Eclipse Runtime Packaging Project

The objectives of the Eclipse RT Packaging project are to:

• Create one or more extendable packages based on EclipseRT technology. The project will define a minimal configuration based on Equinox and p2. Creating more advanced packages enriched with other EclipseRT technologies will also be considered. In creating the packages the existing Eclipse build and EPP infrastructure will be reused wherever possible. The starting point for the packages will be the EclipseRT starter kits.
• Provide packages for different platforms and architectures. The RT Packaging project will create packages for common server/client platforms and architectures. The possible initial set of platforms are Debian and Ubuntu (.deb), Fedora and SuSe (.rpm), Windows (.zip) and Mac OS X (.pkg). There will also be platform independent packages (.zip). Additionally, a set of cloud images (S3 and Azure) will be created with pre-configured RT Package instances.
• Provide a configuration tool. Users should have the option to configure a package themselves, similar to how the EPP Download Wizard enables customized downloads. To this end, a configurator will be created that allows users to assemble different EclipseRT technologies and create a single download in the formats described above. This configurator probably will be part of the RT Packaging website and can be optionally included in a RT package to reconfigure and update the package after downloading.
• Provide a headless variant of the configuration tool, which allows an automated system to install and subsequently extend/reduce the system by adding/removing particular technology. It'll support both scenarios ‚Äì to install a product from outside or to grow itself into a product.
• Provide guidance on how EclipseRT projects can structure their p2 repositories and subsequently test/validate their packages in order to benefit from the defined distribution flow. A critical part of that is how to define the wiring and versioning specifics between the different modules in order to make it possible for them to work together when assembled in the same runtime environment. These kind of guidance will be created as Wiki pages and examples.