Name: id146280 Date: 07/27/2004


JVM Specification states:

1. Chapter 5.4.1 Verification
   "The representation of a class or interface is verified (§4.9)
   to ensure that its binary representation is structurally valid
   (passes 2 and 3 of §4.9.1). Verification may cause additional
   classes and interfaces to be loaded (§5.3) but need not cause
   them to be prepared or verified."

   Verification must detect the following error:

      * If the representation of the class or interface does not
        satisfy the static or structural constraints listed in
        Section 4.8, "Constraints on Java Virtual Machine Code,"
        verification throws a VerifyError."

2. Chapter 4.8.2 Structural Constraints

  "If getfield or putfield is used to access a protected field
  of a superclass, then the type of the class instance being
  accessed must be the same as or a subclass of the current
  class. If invokevirtual or invokespecial is used to access a
  protected method of a superclass, then the type of the class
  instance being accessed must be the same as or a subclass of
  the current class."

3. Chapter 6 The Java Virtual Machine Instruction Set
   (invokespecial)

  "The named method is resolved (§5.4.3.3). Finally, if the
  resolved method is protected (§4.6), and it is either a member
  of the current class or a member of a superclass of the
  current class, then the class of objectref must be either the
  current class or a subclass of the current class."


But JDK 1.5.0-beta3-b59 passes (fails to throw VerifyError) incorrect
JCK 1.5 test vm/instr/invokespecial/invokespecial008/invokespecial00801m1/
invokespecial00801m1.html. invokespecial00801m1 tries to invoke protected
constructor of its superclass passing reference to superclass instance as
objectref to invokespecial.

Please see more detailed info in 5078932.

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