Java HotSpot Virtual Machine

Hello,

I'm working on a web project in which we would like to dynamically load plugins without server restart.

We have developed our own ClassLoader in order to load the plugins from a path or with a user interface upload function.

The class loader hierarchy should be something like this:

      Bootstrap
          |
       System
          |
       Common
      /      \
 Catalina   Shared
             /   \
        Webapp1  OurSystem
                     \
                   PluginClassLoader

The all works fine within the classes loaded in the PluginClassLoader, but classes loaded in OurSystems class loader cannot access classes loaded in PluginClassLoader. For example when Hibernate tries to load classes definied in mapping files we got a java.lang.ClassNotFoundException.

Is there a way to load classes dynamically to OurSystems class loader or notify it about PluginClassLoaders classes?

Or is this a bad way to do it?

Best regards,
Kristoffer Renholm