Set Custom Java Home

DataVeil and FileMasker are both Java applications and by default, upon startup, they shall automatically use the current default Java JDK installed on the operating system.

In most cases this works well and ensures that DataVeil and FileMasker are using the latest and hopefully most secure and reliable versions of Java available.

Occasionally, however, there may be instances where it is necessary or desirable that DataVeil or FileMasker should use a version of Java that is different to the current default Java version. Some of the reasons could be:

  • Some other applications may rely on a default version of Java that is older/newer than the Java version required by DataVeil.
  • It may be desirable to test DataVeil's compatibility with a different Java version or a different vendor's implementation of Java without affecting the current default Java installation.
  • DataVeil may report that the default Java installation cannot be found.

The remainder of this article shows how to explicitly specify the directory of the Java JDK that DataVeil and FileMasker shall use regardless of what other Java versions and installations may be present on the same system.

For DataVeil:

  • In the DataVeil software folder, edit the file etc/dataveil.conf
  • Find the section of the file beginning with # JAVA JDK HOME. As the comment in the file explains, simply specify the parameter jdkhome= followed by the directory where the Java JDK is to be found.
  • The example below shows that Java 15 JDK is to be used with the parameter jdkhome="C:\dataveil\jdk\jdk-15.0.2+7"
  • Restart DataVeil if already running.
  • The Java version used by DataVeil can be confirmed by viewing the Help->About dialog as shown further below.
dv_java_home
dv_java_home_conf2

For FileMasker:

  • In the FileMasker software folder, edit the file etc/filemasker.conf
  • Find the section of the file beginning with # default location of JDK/JRE. Similarly as for DataVeil described above, specify the parameter jdkhome= followed by the directory where the Java JDK is to be found.
  • The example below shows that Java 8 JDK is to be used with the parameter jdkhome="C:\Program Files\Java\jdk1.8.0_221"
  • Restart FileMasker if already running.
  • The Java version used by FileMasker can be confirmed by viewing the Help->About dialog.
fm_java_home2