In this document it states: "Notice for JDK 1.3 users: There is a known problem in JDK 1.3 that affects Java applications being run as Windows NT services. The bug causes the service to terminate when the currently logged in user logs out. The simplest way to work around this problem is to use JDK 1.2. If your application requires JDK 1.3 features then you may want to look into javaserv or JavaService . Users have reported success with both of these packages but there may be others that work as well."
When I investigated the latest status of this bug, it turns out that a fix has been provided by Sun. It's probably worth adding the following to the above paragraph: "Starting with version 1.3.1 of the JDK, this problem can be solved by specifying -Xrs on the java command line. When using jk_nt_service, you can do this by adding it in the 'wrapper.cmd_line' entry in the wrapper.properties file." -- Rob McDermid