Follow-up: compiling 7.4 --with-java

This is a follow-up to an older thread, "compiling 7.4 --with-java"
(ref: http://groups.google.com/groups?threadm=3FCCB0D0.CB27E228%40t1.unisoftbg.com&rnum=2).

Compiling PostgreSQL 7.4 on RHEL (v.3) with JDBC even using a recent
Java SDK (1.4.2) will fail if you attempt to build it with the RH
included version of Ant (1.5.2-23). It yields error messages like the
following:

gmake[3]: Entering directory
`/usr/local/src/postgresql-7.4.2/src/interfaces/jdbc'
/usr/bin/ant -buildfile ./build.xml all
Buildfile: ./build.xml

all:

prepare:
[mkdir] Created dir:
/usr/local/src/postgresql-7.4.2/src/interfaces/jdbc/build
[mkdir] Created dir:
/usr/local/src/postgresql-7.4.2/src/interfaces/jdbc/jars

check_versions:

check_driver:

driver:
[copy] Copying 1 file to
/usr/local/src/postgresql-7.4.2/src/interfaces/jdbc/org/postgresql
[echo] Configured build for the JDBC3 edition driver with NO SSL

compile:
[javac] Compiling 77 source files to
/usr/local/src/postgresql-7.4.2/src/interfaces/jdbc/build
[javac] /usr/local/src/postgresql-7.4.2/src/interfaces/jdbc/org/postgresql/jdbc3/Jdbc3Statement.java:28:
error: Invalid checked exception class `java.sql.SQLException' in
`throws' clause. The exception must be a subclass of an exception
thrown by `org.postgresql.jdbc1.AbstractJdbc1Statement.createRefCursorResultSet(java.lang.String)'
from class `org.postgresql.jdbc1.AbstractJdbc1Statement'.
[javac] public PGRefCursorResultSet
createRefCursorResultSet (String cursorName) throws SQLException
[javac] ^
[javac] /usr/local/src/postgresql-7.4.2/src/interfaces/jdbc/org/postgresql/jdbc3/Jdbc3PreparedStatement.java:23:
error: Invalid checked exception class `java.sql.SQLException' in
`throws' clause. The exception must be a subclass of an exception
thrown by `org.postgresql.jdbc1.AbstractJdbc1Statement.createRefCursorResultSet(java.lang.String)'
from class `org.postgresql.jdbc1.AbstractJdbc1Statement'.
[javac] public PGRefCursorResultSet
createRefCursorResultSet (String cursorName) throws SQLException
[javac] ^
[javac] /usr/local/src/postgresql-7.4.2/src/interfaces/jdbc/org/postgresql/jdbc3/Jdbc3PoolingDataSource.java:29:
error: Method `org.postgresql.jdbc2.optional.PoolingDataSource.getDataSource(java.lang.String)'
was defined with return type
`org.postgresql.jdbc2.optional.PoolingDataSource' in class
`org.postgresql.jdbc2.optional.PoolingDataSource'.
[javac] static Jdbc3PoolingDataSource getDataSource(String
name)
[javac] ^
[javac] /usr/local/src/postgresql-7.4.2/src/interfaces/jdbc/org/postgresql/jdbc3/Jdbc3CallableStatement.java:23:
error: Invalid checked exception class `java.sql.SQLException' in
`throws' clause. The exception must be a subclass of an exception
thrown by `org.postgresql.jdbc1.AbstractJdbc1Statement.createRefCursorResultSet(java.lang.String)'
from class `org.postgresql.jdbc1.AbstractJdbc1Statement'.
[javac] public PGRefCursorResultSet
createRefCursorResultSet (String cursorName) throws SQLException
[javac] ^
[javac] 4 errors

BUILD FAILED
file:/usr/local/src/postgresql-7.4.2/src/interfaces/jdbc/build.xml:116:
Compile failed; see the compiler error output for details.

Total time: 0 seconds
gmake[3]: *** [all] Error 1
gmake[3]: Leaving directory
`/usr/local/src/postgresql-7.4.2/src/interfaces/jdbc'
gmake[2]: *** [all] Error 2
gmake[2]: Leaving directory
`/usr/local/src/postgresql-7.4.2/src/interfaces'
gmake[1]: *** [all] Error 2
gmake[1]: Leaving directory `/usr/local/src/postgresql-7.4.2/src'
gmake: *** [all] Error 2

It took me a while to figure out what was causing the problems, but I
believe it's the outdated Ant that causes the build to fail. I solved
the problem by downloading the most recent binary distribution of Ant
(1.6.1), and re-running the configure script and gmake. It's helpful
to set the environment variables JAVA_HOME and ANT_HOME to the correct
paths of the newly installed releases, and to make sure that the ant
binary is in your PATH:

export JAVA_HOME=/usr/local/j2sdk1.4.2_04
export ANT_HOME=/usr/local/apache-ant-1.6.1
export PATH=${ANT_HOME}/bin:$PATH

I'm posting this here in case someone else runs into this problem and
is looking for a documented solution.

Cheers,
Brian