How do you remotely update Java applications?

Question

We\'ve got a Java server application that runs on a number of computers, all connected to the Internet, some behind firewalls. We need to remotely update the JAR files and start

Answer 1

The latest version of Java Web Start allows for injecting an application in the local cache without actually invoking the program and it can be marked as "offline". Since the cache is what is used to invoke the program, it will be updated for the next run only. For this to work you will most likely need jars with version numbers in their name (e.g. our-library-2009-06-01.jar).