JVM properties - angst

I have an an RPG app which successfully takes advantage of standard java
classes for making url connections.

However, my present issue is with the way in which a java system
property seems to persist.

This appears to be a consequence of either the JVM or perhaps a specific
java class being anally retentive when it comes to relinquishing the
last known property value.



The property in question is necessary when establishing a url connection
from the iSeries to a secure (https) url which requires a client digital
certificate to be used as the credentials for authentication as opposed
to the usual usr/pwd senario.

The intention is to provide for the situation where the repository for
the client certificate may be either the iSeries system certificate
store or a user certificate store.

The iSeries uses a different java system property for each senario,
namely:

os400.secureApplication - for the system store

os400.certificateContainer - for a user certificate store



In fact the application works fine when using only one property or the
other.

The problem is that the system property value appears to be recognized
only once within an instance of the JVM.

This occurs despite resetting the property value whenever the app is
called and even if the previous property is removed altogether by
rewriting the entire property table.

When a java class is called from RPG the JVM persists for the duration
of the job which consequently permits only one senario or the other,
depending on which occurs first.



I had thought that this was an RPG thing for which there may be a
solution but I now find that the same problem occurs even if I write the
app purely in java.

Of course it is possible to write (or import) a custom RPG only solution
for establishing url connections but this is one area where java can
prove to be extremely useful.

One solution is to launch, or have running, a separate job (and thus a
separate JVM) for each senario. But this means code to communicate with
and manage those jobs.

The aim is to simplify the process by letting any job conduct any url
conversation on its own but it looks like this may only be simple by
mandating a policy of storing client certificates in either the system
or a user store but not both.



The idea of employing multiple JVM instances within a job had crossed my
mind but I'm not sure about that possibility and if it might be a bit
too tricky.



Cheers, Peter




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