diff -r 845129b692f6 -r a1b8cf9cf970 src/share/vm/runtime/thread.cpp
--- a/src/share/vm/runtime/thread.cpp	Mon Oct 29 16:39:14 2012 -0700
+++ b/src/share/vm/runtime/thread.cpp	Thu Nov 01 13:05:47 2012 +0100
@@ -1042,6 +1042,7 @@
 }
 
 char java_runtime_name[128] = "";
+char java_runtime_version[128] = "";
 
 // extract the JRE name from sun.misc.Version.java_runtime_name
 static const char* get_java_runtime_name(TRAPS) {
@@ -1064,6 +1065,27 @@
   }
 }
 
+// extract the JRE version from sun.misc.Version.java_runtime_version
+static const char* get_java_runtime_version(TRAPS) {
+  Klass* k = SystemDictionary::find(vmSymbols::sun_misc_Version(),
+                                      Handle(), Handle(), CHECK_AND_CLEAR_NULL);
+  fieldDescriptor fd;
+  bool found = k != NULL &&
+               InstanceKlass::cast(k)->find_local_field(vmSymbols::java_runtime_version_name(),
+                                                        vmSymbols::string_signature(), &fd);
+  if (found) {
+    oop name_oop = k->java_mirror()->obj_field(fd.offset());
+    if (name_oop == NULL)
+      return NULL;
+    const char* name = java_lang_String::as_utf8_string(name_oop,
+                                                        java_runtime_version,
+                                                        sizeof(java_runtime_version));
+    return name;
+  } else {
+    return NULL;
+  }
+}
+
 // General purpose hook into Java code, run once when the VM is initialized.
 // The Java library method itself may be changed independently from the VM.
 static void call_postVMInitHook(TRAPS) {
@@ -3473,6 +3495,7 @@
 
       // get the Java runtime name after java.lang.System is initialized
       JDK_Version::set_runtime_name(get_java_runtime_name(THREAD));
+      JDK_Version::set_runtime_version(get_java_runtime_version(THREAD));
     } else {
       warning("java.lang.System not initialized");
     }