| name | build-jdk15to18 |
| description | Build, sign, and test the legacy jdk15to18 (Java 5) distribution via the build1-5to1-8 script and ant/jdk15+.xml. Use this whenever the user wants to build/sign/run the "build1-5to1-8" version, get "sh build1-5to1-8 test" to pass, reproduce a genuine-Java-5 compile or test failure, or chase a "JCE cannot authenticate the provider BC" / NoSuchMethodError / NoClassDefFoundError that only shows up on a real JRE 5. Captures the build→sign→test ordering, the two different JDKs involved, the machine-only signing step, and the compile-time vs runtime Java-version traps that the modern Gradle build cannot surface. |
Building, signing and testing the jdk15to18 (Java 5) distribution
The legacy jdk15to18 artifact is a 1.5-bytecode jar built on JDK 8 and run on a genuine JRE 5. That split is the source of every non-obvious problem here: code that compiles fine (JDK 8 resolves all APIs) can still fail at runtime on JRE 5 because the API didn't exist in 1.5. The Gradle build (--release 8) cannot catch any of this; only this pipeline can.
This skill is for driving sh build1-5to1-8 and getting sh build1-5to1-8 test green.
The three steps — order matters
sh build1-5to1-8 # 1. BUILD on JDK 8 -> unsigned jars
/home/dgh/bin/bcsign build/artifacts/jdk1.5/jars/*.jar # 2. SIGN (this machine only)
sh build1-5to1-8 test # 3. TEST on genuine JRE 5
The build clobbers signatures. sh build1-5to1-8 (no arg) rewrites every jar in build/artifacts/jdk1.5/jars/ unsigned. So you must always build → sign → test, in that order. Never run the no-arg build again after signing without re-signing.
test does not rebuild the provider. The test target only compiles the test tree and runs JUnit against the already-built (and signed) jars. So you can re-run sh build1-5to1-8 test as many times as you like without re-signing — only a no-arg rebuild forces a re-sign.
Step 1 — build (JDK 8)
sh build1-5to1-8 sets JAVA_HOME=$JDKPATH (default /usr/lib/jvm/java-8-openjdk-amd64) and runs ant -f ant/jdk15+.xml build-provider build, producing in build/artifacts/jdk1.5/jars/:
bcprov, bcprov-ext, bcutil, bcpkix, bcpg, bcmail, bcjmail, bctls, bctest (-jdk15to18-<ver>.jar).
The <javac> is source/target=1.5, fork="true", no bootclasspath — so it compiles against JDK 8's libraries. That is why API-availability problems are invisible at this stage.
If you only need to iterate on the test compile, build-provider alone is not enough — asn1.cmc/asn1.cmp/etc. tests need bcutil/bcpkix, so run the full no-arg build at least once.
Step 2 — sign (only works on this machine)
/home/dgh/bin/bcsign <jars...> signs in place with BC's release keys:
- It hardcodes
JAVA_HOME=java-7 (needs pack200, removed in JDK 14+).
- For names matching
jdk15|jdk16|fips it pack200 --repacks then double-signs (RSA-2048 bcrsa2048key + 1024 bc1024key) against keystores under /home/dgh/bc/ with a timestamp authority, then verifies.
- The keystores, passwords and certs live only on this machine, so signing cannot be reproduced elsewhere — on any other host the crypto tests cannot pass under a genuine JRE 5.
Sign the whole jar dir: /home/dgh/bin/bcsign build/artifacts/jdk1.5/jars/*.jar.
Why signing is mandatory: on JDK 5 the JCE requires providers performing Cipher/Mac/KeyGenerator work to be jars signed with a trusted JCE code-signing cert. An unsigned dev jar makes essentially every crypto test fail with java.lang.SecurityException: JCE cannot authenticate the provider BC (pure-ASN.1 suites still pass, which is the tell).
Step 3 — test (genuine JRE 5)
The test branch of build1-5to1-8 switches JAVA_HOME=$JDK5PATH (/usr/lib/jvm/java-1.5.0-oracle-i586) and runs ant -f ant/jdk15+.xml test: it copies+overlays sources, compiles the test tree with genuine javac 1.5, then runs the **/AllTests.java suites under JRE 5. Reports land in build/artifacts/jdk1.5/reports/xml/TEST-*.xml (parse these for failures — the console only prints Test <suite> FAILED).
Two distinct classes of failure
(a) Compile-time — genuine javac 1.5 rejects the test source
Test files using post-1.5 APIs must be excluded from the genuine-Java-5 compile in ant/jdk15+.xml (add an <exclude> to the prov/src/test/java fileset) and dropped from the genuine-Java-5 suite overlays under prov/src/test/jdk1.5/ (the build copies the main tree then overlays jdk1.5 with overwrite="true", so the overlay RegressionTest/AllTests are what actually compile). Known excludes already in place:
jce/provider/test/AEADTest.java, jcajce/provider/test/LEATest.java — javax.crypto.spec.GCMParameterSpec (Java 7).jce/provider/test/X509LDAPCertStoreTest.java — pulls com.unboundid.ldap... from unboundid-ldapsdk-6.0.8.jar, which is Java 7 bytecode (class file has wrong version 51.0, should be 49.0).
Main-source genuine-Java-5 overlays live under <module>/src/main/jdk1.5/ (e.g. core/src/main/jdk1.5/.../i18n/LocalizedMessage.java avoids Java 6 ResourceBundle.Control). The no-arg build masks the need for these (JDK 8 has the API); only a genuine-javac-1.5 compile reveals them.
To check a single file fast without the whole pipeline, compile against the real Java 5 bootclasspath:
J5=/usr/lib/jvm/java-1.5.0-oracle-i586
"$J5/bin/javac" -source 1.5 -target 1.5 \
-bootclasspath "$J5/jre/lib/rt.jar:$J5/jre/lib/jce.jar:$J5/jre/lib/jsse.jar" \
-sourcepath <tree> -d /tmp/out <File>.java
(Include jce.jar/jsse.jar — javax.crypto.* / javax.net.ssl.* are not in rt.jar on JDK 5.)
Excluding a test from the JRE-5 run. The build copies the main test tree then overlays <module>/src/test/jdk1.5/ with overwrite="true". Two cases:
- A
*AllTests/*Test discovered by the batchtest, or one constructed in an AllTests method: the offending class can fail to even load on JRE 5 (the bytecode verifier resolves a JDK-7/8 type referenced in a method body at class-load time, so a guard inside the method never runs). So you must drop it from the suite, via a jdk1.5 overlay of the enclosing AllTests/RegressionTest (e.g. prov/src/test/jdk1.5/.../RegressionTest.java, pkix/src/test/jdk1.5/.../cert/ocsp/test/AllTests.java). The overlay must list every test except the excluded one (it replaces, not merges). Add the module's src/test/jdk1.5 to the overwrite copy block in ant/jdk15+.xml if it isn't already (prov/tls/pg were wired; core/pkix were added during the 1.85 pass).
- A
SimpleTest run only via RegressionTest.tests (e.g. crypto.test.RSATest): a RegressionTest overlay would duplicate ~200 entries, so a runtime guard inside the test keyed on System.getProperty("java.version").startsWith("1.5") is cleaner (it still runs on JDK 8/21). Used for the RSATest JIT case below.
(b) Runtime — target-1.5 bytecode calls an API absent on JRE 5
These compile cleanly (JDK 8 has the API) and only surface as JUnit NoSuchMethodError/NoClassDefFoundError on JRE 5. The BC util wrappers Longs/Integers/BigIntegers exist precisely for this — they have jdk1.5 overlays that reimplement the Java-7/8 method in a 1.5-safe way, so the fix is usually "route the static call through the wrapper" (and, if the wrapper lacks the method, add it to both the main class and its jdk1.5 overlay). Confirmed fixes from the 1.85 pass:
| Java-7/8 API (symptom) | Java-5-safe fix |
|---|
new IOException(String,Throwable) / IOException(Throwable) (Java 6) | Exceptions.ioException(msg,cause); for an IOException subclass ctor super(msg); initCause(cause); |
BigInteger.longValueExact() (Java 8) | BigIntegers.longValueExact(x) |
Long.parseUnsignedLong/compareUnsigned/divideUnsigned, Integer.compare (Java 7/8) | Longs.* / Integers.* (add to main and jdk1.5 overlay if missing) |
Math.getExponent/Math.scalb (Java 6) | full jdk1.5 overlay of the class (e.g. Dpe) with exact ports; keep main on Math.* |
SecretKey.destroy() (Java 8 — SecretKey extends Destroyable only since 8) | if (key instanceof Destroyable) ((Destroyable)key).destroy(); (the interface is Java 1.4) |
StandardCharsets / String.getBytes(Charset) / new String(byte[],Charset) (Java 6/7) | Strings.toByteArray / charset-name (String) overloads |
java.util.Arrays.copyOf / copyOfRange (Java 6) | System.arraycopy (BC org.bouncycastle.util.Arrays.copyOf has only primitive/BigInteger overloads) |
ResourceBundle.Control (Java 6) | jdk1.5 overlay; emulate no-fallback by pinning Locale.setDefault(loc) across getBundle |
PKIXRevocationChecker/java.security.cert.Extension (Java 8) | not portable — version-gate the provider registration / exclude the test |
Audit grep before shipping a change: longValueExact(), new IOException( with a 2nd arg (and extends IOException ctors), StandardCharsets, getBytes(java.nio.charset, \bLong\.(parseUnsigned|compareUnsigned|divideUnsigned), Integer.compare, Math.(getExponent|scalb), java.util.Arrays.copyOf, \.destroy\(\) on SecretKey, ResourceBundle.Control, java.security.cert.PKIXRevocationChecker. mls is not in this build — ignore its hits.
Note: @Override on an interface-method implementation is a genuine-javac-1.5 error, but the real build compiles under JDK 8 (-source 1.5, lenient), so it is not a blocker — don't churn those.
(c) JVM defect — JRE 5's JIT miscompiles correct code
Not every JRE-5-only failure is a Java-version-API problem. The Oracle 1.5.0_22 i586 HotSpot JIT miscompiles org.bouncycastle.math.raw.Mod.modOddIsCoprimeVar (the safegcd routine behind BigIntegers.hasAnySmallFactors) once that path warms up — so RSATest's small-factor modulus rejection silently doesn't fire. The bytecode is correct (passes on JDK 21 and under the 1.5 interpreter). Diagnostic recipe to classify any suspicious JRE-5 failure:
J5=/usr/lib/jvm/java-1.5.0-oracle-i586
CP=build/artifacts/jdk1.5/jars/bcprov-jdk15to18-*.jar:build/artifacts/jdk1.5/jars/bctest-jdk15to18-*.jar
"$J5/bin/java" -cp "$CP" <SimpleTest fqcn> # genuine JIT -> reproduces
"$J5/bin/java" -Xint -cp "$CP" <SimpleTest fqcn> # interpreter -> if it PASSES, it's a JIT bug, not a BC bug
$JAVA_HOME/bin/java -cp "$CP" <SimpleTest fqcn> # JDK 21 -> if it PASSES, not a logic bug
If -Xint passes but JIT fails, it's a JVM defect — don't "fix" the BC code; guard the affected assertion on java.version 1.5 (see exclusion note above) and document it.
Quick reference
| Need | Command |
|---|
| Full build (JDK 8) | sh build1-5to1-8 |
| Sign (this machine) | /home/dgh/bin/bcsign build/artifacts/jdk1.5/jars/*.jar |
| Test (JRE 5) | sh build1-5to1-8 test |
| Clean | sh build1-5to1-8 clean |
| Failure detail | build/artifacts/jdk1.5/reports/xml/TEST-*.xml |
Overriding JDKs: JDKPATH (build JDK, default 8) and JDK5PATH (test JRE, default the oracle i586 5) are read from the environment by build1-5to1-8.
