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JVM class Loader can not load custom jar from extension class path

I am studying the jvm class loading process,and got know the following fact:
the Class Loader Subsystem uses a delegation hierarchy algorithm
It will search in order from BootStrap path --> extension path-->Application path.
Then I want to "try" this in real code as below :
create a class A, and Class B; Class A with the main() method and a type B variable.
after compiling , I used jar command to get jar file of Class B from B.class, then delete the B.class file, put the B.jar file to jdk/jre/lib/ext
(Since the oracle doc says the extClassLoader will not search any loose classfile in jdk/jre/lib/ext).
The result is ClassNotFoundException .so My question is :
1) Does jvm not allow loading of user's clasfile from BootStrap and Extension classpath ?
2) if so , why its loading using a delegation hierarchy algorithm which seems to result in low efficiency ?
tks ....

Things seem bit strange.
After several times of ClassNotFoundException , I got java.lang.IllegalAccessError which at least indicates the extclassloader is trying to access my class B.jar
since I did not declare a package for Class A and B, This might be the reason, so I just added a public modifier before my Class B and did the same as above , finally the ExtClassLoader works withs my B.jar.
though still no idea why first times the jvm ignores my jar file and later on read it ....seems jvm keeps a catche of directory list(of BootStrap and Ext class path)which does not update just-in-time like my computer system

It sounds like you are doing something wrong in your deployment.
I have used lib/endorsedin the past without problem even for internal java.lang* classes.
The JVM doesn't cache anything from one run to the next.

Is it possible to Stop loading library files at runtime in java?

Is there a way to stop loading a java library (.jar file) at runtime, if it is on the classpath?

Although I agreee with #Joachim Suer that your question sounds like an XY Problem I's try to assume that you want to load some classes dynamically. To do this you probably want to create your own class loader. You do not even have to implement it. You can use URLClassLoader that is a part of your JDK. Its instance can load classes from locations that are not mentioned in static class path of your jvm (using -cp or -classpath command line option).
In this case you have full control on your class loader. You can start and stop using it at any moment.
But again, all written above is just an assumption. Try to explain what your real problem is.

ClassNotFoundException occured when replace a jar in runtime

I run a java application packaged in A.jar, in which some classes in B.jar are used.
All related jars are placed in a specific directory, which is included in the classpath.
The program is like this:
main(){
run method ClassA.M1() in A.jar; //the method may keep running for 2 minutes
do some other prepare;
call method ClassB.M2 in B.jar;
}
When the program is running M1, I manually replaced B.jar with a newer version(the name is also B.jar).
But, the program throw ClassNotFoundException.
Then, start the program again, and it works fine.
so, my question is: why the ClassNotFoundException is thrown, as the jar path and jar name is not changed, the classloader should load it without any troubles.
Give me some directions please.

You cannot simply change jar files during runtime by replacing them with ones having the same name, because the class loader might have already loaded some classes from it.
If you need to support such behavior, you need to look into libraries or frameworks that would provide hot replace mechanisms.
Here are two articles to help you understand class loaders better:
The Basics of Java Class Loaders
(1996)
Understanding the Java ClassLoader
(2001)
There are plenty more articles on this subject and even related questions here on the Stack OverFlow, I recommend you read more.

What happens when java program starts?

Recently have been touched Java classloaders and suddenly recognized that do not fully understand what happens step-by-step when someone calls
java -jar App.jar
Well I guess
a new instance of JVM is created
it uses ClassLoader to load main class and other classes
byte-code is started to execute from main() method
But still I suppose there are many things I need to know more about it.
Who and how decides which classes should be loaded at startup and which once needed?
I have found two related questions but there it is not explained how to apply that to Java realities.
What happens when a computer program runs?
What happens when you run a program?

•Who and how decides which classes should be loaded at startup and which once needed?
we need to understand the fundamentals of java class loading. Initially bootstrap classloader (it is implemented natively as part of the VM itself) is responsible for loading core system classes. Then there are other class loaders as well like Extension, system, user-defined(optional) class loaders which decide when and how classes should be loaded.
Fundamentals of class loading

The decision is made by the classloader. There are different implementations, some of which pre-load all classes they can and some only loading classes as they are needed.
A class only needs to be loaded when it is accessed from the program code for the first time; this access may be the instantiation of an object from that class or access to one of its static members. Usually, the default classloader will lazily load classes when they are needed.
Some classes cannot be relied on to be pre-loaded in any case however: Classes accessed via Class.forName(...) may not be determined until this code is actually exectued.
Among other options, for simple experiments, you can use static initializer code to have a look at the actual time and order in which classes are actually loaded; this code will be executed when the class is loaded for the first time; example:
class SomeClass {
static {
System.out.println("Class SomeClass was initialized.");
}
public SomeClass() {
...
}
...
}

Your example shows an executable jar, which is simply a normal java archive (jar) with an extra key/value pair in it's manifest file (located in folder "META_INF"). The key is "Main-Class" and the value the fully qualified classname of that class whose "main" method will be executed, if you "run" the jar just like in your example.
A jar is a zip file and you can have a look inside with every zip archive tool.

Whenever you compile a Java program the following steps takes place
First the Class Loader loads the class into the JVM.
After giving the command javac filename.java the compiler checks for compile time errors and if everything is fine then it will generate the .Class files(byte code).
This will be the first phase.
Later the interpreter checks for the runtime errors and if everything is fine without exceptions then the interpreter converts the byte code to executable code.
First phase in java is done by the JIT compiler(Just In Time).

java.lang.UnsatisfiedLinkError no *****.dll in java.library.path

How can I load a custom dll file in my web application? I've tried the following:
Copied all required dlls in system32 folder and tried to load one of them in Servlet constructor System.loadLibrary
Copied required dlls into tomcat_home/shared/lib and tomcat_home/common/lib
All these dlls are in WEB-INF/lib of the web-application

In order for System.loadLibrary() to work, the library (on Windows, a DLL) must be in a directory somewhere on your PATH or on a path listed in the java.library.path system property (so you can launch Java like java -Djava.library.path=/path/to/dir).
Additionally, for loadLibrary(), you specify the base name of the library, without the .dll at the end. So, for /path/to/something.dll, you would just use System.loadLibrary("something").
You also need to look at the exact UnsatisfiedLinkError that you are getting. If it says something like:
Exception in thread "main" java.lang.UnsatisfiedLinkError: no foo in java.library.path
then it can't find the foo library (foo.dll) in your PATH or java.library.path. If it says something like:
Exception in thread "main" java.lang.UnsatisfiedLinkError: com.example.program.ClassName.foo()V
then something is wrong with the library itself in the sense that Java is not able to map a native Java function in your application to its actual native counterpart.
To start with, I would put some logging around your System.loadLibrary() call to see if that executes properly. If it throws an exception or is not in a code path that is actually executed, then you will always get the latter type of UnsatisfiedLinkError explained above.
As a sidenote, most people put their loadLibrary() calls into a static initializer block in the class with the native methods, to ensure that it is always executed exactly once:
class Foo {
static {
System.loadLibrary('foo');
}
public Foo() {
}
}

Changing 'java.library.path' variable at runtime is not enough because it is read only once by JVM. You have to reset it like:
System.setProperty("java.library.path", path);
//set sys_paths to null
final Field sysPathsField = ClassLoader.class.getDeclaredField("sys_paths");
sysPathsField.setAccessible(true);
sysPathsField.set(null, null);
Please, take a loot at: Changing Java Library Path at Runtime.

The original answer by Adam Batkin will lead you to a solution, but if you redeploy your webapp (without restarting your web container), you should run into the following error:
java.lang.UnsatisfiedLinkError: Native Library "foo" already loaded in another classloader
at java.lang.ClassLoader.loadLibrary0(ClassLoader.java:1715)
at java.lang.ClassLoader.loadLibrary(ClassLoader.java:1646)
at java.lang.Runtime.load0(Runtime.java:787)
at java.lang.System.load(System.java:1022)
This happens because the ClassLoader that originally loaded your DLL still references this DLL. However, your webapp is now running with a new ClassLoader, and because the same JVM is running and a JVM won't allow 2 references to the same DLL, you can't reload it. Thus, your webapp can't access the existing DLL and can't load a new one. So.... you're stuck.
Tomcat's ClassLoader documentation outlines why your reloaded webapp runs in a new isolated ClassLoader and how you can work around this limitation (at a very high level).
The solution is to extend Adam Batkin's solution a little:
package awesome;
public class Foo {
static {
System.loadLibrary('foo');
}
// required to work with JDK 6 and JDK 7
public static void main(String[] args) {
}
}
Then placing a jar containing JUST this compiled class into the TOMCAT_HOME/lib folder.
Now, within your webapp, you just have to force Tomcat to reference this class, which can be done as simply as this:
Class.forName("awesome.Foo");
Now your DLL should be loaded in the common classloader, and can be referenced from your webapp even after being redeployed.
Make sense?
A working reference copy can be found on google code, static-dll-bootstrapper .

You can use System.load() to provide an absolute path which is what you want, rather than a file in the standard library folder for the respective OS.
If you want native applications that already exist, use System.loadLibrary(String filename). If you want to provide your own you're probably better with load().
You should also be able to use loadLibrary with the java.library.path set correctly. See ClassLoader.java for implementation source showing both paths being checked (OpenJDK)

In the case where the problem is that System.loadLibrary cannot find the DLL in question, one common misconception (reinforced by Java's error message) is that the system property java.library.path is the answer. If you set the system property java.library.path to the directory where your DLL is located, then System.loadLibrary will indeed find your DLL. However, if your DLL in turn depends on other DLLs, as is often the case, then java.library.path cannot help, because the loading of the dependent DLLs is managed entirely by the operating system, which knows nothing of java.library.path. Thus, it is almost always better to bypass java.library.path and simply add your DLL's directory to LD_LIBRARY_PATH (Linux), DYLD_LIBRARY_PATH (MacOS), or Path (Windows) prior to starting the JVM.
(Note: I am using the term "DLL" in the generic sense of DLL or shared library.)

If you need to load a file that's relative to some directory where you already are (like in the current directory), here's an easy solution:
File f;
if (System.getProperty("sun.arch.data.model").equals("32")) {
// 32-bit JVM
f = new File("mylibfile32.so");
} else {
// 64-bit JVM
f = new File("mylibfile64.so");
}
System.load(f.getAbsolutePath());

For those who are looking for java.lang.UnsatisfiedLinkError: no pdf_java in java.library.path
I was facing same exception; I tried everything and important things to make it work are:
Correct version of pdf lib.jar ( In my case it was wrong version jar kept in server runtime )
Make a folder and keep the pdflib jar in it and add the folder in your PATH variable
It worked with tomcat 6.

If you believe that you added a path of native lib to %PATH%, try testing with:
System.out.println(System.getProperty("java.library.path"))
It should show you actually if your dll is on %PATH%
Restart the IDE Idea, which appeared to work for me after I setup the env variable by adding it to the %PATH%

The issue for me was naming:
The library name should begin with "lib..." such as libnative.dll.
So you might think you need to load "libnative": System.loadLibrary("libnative")
But you actually need to load "native": System.loadLibrary("native")

Poor me ! spent a whole day behind this.Writing it down here if any body replicates this issue.
I was trying to load as Adam suggested but then got caught with AMD64 vs IA 32 exception.If in any case after working as per Adam's(no doubt the best pick) walkthrough,try to have a 64 bit version of latest jre.Make sure your JRE AND JDK are 64 bit and you have correctly added it to your classpath.
My working example goes here:unstatisfied link error

I'm using Mac OS X Yosemite and Netbeans 8.02, I got the same error and the simple solution I have found is like above, this is useful when you need to include native library in the project. So do the next for Netbeans:
1.- Right click on the Project
2.- Properties
3.- Click on RUN
4.- VM Options: java -Djava.library.path="your_path"
5.- for example in my case: java -Djava.library.path=</Users/Lexynux/NetBeansProjects/NAO/libs>
6.- Ok
I hope it could be useful for someone.
The link where I found the solution is here:
java.library.path – What is it and how to use

It is simple just write java -XshowSettings:properties on your command line in windows and then paste all the files in the path shown by the java.library.path.

I had the same problem and the error was due to a rename of the dll.
It could happen that the library name is also written somewhere inside the dll.
When I put back its original name I was able to load using System.loadLibrary

First, you'll want to ensure the directory to your native library is on the java.library.path. See how to do that here. Then, you can call System.loadLibrary(nativeLibraryNameWithoutExtension) - making sure to not include the file extension in the name of your library.