System Level deployment.properties on https Server

Question

We want to use the system level deployment.properties (
http://java.sun.com/j2se/1.5.0/docs/guide/deployment/deployment-guide/properties.html#location )
which is placed on our https server.
For Java Webstart applications this works perfect.
But applets wont start.
Applet console output when deployment.properties is placed on https server:
Java Plug-in 1.5.0_06
Using JRE version 1.5.0_06 Java HotSpot(TM) Client VM
User home directory = C:\Documents and Settings\xxxFinalizer, called close()
Finalizer, called closeInternal(true)
network: Loading user-defined proxy configuration ...
network: Done.
network: Loading proxy configuration from Internet Explorer ...
network:     Auto config URL: http://proxy.xxx.com/pac/proxy.pac
network: Done.
network: Loading auto proxy configuration ...
network: Downloading auto proxy file from http://proxy.xxx.com/pac/proxy.pac
network: Done.
network: Proxy Configuration: Automatic Proxy Configuration
     URL: http://proxy.xxx.com/pac/proxy.pac
basic: Registered modality listener
liveconnect: Invoking JS method: document
liveconnect: Invoking JS method: URL
basic: Referencing classloader: sun.plugin.ClassLoaderInfo@1efb836, refcount=1
Exception in thread "Thread-2" java.lang.ClassCastException: sun.net.ProgressMonitor
     at sun.plugin.util.GrayBoxPainter.beginPainting(Unknown Source)
     at sun.plugin.AppletViewer.initApplet(Unknown Source)
     at sun.plugin.AppletViewer.appletInit(Unknown Source)
     at sun.plugin.viewer.LifeCycleManager.initAppletPanel(Unknown Source)
     at sun.plugin.viewer.IExplorerPluginObject$Initer.run(Unknown Source)
Applet console output when deployment.properties is placed on http server:
Java Plug-in 1.5.0_06
Using JRE version 1.5.0_06 Java HotSpot(TM) Client VM
User home directory = C:\Documents and Settings\xxx
network: Loading user-defined proxy configuration ...
network: Done.
network: Loading proxy configuration from Internet Explorer ...
network:     Auto config URL: http://proxy.xxx.com/pac/proxy.pac
network: Done.
network: Loading auto proxy configuration ...
network: Downloading auto proxy file from http://proxy.xxx.com/pac/proxy.pac
network: Done.
network: Proxy Configuration: Automatic Proxy Configuration
     URL: http://proxy.xxx.com/pac/proxy.pac
basic: Cache is enabled
basic: Location: C:\Documents and Settings\xxx\Application Data\Sun\Java\Deployment\cache\javapi\v1.0
basic: Maximum size: unlimited
basic: Compression level: 0
c:   clear console window
f:   finalize objects on finalization queue
g:   garbage collect
h:   display this help message
l:   dump classloader list
m:   print memory usage
o:   trigger logging
p:   reload proxy configuration
q:   hide console
r:   reload policy configuration
s:   dump system and deployment properties
t:   dump thread list
v:   dump thread stack
x:   clear classloader cache
0-5: set trace level to <n>
basic: Registered modality listener
liveconnect: Invoking JS method: document
liveconnect: Invoking JS method: URL
trustStore is: C:\PROGRA~1\Java\JRE15~1.0_0\lib\security\jssecacerts
trustStore type is : jks
trustStore provider is :
init truststore
adding as trusted cert:
X509KeyManager passed to SSLContext.init():  need an X509ExtendedKeyManager for SSLEngine use
trigger seeding of SecureRandom
done seeding SecureRandom
basic: Referencing classloader: sun.plugin.ClassLoaderInfo@fc9944, refcount=1
basic: Added progress listener: sun.plugin.util.GrayBoxPainter@1256ea2
basic: Loading applet ...
basic: Initializing applet ...
basic: Starting applet ...
# and so on ...I guess that the trusted jssecerts is not regarded until the system level deployment.properties has been downloaded.
Whereas the deployment.properties can not be downloaded from my https server when the trusted certs are not known at this time.
Or any other presumptions?
Maybe it helped you ;-)

Answer 1

I did something very similar. I am using jre 1.5.0_01.
And it seems to work!
The deployment.config is:
deployment.system.config=file:/c:/jws/deployment.properties
deployment.system.config.mandatory=true
and the deployment.properties is (at the location above):
deployment.system.cachedir=cache
To load the cache I start javaws as follows:
javaws -import -system -codebase file:/c:/cd file:/c:/cd/notepad.jnlp
This results in creating the cache in
file:/c:/jws//cache
To start the app I did:
javaws -system http://java.sun.com/products/javawebstart/apps/notepad.jnlp
The -system seems to be neccessary but I am not quite sure. If it is omitted
the app also starts, but javaws stores just the jnlp in the default user cache!