
entry point. This is done by adding a leading period. For example a value
of .exacthost.example.com will match only the hostname exacthost.example.com.

Chrome policies are centrally managed by system administrators as Group Policy Object
(GPO) using Microsoft Active Directory or Microsoft Intune. Deployment instructions
supported by administrative templates (.admx) for Google Chrome are described on the
following Google Chrome Enterprise Help pages:

 Chrome Browser on Windows (managed on premise), Chrome Browser

Deployment Guide (Windows), section Policies and Templates
 Cloud-managed Chrome Browser, Manage Chrome Browser with Microsoft Intune

To properly configure these Chrome policies, please consult your system administrator.
To confirm whether the Chrome policies are correctly configured on the client, perform
the following steps:

1. Open Google Chrome

2. Type chrome://policy in the location bar and press enter
3. Verify the following Chrome policy values and status:
o Policy values
 AutoOpenAllowedForURLs: hostname(s) of the Oracle E-Business
Suite environment(s)
 AutoOpenFileTypes: jnlp
o Status value: OK

Default behavior (without Chrome policies)

The following describes a common use case of launching the Forms application with
Java Web Start using Google Chrome. The same concept applies to regular Java
applets.

1. Open Google Chrome.

 2. Log in to Oracle E-Business Suite.
3. Choose a responsibility (for example, System Administrator).
4. Click on an Oracle Forms-based menu item (such as Security → User → Define)
to initiate the download of the frmservlet.jnlp file.
5. Google Chrome displays the following message: "This type of file can harm your
computer. Do you want to keep frmservlet.jnlp anyway?"

Note: This warning message is expected due to restrictions enforced by Google

Chrome.

6. Click Keep to save the frmservlet.jnlp file.

7. Click the frmservlet.jnlp file in the download bar to run it.

8. The Forms application is now started with Java Web Start.

A new frmservlet.jnlp file is downloaded each time the Forms application or a regular

Java applet is launched. The file is saved in the default download location as defined in
Google Chrome. Upon launching frmservlet.jnlp, the Java Web Start launcher will
automatically remove this file.

Behavior when having a specific location for each download preference set

Google Chrome has the option to present a Save As dialog window for every file
downloaded. This feature is described on the Chrome Help page Download a file on
Chrome. More specifically, the section "Change download locations" covers the "Ask
where to save each file before downloading" user preference.

The following describes a common use case of launching the Forms application with
Java Web Start using Google Chrome when the "Ask where to save each file before
downloading" preference is enabled.

1. Open Google Chrome.

2. Log in to Oracle E-Business Suite.
3. Choose a responsibility (such as System Administrator).
4. Click on an Oracle Forms based menu item (for example, Security → User →
Define) to initiate the download of frmservlet.jnlp.
 5. Google Chrome displays a Save As dialog window, asking where to save
the frmservlet.jnlp.
6. Click frmservlet.jnlp in the download bar to run it:

7. The Forms application is started with Java Web Start.

6.5 Microsoft Edge

The Forms application and regular Java applets as part of Oracle E-Business Suite can
run only with Java Web Start when using the Microsoft Edge web browser. It has never
supported NPAPI-based extensions such as the Java Plug-in.

Default behavior

The following describes a common use case of launching the Forms application with
Java Web Start using Edge. The same concept applies to regular Java applets.

1. Open the Edge web browser.

2. Log in to Oracle E-Business Suite.
3. Choose a responsibility (such as System Administrator).
4. Click on an Oracle Forms based menu item (for example, Security → User →
Define) to initiate the download of frmservlet.jnlp.
5. A new browser tab opens and the downloaded frmservlet.jnlp is saved in the
Downloads folder as shown in the following image:

6. Click Open to run the file frmservlet.jnlp.

7. The Forms application is started with Java Web Start.

The Java Web Start launcher automatically removes the downloaded frmservlet.jnlp file

from the browser's download folder.

The extra blank browser tab in step 5 remains open even after opening the Forms
application. This is the expected behavior as a result of web browser limitations. It is
safe to close this browser tab that opened when downloading the frmservlet.jnlp file.

6.6 Microsoft Edge (Chromium)

Microsoft Edge (Chromium) version 83 and later requires the usage of Java Web Start
to launch Oracle Forms based modules and other Java applets that are part of Oracle E-
Business Suite.
Recommended browser configuration using Edge policies (Windows only)

Microsoft Edge (Chromium) version 85 and later supports automatic opening of the
Forms application and regular Java applets as part of Oracle E-Business Suite offering
the best user experience for the end users. This requires the configuration of two
Microsoft Edge policies.

Microsoft Edge policy Description Required value

AutoOpenFileTypes 1 List of file types that should be jnlp

automatically opened on download.

AutoOpenAllowedForURLs URLs where AutoOpenFileTypes can .ebs.example.com 
2

apply.

1
 Microsoft Edge policy AutoOpenFileTypes requires Windows clients to be joined to a
Microsoft Active Directory domain, running on Windows 10 Pro, or associated with
Enterprise instances that are enrolled for device management.
2
 It is recommended to match the exact hostname of the Oracle E-Business Suite web
entry point. This is done by adding a leading period. For example a value
of .exacthost.example.com will match only the hostname exacthost.example.com.

Microsoft Edge policies are centrally managed by system administrators as Group Policy
Object (GPO) using Microsoft Active Directory or Microsoft Intune. Deployment
instructions supported by administrative templates (.admx) for Microsoft Edge
(Chromium) are described on the following Microsoft Edge Enterprise pages:

 Configure Microsoft Edge policy settings on Windows

 Configure Microsoft Edge policy settings in Microsoft Intune

To properly configure these Microsoft Edge policies, please consult your system
administrator. To confirm whether the Microsoft Edge policies are correctly configured
on the client, perform the following steps:

1. Open Microsoft Edge (Chromium)

2. Type edge://policy in the location bar and press enter
3. Verify the following Chrome policy values and status:
o Policy values
 AutoOpenAllowedForURLs: hostname(s) of the Oracle E-Business
Suite environment(s)
 AutoOpenFileTypes: jnlp
o Status value: OK

Default behavior (without Microsoft Edge policies)

The following describes a common use case of launching the Forms application with
Java Web Start using Microsoft Edge (Chromium). The same concept applies to regular
Java applets.

1. Open Microsoft Edge (Chromium).

2. Log in to Oracle E-Business Suite.
3. Choose a responsibility (for example, System Administrator).
4. Click on an Oracle Forms-based menu item (such as Security → User → Define)
to initiate the download of the frmservlet.jnlp file.
5. Microsoft Edge (Chromium) displays the following message: "This type of file can
harm your computer. Do you want to keep frmservlet.jnlp anyway?"

Note: This warning message is expected due to restrictions enforced by

Microsoft Edge (Chromium).

6. Click Keep to save the frmservlet.jnlp file.

7. Click the frmservlet.jnlp file in the download bar to run it.

8. The Forms application is now started with Java Web Start.

A new frmservlet.jnlp file is downloaded each time the Forms application or a regular

Java applet is launched. The file is saved in the default download location as defined in
Microsoft Edge. Upon launching frmservlet.jnlp, the Java Web Start launcher will
automatically remove this file.

6.7 Apple Safari

When using the Safari web browser on macOS, Oracle E-Business Suite always uses the
Java Plug-in instead of Java Web Start for launching the Forms application and Java
applets. It automatically falls back to the Java Plug-in, even if the environment (at the
site level) is configured for Java Web Start.

6.8 Using Multiple Forms Sessions with Java Web Start

6.8.1 Overview
6.8.2 Switching Between Single or Multiple Forms Sessions
6.8.3 Comparison Between Java Web Start and Java Plug-in Implementation
6.8.4 Key Aspects of Multiple Forms Sessions Support When Accessing Multiple Oracle
E-Business Suite Environments Concurrently

6.8.1 Overview
Certain use cases benefit from running multiple Forms sessions of the same Oracle E-
Business Suite environment concurrently on the client. This functionality is available
when using the Java Plug-in and Internet Explorer as described in Document
389422.1, Recommended Browsers for Oracle E-Business Suite, section 'Multiple EBS
Java Sessions'.

Multiple Forms sessions using Java Web Start is supported with all supported web
browsers on Windows, and Firefox on macOS. It is required to apply the application
technology patches as listed in 4.5 Required Patches for Multiple Forms Session Support
Using Java Web Start. The minimum JRE requirement on the client is described in 2.1
How Does Java Web Start Impact the Oracle E-Business Suite Architecture?  . Similar to
the Java Plug-in, a user can run multiple Forms sessions of the same Oracle E-Business
Suite environment concurrently on the client using Java Web Start.

It is supported to run one or more Forms sessions of different Oracle E-Business Suite
environments (for example, a development and production environment) at the same
time on the client tier using Java Web Start. This does not require using different web
browsers for each Oracle E-Business Suite environment.

6.8.2 Switching Between Single or Multiple Forms Session

A new user preference on the General Preferences page controls the behavior of
launching the Forms application when using Java Web Start.

 Unchecked (default): Only single instance of the Forms application will run on
the client. If it is already running, the existing instance will be reused.
 Checked: A new instance of the Forms application is created for every invocation
of a Forms based form function (URL) from an OAF/JSP/... page in the web
browser.

You can toggle between either option as desired.

The user preference is enabled only when the user is set up to use Java Web Start as
described in Section 5: Enabling Java Web Start. Otherwise, the user preference will be
grayed out as the user is using the Java Plug-in to launch the Forms application.

The following steps describe by example how to set the user preference to use multiple
Forms sessions:

1. Open a web browser (for example Firefox).

 2. Log in to Oracle E-Business Suite (for example SYSADMIN).
3. Click on the Settings icon.
4. Choose Preferences.
5. Check the check box for "Always Launch New Forms Session".
6. Go back to the home page.
7. In the Navigator panel, click on Alert Manager, Vision Enterprises to expand.
8. Click on Distribution List.
→ The first Forms session is launched.
9. Go back to the browser.
10.In the navigator under Alert Manager, Vision Enterprises click on History.
→ A second Forms session is launched.
11....

New Forms sessions will continue to be opened when invoked from the web browser.

To switch back to a single Forms session, change the user preference back to
unchecked. Note that existing Forms sessions running on the client will remain as-is.

6.8.3 Comparison Between Java Web Start and Java Plug-in Implementation

The following table lists the key differences of run multiple Forms sessions on a client
using Java Web Start or the Java Plug-in.

Multiple Forms versus EBS

Java Web Start Java Plug-in
Sessions Support
Supported browsers Windows: Internet Explorer, Firefox Internet
ESR, Chrome, Edge Explorer
macOS: Firefox ESR
Supported operating systems Windows and macOS Windows
Number of Forms sessions One or more One or more
Number of product-specific Java 1 One or more
applets

This new implementation of running multiple Forms instances concurrently on the client
using Java Web Start does not rely on of any browser-specific functionality. A user can
continuously create new Forms instances with each activity within self service / the web
browser that is linked to a Forms based functionality. Therefore, there is a one-to-many
relationship between an Oracle E-Business Suite browser session and the Forms
sessions.

In comparison to the Java Plug-in approach using Internet Explorer, you create multiple
Oracle E-Business Suite sessions by launching each application session through a new
browser session. These browser sessions are fully independent from one another. For
each one, a single Forms instance can be launched. In other words, there's always a
one-to-one relationship between an Oracle E-Business Suite browser session and a
Forms session. The same behavior when using the Java Plug-in cannot be achieved
using Java Web Start.

6.8.4 Key Aspects of Multiple Forms Sessions Support When Accessing Multiple Oracle E-
Business Suite Environments Concurrently

This section summarizes some important aspects of multiple Forms sessions support
when accessing multiple Oracle E-Business Suite environments.

 Forms application: There are no restrictions when connecting to two or more

different Oracle E-Business Suite environments (for example, PROD and DEV).
Multiple Forms instances of each Oracle E-Business Suite environment can run
concurrently on the client using Java Web Start.
 Product-specific Java applets (such as Help Builder, Workflow Status
diagram, ...): Only one (1) instance of a product-specific Java applet per Oracle
E-Business Suite environment can run concurrent on the client using Java Web
Start. For example, when being connected to both a production and
development environment, then for each of them a single instance of the Help
Builder can be running on the client.