Windows server and Oracle Java updates

[Rod Widdowson]

> > > This means that whenever I update Shib, I have to go to the daemon GUI
> > > and put "C:\Program Files\Java\jre\bin\server\jvm.dll " in the Java
> > > tab (after unchecking "Use default").
> >
> > Would a batch file (or - shudder - a powershell file) to do this (or some
> > equivalent) make things any easier for you?
> 
>  Definitely, if I were responsible for updating a 100 IdPs, but given that
> I need to do it three times and only for a Shib update, I haven't
> considered it worth the trouble.

Actually I now have different questions

Firstly, why does that work?  On my machine the JREs all go into version depended directories: 

Directory of C:\Program Files\Java

3/08/2014  14:31    <DIR>          jdk1.6.0_45
9/04/2014  15:25    <DIR>          jdk1.7.0_55
2/07/2014  09:36    <DIR>          jdk1.8.0_11
9/10/2016  13:32    <DIR>          jdk1.8.0_112
9/06/2016  14:04    <DIR>          jdk1.8.0_91
9/10/2016  13:32    <DIR>          jre1.8.0_112
1/10/2015  09:25    <DIR>          jre1.8.0_20
0/01/2016  14:08    <DIR>          jre1.8.0_65
4/04/2016  09:11    <DIR>          jre1.8.0_71
9/10/2016  13:30    <DIR>          jre1.8.0_91
3/08/2014  14:31    <DIR>          jre6
9/04/2014  15:25    <DIR>          jre7

But there isn’t a 'jre' directory.  Is this something you maintain?  One of the discussions we had was to expect people to maintain
a symlinked folder to the "latest" jre/jdk and use that explicitly.

Secondly have you noticed any problems with running the JRE rather than the JDK, particularly the status page?  For historic reasons
(to do with JSPs not working) we recommend running the JDK  but if we could relax that that would be good.  

Rod