Error: package com.sun.crypto.provider does not exist after upgrade to Java 1.6

Question

I have recently upgraded an existing java project from java 1.4 to 1.6 and it fails to compile due to the error: package com.sun.crypto.provider does not exist.

I realise that I'm missing a library but I don't know which library to download or where to download it?

Answer 1

com.sun.crypto.provider is the Sun Java Cryptography Extension (JCE), introduced for Java 1.3 (I think) to get around the lunatic export regs of the US government. The JCE was non-standard, though (as are all com.sun packages), and they were renamed/refactored in later versions of Java, which have "proper" crypto packages (javax.crypto).

Therefore, your application as it stands will not run on Java6 without modification, changing the JCE referneces to the new standard packages.

Answer 2

Rather than downloading a library, you should modify your application so that it doesn't depend on libraries that aren't part of the public API. Future upgrades would require no further effort.