8u66 Update Release Notes

8u66 Update Release Notes
JDK 8 Update Release Notes

Java™ SE Development Kit 8, Update 66 (JDK 8u66)

The full version string for this update release is 1.8.0_66-b18 (where "b" means "build") for the Microsoft Windows JRE and JDK and 1.8.0_66-b17 for all other platforms and for the Microsoft Windows Server JRE. The version number is 8u66.

This update release contains several enhancements and changes including the following.

IANA Data 2015f
JDK 8u66 contains IANA time zone data version 2015f. For more information, refer to Timezone Data Versions in the JRE Software.

Security Baselines
The security baselines for the Java Runtime Environment (JRE) at the time of the release of JDK 8u66 are specified in the following table:

JRE Family Version JRE Security Baseline
(Full Version String)
8 1.8.0_65
7 1.7.0_91
6 1.6.0_105
For more information about security baselines, see Deploying Java Applets With Family JRE Versions in Java Plug-in for Internet Explorer.

JRE Expiration Date
The JRE expires whenever a new release with security vulnerability fixes becomes available. Critical patch updates, which contain security vulnerability fixes, are announced one year in advance on Critical Patch Updates, Security Alerts and Third Party Bulletin. This JRE (version 8u66) will expire with the release of the next critical patch update scheduled for January 19, 2016.

For systems unable to reach the Oracle Servers, a secondary mechanism expires this JRE (version 8u66) on February 20, 2016. After either condition is met (new release becoming available or expiration date reached), the JRE will provide additional warnings and reminders to users to update to the newer version. For more information, see JRE Expiration Date.

Notes
When running on OSX 10.11 "El Capitan", when SIP is enabled, certain environment variables intended for debugging applications, such as DYLD_LIBRARY_PATH, may be stripped from the environment when running Java from the command line or when double-clicking a JAR file. Applications should not rely on these variables in a production environment, they are only intended for debugging during development.

New Features and Changes
The following are some of the notable new features and changes in this release:


Support ISO 4217 "Current funds codes" table (A.2)

This enhancement adds support for ISO 4217 table A.2 fund codes. Previously the JDK only supported those currencies listed in table A.1.

See JDK-8074350.


Bug Fixes
This release contains fixes for security vulnerabilities. For more information, see Oracle Critical Patch Update Advisory. For a list of bug fixes included in this release, see JDK 8u66 Bug Fixes page.

The following are some of the notable bug fixes included in this release:


Hotspot should use PICL interface to get cacheline size on SPARC The libpicl library is now required on Solaris/SPARC to determine the size of the cache lines. In case the library is not present or the PICL service is not available the JVM will display a warning and compiler optimizations that utilize the BIS (Block Initializing Store) instruction will be turned off.

See JDK-8056124.


Preloading libjsig.dylib causes deadlock when signal() is called

Applications need to preload the libjsig library to enable signal chaining. Previously, on OS X, after libjsig.dylib was preloaded, any call from native code to signal() caused a deadlock. This has been corrected.

See JDK-8072147.


VM crash when class is redefined with Instrumentation.redefineClasses

The JVM could crash when a class was redefined with Instrumentation.redefineClasses(). The crash could either be a segmentation fault at SystemDictionary::resolve_or_null, or an internal error with the message "tag mismatch with resolution error table". This has now been fixed .

See JDK-8076110.


_releaseObject called from wrong thread

A recent change to Firefox caused the _releaseObject call to be made from a thread other than the main thread. This may cause a race condition, which may inadvertently crash the browser. This has been addressed in build 18 of 8u66.  For more information, see Bugs@Mozilla 1221448.

See JDK-8133523.

Java plug-in does not work in Firefox after installing Java

Firefox 42 and later versions may crash when trying to run the Java plug-in.

There are several workaround options. The simplest method is noted first and is recommended. The remaining available options are not recommended for non-technical users.

Option 1: Add property name dom.ipc.plugins.java.enabled in Firefox preferences

1. Launch Firefox
2. Type about:config in the address bar
3. You will be presented with a Firefox warning about the configuration settings. After acknowledging the Firefox alert, you should see a listing of the configuration preferences.
4. Right-click anywhere inside the displayed list of preferences. Select New then select Boolean.
5. Add property name as dom.ipc.plugins.java.enabled
6. Add Preference name as dom.ipc.plugins.java.enabled.
7. A window will be displayed, select false. Then select OK.

Option 2: Create "user.js" file with preference entry

Instructions are based on Mozilla references listed below.

1. Use a text editor to create a "user.js" file in your Firefox profiles folder
2. Add entry: user_pref("dom.ipc.plugins.java.enabled", false);

Option 3: Update "pref.js" file with preference entry

1. Locate the "pref.js" file in the Mozilla profiles folder
2. Find and update preference: user_pref("dom.ipc.plugins.java.enabled", false);



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