Process core dumps when spawned by Runtime.exec()

Question

I am using a Runtime.exec() command to spawn a local executable process on HP-UX. The local process (C++ executable) starts and is functional, though at a certain point during operation, the process creates a segmentation fault and core dumps. If the same process is spawned manully from a shell, this does not occur.
The process cores at the same point every time (a call to free+ in the system libC library). I have duplicated as much of my shell environment in the Runtime.exec() call as possible. Also, this issue does not occur on AIX or Linux (ports of my code to those platforms).
What is the fundimental difference between spawning a process from a shell V.S. the JVM spawning the process that could cause this difference in behavior?
java version "1.4.2.07"
Java(TM) 2 Runtime Environment, Standard Edition (build 1.4.2.07-050121-15:53)
Java HotSpot(TM) Server VM (build 1.4.2 1.4.2.07-050121-17:30-PA_RISC2.0 PA2.0 (aCC_AP), mixed mode)

Answer 1

We are currently having the same problem, it is killing us.
We have upgraded to jdk 1.6u16 and still have the problem.
We think it is related to sparc platform we had been running for some time with same code on X86 server
Our solaris release is: Solaris 10 11/06 s10s_u3wos_10 SPARC
We can't get a reproducible small test case. It is getting us most often when the JVM running our
appserver uses the Runtime.getRuntime().exec(cmd);
We are jumping through hoops looking for workaround. We are trying to write a command server that can
have the command sent through a socket and have all the ouput sent back over the same socket.
That way the app server JVM is not the one doing the fork and exec.