How can I download an Eclipse plugin as a zip archive using an update site?

Question

I have Eclipse installed on a box which is off the Internet.

I found this package I want to install, but I only have an update URL for it, not an archive file I can copy to the disconnected machine and put in its Eclipse' dropins/ folder like with some other extensions.

On a machine connected to the Internet, how do I obtain/create an archive file, having only access to the update URL?

Notes:

• I tried making a local mirror of the update site, as described in the answers to this question, but that didn't really work out for me. The mirror still referred to the remote repository and Eclipse tried to go there.
• Please make no assumptions regarding the operating systems and configurations of any of the machines (and don't assume the two machines are the same).

Answer 1

I ended up using wget instead of mirroring.

Here are the brief steps, with some update site chosen for the example:

1. Download the update site to your local machine:

   wget --recursive --no-parent http://run-jetty-run.googlecode.com/svn/trunk/updatesite
   

2. Take the content of the downloaded update site and move it to your offline environment, preserving the directory structure.

3. Open Eclipse and add your offline update site directory to the list of available software sites via “Local…” button.

You can see those steps in details here.

Answer 2

Nirmal had it covered!

1. Create a Target Platform with the required feature from the update site you need.
2. Create your own update site definition with PDE.
3. Build your own update site.

Now you have a part of remote update site archived. You can use it on offline machine by pointing installer to look for update site in a local folder.

...

PROFIT!