We recommend that all users install the recommended patch set for your hardware platform and IRIX release from Silicon Surf. This typically fixes many bugs in various parts of IRIX that Java has a tendency to stumble across. This is particularly true if you intend to use native threads.
If you are not a SurfZone member, you must become a member first (membership is free).
Then you can download the recommended patch set for your hardware platform and IRIX release from Silicon Surf.
The native threads in Java are implemented using POSIX threads (pthreads). POSIX threads are available for IRIX 6.2, and are bundled with all versions of IRIX from 6.3 onwards.
For native threads to work well on any IRIX release, you must install the appropriate POSIX patch set for the platform, after installing the recommended patch set as described above. You can download the appropriate POSIX patch set for your version of IRIX:
Also, for any version of IRIX from 6.2 through 6.4, you should install Patch 2791, which is being released around the same time frame as this software; go to the main SurfZone Patches Page and search for 2791. Many Java applications will run with native threads without this patch. However, the following library methods will not be handled correctly:
java.lang.Thread.stop()
java.lang.Thread.interrupt()
Even if you do not use these methods, it is recommended that you install this patch as soon as it is available, since the use of earlier versions of the POSIX threads library can lead to unnecessary pauses of up to 1 second.
Java and other Java-based names are trademarks of Sun Microsystems, Inc., and refer to Sun's family of Java-branded technologies. Sun, Sun Microsystems, and the Sun Logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sun Microsystems, Inc. in the U.S. and other countries.