Can I install JDK 1.6 over the default JDK 1.3 of Oracle database?

Question

My Oracle 9i comes with JDK 1.3. I want to use some classes that were introduced in JDK 1.4+. So can I copy the latest JDK (1.6) over the C:\oracle\oraclehome\jdk folder. Thank you.

EDIT: I should add that I want to use some JDK 1.4+ library classes in my java stored procedures. If I cannot change the internal JVM, where can I place the jar files so that the JVM knows where to resolve my references? Or do I have to use loadjava for these new classes?

Answer 1

You cannot change the version of the JVM that runs inside the database (i.e. the version of the JVM that would be used for Java stored procedures).

The version of the JDK that you see on the file system at C:\oracle\oraclehome\jdk is not the same as the version of the internal JVM. The JDK you see on the file system is there just to run the various Java based external GUIs that come with Oracle (beginning with the Oracle Universal Installer and including things like the Database Configuration Assistant (DBCA)). Although you could from a technical standpoint overwrite that install, it wouldn't affect the JVM used for Java stored procedures.