HOWTO: Java and Flash plugins in FC4 x86_64

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16th October 2005, 04:51 PM
jcliburn

HOWTO: Java and Flash plugins in FC4 x86_64

There are currently no 64-bit Sun Java or Macromedia Flash browser plugins available. If you want to use these plugins in FC4 x86_64, you need a 32-bit browser in which to install them. The instructions provided here include steps to install 32-bit Firefox and the Sun Java and Macromedia Flash plugins. This will enable you to run Flash and Java content within your Firefox browser. If you use another browser, the strategy is the same, although the plugin directory for your browser will be in a different location than described here.

There are other ways to go about getting 32-bit Firefox up and running, including installing it in your home directory after fetching the Firefox binary (or source) directly from Mozilla. The advantage to that approach is you don't have to be root to install it, and it doesn't require the removal of 64-bit Firefox. I personally have no pressing need for 64-bit Firefox, so replacing it with 32-bit Firefox isn't an issue for me.

These instructions use yum to download and install prepackaged Fedora RPMs relating to Firefox, followed by downloading and installing Sun Java and Macromedia Flash plugins.

Edit 1: Incorporated fedorajim's suggestion to use the /usr/lib/mozilla/plugins directory. Thanks.

Edit 2: Updated for JRE1.5.0_06.

Edit 3: Added a caution to avoid the sun java rpm.

Edit 4: Added instructions to deal with yum dependency errors. Thanks to wpyung.

First, open a terminal become root.

Code:

$ su -

Remove the x86_64 version of Firefox.

Code:

# yum remove firefox

Next, add a repo for the i386 base packages.

Code:

# gedit /etc/yum.repos.d/base-i386.repo

Edit the file to contain this.

Code:

[base-i386] name=base-i386 baseurl=http://download.fedora.redhat.com/pub/fedora/linux/core/4/i386/os/ gpgcheck=1 enabled=0

Now add a repo for the i386 updates packages.

Code:

# gedit /etc/yum.repos.d/updates-i386.repo

Edit it to contain this.

Code:

[updates-i386] name=updates-i386 baseurl=http://download.fedora.redhat.com/pub/fedora/linux/core/updates/4/i386 gpgcheck=1 enabled=0

NOTE: The only 32-bit packages you want installed on your 64-bit system are those you intentionally install yourself, or those that are part of the 64-bit package releases -- some of the 64-bit packages have 32-bit components. Setting enabled=0 in the repo files you just created, along with explicitly using the --enablerepo option below, ensures that no unintended 32-bit packages get installed or updated.

Now get firefox.i386 and its dependencies.

NOTE: If you get dependency errors when you execute this step, it's likely, through no fault of your own, that you've introduced packages that conflict with packages needed by the base version of firefox.i386. The errors are harmless, but yum will refuse to install the base version of Firefox. If you encounter dependency errors, skip two steps down to where you see the note for that condition.

Code:

# yum --enablerepo=base-i386 install firefox.i386

What you just did is install the version of Firefox that was released with the base FC4 distribution. That version of Firefox has been superseded, and you now need to get the latest version of 32-bit Firefox and its dependencies to make sure your system stays secure. Execute the following.

Code:

# yum --enablerepo=updates-i386 update firefox.i386

ONLY IF YOU RECEIVED DEPENDENCY ERRORS WHEN YOU TRIED TO INSTALL THE BASE VERSION OF FIREFOX, EXECUTE THE FOLLOWING.

Code:

# yum update # yum --enablerepo=updates.i386 install firefox.i386

32-bit firefox is now installed.

Start firefox and get jre-1_5_0_06-linux-i586.bin from Sun's java site . CAUTION: Don't get the i586-rpm.bin file -- do get the i586.bin file. Navigate to the directory that contains your downloaded java bin. Make a directory /opt/java and copy the java bin there. Install it and link the plugin. Here are the steps.

Code:

# <cd_to_the_java_download_dir> # mkdir /opt/java # cp jre-1_5_0_06-linux-i586.bin /opt/java # cd /opt/java # sh ./jre-1_5_0_06-linux-i586.bin # cd /usr/lib/mozilla/plugins # ln -s /opt/java/jre1.5.0_06/plugin/i386/ns7/libjavaplugin_oji.so .

Kill Firefox and restart it. Enter "about:plugins" in the Firefox address bar and you should see the java plugins.

Now download the Macromedia Flash player from Macromedia's download site . Navigate to the directory that contains your downloaded Flash player file. Make a directory /opt/flash and copy the gzipped tarfile there. Uncompress the file and copy the flash plugin files to the plugin directory. Here are the steps.

Code:

# <cd_to_the_flash_download_dir> # mkdir /opt/flash # cp install_flash_player_7_linux.tar.gz /opt/flash # cd /opt/flash # tar xzvf install_flash_player_7_linux.tar.gz # cd install_flash_player_7_linux # cp libflashplayer.so /usr/lib/mozilla/plugins # cp flashplayer.xpt /usr/lib/mozilla/plugins

Kill Firefox and restart it. Enter "about:plugins" in the Firefox address bar and you should see the Java and Flash plugins.

Be on the lookout for Firefox updates. When one is released, or periodically if you're not watching for an update, perform the following to update Firefox.

Code:

# yum --enablerepo=updates-i386 update firefox.i386

Kill Firefox and restart it. Enter "about:plugins" in the Firefox address bar and you should see the Java and Flash plugins.

Hope this helps. If you find any errors in these instructions, please post them here and I'll edit as necessary.
16th October 2005, 10:43 PM
Spoon!

Here are some alternatives for installing Flash and Java in general:

For Flash, I like to get the Flash plugin RPM and set up its Yum repository so it can update automatically.

For Java, I like to rebuild Java packages from sources from JPackage; that way you get RPMs for Java that you can install, update, or remove.
16th October 2005, 10:58 PM
Tashiro

Moved to How-To Articles.

Tashiro
17th October 2005, 12:09 AM
bazzoon

this is great how-to. But why not install the blackdown java 64 bit? it has plugins and I am using it fine.
17th October 2005, 12:37 AM
jim

How about creating the DIR

Quote:

/usr/lib/mozilla/plugins

if it doesn't exist.
and link the files to this dir..

Quote:

cd /usr/lib/mozilla/plugins
ln -s /opt/java/jre1.5.0_05/plugin/i386/ns7/libjavaplugin_oji.so ; cp /opt/flash/install_flash_player_7_linux/libflashplayer.so; cp /opt/flash/install_flash_player_7_linux/flashplayer.xpt

By default, firefox and mozilla look to this dir for plugin support.
So that when you update firefox, you wont have to relink the plugins....
17th October 2005, 03:16 AM
jcliburn

Quote:

Originally Posted by bazzoon

this is great how-to. But why not install the blackdown java 64 bit? it has plugins and I am using it fine.

I couldn't get the 64-bit Blackdown Java plugins registered in Firefox when I tried a few months ago; probably cockpit error on my part. But even if I'd been successful, there's still no 64-bit Macromedia Flash plugin available, as far as I know.
17th October 2005, 03:18 AM
jcliburn

Quote:

Originally Posted by fedorajim

How about creating the DIR if it doesn't exist.
and link the files to this dir..

By default, firefox and mozilla look to this dir for plugin support.
So that when you update firefox, you wont have to relink the plugins....

Thanks fedorajim. I incorporated your fine recommendation into the HOWTO.
17th October 2005, 05:32 AM
bazzoon

Quote:

Originally Posted by jcliburn

I couldn't get the 64-bit Blackdown Java plugins registered in Firefox when I tried a few months ago; probably cockpit error on my part. But even if I'd been successful, there's still no 64-bit Macromedia Flash plugin available, as far as I know.

You are right, after all you need the 32 bit firefox because the flash, real media and wmv 9 64 bit plugins are not available.

I have blackdown 64bit java plugin used by mozilla and konqueror and sun 32bit java plugin used by firefox 32bit.
30th October 2005, 04:24 AM
ieldib

Will this yum install method work for installing 32bit mplayer , or will library issues with X arise ?
30th October 2005, 01:32 PM
jcliburn

There are really two main divisions of this HOWTO: installing 32-bit Firefox, and installing plugins. Installing 32-bit Firefox is independent of any plugins you choose to install, so I'd think that whatever works in FC4.i386 for the mplayer plugin should work just fine in FC4.x86_64 after you've installed a 32-bit browser.

I'm not familar with any issues surrounding mplayer and X libs. I don't use the mplayer plugin, though. I run it directly from the command line.
30th October 2005, 03:52 PM
ieldib

Quote:

Originally Posted by jcliburn

There are really two main divisions of this HOWTO: installing 32-bit Firefox, and installing plugins. Installing 32-bit Firefox is independent of any plugins you choose to install, so I'd think that whatever works in FC4.i386 for the mplayer plugin should work just fine in FC4.x86_64 after you've installed a 32-bit browser.

I'm not familar with any issues surrounding mplayer and X libs. I don't use the mplayer plugin, though. I run it directly from the command line.

So then installing 32bit mplayer in x86_64 FC4 poses no issues at all then ? It will install and be able to use the w32codecs just fine i take it (using the i386 repositories, and the method of installing firefox32 via your yum install method)
30th October 2005, 07:44 PM
jcliburn

Quote:

Originally Posted by ieldib

So then installing 32bit mplayer in x86_64 FC4 poses no issues at all then ? It will install and be able to use the w32codecs just fine i take it (using the i386 repositories, and the method of installing firefox32 via your yum install method)

Yes, it should. Although I emphasize I haven't done it.
30th October 2005, 10:04 PM
ieldib

Well i just installed Firefox32 as the directions above list , but i get no Java deteced , it shows up in about:plugins , but it doesn't verify on sun's javasite nor can i see anything java.
30th October 2005, 10:58 PM
jcliburn

Execute the following commands from a command line (as root) and post their results here.

Code:

# yum list installed firefox # ls -l /opt/java # ls -l /usr/lib/mozilla/plugins # ls -l /usr/lib/firefox-1.0.7/plugins
31st October 2005, 01:49 AM
ieldib

[CODE]

Code:

[root@localhost yum.repos.d]# yum list installed firefox Installed Packages firefox.i386 1.0.7-1.1.fc4 installed

Code:

[root@localhost ~]# ls -l /opt/java total 16280 drwxr-xr-x 7 root root 4096 Aug 26 21:32 jre1.5.0_05 -rwxr-xr-x 1 root root 16635771 Oct 30 13:41 jre-1_5_0_05-linux-i586.bin

Code:

[root@localhost yum.repos.d]# ls -l /usr/lib/mozilla/plugins total 2068 -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 856 Oct 30 13:44 flashplayer.xpt -rwxr-xr-x 1 root root 2096844 Oct 30 13:44 libflashplayer.so lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 58 Oct 30 16:21 libjavaplugin_oji.so -> /opt/java/jre1.5.0_05/plugin/i386/ns7/libjavaplugin_oji.so

Code:

[root@localhost ~]# ls -l /usr/lib/firefox-1.0.7/plugins total 24 -rwxr-xr-x 1 root root 20232 Sep 22 15:58 libnullplugin.so

Should i go ahead and make a symbolic link to /usr/lib/firefox-1.0.7/plugins ?

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