Index: trunk/api2/src/java/javax/jdo/JDOHelper.java
===================================================================
--- trunk/api2/src/java/javax/jdo/JDOHelper.java	(revision 694575)
+++ trunk/api2/src/java/javax/jdo/JDOHelper.java	(working copy)
@@ -773,47 +773,90 @@
      * <code>PersistenceManagerFactory</code>.
      * @param pmfClassLoader the class loader to use to load the
      * <code>PersistenceManagerFactory</code> class
+     * @throws JDOFatalUserException If either the pmfClassLoader passed is 
+     *                               invalid or a valid class name cannot be obtained from
+     *                               either <code>props</code> or system resources.
      * @since 2.1
      */
     protected static PersistenceManagerFactory getPersistenceManagerFactory
-            (Map overrides, Map props, ClassLoader pmfClassLoader) {
+            (Map overrides, Map props, ClassLoader pmfClassLoader) throws JDOFatalUserException {
+        
         List exceptions = new ArrayList();
         if (pmfClassLoader == null)
             throw new JDOFatalUserException (msg.msg (
                 "EXC_GetPMFNullLoader")); //NOI18N
 
+	// try and get the class name from the properties object.
         String pmfClassName = (String) props.get (
                 PROPERTY_PERSISTENCE_MANAGER_FACTORY_CLASS);
 
+	// test to be sure all the throwables are in the nested exceptions
+	// array.  There are multiple jar files where the class loader can
+	// exist in - and this code will find all of them.
+	// positive test: a bad implementation of a class: 
+	//	META-INF is missing a class or the class is bad.
+	// test 1: check that all bad classes are skipped
+	// test 2: check that when all classes are bad, that all exceptions are 
+	// 	caught.
+	// use JDOHelperConfigTest and JDOConfigTestClassLoader
+	// have multiple jar files in classpath
         if (!isNullOrBlank(pmfClassName)) {
+	    // a valid name was returned from the properties.
             return invokeGetPersistenceManagerFactoryOnImplementation(
                         pmfClassName, overrides, props, pmfClassLoader);
 
         } else {
-        // PMF class name null or blank -- try services
-        // for each file META-INF/services/javax.jdo.PersistenceManagerFactory
-        // try to invoke the getPersistenceManagerFactory method of the
-        // implementation class
+            /*
+             * If you have a .jar file that provides services, a file name for
+             * each service goes into the jar file  
+             * META-INF/services/javax.naming.initialContext.
+             * The contents of the file is a string that is the PMF class name, 
+             * null or blank. For each file 
+             * META-INF/services/javax.jdo.PersistenceManagerFactory
+             * try to invoke the getPersistenceManagerFactory method of the
+             * implementation class. Return the factory if a valid class name is
+             * extracted from resources.  Otherwise add the exception thrown to 
+             * an exception list.
+             */
+            Enumeration urls = null;
             try {
-                Enumeration urls = getResources(pmfClassLoader, 
-                    SERVICE_LOOKUP_PMF_RESOURCE_NAME);
+                urls = getResources(pmfClassLoader,
+                        SERVICE_LOOKUP_PMF_RESOURCE_NAME);
+            } catch (Throwable ex) {
+                exceptions.add(ex);
+            }
+
+            if (urls != null){
                 while (urls.hasMoreElements()) {
-                    pmfClassName = getClassNameFromURL((URL)urls.nextElement());
+                    
+
+                    try {
+                        URL curURL = (URL)urls.nextElement();
+                        System.out.print("curURL path: " + curURL.getPath());
+                        
+                        pmfClassName = getClassNameFromURL(
+                                curURL);
+                                // (URL) urls.nextElement());
+
+                        // return the first class name that is valid.
                         return invokeGetPersistenceManagerFactoryOnImplementation(
-                            pmfClassName, overrides, props, pmfClassLoader);
+                                pmfClassName, overrides, props, pmfClassLoader);
+                        
+                    } catch (Throwable ex) {
+                        
+                        // remember exceptions from failed pmf invocations
+                        exceptions.add(ex);
+                        
+                    }
                 }
-            } catch (Throwable ex) {
-                // remember exceptions from failed pmf invocations
-                exceptions.add(ex);
             }
+
         }
 
-        // no PMF class name and no services
-        
+        // no PMF class name and no services.  
         throw new JDOFatalUserException(msg.msg(
                 "EXC_GetPMFNoPMFClassNamePropertyOrPUNameProperty"),
-                (Throwable[])
-                    exceptions.toArray(new Throwable[exceptions.size()]));
+                (Throwable[]) exceptions.toArray(new Throwable[exceptions.size()])); 
     }
 
     /** Get a class name from a URL. The URL is from getResources with