"sendError" method as compared to "setStatus"; weired results; Help !

Question

I am using weblogic server 8.1 sp5.
I have a servlet that generates an error code and returns a "message" as a text.
The problem is that iam not getting the "message" returned on my http protocol layer.
BUT when i use "setStatus" method instead of "sendError" method, everything works fine. setStatus is deprecated and we are told not to use it.
NOTE: When i run the servlet with sendError method, it works fine on the browser BUT it is not returned in my http (at the protocol layer).
Can somebody shed some light on the difference of this behavior?
Attached is the code.
import java.io.*;
import javax.servlet.*;
import javax.servlet.http.*;
public class MyWebServlet extends HttpServlet {
    protected void processRequest(HttpServletRequest request, HttpServletResponse response)
    throws ServletException, IOException {
        response.setContentType("text/html;charset=UTF-8");
        PrintWriter out = response.getWriter();
        out.println("This is MyWebServlet");
        String message= "Testing custom message of a 592 Error"
        response.sendError(592,message);
        out.close();
    protected void doGet(HttpServletRequest request, HttpServletResponse response)
    throws ServletException, IOException {
        processRequest(request, response);
    protected void doPost(HttpServletRequest request, HttpServletResponse response)
    throws ServletException, IOException {
        processRequest(request, response);
}

Answer 1

i mean at the URL level.
We ran some sniffer N/W traces on the difference between the error code of 500 and 592(as on the servlet).
We see difference like ....the sniffer traces are little out of order but if you read carefully...you may see the diff.
I get "Unknown" for 592 error code whileas i get the whole string message with 500 error code.
Output with 592 error code:
0000  48 54 54 50 2f 31 2e 31 20 35 39 32 20 55 6e 6b   HTTP/1.1 592 Unk
0010  6e 6f 77 6e 0d 0a 43 6f 6e 6e 65 63 74 69 6f 6e   nown..Connection
0020  3a 20 63 6c 6f 73 65 0d 0a 44 61 74 65 3a 20 57   : close..Date: W
0030  65 64 2c 20 31 33 20 4a 75 6e 20 32 30 30 37 20   ed, 13 Jun 2007
0040  31 33 3a 31 32 3a 30 34 20 47 4d 54 0d 0a 43 6f   13:12:04 GMT..Co
0050  6e 74 65 6e 74 2d 4c 65 6e 67 74 68 3a 20 32 34   ntent-Length: 24
0060  0d 0a 43 6f 6e 74 65 6e 74 2d 54 79 70 65 3a 20   ..Content-Type:
0070  74 65 78 74 2f 68 74 6d 6c 0d 0a 58 2d 50 6f 77   text/html..X-Pow
0080  65 72 65 64 2d 42 79 3a 20 53 65 72 76 6c 65 74   ered-By: Servlet
0090  2f 32 2e 34 20 4a 53 50 2f 32 2e 30 0d 0a 0d 0a   /2.4 JSP/2.0....Output with 500 error code:
0000  48 54 54 50 2f 31 2e 31 20 35 30 30 20 54 65 73   HTTP/1.1 500 Tes
0010  74 69 6e 67 20 63 75 73 74 6f 6d 20 6d 65 73 73   ting custom mess
0020  61 67 65 20 6f 66 20 61 20 35 30 30 20 49 6e 74   age of a 500 Int
0030  65 72 6e 61 6c 20 53 65 72 76 65 72 20 45 72 72   ernal Server Err
0040  6f 72 0d 0a 43 6f 6e 74 65 6e 74 2d 54 79 70 65   or..Content-Type
0050  3a 20 74 65 78 74 2f 68 74 6d 6c 3b 63 68 61 72   : text/html;char
0060  73 65 74 3d 55 54 46 2d 38 0d 0a 43 6f 6e 74 65   set=UTF-8..Conte
0070  6e 74 2d 4c 61 6e 67 75 61 67 65 3a 20 65 6e 2d   nt-Language: en-
0080  55 53 0d 0a 43 6f 6e 74 65 6e 74 2d 4c 65 6e 67   US..Content-Leng
0090  74 68 3a 20 31 31 33 39 0d 0a 44 61 74 65 3a 20   th: 1139..Date:
00a0  57 65 64 2c 20 31 33 20 4a 75 6e 20 32 30 30 37   Wed, 13 Jun 2007
00b0  20 31 33 3a 32 34 3a 34 33 20 47 4d 54 0d 0a 53    13:24:43 GMT..S
00c0  65 72 76 65 72 3a 20 41 70 61 63 68 65 2d 43 6f   erver: Apache-Co
00d0  79 6f 74 65 2f 31 2e 31 0d 0a 43 6f 6e 6e 65 63   yote/1.1..Connec
00e0  74 69 6f 6e 3a 20 63 6c 6f 73 65 0d 0a 0d 0a      tion: close....null