Post the OS and version - post the exact error you receive.
Example from Sunsolve:
What causes the following fatal java exception when I try to run Solaris
Management Console 2.1 on Solaris 9?
zp@wildfire> smc
Warning: Cannot convert string
"-monotype-arial-regular-r-normal--*-140-*-*-p-*-iso8859-1" to type FontStruct
com.sun.management.viper.CriticalStopException: javax/help/JHelp
at
com.sun.management.viperimpl.console.gui.SMCConsole.start(SMCConsole.java:276)
Resolution:
The problem was that the SUNWjhrt package had been deleted. SMC relies on it.
The solution is to pkgadd it.
It exists on the Solaris 9 - disk2 of the OS
/Solaris_9/Product/SUNWjhrt.
It does not exist in the Java[TM] 1.4.2 runtime or the Java 1.4.2 SDK that can
be downloaded from the net.
(
http://java.sun.com/j2se/1.4.2/download.html )
It is a separate product; an extension to Java at this point.
It was developed separately and not a part of the JDK so it isn't bundled
with the basic Java downloads. Thus, the confusion.
This optional JavaHelp technology bundle that can be downloaded separately from
http://java.sun.com .
(As of the date of publication of this doc, it is)
http://java.sun.com/products/javahelp/index.jsp
Temporary Workaround: Top
Additional Information: Top
Another instance of this problem may show up simply by updating the version of Java from one supported version to another. eg: from 1.4.1 to 1.4.2.
Java v1.4.1 ships with Solaris[TM] 9. It contains the JavaHelp extension packages which SMC requires. The downloaded v1.4.2 does not (as stated above in the Resolution section).
One solution would be to pkgrm the four Java Help packages from the older 1.4.1 directory, and pkgadd the same four packaged into the newer 1.4.2 directory.
There are four packages in the JavaHelp Technology bundle
application SUNWjhdem JavaHelp Demos
application SUNWjhdev JavaHelp Development Utilities
application SUNWjhdoc JavaHelp Documentation
application SUNWjhrt JavaHelp Runtime
The first three depend on SUNWjhrt.