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Bug 313323

Summary: [reconciler] p2 uses plugins that have been uninstalled from plugins directory.
Product: [Eclipse Project] Equinox Reporter: Natalia Bartol <natalia.bartol>
Component: p2Assignee: P2 Inbox <equinox.p2-inbox>
Status: RESOLVED WONTFIX QA Contact:
Severity: minor    
Priority: P3 CC: ahunter.eclipse, john.arthorne, pascal, z_sarsam
Version: 3.6   
Target Milestone: ---   
Hardware: PC   
OS: Windows XP   
Whiteboard:

Description Natalia Bartol CLA 2010-05-18 06:32:56 EDT 
Build Identifier: I20100429-1549

1. Install PluginA and PluginB using Install new Software...                         
2. Uninstall after a while                                              
3. Install PluginA, PluginB, PluginC (including the same 2 plugins installed before) using dropins (works fine)  
4. In Plug-in registry view you can see:
PluginA: 
---Location = \c:\shared-p2-directory\...\plugins\PluginA
PluginB: 
---Location = \c:\shared-p2-directory\...\plugins\PluginB
PluginC: 
---Location = \c:\Eclipse\dropins\FeatureWithABC\PluginC


That is not so bad, until user removes PluginA and PluginB from plugins/. In such case, PluginA and PluginB are not discovered in dropins directory.

I am aware that plugins directory should not be changed manually. However, garbage collector does not remove uninstalled plugins immediately, what often causes users to be confused seeing remaining plugins in plugins folder.
If they remove uninstalled plugin manually - P2 has a serious problem with discovering plugins in dropins. 


Reproducible: Always
Comment 1 Anthony Hunter CLA 2010-06-10 13:58:40 EDT 
Hi Natalia

Does the problem occur if you do not use the dropins folder? Why are you dropping them in the folder and not installing again using new Software...

We are not supposed to be using the dropins folder.
Comment 2 Natalia Bartol CLA 2010-06-16 06:15:18 EDT 
Anthony,

This problem occurs only when dropins folder is used. Please, explain why are we not supposed to be using dropins? 

Installation via dropins is widely used by Eclipse and Eclipse-based product users. There was a discussion about this issue here:
https://bugs.eclipse.org/bugs/show_bug.cgi?id=251561#c23
Comment 3 Anthony Hunter CLA 2010-06-22 16:55:27 EDT 
(In reply to comment #2)
> Anthony,
> 
> This problem occurs only when dropins folder is used. Please, explain why are
> we not supposed to be using dropins? 
> 
> Installation via dropins is widely used by Eclipse and Eclipse-based product
> users. There was a discussion about this issue here:
> https://bugs.eclipse.org/bugs/show_bug.cgi?id=251561#c23

The previous discussion we had with the p2 team was that we should not be using the dropins folder.
Comment 4 Pascal Rapicault CLA 2010-06-24 23:35:29 EDT 
This discussion about not using the dropins to install software has been happening since the very beginning of p2. It has been provided as a transitioning mechanism until people are all producing repos. 

Whatever the amount of effort your pour into this, this code path will always be secondary and not as hardened as the other ones since the eclipse community at large is moving toward repos and therefore not using this code path.
And before you ask why improvements have been made to it? This is because IBM downstream teams have been pushing to cover for their inability (incompetency) to consume p2 despite a 2 years heads-up.
Comment 5 Anthony Hunter CLA 2010-06-25 14:49:18 EDT 
This is exactly the information I have been given over the years. 

I suggest we no plan to fix this defect and Natalia is going to have to push back on whatever IBM team is suggesting to use the dropins folder to install software.
Comment 6 Pascal Rapicault CLA 2012-12-12 20:30:22 EST 
No plan to fix this.