[eclipse] How do I configure the proxy settings so that Eclipse can download new plugins?

I am working with Eclipse 3.7, on an Windows XP environment behind a web proxy.

I want to install the Groovy plugin on a newly unzipped Eclipse Indigo (Eclipse Java EE Indigo M4). I added the update site to the Available Software Site list.

But Eclipse is not able to retrieve the information of this plugin, and thus the installation is not possible...

If I put Native configuration in General > Network Connections, which does not have the Auth option selected, I get the following error when I trying to reach the update site:

HTTP Proxy Authentication Required: http://dist.codehaus.org/groovy/distributions/greclipse/snapshot/e3.7/content.xml
HTTP Proxy Authentication Required: http://dist.codehaus.org/groovy/distributions/greclipse/snapshot/e3.7/content.xml
Proxy Authentication Required

So now, I select manual, I define all correct information for the three schemas (HTTP, HTTPS, SOCKS): proxy, port, Auth, User and password. However, when I try to reach the update site, Eclipse is indicating that he is Fetching children of Groovy Eclipse, but keep this status at 0%...

What is strange is that even if I put a wrong password in the General > Network Connections configuration, I don't get any error message.

My questions:

• What is wrong in my configuration?
• Is there another way to define the proxy configuration?
• Is there a way to get more information, to know what Eclipse is trying to do (the workspace/.metadata/.log doesn't contain any useful information) ?

Another problem (minor however) is that the modifications of the proxy settings seem to be handled only after an Eclipse restart.

ps1: Using my browser, I can reach the update site, so it is not blocked by the proxy.

ps2: This problem is not related to this plugin, as Eclipse behaves the same way for other plugin.

ps3: Here is the content of the workspace/.metadata/.log when I start Eclipse and try to install the plugin (all these logs are written during the startup, none when Eclipse tries to access the update site)

!SESSION 2011-05-02 10:38:58.681 -----------------------------------------------
eclipse.buildId=I20101208-1300
java.version=1.6.0_20
java.vendor=Sun Microsystems Inc.
BootLoader constants: OS=win32, ARCH=x86, WS=win32, NL=fr_FR
Framework arguments:  -product org.eclipse.epp.package.jee.product
Command-line arguments:  -os win32 -ws win32 -arch x86 -product org.eclipse.epp.package.jee.product

!ENTRY org.eclipse.core.net 1 0 2011-05-02 10:39:02.228
!MESSAGE System property http.proxyHost is not set but should be XXX.

!ENTRY org.eclipse.core.net 1 0 2011-05-02 10:39:02.228
!MESSAGE System property http.proxyPort is not set but should be 8080.

!ENTRY org.eclipse.core.net 1 0 2011-05-02 10:39:02.244
!MESSAGE System property https.proxyHost is not set but should be XXX.

!ENTRY org.eclipse.core.net 1 0 2011-05-02 10:39:02.244
!MESSAGE System property https.proxyPort is not set but should be 8080.

!ENTRY org.eclipse.core.net 1 0 2011-05-02 10:39:02.244
!MESSAGE System property socksProxyHost is not set but should be XXX.

!ENTRY org.eclipse.core.net 1 0 2011-05-02 10:39:02.244
!MESSAGE System property socksProxyPort is not set but should be 8080.

!ENTRY org.eclipse.core.net 1 0 2011-05-02 10:39:02.244
!MESSAGE System property https.proxyHost is not set but should be XXX.

!ENTRY org.eclipse.core.net 1 0 2011-05-02 10:39:02.244
!MESSAGE System property https.proxyPort is not set but should be 8080.

!ENTRY org.eclipse.core.net 1 0 2011-05-02 10:39:02.244
!MESSAGE System property socksProxyHost is not set but should be XXX.

!ENTRY org.eclipse.core.net 1 0 2011-05-02 10:39:02.244
!MESSAGE System property socksProxyPort is not set but should be 8080.

!ENTRY org.eclipse.core.net 1 0 2011-05-02 10:39:02.244
!MESSAGE System property socksProxyHost is not set but should be XXX.

!ENTRY org.eclipse.core.net 1 0 2011-05-02 10:39:02.244
!MESSAGE System property socksProxyPort is not set but should be 8080.

!ENTRY org.eclipse.osgi 2 1 2011-05-02 10:39:02.447
!MESSAGE NLS missing message: TaskJobFactory_Refreshing_repository_configuration in: org.eclipse.mylyn.internal.tasks.ui.messages

Edit

If I add the following lines in my eclipse.ini file (because of that), it works:

-Dorg.eclipse.ecf.provider.filetransfer.excludeContributors=org.eclipse.ecf.provider.filetransfer.httpclient
-Dhttp.proxyPort=8080
-Dhttp.proxyHost=XXX
-Dhttp.proxyUser=XXX
-Dhttp.proxyPassword=XXX
-Dhttp.nonProxyHosts=localhost|127.0.0.1

But why? Does this problem still exists in Eclipse 3.7?

Just to add to the thread as a POSSIBLE solution, I faced a similar issue when developing on a Linux system that was behind a company firewall. However, using a Windows XP machine, Eclipse was able to access different update sites just fine as both the manual and native network connection providers worked just fine using the company proxy.

After stumbling around for some time, I came across a discussion about using NTLMv2 and an implementation to be found at http://cntlm.sourceforge.net/. To whomever posted this, I give much credit to as it helped me get past the issue running on Linux. As a side note, I was using Eclipse 3.6.2 / Helios on both the Linux and Windows distros.

Best of luck on finding a solution!

Manual + disable SOCKS didn't work for me (still tried to use SOCKS and my company proxy refused it),
Native + changed eclipse.ini worked for me

-Dorg.eclipse.ecf.provider.filetransfer.excludeContributors=org.eclipse.ecf.provider.filetransfer.httpclient
-Dhttp.proxyHost=myproxy
-Dhttp.proxyPort=8080
-Dhttp.proxyUser=mydomain\myusername
-Dhttp.proxyPassword=mypassword
-Dhttp.nonProxyHosts=localhost|127.0.0.1

These settings require IDE restart (sometimes with -clean -refresh command line options).
https://bugs.eclipse.org/bugs/show_bug.cgi?id=281472

Java8, Eclipse Neon3, slow proxy server:

-Dorg.eclipse.ecf.provider.filetransfer.excludeContributors=org.eclipse.ecf.provider.filetransfer.httpclient4
-Dhttp.proxyHost=<proxy>
-Dhttp.proxyPort=8080
-Dhttps.proxyHost=<proxy>
-Dhttps.proxyPort=8080
-DsocksProxyHost=
-DsocksProxyPort=
-Dhttp.proxyUser=<user>
-Dhttp.proxyPassword=<pass>
-Dhttp.nonProxyHosts=localhost|127.0.0.1
-Dorg.eclipse.equinox.p2.transport.ecf.retry=5
-Dorg.eclipse.ecf.provider.filetransfer.retrieve.connectTimeout=15000
-Dorg.eclipse.ecf.provider.filetransfer.retrieve.readTimeout=1000
-Dorg.eclipse.ecf.provider.filetransfer.retrieve.retryAttempts=20
-Dorg.eclipse.ecf.provider.filetransfer.retrieve.closeTimeout=1000
-Dorg.eclipse.ecf.provider.filetransfer.browse.connectTimeout=3000
-Dorg.eclipse.ecf.provider.filetransfer.browse.readTimeout=1000

I installed HandyCache, in them install link on my general proxy.

In IE set proxy 127.0.0.1.

In Eclipse, Window > Preferences > General > Network Connections, set Active Provider = Native.

For me, I go to \eclipse\configuration.settings\org.eclipse.core.net.prefs set the property systemProxiesEnabled to true manually and restart eclipse.

There is an eclipse.ini (sts.ini) parameter that can help:

-Djava.net.useSystemProxies=true

A lot of effort wasted on this trivial setting each time I change the work environment... See one of the related bugs on eclipse bugzilla.

finally work for me !

In Eclipse, Window > Preferences > General > Network Connections,
set Active Provider to Native
add to eclipse.ini :

-Djava.net.useSystemProxies=true
-Dhttp.proxyPort=8080
-Dhttp.proxyHost=myproxy
-Dhttp.proxyUser=mydomain\myusername
-Dhttp.proxyPassword=mypassword
-Dhttp.nonProxyHosts=localhost|127.0.0.1|192.168.*|10.*
-Dorg.eclipse.ecf.provider.filetransfer.excludeContributors=org.eclipse.ecf.provider.filetransfer.httpclient4