diff --git a/docs/pages/release_notes.md b/docs/pages/release_notes.md
index ecf46b450d..a3d6b950f9 100644
--- a/docs/pages/release_notes.md
+++ b/docs/pages/release_notes.md
@@ -14,12 +14,23 @@ This is a {{ site.pmd.release_type }} release.
 
 ### New and noteworthy
 
+#### Renamed Rules
+
+*   The Java rule {% rule "java/errorprone/DoNotCallSystemExit" %} has been renamed to
+    {% rule "java/errorprone/DoNotTerminateVM" %}, since it checks for all the following calls:
+    `System.exit(int)`, `Runtime.exit(int)`, `Runtime.halt(int)`. All these calls terminate
+    the Java VM, which is bad, if the VM runs an application server which many independent applications.
+
 ### Fixed Issues
 
+* java-errorprone
+    * [#2157](https://github.com/pmd/pmd/issues/2157): \[java] Improve DoNotCallSystemExit: permit call in main(), flag System.halt
+
 ### API Changes
 
 ### External Contributions
 
+*   [#2803](https://github.com/pmd/pmd/pull/2803): \[java] Improve DoNotCallSystemExit (Fixes #2157) - [Vitaly Polonetsky](https://github.com/mvitaly)
 *   [#2809](https://github.com/pmd/pmd/pull/2809): \[java] Move test config from file to test class - [Stefan Birkner](https://github.com/stefanbirkner)
 *   [#2810](https://github.com/pmd/pmd/pull/2810): \[core] Move method "renderTempFile" to XMLRendererTest - [Stefan Birkner](https://github.com/stefanbirkner)
 
diff --git a/pmd-java/src/main/resources/category/java/errorprone.xml b/pmd-java/src/main/resources/category/java/errorprone.xml
index 94875fb765..d0ac48edb3 100644
--- a/pmd-java/src/main/resources/category/java/errorprone.xml
+++ b/pmd-java/src/main/resources/category/java/errorprone.xml
@@ -1296,42 +1296,7 @@ public class GCCall {
         </example>
     </rule>
 
-    <rule name="DoNotCallSystemExit"
-          language="java"
-          since="4.1"
-          message="System.exit() should not be used in J2EE/JEE apps"
-          class="net.sourceforge.pmd.lang.rule.XPathRule"
-          externalInfoUrl="${pmd.website.baseurl}/pmd_rules_java_errorprone.html#donotcallsystemexit">
-        <description>
-Web applications should not call System.exit(), since only the web container or the
-application server should stop the JVM. This rule also checks for the equivalent call Runtime.getRuntime().exit().
-        </description>
-        <priority>3</priority>
-        <properties>
-            <property name="version" value="2.0"/>
-            <property name="xpath">
-                <value>
-<![CDATA[
-//Name[
-    starts-with(@Image,'System.exit')
-    or
-    (starts-with(@Image,'Runtime.getRuntime') and ../../PrimarySuffix[ends-with(@Image,'exit')])
-]
-]]>
-                </value>
-            </property>
-        </properties>
-        <example>
-<![CDATA[
-public void bar() {
-    System.exit(0);                 // never call this when running in an application server!
-}
-public void foo() {
-    Runtime.getRuntime().exit(0);   // never stop the JVM manually, the container will do this.
-}
-]]>
-        </example>
-    </rule>
+    <rule name="DoNotCallSystemExit" ref="category/java/errorprone.xml/DoNotTerminateVM" deprecated="true" />
 
     <rule name="DoNotExtendJavaLangThrowable"
           language="java"
@@ -1390,6 +1355,48 @@ public class MyActivity extends Activity {
         </example>
     </rule>
 
+    <rule name="DoNotTerminateVM"
+          language="java"
+          since="4.1"
+          message="System.exit() should not be used in J2EE/JEE apps"
+          class="net.sourceforge.pmd.lang.rule.XPathRule"
+          externalInfoUrl="${pmd.website.baseurl}/pmd_rules_java_errorprone.html#donotterminatevm">
+        <description>
+Web applications should not call `System.exit()`, since only the web container or the
+application server should stop the JVM. Otherwise a web application would terminate all other applications
+running on the same application server.
+
+This rule also checks for the equivalent calls `Runtime.getRuntime().exit()` and `Runtime.getRuntime().halt()`.
+
+This rule was called *DoNotCallSystemExit* until PMD 6.29.0.
+        </description>
+        <priority>3</priority>
+        <properties>
+            <property name="version" value="2.0"/>
+            <property name="xpath">
+                <value>
+<![CDATA[
+//Name[
+    starts-with(@Image,'System.exit')
+    or
+    (starts-with(@Image,'Runtime.getRuntime') and ../../PrimarySuffix[ends-with(@Image,'exit') or ends-with(@Image,'halt')])
+][not(ancestor::MethodDeclaration[1][@Name="main" and @Static = true()])]
+]]>
+                </value>
+            </property>
+        </properties>
+        <example>
+<![CDATA[
+public void bar() {
+    System.exit(0);                 // never call this when running in an application server!
+}
+public void foo() {
+    Runtime.getRuntime().exit(0);   // never stop the JVM manually, the container will do this.
+}
+]]>
+        </example>
+    </rule>
+
     <rule name="DoNotThrowExceptionInFinally"
           language="java"
           since="4.2"
diff --git a/pmd-java/src/test/java/net/sourceforge/pmd/lang/java/rule/errorprone/DoNotCallSystemExitTest.java b/pmd-java/src/test/java/net/sourceforge/pmd/lang/java/rule/errorprone/DoNotTerminateVM.java
similarity index 78%
rename from pmd-java/src/test/java/net/sourceforge/pmd/lang/java/rule/errorprone/DoNotCallSystemExitTest.java
rename to pmd-java/src/test/java/net/sourceforge/pmd/lang/java/rule/errorprone/DoNotTerminateVM.java
index cfcfd46bb4..2be13f74ed 100644
--- a/pmd-java/src/test/java/net/sourceforge/pmd/lang/java/rule/errorprone/DoNotCallSystemExitTest.java
+++ b/pmd-java/src/test/java/net/sourceforge/pmd/lang/java/rule/errorprone/DoNotTerminateVM.java
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-/**
+/*
  * BSD-style license; for more info see http://pmd.sourceforge.net/license.html
  */
 
@@ -6,6 +6,6 @@ package net.sourceforge.pmd.lang.java.rule.errorprone;
 
 import net.sourceforge.pmd.testframework.PmdRuleTst;
 
-public class DoNotCallSystemExitTest extends PmdRuleTst {
+public class DoNotTerminateVM extends PmdRuleTst {
     // no additional unit tests
 }
diff --git a/pmd-java/src/test/resources/net/sourceforge/pmd/lang/java/rule/errorprone/xml/DoNotCallSystemExit.xml b/pmd-java/src/test/resources/net/sourceforge/pmd/lang/java/rule/errorprone/xml/DoNotTerminateVM.xml
similarity index 54%
rename from pmd-java/src/test/resources/net/sourceforge/pmd/lang/java/rule/errorprone/xml/DoNotCallSystemExit.xml
rename to pmd-java/src/test/resources/net/sourceforge/pmd/lang/java/rule/errorprone/xml/DoNotTerminateVM.xml
index 931f5f1830..82fbeba58b 100644
--- a/pmd-java/src/test/resources/net/sourceforge/pmd/lang/java/rule/errorprone/xml/DoNotCallSystemExit.xml
+++ b/pmd-java/src/test/resources/net/sourceforge/pmd/lang/java/rule/errorprone/xml/DoNotTerminateVM.xml
@@ -6,9 +6,15 @@
 
     <test-code>
         <description>basic violations</description>
-        <expected-problems>1</expected-problems>
+        <expected-problems>2</expected-problems>
         <code><![CDATA[
 public class Bar {
+
+    static {
+        // NEVER DO THIS IN A APP SERVER !!!
+        System.exit(0);
+    }
+
     public void foo() {
         // NEVER DO THIS IN A APP SERVER !!!
         System.exit(0);
@@ -32,14 +38,46 @@ public class SystemCall {
 
     <test-code>
         <description>basic violations with Runtime</description>
-        <expected-problems>1</expected-problems>
+        <expected-problems>2</expected-problems>
         <code><![CDATA[
 public class Bar {
     public void foo() {
         // NEVER DO THIS IN A APP SERVER !!!
         Runtime.getRuntime().exit(0);
+        Runtime.getRuntime().halt(0);
     }
 }
         ]]></code>
     </test-code>
+
+    <test-code>
+        <description>system exit in main</description>
+        <expected-problems>0</expected-problems>
+        <code><![CDATA[
+public class SystemCall {
+    public static void main(String[] args) {
+        // OK in main()
+        System.exit(0);
+    }
+}
+        ]]></code>
+    </test-code>
+
+    <test-code>
+        <description>system exit in anonymous class inside main</description>
+        <expected-problems>1</expected-problems>
+        <code><![CDATA[
+public class SystemCall {
+    public static void main(String[] args) {
+        new Runnable() {
+            public void run() {
+                // NEVER DO THIS IN A APP SERVER !!!
+                System.exit(0);
+            }
+        };
+    }
+}
+        ]]></code>
+    </test-code>
+
 </test-data>