2.2. Java Virtual Machine

A Java Virtual Machine (JVM) is a virtual environment that runs and executes Java programs on a host operating system. The JVM acts as an abstract computer and is a platform-independent execution environment that converts the Java programming code into machine language. A Java Virtual Machine (JVM) makes Java portable by providing an abstraction layer between the compiled Java program and the underlying hardware platform and operating system.

Red Hat recommends using OpenJDK Java platform as it is an open source, supported Java Virtual Machine that runs well on Red Hat Enterprise Linux systems. For Windows users, Oracle JDK 1.6 installation is recommended.