running jnlp files under Firefox

HELP. I need to run jnlp files under Firefox (the distribution that was preloaded). All I get is a dialog asking me what to open this file with. Is there an add-in or update to Java that anyone can suggest?

 

FIXED! Java Web Start (was: running jnlp files under Firefox

Java Web Start technology is used, in our case, for on-line home schooling. When Java Web Start is NOT installed on your machine, a dialog box will pop-up in Firefox 2 (in my case) asking you what program to use to open a file with the extension .jnlp when you attempt to go to a web site that uses that technology. The original installation of java on the AA1 linpus is something called IcedTea and it cannot open .jnlp files. You can test what version of Java is installed on your machine by pasting this address into Firefox: http://www.java.com/en/download/help/testvm.xml. For a stock machine, let the applet load and start. Scroll down and you will see the following message under "Test your JVM" : You are using a version of the JRE that is not released for general consumer use. You may want to upgrade your JRE. Your java configuration is: Vendor: Sun Microsystems, Inc. Version: 1.7.0 Operating System: Linux.

To enable Java Web Start, follow the instructions posted at this link: http://macles.blogspot.com/2008/09/inst ... e-one.html. However, I did NOT execute the last two instructions:

(sudo update-alternatives --config java
sudo update-alternatives --config libjavaplugin.so).

Re-test Firefox after closing it and re-opening it by going to the java test site given above and it should report Java 6 Update 7 as the installed version.

The Jave Web Start technology should then work. When clicking on a site that uses it, you will get a dialog box that ask if you should open the .jnlp files with JavaWS and you should simply click "OK" and the file will download. You will then get a dialog box that reports on the application's digital signature and asks you to verify that you want to run the application. There are several security vulnerabilities (buffer overflow bla bla bla) that have been reported for Java Web Start that I do not know if they have been patched yet or not. Clicking run will then run the application.