Setting Java variables in Windows

JAVA_HOME and PATH are variables to enable your operating system to find required Java programs and utilities.

Before you begin

Ensure the required Java version is installed on all nodes in your topology.
Important: If Java is not installed on your install system, refer to the appropriate documentation to install Java before setting JAVA_HOME and PATH. For example, to install IBM JDK (Windows or Linux), see the Knowledge Center for IBM JDK.

About this task

To set Java variables in Windows:
Important: Names of some icons may vary based on your Windows version.
Attention: When you add the bin directory for the IBM JDK to the PATH environment variable, ensure that you add it before any other directory currently listed in the PATH value that might have a Java executable. Also, if the directory that you are adding to the PATH or setting as JAVA_HOME has a space in the path, either contain the path in quotes or escape the space by preceding the path with \.

Procedure

  1. Download or save the appropriate JDK version for Windows.
    Important: You can download the JDK from Passport Advantage or Fix Central or save it from the disk.
  2. Right-click the Computer icon on your desktop and select Properties.
  3. Click Advanced system settings.
  4. Click Environment variables.
  5. Under User variables, click New.
  6. Enter JAVA_HOME as the variable name.
  7. Enter the path to the JDK as the variable value. For example, C:\Program Files (x86)\IBM\Java70\.
  8. Click OK.
  9. Locate the PATH variable.
  10. Append the path to the JDK (up to the bin folder) as the PATH value. For example, C:\Program Files (x86)\IBM\Java70\bin.
    Important: Use a semicolon to separate the JDK path from the other paths that are defined.
  11. Repeat the same for System variables.
  12. Click OK.
Parent topic: Preparing for installation