Java Web Start Application surprisedly does not start anymore based on new JRE1.7.0_45

Question

Hi everyone,
we have to maintain a self-developed Java Application which is running based on JRE1.5.0_51 (x64). Our recent client machines have JRE1.7.0_40 (x64 too) installed in addition to the mentioned (and needed) JRE1.5.0_51 (x64).
Everything was fine up to the point where we tried to install the newest JRE1.7.0_45 (x64) as the new version for doing the web start magic. The result is that our application (which is/was unchanged!) does not launch anymore. The strange thing is that we do not get any StackTrace, Exception or something else like this.
The startup process simply hangs :-(
Nothing has changed (application itself, firewall, network settings, hardware) apart from the new JRE version. It's reproducible at will. If I install JRE1.7.0_40 (x64) the application starts, if I install JRE1.7.0_45 (x64) the application hangs.
I can say for sure, that in both cases (*_40 AND *_45) Web Start is able to do the synchronizing job and to launch the application base on the correct JRE1.5.0_51 (x64).
My guess is that in case of an installed JRE1.7.0_45 (x64), the application hangs when it tries to connect to the database (Oracle 11g) via JDBC.
I found a little hint in the Web Start Console. Therefore I had to switch the trace level of the console to 3 (which includes security, network and basic)
In case of an installed JRE1.7.0_40 (x64) - which leads to a running application - I will receive the following output:
Java Web Start 10.40.2.43
JRE-Version verwenden 1.5.0_51-b10 Java HotSpot(TM) 64-Bit Server VM
security: Istrusted: http://PKS-Server/jnlp2/advise_office.jnlp true
avawsApplicationMain     3798 DEBUG root                : get Service: com.sun.jnlp.BasicServiceImpl@3b8e609b  fileName: connection.properties
network: Cacheeintrag nicht gefunden [URL: http://PKS-Server/jnlp2//connection.properties, Version: null]
network: Verbindung von http://PKS-Server/jnlp2//connection.properties mit Proxy=DIRECT wird hergestellt
avawsApplicationMain     3803 INFO  root                : 'Alex2 connection.properties' wurde vom WebServer gelesen
network: Verbindung von socket://PKS-Server:1521 mit Proxy=DIRECT wird hergestellt
avawsApplicationMain     4488 DEBUG root                : get Service: com.sun.jnlp.BasicServiceImpl@3b8e609b  fileName: connection.properties
network: Cacheeintrag nicht gefunden [URL: http://PKS-Server/jnlp2//connection.properties, Version: null]
network: Verbindung von http://PKS-Server/jnlp2//connection.properties mit Proxy=DIRECT wird hergestellt
avawsApplicationMain     4492 INFO  root                : 'Alex2 connection.properties' wurde vom WebServer gelesen
Connect OK => application starts.
In case of an installed JRE1.7.0_45 (x64) - which leads to a hanging application - I will receive the following output:
Java Web Start 10.45.2.18
JRE-Version verwenden 1.5.0_51-b10 Java HotSpot(TM) 64-Bit Server VM
security: Istrusted: http://PKS-Server/jnlp2/advise_office.jnlp true
avawsApplicationMain     3805 DEBUG root                : get Service: com.sun.jnlp.BasicServiceImpl@25a41cc7  fileName: connection.properties
network: Cacheeintrag nicht gefunden [URL: http://PKS-Server/jnlp2//connection.properties, Version: null]
network: Verbindung von http://PKS-Server/jnlp2//connection.properties mit Proxy=DIRECT wird hergestellt
avawsApplicationMain     3810 INFO  root                : 'Alex2 connection.properties' wurde vom WebServer gelesen
network: Verbindung von socket://PKS-Server:1521 mit Proxy=DIRECT wird hergestellt
network: Verbindung von socket://PKS-Server:1521 mit Proxy=DIRECT wird hergestellt
network: Verbindung von socket://PKS-Server:1521 mit Proxy=DIRECT wird hergestellt
network: Verbindung von socket://PKS-Server:1521 mit Proxy=DIRECT wird hergestellt
network: Verbindung von socket://PKS-Server:1521 mit Proxy=DIRECT wird hergestellt
network: Verbindung von socket://PKS-Server:1521 mit Proxy=DIRECT wird hergestellt
network: Verbindung von socket://PKS-Server:1521 mit Proxy=DIRECT wird hergestellt
network: Verbindung von socket://PKS-Server:1521 mit Proxy=DIRECT wird hergestellt
network: Verbindung von socket://PKS-Server:1521 mit Proxy=DIRECT wird hergestellt
network: Verbindung von socket://PKS-Server:1521 mit Proxy=DIRECT wird hergestellt
network: Verbindung von socket://PKS-Server:1521 mit Proxy=DIRECT wird hergestellt
These last "network:" log entries will never stop. This will lead to an infinite loop which results in a great memory leak. I have to kill the process via windows task manager in order to get rid of it.
Does someone out there has the same problem? Are there any new additional security issues which prevent my client to establish the database connection on port 1521?
Any other ideas?
Thanks in advance for any hint on this issue!
Regards,
Alex

Answer 1

Resolution: We still were not able to solve this issue! The only way to get out of this is to install the JRE1.5 as the x64 variant. In this case no switching from 64-bit to 32-bit is needed and everything is on track again.
But this is still strange and unexplainable :-(