[Tfug] Eclipse add-ons

[Bexley Hall]

Hi,

I'm trying to suss-out the hidden details of the eclipse
add-on/plug-in process.

I don't allow development machines to talk to the outside
world.  Period.

So, adding plug-ins requires me to manually download the
appropriate packages/jars, SneakerNet them to the system(s)
in question and then install them from these "archives" (in
eclipse-speak).

Ideally, what I would like to do is tell Eclipse to fetch
whatever it needs even though the machine(s) has no IP
connectivity with the necessary update sites.  Then,
peruse some sort of log file that tattles on where Eclipse
was *trying* to go, what it was trying to fetch, etc.  And,
with this information, mimic the operation manually from
a "Internet-connected" host.

(Yes, I suppose I could monitor network traffic but that's
pretty crude.  Or, set up a disposable host and let it
update itself.  Then, pull the parts off that host and move
them to the *real* host.)

I haven't even been able to come up with a productive search
query to locate other information on this process!

(Yet another example of the "Check Engine" mentality that is
permeating this industry/technology  :< )

Thx,
--don