Installing new features with the update manager

To locate and install a new feature into a product (ordinarily requires web access):

  1. Open the main update manager by clicking Help > Software Updates > Update Manager. This opens the Install/Update perspective.
  2. Create a bookmark for a web site where Eclipse features and plug-ins are published. In the Feature Updates view, select New > Site Bookmark from the context menu.
  3. In the New Site Bookmark dialog that opens, give the site a name such as "CompanyA" and enter the URL such as "http://companyA.example.com/eclipseupdates".
  4. Expand the newly created item in Feature Updates view to show the categories of feature versions available at that update site. This will contact the web site to discover what features are available.
  5. Expand one of the top-level categories and select a feature. Information about that feature appears in the Preview view.
  6. After selecting the feature to be added, click the Install button within the Preview view.
  7. The Feature Install wizard confirms the details of the feature you are about to install. Click Next.
  8. Carefully review the license agreements for the upgraded features. If the terms of all these licenses are acceptable, check "I accept the terms in the license agreements". Do not proceed to download the features if the license terms are not acceptable.
  9. The Install Location page controls where the new feature's files are to be installed on the local computer. Select the directory into which the product is installed and hit Next. (If the product is installed in a directory to which you do not have write access, you should contact your system administrator and get them to install this feature so that it will be generally available. The other option is to click Add and point to a directory to which you do have write access; however, features installed there are only available when using the current workspace.)
  10. Feature versions can be digitally signed by the company that provides them. This allows you to verify more easily that the features and plug-ins that are about to be downloaded and installed are coming from a trusted supplier.


    Warning: Because of the possibility of harmful or even malicious plug-ins, you should only download features from parties that you trust.


    Click Install to allow the downloading and installing to proceed.

  11. Once the new feature and plug-ins have been downloaded successfully and their files installed into the product on the local computer, a new configuration that incorporates these features and plug-ins will be formulated. Click Yes when asked to exit and restart the workbench for the changes to take effect. To add other new features at the same time before restarting, click No and repeat.

Related concepts
Features

Related tasks
Inspecting the current configuration
Updating Eclipse with the update manager
Searching for features
Saving a configuration
Restoring a saved configuration

 
Copyright IBM Corporation and others 2000, 2002