How to unload a java class from memory?

[MukulJ Patil]

Hi All,
I am using a batch file to call my java class file which loads a class when run. This class file runs for 24x7.

For some reason, i want to stop the processing of this class. I can't kill the batch as it's been called by a windows service, so it's running in the background (not visible).

I think there should be some JVM option to do so. I wish to prepare a second batch file which will pass some parameters to JVM. I searched for this but didn't get any. Please advise.

Thanks.

[Ernest Friedman-Hill]

The answers depend on exactly what you're saying -- it's really hard to tell. "Unload a class" has a very specific Java meaning, but I think you're using it to mean something utterly different.

If you are running a free-standing background process written in Java, and you want to kill that process, then the cleanest way would be to have that background process listen for a connection on a local socket, and when it reads a String like "QUIT" on that socket, it calls System.exit . Then you can write a program to stop the first program just by connection to that socket and printing "QUIT".

[wise owen]

12.7 Unloading of Classes and Interfaces.