IE Cache Load Error

[Scott Selikoff]

So I came accross the problem described in this forum post:

http://forum.java.sun.com/thread.jspa?threadID=391178&messageID=1691175

The root of it is that if the IE cache is set too high, leading to too many files in the cache, that a java program such as a JSP or swing app launched from a browser will inconsistently crash and no longer be able to read files in the crash generating an Exception similar to "CouldNotLoadArgumentException[ Could not load file/URL specified"

Easy fix is to clear the IE cache and set it smaller.

Why does this happen though? Is this a limitation of the operating system, java, or IE? Is there a work around other than to delete the cache files? Is this considered a bug on Sun's part?

[Jody Brown]

Could you possibly be trying to open too many simultaneous connections too quickly and you are simply jamming up your internet connection? I usually find it is good to try to eliminate the obvious before moving onto more complex possibilities.

[Scott Selikoff]

Nope, number of connections is not related, only number of files in the cache.

[Ernest Friedman-Hill]

That thread is talking about JNLP files, which contain a description of how to launch a Java WebStart app; they're interpreted by the Java Plugin. My guess would be that when the cache is full, IE starts randomly deleting files. The browser knows about this, but Java WebStart doesn't know that the files it's used in the past out of the cache are no longer there.

It might be a pilot error, in that the user set things up to use files from the cache instead of off permanent storage (i.e., they've basically bookmarked a file in the cache) or it might be just how the Plugin works on Windows. I tried this on my Powerbook, and clicking on a JNLP link downloads the JNLP file to the desktop, where it's obviously going to persist after the cache is cleared.
[ November 09, 2005: Message edited by: Ernest Friedman-Hill ]

[Jody Brown]

So let's say your cache limit is low - 100 files, kilobytes, whatever. And you try to get a single connection. This works fine. You up the limit to something high - 1,000,000 for arguments sake? Trying to get that same single connection will fail? You defenitely arent trying to cycle through all of the files, opening URL connections for each one? I've not hit this problem myself, but I am sitting here with some time on my hands and I am due to start back at work in a few weeks and I know I will need to get my bug fixing hat back on, thus why I'm here.

[Scott Selikoff]

Originally posted by Ernest Friedman-Hill:
My guess would be that when the cache is full, IE starts randomly deleting files. The browser knows about this, but Java WebStart doesn't know that the files it's used in the past out of the cache are no longer there.

This is a Java WebStart error (I should have mentioned that explicity) although I think it also can come into play for JSP pages too.

I don't follow your logic though, wouldn't the opposite be true? If a user set the cache too small, then IE would start randomly deleting files. From what I've been able to discern the problem only occurs when the cache is set from 500 megabytes to gigabytes or even higher. Also, I think the cache size itself is not the problem, the actual number of files becomes the issue as either Windows or IE has some trouble with too many files in a single directory. I still don't understand why this affects java but not IE more directly or if these presumptions are completely true.