Install Update Faq

Using Eclipse update manager

For some hints on organizing your Eclipse directories and multiple installations/upgrades, see Installation Organization and Upgrading

How to indicate the proxy for updating eclipse?

You have to launch eclipse with some special paramters. Open a command prompt (or a terminal window on linux or mac) in the eclipse directory and type:
eclipse -vmargs -DproxySet=true -DproxyHost=<your proxy address> -DproxyPort=<your proxy port>
replacing <your proxy address> and <your proxy port> with the values provided by your network administrator.

Alternatively, you can edit your eclipse.ini file and add the following line at the bottom:
-DproxySet=true -DproxyHost=<your proxy address> -DproxyPort=<your proxy port>
replacing (again) <your proxy address> and <your proxy port> with the values provided by your network administrator.

If you use the eclipse.ini option, the proxy will be configured each time you start Eclipse.

How install/update retrieves a plug-in from an defined URL?

By default, eclipse downloads the plug-in from this pattern :
[site.xml directory]/plugins/com.example.som.super.plugin_1.0.0.jar
You can change this download url by adding an archive element in site.xml :

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" ?>
<site>
<description>Your Description</description>
<feature url="features/<PluginId>_<PluginVersion>.jar">
<category name="Your category" />
</feature>
<archive url="http://www.myserver.com/download.jsp?file=eclipse_plugin.jar" path="plugins/<PluginId>_<PluginVersion>.jar" />
<category-def name="Your category" label="My plugin for Eclipse" />
</site>

Can I manually download updates and install them locally?

Yes, you can download each of the files form the upate site locally, reproducing its directory structure. Once done, you can use that update site locally.

Download instructions:

create directory for eclipse-updates to a shared network-drive
download site.xml to the directory
create subdirectories "features" and "plugins"
download all files (~4MB @Eclipse.org) from feature jars to features directory and needed files (or all files ~280MB @ Eclipse.org) from
plugin jars to plugins directory. Unfortunately this is difficult -- but not impossible -- because eclipse download site doesn't list the files but some mirrors listed in download mirror list allow directory listing, for example feature jar mirror and plugin jar mirror

Install instructions:

Start Eclipse
Help -> Software Updates -> Update Manager
Feature Updates -window -> Available Updates
Preview -window -> Scope Settings
Select "Include My Computer in the search".
Select shared update drive from Settings... -button
Click Search now
Feature Search Results -window:
Click each local update (Site starts with file:) and select from
Preview -window the Group Updates checkbox
Go to Selected Updates
Right click on any of the updates and select "Process All"
Follow instructions

How can I share a plugin directory between developers ?

Sometimes it can be nice to have a seperate plugin directory so the
extra installed plugins is not cluttered together with the core-plugins.

An added bonus is that by having this external plugin directory it gives the possibility for a tool-manager to just install all the good plugins in one single directory and then distribute this to the developers that need it (almost) without messing with the developers local installation.

The dry version: http://dev.eclipse.org/viewcvs/index.cgi/%7Echeckout%7E/platform-update-home/doc/products-and-extension.html

The straightforward version:

Set up a new install directory somewhere in your file system. Create
an eclipse/ subdirectory under it. Unzip the plugins into the eclipse/
subdirectory. You should end up with

    <some new install directory>/
            eclipse/
            eclipse/features/
            eclipse/plugins/

In the original eclipse install (the one that contains the platform),
create a new directory called "links" as a peer to features/ and
plugins/. You should end up with


    <eclipse platform install directory>/
            eclipse/
            eclipse/features/
            eclipse/plugins/
            eclipse/links/

Within the links/ subdirectory, create a file called plugin-name.link (substitute the name of the plugin for plugin-name) and
add a single line into it

path=<some new install directory>

Note: the path should be an absolute path using local file system syntax.

The .link file is loaded as a Java properties file, so on Windows you
need to double up the back-slashes (eg. path=c:\\shared\\config\\eclipse\\extras) or you can use forward slashes (path=c:/shared/config/eclipse/extras)

Ant Script for updating or installation

You can update or install Eclipse with an Ant script described below. The script will install plugins in a separate plugin directory, mark this directory as a Product Extension and make all necessary links. The script is based on information from news://www.eclipse.org/eclipse.tools, How can I share a plugin directory between developers ? on this page and Eclipse docs. The script has seven targets:


    install-eclipse 
    install-plugins 
    uninstall-eclipse 
    uninstall-old-version
    uninstall-plugins
    backup-workspace 
    generate-startup-script

install-eclipse target will save previous install, if there was one. uninstall-eclipse target will restore previous install, if there was one.
In Readme file you will find more detailed description and also discussion on different approaches to update, todo list, and feedback link.
You can download the script and all related files from http://home.nyc.rr.com/olegs/#Eclipse

Last Modified 5/29/06 11:31 PM

Hide Tools

Site
Changes
Index
Search

User
Log In
Register