Install Oracle JDK/Firefox plugin on OpenSuse-12.1/12.2/12.3

Why?

The default JRE (Java Runtime Environment) on OpenSuse-12.1/12.2/12.3 (http://www.opensuse.org) is IcedTea, no problem for almost everything, until you want to use the German 'ElsterOnline - Das Dienstleistungsportal der Finanzverwaltung' (https://www.elsteronline.de/eportal)...

How to (Java Platform, Standard Edition/SE 7u25 Linux x64):

Get lates Oracle JDK from the Java SE Downloads page (http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/java/javase/downloads/index.html), at the time of this writing it was jdk-7u25 (http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/java/javase/downloads/jdk7-downloads-1880260.html). Accept the License Agreement and download the Linux x64 (jdk-7u25-linux-x64.tar.gz) file.

Now do the following steps (as root):

cd /opt
tar -xzf Downloads/jdk-7u25-linux-x64.tar.gz
chown -R root:root jdk1.7.0_25

or as alternative in one step (as root):

cd /opt
tar --no-same-owner --no-same-permissions -xvzf Downloads/jdk-7u25-linux-x64.tar.gz

Next steps as the user for whom you want to install the Firefox plugin:

cd ~/.mozilla
mkdir plugins
cd plugins
ln -s /opt/jdk1.7.0_25/jre/lib/amd64/libnpjp2.so .

Restart Firefox and enter 'about:plugins' at the address bar of Firefox. The 'Enabled plugins' page should show entries for the new installed 'Java Plug-in 1.7.0_25' plugin and the original 'IcedTea-Web Plugin'. The last step is to disable the original 'IcedTea-Web-Plugin'.

Open the Firefox menu 'Tools', go to 'Add-ons' which will open the 'Add-ons Manager' page, go to 'Plugins' and click the 'Disable' Button for the IcedTea-Web Plugin. Check that the Java(TM) Plug-in is enabled.

Note for OpenSuse-12.3/Firefox-22.0-1.25.1: this version was unable to disable/enable the Oracle/IcedTea Java plugin separatley, so it was necessary to deinstall the IcedTea Java plugin (package icedtea-web).

Verify installation at the http://java.com/en/download/installed.jsp page, click on the 'Verify Java version' Button and wait for the 'Congratulations! You have the recommended Java installed (Version 7 Update 25).' result.

There are no automatic security updates for your manually installed Oracle JDK, so check regularly for critical patches/updates...

Change Log

2013-08-08	Peter Seiderer
	* Add note for removing icedtea-web package.

2013-06-02	Peter Seiderer
	* Update from jdk-7u21 to jdk-7u25.

2013-05-03	Peter Seiderer
	* Update from jdk-7u17 to jdk-7u21.

2013-03-05	Peter Seiderer
	* Update from jdk-7u13 to jdk-7u17.

2013-01-16	Peter Seiderer
	* Update from jdk-7u11 to jdk-7u13.
	* Add alternative one step tar command (no need for chown command).

2013-01-16	Peter Seiderer
	* Update from jdk-7u10 to jdk-7u11.
	* Update from OpenSuse-12.1 to OpenSuse-12.2.

2012-12-17	Peter Seiderer
	* Update from jdk-7u7 to jdk-7u10.

2012-08-31	Peter Seiderer
	* Update from jdk-7u2 to jdk-7u7.

2012-02-07	Peter Seiderer
	* Initial version.

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