Updated Windows Azure Plugin for Eclipse with Java – Kepler, new Windows Azure SDK, and less is more for deployment options

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Microsoft Open Technologies, Inc., has released The August preview of the Windows Azure Plugin for Eclipse with Java. This release includes support for the new Windows Azure SDK v2.1  (a prerequisite), and some changes to eclipse version support and how JDKs and servers are deployed. Eclipse users may already be seeing plugin update notifications in Eclipse, so please note the Windows Azure SDK prerequisite. For full details, have a look at the documentation update.

Highlights:

  • Windows Azure SDK Update - This update is in sync with the new Windows Azure SDK v2.1, which is required for the update.
  • Kepler support – For eclipse users working with Kepler, we now support you! Note that going forward we’re testing new plugin releases with Indigo, Juno and Kepler, so our minimum required version is now Indigo. Helios may also work, but we’re no longer testing our plugins on Helios as of this version.
  • Include-in-package option JDKs and Application Server configuration is removed. Back in May we introduced the much more efficient and team-friendly option of auto-uploading the JDK and server to a blob then deploying from there. To pave the way for future enhancements, we’re replacing the option to include your JDK and app server in the deployment package to this as of this plugin release. Projects that still use the include option will automatically be converted to the deploy-from-blob option. Here’s a sample of what you’ll see in the deployment project UI now for the JDK:

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And here’s what you’ll see when selecting a Web server for deployment:

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Getting the Plugin

Here are the complete instructions to download and install the Windows Azure Plugin for Eclipse with Java, as well as updated documentation.

Ongoing Feedback

This update is another in our company’s ongoing work to make it easier to deploy Java applications on Windows Azure. As you might have read, last month we partnered with Azul Systems on an OpenJDK build for Windows Azure. This plugin is an important element for our customers working in heterogeneous development environments.

As always, let us know how the latest release works for you and how you like the new features!  To send feedback or questions, just use MSDN Forums or Stack Overflow.