Oracle’s Java 8 Update 66
Following closely on the heels of Oracle’s release of Java 8 Update 65, Oracle has released Java 8 Update 66. This update is also using Oracle’s install application.
What’s the difference between Update 65 and Update 66? Update 65 is a Critical Patch Update (CPU), which contains both fixes to security vulnerabilities and critical bug fixes. Update 66 is a Patch Set Update (PSU), which means it contains all the fixes in the corresponding CPU, plus additional fixes to non-critical problems. For more details on the differences between CPU and PSU updates, please see the link below:
http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/java/javase/cpu-psu-explained-2331472.html
So the short version is that Update 65 has “critical bug fixes” and Update 66 has “Update 65’s bug fixes, plus more bug fixes.”
You can get Oracle’s Java 8 Update 66 from the link below:
http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/java/javase/downloads/jre8-downloads-2133155.html
For more details on Java 8 Update 66, see below the jump.
While the Oracle install application is not a standard installer package, it appears that Oracle had stored an installer package for Java 8 within the install application at the following location:
/path/to/install.app/Contents/Resources/JavaAppletPlugin.pkg
Once the JavaAppletPlugin installer package is copied out of the install application, it can be deployed like previous Java updates’ installer packages.
Oracle’s Java 8 Update 66 install application has the following behavior:
This application will prompt for admin privileges before fully launching.
Once you provide admin authentication, the application launches.
It will then tell you how many devices run Java while it installs.
Once complete, it’ll tell you what it’s installed.
Unlike previous incarnations of the install application, Java 8 Update 65‘s and Java 8 Update 66‘s install applications do not appear to try to install any browser toolbars. To verify this behavior, I ran the MacJREInstaller binary which the Oracle Java application is using to actually install the Java browser plug-in.
While I observed that Java 8 Update 66’s MacJREInstaller continued to check with Oracle and report which country it was being installed in, I did not see anything being downloaded from Oracle. This behavior matches what I observed with Java 8 Update 65. For those interested, I’ve posted the output below.
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| computername:~ username$ sudo /Volumes/Java\ 8\ Update\ 66/Java\ 8\ Update\ 66.app/Contents/MacOS/MacJREInstaller | |
| 2015-10-21 10:24:55.916 MacJREInstaller[617:8010] SecCodeCopySelf returned:0 | |
| 2015-10-21 10:24:55.920 MacJREInstaller[617:8010] DR status:0 | |
| 2015-10-21 10:24:56.197 MacJREInstaller[617:8010] Validate Status:0 | |
| 2015-10-21 10:24:56.201 MacJREInstaller[617:8010] path: /var/root/Library/Application Support/JREInstaller | |
| 2015-10-21 10:24:56.205 MacJREInstaller[617:8010] —- INSTALL RUN |||| 10-21-2015 10:24:56 -0400 | |
| 2015-10-21 10:24:56.205 MacJREInstaller[617:8010] Install Log: Type:Network Severity:Debug Message:Get Staged XML from :https://javadl-esd-secure.oracle.com/update/1.8.0/mac-1.8.0_66-b17.xml | |
| 2015-10-21 10:24:56.458 MacJREInstaller[617:8010] Install Log: Type:Network Severity:Debug Message:Arguments:( | |
| "/Volumes/Java 8 Update 66/Java 8 Update 66.app/Contents/MacOS/MacJREInstaller", | |
| "SPONSORS=0" | |
| ) | |
| 2015-10-21 10:24:56.458 MacJREInstaller[617:8010] Install Log: Type:Other Severity:Debug Message:Dictionary:{ | |
| SPONSORS = 0; | |
| } | |
| 2015-10-21 10:24:56.987 MacJREInstaller[617:8010] Install Log: Type:Network Severity:Debug Message:Current Installed Version:1.8.51.16 | |
| 2015-10-21 10:24:56.988 MacJREInstaller[617:8010] Install Log: Type:Ping Severity:Debug Message:Init MacPingEngine. | |
| 2015-10-21 10:24:56.989 MacJREInstaller[617:8010] Install Log: Type:Network Severity:Debug Message:version to install: 1.8.66.17 | |
| 2015-10-21 10:24:57.234 MacJREInstaller[617:8010] Install Log: Type:Other Severity:Debug Message:Application support directory:/var/root/Library/Application Support | |
| 2015-10-21 10:24:57.234 MacJREInstaller[617:8010] Install Log: Type:Other Severity:Debug Message:infoPlist:(null) | |
| 2015-10-21 10:24:57.332 MacJREInstaller[617:8010] Install Log: Type:Network Severity:Debug Message:Java 8 Update 66 build 17 | |
| objc[621]: Class JavaLaunchHelper is implemented in both /Library/Internet Plug-Ins/JavaAppletPlugin.plugin/Contents/Home/bin/java and /Library/Internet Plug-Ins/JavaAppletPlugin.plugin/Contents/Home/lib/jli/./libjli.dylib. One of the two will be used. Which one is undefined. | |
| objc[622]: Class JavaLaunchHelper is implemented in both /Library/Internet Plug-Ins/JavaAppletPlugin.plugin/Contents/Home/bin/java and /Library/Internet Plug-Ins/JavaAppletPlugin.plugin/Contents/Home/lib/jli/./libjli.dylib. One of the two will be used. Which one is undefined. | |
| 2015-10-21 10:25:00.550 MacJREInstaller[617:8010] Install Log: Type:Network Severity:Debug Message:From Welcome Delegate | |
| 2015-10-21 10:25:02.050 MacJREInstaller[617:8010] Install Log: Type:Network Severity:Debug Message:Installing JRE, Lock Continue Button | |
| 2015-10-21 10:25:02.386 MacJREInstaller[617:8010] SecCodeCopySelf returned:0 | |
| 2015-10-21 10:25:02.387 MacJREInstaller[617:8010] DR status:0 | |
| 2015-10-21 10:25:02.625 MacJREInstaller[617:8010] Validate Status:0 | |
| 2015-10-21 10:25:02.627 MacJREInstaller[617:8010] Install Log: Type:Network Severity:Debug Message:ExecCmd:/usr/sbin/installer -pkg "/Volumes/Java 8 Update 66/Java 8 Update 66.app/Contents/Resources/JavaAppletPlugin.pkg" -target / | |
| 2015-10-21 10:25:10.972 MacJREInstaller[617:8232] Install Log: Type:Network Severity:Debug Message:Response from Priviledged Helper: 0 | |
| /Library/Internet Plug-Ins/JavaAppletPlugin.plugin/Contents/Resources/com.oracle.java.Java-Updater.plist: Operation already in progress | |
| 2015-10-21 10:25:11.020 MacJREInstaller[617:8010] Install Log: Type:Ping Severity:Debug Message:From Ping Delegate | |
| 2015-10-21 10:25:11.021 MacJREInstaller[617:8010] Install Log: Type:Network Severity:Debug Message:Unlocking ContinueButton = <NSButton: 0x7ff0714d36d0>: 0 | |
| 2015-10-21 10:25:11.037 MacJREInstaller[617:8010] Install Log: Type:Ping Severity:Debug Message:Incoming response: <NSHTTPURLResponse: 0x7ff071775670> { URL: http://rps-svcs.sun.com/services/countrylookup } { status code: 200, headers { | |
| Connection = "keep-alive"; | |
| "Content-Length" = 268; | |
| "Content-Type" = "text/html"; | |
| Country = US; | |
| Date = "Wed, 21 Oct 2015 14:25:11 GMT"; | |
| Expires = "Wed, 21 Oct 2015 14:25:11 GMT"; | |
| "Mime-Version" = "1.0"; | |
| Server = AkamaiGHost; | |
| } } | |
| 2015-10-21 10:25:11.038 MacJREInstaller[617:8010] Install Log: Type:Ping Severity:Debug Message:country in NSString: US | |
| 2015-10-21 10:25:11.039 MacJREInstaller[617:8010] Install Log: Type:Ping Severity:Debug Message:Installed Browser: Firefox.app Firefox | |
| 2015-10-21 10:25:11.039 MacJREInstaller[617:8010] Install Log: Type:Ping Severity:Debug Message:Installed Browser: Safari.app Safari | |
| 2015-10-21 10:25:11.040 MacJREInstaller[617:8010] Install Log: Type:Ping Severity:Debug Message:XMLDocument | |
| <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="no"?><request><sc_xml_ver>1.0</sc_xml_ver><reportsuiteid>suninstallstat</reportsuiteid><visitorid>564DE9CFA5240C784E51C35061564BA8</visitorid><prop21>564DE9CFA5240C784E51C35061564BA8</prop21><prop20>******</prop20><pagename>ic</pagename><evar2>1.8.66.17</evar2><evar3>1.8.51.16</evar3><evar6>10.10.5</evar6><evar7>joff</evar7><evar8>US</evar8><evar24>0</evar24><evar25>0</evar25><evar50>B01010</evar50><events>event6,event7</events><products>jre|0,;XSP300|-144;;;;event7=1</products></request> | |
| 2015-10-21 10:25:11.041 MacJREInstaller[617:8010] Install Log: Type:Ping Severity:Debug Message:Ping return 1 | |
| 2015-10-21 10:25:11.043 MacJREInstaller[617:8232] Install Log: Type:Network Severity:Debug Message:Calling performSelectorOnMainThread to set jre install code as 0 | |
| 2015-10-21 10:25:11.048 MacJREInstaller[617:8010] Install Log: Type:Network Severity:Debug Message:Calling setJREInstallCode with 0 | |
| 2015-10-21 10:25:15.383 MacJREInstaller[617:8010] Install Log: Type:Network Severity:Debug Message:Curent step 2,Try to open https://java.com/verify/?src=install | |
| 2015-10-21 10:25:15.385 MacJREInstaller[617:8010] Install Log: Type:Other Severity:Debug Message:Application support directory:/var/root/Library/Application Support | |
| computername:~ username$ |
Der Flounder 
When I installed it is DID ask me to make yahoo.com my homepage in FIrefox, and use it as my default search engine, FYI.
It asked me about yahoo.com, then went away without telling me Java was updated. When I checked its status, it acted like the update never happened.
PSU 66 failed multiple times to install. Whayt risk is there if this PSU update fails to complete installaiton?
fwiw, pasting a copy of the JavaAppletPlugin installer package into my applications folder and then installing the update did NOT force me to allow Java to install some whizbang “helper tool.” Instead, I got a clean(er) install of only the upgrade, no questions about changing my start page either.