Bug 237776 Replace URL by URI

179 files changed, 2284 insertions, 2236 deletions

diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.artifact.optimizers/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/artifact/optimizers/jardelta/Application.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.artifact.optimizers/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/artifact/optimizers/jardelta/Application.java
index 09069629d..c66d2a8c2 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.artifact.optimizers/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/artifact/optimizers/jardelta/Application.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.artifact.optimizers/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/artifact/optimizers/jardelta/Application.java
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@
  ******************************************************************************/
 package org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.artifact.optimizers.jardelta;
 
-import java.net.URL;
+import java.net.URI;
 import java.util.Map;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.app.IApplication;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.app.IApplicationContext;
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@ import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.core.ProvisionException;
  */
 public class Application implements IApplication {
 
-	private URL artifactRepositoryLocation;
+	private URI artifactRepositoryLocation;
 	private int width = 1;
 	private int depth = 1;
 
@@ -36,7 +36,7 @@ public class Application implements IApplication {
 		return null;
 	}
 
-	private IArtifactRepository setupRepository(URL location) throws ProvisionException {
+	private IArtifactRepository setupRepository(URI location) throws ProvisionException {
 		IArtifactRepositoryManager manager = (IArtifactRepositoryManager) ServiceHelper.getService(Activator.getContext(), IArtifactRepositoryManager.class.getName());
 		if (manager == null)
 			// TODO log here
@@ -64,7 +64,7 @@ public class Application implements IApplication {
 			String arg = args[++i];
 
 			if (args[i - 1].equalsIgnoreCase("-artifactRepository") || args[i - 1].equalsIgnoreCase("-ar")) //$NON-NLS-1$ //$NON-NLS-2$
-				artifactRepositoryLocation = new URL(arg);
+				artifactRepositoryLocation = new URI(arg);
 
 			if (args[i - 1].equalsIgnoreCase("-depth")) //$NON-NLS-1$
 				depth = Integer.parseInt(arg);
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.artifact.optimizers/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/artifact/optimizers/jbdiff/Application.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.artifact.optimizers/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/artifact/optimizers/jbdiff/Application.java
index bd2b08cb9..c5289ea13 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.artifact.optimizers/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/artifact/optimizers/jbdiff/Application.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.artifact.optimizers/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/artifact/optimizers/jbdiff/Application.java
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@
  ******************************************************************************/
 package org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.artifact.optimizers.jbdiff;
 
-import java.net.URL;
+import java.net.URI;
 import java.util.Map;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.app.IApplication;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.app.IApplicationContext;
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@ import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.core.ProvisionException;
  */
 public class Application implements IApplication {
 
-	private URL artifactRepositoryLocation;
+	private URI artifactRepositoryLocation;
 	private int width = 1;
 	private int depth = 1;
 	private boolean nosar;
@@ -37,7 +37,7 @@ public class Application implements IApplication {
 		return null;
 	}
 
-	private IArtifactRepository setupRepository(URL location) throws ProvisionException {
+	private IArtifactRepository setupRepository(URI location) throws ProvisionException {
 		IArtifactRepositoryManager manager = (IArtifactRepositoryManager) ServiceHelper.getService(Activator.getContext(), IArtifactRepositoryManager.class.getName());
 		if (manager == null)
 			// TODO log here
@@ -68,7 +68,7 @@ public class Application implements IApplication {
 			String arg = args[++i];
 
 			if (args[i - 1].equalsIgnoreCase("-artifactRepository") || args[i - 1].equalsIgnoreCase("-ar")) //$NON-NLS-1$ //$NON-NLS-2$
-				artifactRepositoryLocation = new URL(arg);
+				artifactRepositoryLocation = new URI(arg);
 
 			if (args[i - 1].equalsIgnoreCase("-depth")) //$NON-NLS-1$
 				depth = Integer.parseInt(arg);
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.artifact.optimizers/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/artifact/optimizers/pack200/Application.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.artifact.optimizers/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/artifact/optimizers/pack200/Application.java
index 93e9ab25a..f6ddeb69f 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.artifact.optimizers/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/artifact/optimizers/pack200/Application.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.artifact.optimizers/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/artifact/optimizers/pack200/Application.java
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@
  ******************************************************************************/
 package org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.artifact.optimizers.pack200;
 
-import java.net.URL;
+import java.net.URI;
 import java.util.Map;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.app.IApplication;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.app.IApplicationContext;
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@ public class Application implements IApplication {
 	private static final String ARTIFACT_REPOSITORY_ARG = "-artifactRepository"; //$NON-NLS-1$
 	private static final String ARTIFACT_REPOSITORY_SHORT_ARG = "-ar"; //$NON-NLS-1$
 
-	private URL artifactRepositoryLocation;
+	private URI artifactRepositoryLocation;
 
 	public Object start(IApplicationContext context) throws Exception {
 		Map args = context.getArguments();
@@ -39,7 +39,7 @@ public class Application implements IApplication {
 		return null;
 	}
 
-	private IArtifactRepository setupRepository(URL location) throws ProvisionException {
+	private IArtifactRepository setupRepository(URI location) throws ProvisionException {
 		IArtifactRepositoryManager manager = (IArtifactRepositoryManager) ServiceHelper.getService(Activator.getContext(), IArtifactRepositoryManager.class.getName());
 		if (manager == null)
 			// TODO log here
@@ -63,7 +63,7 @@ public class Application implements IApplication {
 			String arg = args[++i];
 
 			if (args[i - 1].equalsIgnoreCase(ARTIFACT_REPOSITORY_ARG) || args[i - 1].equalsIgnoreCase(ARTIFACT_REPOSITORY_SHORT_ARG))
-				artifactRepositoryLocation = new URL(arg);
+				artifactRepositoryLocation = new URI(arg);
 		}
 	}
 }
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.artifact.processors/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/artifact/processors/AbstractDeltaProcessorStep.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.artifact.processors/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/artifact/processors/AbstractDeltaProcessorStep.java
index fb6630c2a..58fe5871c 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.artifact.processors/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/artifact/processors/AbstractDeltaProcessorStep.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.artifact.processors/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/artifact/processors/AbstractDeltaProcessorStep.java
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@
  *******************************************************************************/
 package org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.artifact.processors;
 
-import java.net.URL;
+import java.net.URI;
 import org.eclipse.core.runtime.IStatus;
 import org.eclipse.core.runtime.Status;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.artifact.optimizers.AbstractDeltaStep;
@@ -47,7 +47,7 @@ public abstract class AbstractDeltaProcessorStep extends AbstractDeltaStep {
 			return;
 		}
 
-		URL[] repositories = repoMgr.getKnownRepositories(IArtifactRepositoryManager.REPOSITORIES_LOCAL);
+		URI[] repositories = repoMgr.getKnownRepositories(IArtifactRepositoryManager.REPOSITORIES_LOCAL);
 		for (int i = 0; i < repositories.length; i++) {
 			try {
 				IArtifactRepository currentRepo = repoMgr.loadRepository(repositories[i], null);
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.artifact.repository/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/artifact/mirror/MirrorApplication.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.artifact.repository/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/artifact/mirror/MirrorApplication.java
index 8d045dccc..11f6de445 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.artifact.repository/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/artifact/mirror/MirrorApplication.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.artifact.repository/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/artifact/mirror/MirrorApplication.java
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@
  *******************************************************************************/
 package org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.artifact.mirror;
 
-import java.net.URL;
+import java.net.URI;
 import java.util.Map;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.app.IApplication;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.app.IApplicationContext;
@@ -26,8 +26,8 @@ import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.core.ProvisionException;
  */
 public class MirrorApplication implements IApplication {
 
-	private URL sourceLocation;
-	private URL destinationLocation;
+	private URI sourceLocation;
+	private URI destinationLocation;
 	private IArtifactRepository source;
 	private IArtifactRepository destination;
 	private boolean append = false;
@@ -84,7 +84,7 @@ public class MirrorApplication implements IApplication {
 
 		//must execute before initializeDestination is called
 		source = getManager().loadRepository(sourceLocation, null);
-		destination = initializeDestination();
+			destination = initializeDestination();
 	}
 
 	private IArtifactRepository initializeDestination() throws ProvisionException {
@@ -129,9 +129,9 @@ public class MirrorApplication implements IApplication {
 			String arg = args[++i];
 
 			if (args[i - 1].equalsIgnoreCase("-source")) //$NON-NLS-1$
-				sourceLocation = new URL(arg);
+				sourceLocation = new URI(arg);
 			if (args[i - 1].equalsIgnoreCase("-destination")) //$NON-NLS-1$
-				destinationLocation = new URL(arg);
+				destinationLocation = new URI(arg);
 		}
 	}
 }
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.artifact.repository/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/artifact/repository/ArtifactRepositoryManager.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.artifact.repository/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/artifact/repository/ArtifactRepositoryManager.java
index 22ce65441..656ba2499 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.artifact.repository/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/artifact/repository/ArtifactRepositoryManager.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.artifact.repository/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/artifact/repository/ArtifactRepositoryManager.java
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@
  ******************************************************************************/
 package org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.artifact.repository;
 
-import java.net.URL;
+import java.net.URI;
 import java.util.*;
 import org.eclipse.core.runtime.*;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.core.helpers.*;
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@ public class ArtifactRepositoryManager extends AbstractRepositoryManager impleme
 		return new MirrorRequest(key, destination, destinationDescriptorProperties, destinationRepositoryProperties);
 	}
 
-	public IArtifactRepository createRepository(URL location, String name, String type, Map properties) throws ProvisionException {
+	public IArtifactRepository createRepository(URI location, String name, String type, Map properties) throws ProvisionException {
 		synchronized (repositoryLock) {
 			boolean loaded = false;
 			try {
@@ -67,7 +67,7 @@ public class ArtifactRepositoryManager extends AbstractRepositoryManager impleme
 		}
 	}
 
-	protected IRepository factoryLoad(URL location, IExtension extension, SubMonitor monitor) throws ProvisionException {
+	protected IRepository factoryLoad(URI location, IExtension extension, SubMonitor monitor) throws ProvisionException {
 		IArtifactRepositoryFactory factory = (IArtifactRepositoryFactory) createExecutableExtension(extension, EL_FACTORY);
 		if (factory == null)
 			return null;
@@ -97,11 +97,11 @@ public class ArtifactRepositoryManager extends AbstractRepositoryManager impleme
 		return IRepository.TYPE_ARTIFACT;
 	}
 
-	public IArtifactRepository loadRepository(URL location, IProgressMonitor monitor) throws ProvisionException {
+	public IArtifactRepository loadRepository(URI location, IProgressMonitor monitor) throws ProvisionException {
 		return (IArtifactRepository) loadRepository(location, monitor, null);
 	}
 
-	public IArtifactRepository refreshRepository(URL location, IProgressMonitor monitor) throws ProvisionException {
+	public IArtifactRepository refreshRepository(URI location, IProgressMonitor monitor) throws ProvisionException {
 		return (IArtifactRepository) basicRefreshRepository(location, monitor);
 	}
 
@@ -115,7 +115,7 @@ public class ArtifactRepositoryManager extends AbstractRepositoryManager impleme
 			// TODO should do something here since we are failing to restore.
 			return;
 		try {
-			loadRepository(location.getArtifactRepositoryURL(), null);
+			loadRepository(location.getArtifactRepositoryURI(), null);
 			return;
 		} catch (ProvisionException e) {
 			// log but still continue and try to create a new one
@@ -125,7 +125,7 @@ public class ArtifactRepositoryManager extends AbstractRepositoryManager impleme
 		try {
 			Map properties = new HashMap(1);
 			properties.put(IRepository.PROP_SYSTEM, Boolean.TRUE.toString());
-			createRepository(location.getArtifactRepositoryURL(), "download cache", TYPE_SIMPLE_REPOSITORY, properties); //$NON-NLS-1$
+			createRepository(location.getArtifactRepositoryURI(), "download cache", TYPE_SIMPLE_REPOSITORY, properties); //$NON-NLS-1$
 		} catch (ProvisionException e) {
 			LogHelper.log(e);
 		}
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.artifact.repository/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/artifact/repository/MirrorRequest.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.artifact.repository/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/artifact/repository/MirrorRequest.java
index ff0d0b0ef..ccb54b24a 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.artifact.repository/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/artifact/repository/MirrorRequest.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.artifact.repository/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/artifact/repository/MirrorRequest.java
@@ -74,7 +74,7 @@ public class MirrorRequest extends ArtifactRequest {
 					else if (ProcessingStepHandler.canProcess(descriptors[i]))
 						optimized = descriptors[i];
 				}
-				boolean chooseCanonical = source.getLocation().getProtocol().equals("file"); //$NON-NLS-1$
+				boolean chooseCanonical = source.getLocation().getScheme().equals("file"); //$NON-NLS-1$
 				// If the source repo is local then look for a canonical descriptor so we don't waste processing time.
 				descriptor = chooseCanonical ? canonical : optimized;
 				// if the descriptor is still null then we could not find our first choice of format so switch the logic.
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.artifact.repository/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/artifact/repository/MirrorSelector.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.artifact.repository/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/artifact/repository/MirrorSelector.java
index d72daab92..becb2a8fa 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.artifact.repository/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/artifact/repository/MirrorSelector.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.artifact.repository/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/artifact/repository/MirrorSelector.java
@@ -10,12 +10,14 @@
  *******************************************************************************/
 package org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.artifact.repository;
 
-import java.net.*;
+import java.net.URI;
+import java.net.URISyntaxException;
 import java.util.*;
 import javax.xml.parsers.DocumentBuilder;
 import javax.xml.parsers.DocumentBuilderFactory;
 import org.eclipse.core.runtime.*;
-import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.core.helpers.*;
+import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.core.helpers.LogHelper;
+import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.core.helpers.Tracing;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.core.repository.IRepository;
 import org.w3c.dom.*;
 
@@ -101,9 +103,9 @@ public class MirrorSelector {
 			if (base != null) {
 				this.baseURI = new URI(base);
 			} else {
-				URL repositoryURL = repository.getLocation();
-				if (repositoryURL != null)
-					this.baseURI = URLUtil.toURI(repositoryURL);
+				URI repositoryLocation = repository.getLocation();
+				if (repositoryLocation != null)
+					this.baseURI = repositoryLocation;
 			}
 		} catch (URISyntaxException e) {
 			log("Error initializing mirrors for: " + repository.getLocation(), e); //$NON-NLS-1$
@@ -181,8 +183,8 @@ public class MirrorSelector {
 		if (Tracing.DEBUG_MIRRORS)
 			Tracing.debug("Selected mirror for artifact " + inputLocation + ": " + selectedMirror); //$NON-NLS-1$ //$NON-NLS-2$
 		try {
-			return new URL(selectedMirror.locationString + relativeLocation.getPath()).toExternalForm();
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
+			return new URI(selectedMirror.locationString + relativeLocation.getPath()).toString();
+		} catch (URISyntaxException e) {
 			log("Unable to make location " + inputLocation + " relative to mirror " + selectedMirror.locationString, e); //$NON-NLS-1$ //$NON-NLS-2$
 		}
 		return inputLocation;
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.artifact.repository/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/artifact/repository/simple/BlobStore.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.artifact.repository/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/artifact/repository/simple/BlobStore.java
index 9d769aadb..8b24c78d6 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.artifact.repository/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/artifact/repository/simple/BlobStore.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.artifact.repository/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/artifact/repository/simple/BlobStore.java
@@ -11,10 +11,12 @@
 package org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.artifact.repository.simple;
 
 import java.io.*;
+import java.net.URI;
 import java.net.URL;
 import java.util.Iterator;
 import java.util.Set;
 import org.eclipse.core.runtime.Assert;
+import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.core.helpers.URIUtil;
 
 /**
  * Blob store which maps UUIDs to blobs on disk. The UUID is mapped
@@ -22,7 +24,7 @@ import org.eclipse.core.runtime.Assert;
  * the blobs are split among 255 directories with the names 00 to FF.
  */
 public class BlobStore {
-	protected URL store;
+	protected URI store;
 
 	protected boolean fileBased;
 	/** Limits the range of directories' names. */
@@ -37,12 +39,12 @@ public class BlobStore {
 	 * This number must be power of 2 and do not exceed 256. The location
 	 * should be an existing valid directory.
 	 */
-	public BlobStore(URL store, int limit) {
+	public BlobStore(URI store, int limit) {
 		Assert.isNotNull(store);
 		this.store = store;
-		fileBased = "file".equalsIgnoreCase(store.getProtocol()); //$NON-NLS-1$
+		fileBased = "file".equalsIgnoreCase(store.getScheme()); //$NON-NLS-1$
 		if (fileBased)
-			Assert.isTrue(!new File(store.getPath()).isFile());
+			Assert.isTrue(!URIUtil.toFile(store).isFile());
 		Assert.isTrue(limit == 256 || limit == 128 || limit == 64 || limit == 32 || limit == 16 || limit == 8 || limit == 4 || limit == 2 || limit == 1);
 		mask = (byte) (limit - 1);
 	}
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.artifact.repository/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/artifact/repository/simple/SimpleArtifactRepository.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.artifact.repository/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/artifact/repository/simple/SimpleArtifactRepository.java
index 95217866d..57ced2bd2 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.artifact.repository/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/artifact/repository/simple/SimpleArtifactRepository.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.artifact.repository/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/artifact/repository/simple/SimpleArtifactRepository.java
@@ -10,8 +10,8 @@
 package org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.artifact.repository.simple;
 
 import java.io.*;
-import java.net.MalformedURLException;
-import java.net.URL;
+import java.net.URI;
+import java.net.URISyntaxException;
 import java.util.*;
 import java.util.jar.JarEntry;
 import java.util.jar.JarOutputStream;
@@ -19,8 +19,7 @@ import org.eclipse.core.runtime.*;
 import org.eclipse.core.runtime.jobs.Job;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.artifact.repository.*;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.artifact.repository.Messages;
-import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.core.helpers.FileUtils;
-import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.core.helpers.ServiceHelper;
+import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.core.helpers.*;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.artifact.repository.*;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.artifact.repository.processing.*;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.core.ProvisionException;
@@ -216,13 +215,13 @@ public class SimpleArtifactRepository extends AbstractArtifactRepository impleme
 		}
 	}
 
-	public static URL getActualLocation(URL base, boolean compress) {
+	public static URI getActualLocation(URI base, boolean compress) {
 		return getActualLocation(base, compress ? JAR_EXTENSION : XML_EXTENSION);
 	}
 
-	private static URL getActualLocation(URL base, String extension) {
+	private static URI getActualLocation(URI base, String extension) {
 		final String name = CONTENT_FILENAME + extension;
-		String spec = base.toExternalForm();
+		String spec = base.toString();
 		if (spec.endsWith(name))
 			return base;
 		if (spec.endsWith("/")) //$NON-NLS-1$
@@ -230,23 +229,14 @@ public class SimpleArtifactRepository extends AbstractArtifactRepository impleme
 		else
 			spec += "/" + name; //$NON-NLS-1$
 		try {
-			return new URL(spec);
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
+			return new URI(spec);
+		} catch (URISyntaxException e) {
 			return null;
 		}
 	}
 
-	public static URL getBlobStoreLocation(URL base) {
-		String spec = base.toExternalForm();
-		if (spec.endsWith("/")) //$NON-NLS-1$
-			spec += BLOBSTORE;
-		else
-			spec += "/" + BLOBSTORE; //$NON-NLS-1$
-		try {
-			return new URL(spec);
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
-			return null;
-		}
+	public static URI getBlobStoreLocation(URI base) {
+		return URIUtil.append(base, BLOBSTORE);
 	}
 
 	/*
@@ -281,7 +271,7 @@ public class SimpleArtifactRepository extends AbstractArtifactRepository impleme
 			artifactMap.remove(key);
 	}
 
-	public SimpleArtifactRepository(String repositoryName, URL location, Map properties) {
+	public SimpleArtifactRepository(String repositoryName, URI location, Map properties) {
 		super(repositoryName, REPOSITORY_TYPE, REPOSITORY_VERSION.toString(), location, null, null, properties);
 		initializeAfterLoad(location);
 		if (properties != null) {
@@ -384,7 +374,7 @@ public class SimpleArtifactRepository extends AbstractArtifactRepository impleme
 		if (descriptor.getProcessingSteps().length == 0) {
 			descriptor.setProperty(ARTIFACT_UUID, null);
 			IArtifactKey key = descriptor.getArtifactKey();
-			String result = mapper.map(location.toExternalForm(), key.getClassifier(), key.getId(), key.getVersion().toString(), descriptor.getProperty(IArtifactDescriptor.FORMAT));
+			String result = mapper.map(location.toString(), key.getClassifier(), key.getId(), key.getVersion().toString(), descriptor.getProperty(IArtifactDescriptor.FORMAT));
 			if (result != null) {
 				if (isFolderBased(descriptor) && result.endsWith(JAR_EXTENSION))
 					return result.substring(0, result.lastIndexOf(JAR_EXTENSION));
@@ -620,7 +610,7 @@ public class SimpleArtifactRepository extends AbstractArtifactRepository impleme
 	 */
 	private String getLocationForPackedButFlatArtifacts(IArtifactDescriptor descriptor) {
 		IArtifactKey key = descriptor.getArtifactKey();
-		return mapper.map(location.toExternalForm(), key.getClassifier(), key.getId(), key.getVersion().toString(), descriptor.getProperty(IArtifactDescriptor.FORMAT));
+		return mapper.map(location.toString(), key.getClassifier(), key.getId(), key.getVersion().toString(), descriptor.getProperty(IArtifactDescriptor.FORMAT));
 	}
 
 	public synchronized String getLocation(IArtifactDescriptor descriptor) {
@@ -643,7 +633,7 @@ public class SimpleArtifactRepository extends AbstractArtifactRepository impleme
 		// if the descriptor is complete then use the mapping rules...
 		if (descriptor.getProcessingSteps().length == 0) {
 			IArtifactKey key = descriptor.getArtifactKey();
-			String result = mapper.map(location.toExternalForm(), key.getClassifier(), key.getId(), key.getVersion().toString(), descriptor.getProperty(IArtifactDescriptor.FORMAT));
+			String result = mapper.map(location.toString(), key.getClassifier(), key.getId(), key.getVersion().toString(), descriptor.getProperty(IArtifactDescriptor.FORMAT));
 			if (result != null) {
 				if (isFolderBased(descriptor) && result.endsWith(JAR_EXTENSION))
 					return result.substring(0, result.lastIndexOf(JAR_EXTENSION));
@@ -674,7 +664,7 @@ public class SimpleArtifactRepository extends AbstractArtifactRepository impleme
 		assertModifiable();
 		// Check if the artifact is already in this repository
 		if (contains(descriptor)) {
-			String msg = NLS.bind(Messages.available_already_in, getLocation().toExternalForm());
+			String msg = NLS.bind(Messages.available_already_in, getLocation().toString());
 			throw new ProvisionException(new Status(IStatus.ERROR, Activator.ID, ProvisionException.ARTIFACT_EXISTS, msg, null));
 		}
 
@@ -687,8 +677,8 @@ public class SimpleArtifactRepository extends AbstractArtifactRepository impleme
 		String newLocation = createLocation(newDescriptor);
 		String file = null;
 		try {
-			file = new URL(newLocation).getFile();
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e1) {
+			file = URIUtil.toFile(new URI(newLocation)).getAbsolutePath();
+		} catch (URISyntaxException e1) {
 			// This should not happen
 			Assert.isTrue(false, "Unexpected failure: " + e1); //$NON-NLS-1$
 		}
@@ -728,7 +718,7 @@ public class SimpleArtifactRepository extends AbstractArtifactRepository impleme
 	}
 
 	private ProvisionException failedWrite(Exception e) throws ProvisionException {
-		String msg = NLS.bind(Messages.repoFailedWrite, getLocation().toExternalForm());
+		String msg = NLS.bind(Messages.repoFailedWrite, getLocation());
 		throw new ProvisionException(new Status(IStatus.ERROR, Activator.ID, ProvisionException.REPOSITORY_FAILED_WRITE, msg, e));
 	}
 
@@ -741,7 +731,7 @@ public class SimpleArtifactRepository extends AbstractArtifactRepository impleme
 	}
 
 	// use this method to setup any transient fields etc after the object has been restored from a stream
-	public synchronized void initializeAfterLoad(URL location) {
+	public synchronized void initializeAfterLoad(URI location) {
 		this.location = location;
 		blobStore = new BlobStore(getBlobStoreLocation(location), 128);
 		initializeMapper();
@@ -771,7 +761,7 @@ public class SimpleArtifactRepository extends AbstractArtifactRepository impleme
 	}
 
 	private boolean isLocal() {
-		return "file".equalsIgnoreCase(location.getProtocol()); //$NON-NLS-1$
+		return "file".equalsIgnoreCase(location.getScheme()); //$NON-NLS-1$
 	}
 
 	public boolean isModifiable() {
@@ -843,9 +833,9 @@ public class SimpleArtifactRepository extends AbstractArtifactRepository impleme
 		OutputStream os = null;
 		try {
 			try {
-				URL actualLocation = getActualLocation(location, false);
-				File artifactsFile = new File(actualLocation.getPath());
-				File jarFile = new File(getActualLocation(location, true).getPath());
+				URI actualLocation = getActualLocation(location, false);
+				File artifactsFile = URIUtil.toFile(actualLocation);
+				File jarFile = URIUtil.toFile(getActualLocation(location, true));
 				if (!compress) {
 					if (jarFile.exists()) {
 						jarFile.delete();
@@ -865,7 +855,7 @@ public class SimpleArtifactRepository extends AbstractArtifactRepository impleme
 						jarFile.createNewFile();
 					}
 					JarOutputStream jOs = new JarOutputStream(new FileOutputStream(jarFile));
-					jOs.putNextEntry(new JarEntry(new Path(actualLocation.getFile()).lastSegment()));
+					jOs.putNextEntry(new JarEntry(new Path(artifactsFile.getAbsolutePath()).lastSegment()));
 					os = jOs;
 				}
 				super.setProperty(IRepository.PROP_TIMESTAMP, Long.toString(System.currentTimeMillis()));
@@ -909,6 +899,6 @@ public class SimpleArtifactRepository extends AbstractArtifactRepository impleme
 	}
 
 	public String toString() {
-		return location.toExternalForm();
+		return location.toString();
 	}
 }
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.artifact.repository/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/artifact/repository/IArtifactRepositoryManager.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.artifact.repository/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/artifact/repository/IArtifactRepositoryManager.java
index c83634c62..b6c999636 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.artifact.repository/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/artifact/repository/IArtifactRepositoryManager.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.artifact.repository/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/artifact/repository/IArtifactRepositoryManager.java
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@
  *******************************************************************************/
 package org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.artifact.repository;
 
-import java.net.URL;
+import java.net.URI;
 import java.util.Map;
 import java.util.Properties;
 import org.eclipse.core.runtime.IProgressMonitor;
@@ -50,7 +50,7 @@ public interface IArtifactRepositoryManager extends IRepositoryManager {
 	 * the given location.
 	 * <p>
 	 * The resulting repository is added to the list of repositories tracked by
-	 * the repository manager. Clients must make a subsequent call to {@link #removeRepository(URL)}
+	 * the repository manager. Clients must make a subsequent call to {@link #removeRepository(URI)}
 	 * if they do not want the repository manager to remember the repository for subsequent
 	 * load attempts.
 	 * </p>
@@ -67,7 +67,7 @@ public interface IArtifactRepositoryManager extends IRepositoryManager {
 	 * <li>A repository already exists at that location.</li>
 	 * </ul>
 	 */
-	public IArtifactRepository createRepository(URL location, String name, String type, Map properties) throws ProvisionException;
+	public IArtifactRepository createRepository(URI location, String name, String type, Map properties) throws ProvisionException;
 
 	/**
 	 * Loads the repository at the given location.  The location is expected to contain 
@@ -75,7 +75,7 @@ public interface IArtifactRepositoryManager extends IRepositoryManager {
 	 * already knows a repository at the given location then that repository is returned.
 	 * <p>
 	 * The resulting repository is added to the list of repositories tracked by
-	 * the repository manager. Clients must make a subsequent call to {@link #removeRepository(URL)}
+	 * the repository manager. Clients must make a subsequent call to {@link #removeRepository(URI)}
 	 * if they do not want the repository manager to remember the repository for subsequent
 	 * load attempts.
 	 * </p>
@@ -90,7 +90,7 @@ public interface IArtifactRepositoryManager extends IRepositoryManager {
 	 * <li>The repository at that location could not be read.</li>
 	 * </ul>
 	 */
-	public IArtifactRepository loadRepository(URL location, IProgressMonitor monitor) throws ProvisionException;
+	public IArtifactRepository loadRepository(URI location, IProgressMonitor monitor) throws ProvisionException;
 
 	/**
 	 * Refreshes the repository corresponding to the given URL. This method discards
@@ -109,6 +109,6 @@ public interface IArtifactRepositoryManager extends IRepositoryManager {
 	 * <li>The repository at that location could not be read.</li>
 	 * </ul>
 	 */
-	public IArtifactRepository refreshRepository(URL location, IProgressMonitor monitor) throws ProvisionException;
+	public IArtifactRepository refreshRepository(URI location, IProgressMonitor monitor) throws ProvisionException;
 
 }
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.artifact.repository/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/spi/p2/artifact/repository/AbstractArtifactRepository.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.artifact.repository/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/spi/p2/artifact/repository/AbstractArtifactRepository.java
index a84c85a3a..ffa6feeea 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.artifact.repository/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/spi/p2/artifact/repository/AbstractArtifactRepository.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.artifact.repository/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/spi/p2/artifact/repository/AbstractArtifactRepository.java
@@ -11,12 +11,12 @@
 package org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.spi.p2.artifact.repository;
 
 import java.io.OutputStream;
-import java.net.URL;
+import java.net.URI;
 import java.util.Map;
 import org.eclipse.core.runtime.*;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.artifact.repository.Activator;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.artifact.repository.Messages;
-import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.core.helpers.URLUtil;
+import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.core.helpers.URIUtil;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.artifact.repository.*;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.core.ProvisionException;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.metadata.IArtifactKey;
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ import org.eclipse.osgi.util.NLS;
 
 public abstract class AbstractArtifactRepository extends AbstractRepository implements IArtifactRepository {
 
-	protected AbstractArtifactRepository(String name, String type, String version, URL location, String description, String provider, Map properties) {
+	protected AbstractArtifactRepository(String name, String type, String version, URI location, String description, String provider, Map properties) {
 		super(name, type, version, location, description, provider, properties);
 	}
 
@@ -43,7 +43,7 @@ public abstract class AbstractArtifactRepository extends AbstractRepository impl
 
 	public OutputStream getOutputStream(IArtifactDescriptor descriptor) throws ProvisionException {
 		if (!isModifiable())
-			throw new ProvisionException(new Status(IStatus.ERROR, Activator.ID, NLS.bind(Messages.repoReadOnly, getLocation().toExternalForm())));
+			throw new ProvisionException(new Status(IStatus.ERROR, Activator.ID, NLS.bind(Messages.repoReadOnly, getLocation())));
 		return null;
 	}
 
@@ -74,7 +74,7 @@ public abstract class AbstractArtifactRepository extends AbstractRepository impl
 		if (!(o instanceof AbstractArtifactRepository)) {
 			return false;
 		}
-		if (URLUtil.sameURL(getLocation(), ((AbstractArtifactRepository) o).getLocation()))
+		if (URIUtil.sameURI(getLocation(), ((AbstractArtifactRepository) o).getLocation()))
 			return true;
 		return false;
 	}
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.artifact.repository/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/spi/p2/artifact/repository/IArtifactRepositoryFactory.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.artifact.repository/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/spi/p2/artifact/repository/IArtifactRepositoryFactory.java
index 0e7f50b40..2a918ca6f 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.artifact.repository/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/spi/p2/artifact/repository/IArtifactRepositoryFactory.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.artifact.repository/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/spi/p2/artifact/repository/IArtifactRepositoryFactory.java
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@
  *******************************************************************************/
 package org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.spi.p2.artifact.repository;
 
-import java.net.URL;
+import java.net.URI;
 import java.util.Map;
 import org.eclipse.core.runtime.IProgressMonitor;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.artifact.repository.IArtifactRepository;
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@ public interface IArtifactRepositoryFactory {
 	 * <li>A repository already exists at that location.</li>
 	 * </ul>
 	 */
-	public IArtifactRepository create(URL location, String name, String type, Map properties) throws ProvisionException;
+	public IArtifactRepository create(URI location, String name, String type, Map properties) throws ProvisionException;
 
 	/**
 	 * Loads the repository at the given location.  The location is expected to contain 
@@ -51,5 +51,5 @@ public interface IArtifactRepositoryFactory {
 	 * <li>The repository at that location could not be read.</li>
 	 * </ul>
 	 */
-	public IArtifactRepository load(URL location, IProgressMonitor monitor) throws ProvisionException;
+	public IArtifactRepository load(URI location, IProgressMonitor monitor) throws ProvisionException;
 }
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.artifact.repository/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/spi/p2/artifact/repository/SimpleArtifactRepositoryFactory.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.artifact.repository/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/spi/p2/artifact/repository/SimpleArtifactRepositoryFactory.java
index 639386d0c..1205541bd 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.artifact.repository/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/spi/p2/artifact/repository/SimpleArtifactRepositoryFactory.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.artifact.repository/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/spi/p2/artifact/repository/SimpleArtifactRepositoryFactory.java
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@
 package org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.spi.p2.artifact.repository;
 
 import java.io.*;
-import java.net.URL;
+import java.net.URI;
 import java.util.Map;
 import java.util.jar.JarEntry;
 import java.util.jar.JarInputStream;
@@ -20,13 +20,14 @@ import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.artifact.repository.*;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.artifact.repository.simple.SimpleArtifactRepository;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.artifact.repository.simple.SimpleArtifactRepositoryIO;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.core.helpers.Tracing;
+import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.core.helpers.URIUtil;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.artifact.repository.IArtifactRepository;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.core.ProvisionException;
 import org.eclipse.osgi.util.NLS;
 
 public class SimpleArtifactRepositoryFactory implements IArtifactRepositoryFactory {
 
-	public IArtifactRepository load(URL location, IProgressMonitor monitor) throws ProvisionException {
+	public IArtifactRepository load(URI location, IProgressMonitor monitor) throws ProvisionException {
 		final String PROTOCOL_FILE = "file"; //$NON-NLS-1$
 		long time = 0;
 		final String debugMsg = "Restoring artifact repository "; //$NON-NLS-1$
@@ -41,7 +42,7 @@ public class SimpleArtifactRepositoryFactory implements IArtifactRepositoryFacto
 			OutputStream artifacts = null;
 			// try with compressed
 			boolean compress = true;
-			if (PROTOCOL_FILE.equals(location.getProtocol())) {
+			if (PROTOCOL_FILE.equals(location.getScheme())) {
 				local = true;
 				localFile = new File(SimpleArtifactRepository.getActualLocation(location, true).getPath());
 				if (!localFile.exists()) {
@@ -53,11 +54,11 @@ public class SimpleArtifactRepositoryFactory implements IArtifactRepositoryFacto
 				localFile = File.createTempFile("artifacts", ".xml"); //$NON-NLS-1$ //$NON-NLS-2$
 				try {
 					artifacts = new BufferedOutputStream(new FileOutputStream(localFile));
-					IStatus status = getTransport().download(SimpleArtifactRepository.getActualLocation(location, compress).toExternalForm(), artifacts, sub.newChild(100));
+					IStatus status = getTransport().download(SimpleArtifactRepository.getActualLocation(location, compress).toString(), artifacts, sub.newChild(100));
 					if (!status.isOK()) {
 						// retry uncompressed
 						compress = false;
-						status = getTransport().download(SimpleArtifactRepository.getActualLocation(location, compress).toExternalForm(), artifacts, sub.newChild(100));
+						status = getTransport().download(SimpleArtifactRepository.getActualLocation(location, compress).toString(), artifacts, sub.newChild(100));
 						if (!status.isOK())
 							throw new ProvisionException(new Status(IStatus.ERROR, Activator.ID, ProvisionException.REPOSITORY_NOT_FOUND, status.getMessage(), null));
 					}
@@ -70,15 +71,15 @@ public class SimpleArtifactRepositoryFactory implements IArtifactRepositoryFacto
 			try {
 				descriptorStream = new BufferedInputStream(new FileInputStream(localFile));
 				if (compress) {
-					URL actualFile = SimpleArtifactRepository.getActualLocation(location, false);
+					URI actualLocation = SimpleArtifactRepository.getActualLocation(location, false);
 					JarInputStream jInStream = new JarInputStream(descriptorStream);
 					JarEntry jarEntry = jInStream.getNextJarEntry();
-					String filename = new Path(actualFile.getFile()).lastSegment();
-					while (jarEntry != null && !(filename.equals(jarEntry.getName()))) {
+					String filename = URIUtil.lastSegment(actualLocation);
+					while (jarEntry != null && filename != null && !(filename.equals(jarEntry.getName()))) {
 						jarEntry = jInStream.getNextJarEntry();
 					}
 					if (jarEntry == null) {
-						throw new FileNotFoundException("Repository not found in " + actualFile.getPath()); //$NON-NLS-1$
+						throw new FileNotFoundException("Repository not found in " + actualLocation.getPath()); //$NON-NLS-1$
 					}
 					descriptorStream = jInStream;
 				}
@@ -106,7 +107,7 @@ public class SimpleArtifactRepositoryFactory implements IArtifactRepositoryFacto
 		}
 	}
 
-	public IArtifactRepository create(URL location, String name, String type, Map properties) {
+	public IArtifactRepository create(URI location, String name, String type, Map properties) {
 		return new SimpleArtifactRepository(name, location, properties);
 	}
 
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.console/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/console/ProvCommandProvider.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.console/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/console/ProvCommandProvider.java
index 7826ee343..d7ed6bd5b 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.console/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/console/ProvCommandProvider.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.console/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/console/ProvCommandProvider.java
@@ -10,8 +10,8 @@
 package org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.console;
 
 import java.io.File;
-import java.net.MalformedURLException;
-import java.net.URL;
+import java.net.URI;
+import java.net.URISyntaxException;
 import java.util.*;
 import org.eclipse.core.runtime.IStatus;
 import org.eclipse.core.runtime.NullProgressMonitor;
@@ -65,7 +65,7 @@ public class ProvCommandProvider implements CommandProvider {
 			interpreter.println();
 			return;
 		}
-		URL repoURL = toURL(interpreter, urlString);
+		URI repoURL = toURI(interpreter, urlString);
 		if (repoURL == null)
 			return;
 		if (ProvisioningHelper.addMetadataRepository(repoURL) == null)
@@ -79,7 +79,7 @@ public class ProvCommandProvider implements CommandProvider {
 			interpreter.println();
 			return;
 		}
-		URL repoURL = toURL(interpreter, urlString);
+		URI repoURL = toURI(interpreter, urlString);
 		if (repoURL == null)
 			return;
 		ProvisioningHelper.removeMetadataRepository(repoURL);
@@ -92,7 +92,7 @@ public class ProvCommandProvider implements CommandProvider {
 			interpreter.println();
 			return;
 		}
-		URL repoURL = toURL(interpreter, urlString);
+		URI repoURL = toURI(interpreter, urlString);
 		if (repoURL == null)
 			return;
 		if (ProvisioningHelper.addArtifactRepository(repoURL) == null)
@@ -106,7 +106,7 @@ public class ProvCommandProvider implements CommandProvider {
 			interpreter.println();
 			return;
 		}
-		URL repoURL = toURL(interpreter, urlString);
+		URI repoURL = toURI(interpreter, urlString);
 		if (repoURL == null)
 			return;
 		ProvisioningHelper.removeArtifactRepository(repoURL);
@@ -185,9 +185,9 @@ public class ProvCommandProvider implements CommandProvider {
 		String urlString = processArgument(interpreter.nextArgument());
 		String id = processArgument(interpreter.nextArgument());
 		String version = processArgument(interpreter.nextArgument());
-		URL repoURL = null;
+		URI repoURL = null;
 		if (urlString != null && !urlString.equals(WILDCARD_ANY))
-			repoURL = toURL(interpreter, urlString);
+			repoURL = toURI(interpreter, urlString);
 		IInstallableUnit[] units = sort(ProvisioningHelper.getInstallableUnits(repoURL, new InstallableUnitQuery(id, new VersionRange(version)), null));
 		for (int i = 0; i < units.length; i++)
 			println(interpreter, units[i]);
@@ -204,16 +204,16 @@ public class ProvCommandProvider implements CommandProvider {
 		String id = processArgument(interpreter.nextArgument());
 		String version = processArgument(interpreter.nextArgument());
 		if (urlString == null) {
-			URL[] repositories = ProvisioningHelper.getMetadataRepositories();
+			URI[] repositories = ProvisioningHelper.getMetadataRepositories();
 			if (repositories != null)
 				for (int i = 0; i < repositories.length; i++)
 					interpreter.println(repositories[i]);
 			return;
 		}
-		URL repoURL = toURL(interpreter, urlString);
-		if (repoURL == null)
+		URI repoLocation = toURI(interpreter, urlString);
+		if (repoLocation == null)
 			return;
-		IInstallableUnit[] units = sort(ProvisioningHelper.getInstallableUnits(repoURL, new InstallableUnitQuery(id, new VersionRange(version)), null));
+		IInstallableUnit[] units = sort(ProvisioningHelper.getInstallableUnits(repoLocation, new InstallableUnitQuery(id, new VersionRange(version)), null));
 		for (int i = 0; i < units.length; i++)
 			println(interpreter, units[i]);
 	}
@@ -232,7 +232,7 @@ public class ProvCommandProvider implements CommandProvider {
 			if (queryable == null)
 				return;
 		} else {
-			URL repoURL = toURL(interpreter, urlString);
+			URI repoURL = toURI(interpreter, urlString);
 			if (repoURL == null)
 				return;
 			queryable = ProvisioningHelper.getMetadataRepository(repoURL);
@@ -254,14 +254,14 @@ public class ProvCommandProvider implements CommandProvider {
 	public void _provlar(CommandInterpreter interpreter) {
 		String urlString = processArgument(interpreter.nextArgument());
 		if (urlString == null) {
-			URL[] repositories = ProvisioningHelper.getArtifactRepositories();
+			URI[] repositories = ProvisioningHelper.getArtifactRepositories();
 			if (repositories == null)
 				return;
 			for (int i = 0; i < repositories.length; i++)
 				interpreter.println(repositories[i]);
 			return;
 		}
-		URL repoURL = toURL(interpreter, urlString);
+		URI repoURL = toURI(interpreter, urlString);
 		if (repoURL == null)
 			return;
 		IArtifactRepository repo = ProvisioningHelper.getArtifactRepository(repoURL);
@@ -294,10 +294,10 @@ public class ProvCommandProvider implements CommandProvider {
 	 * Returns the given string as an URL, or <code>null</code> if the string
 	 * could not be interpreted as an URL.
 	 */
-	private URL toURL(CommandInterpreter interpreter, String urlString) {
+	private URI toURI(CommandInterpreter interpreter, String urlString) {
 		try {
-			return new URL(urlString);
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
+			return new URI(urlString);
+		} catch (URISyntaxException e) {
 			interpreter.print(e.getMessage());
 			interpreter.println();
 			return null;
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.console/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/console/ProvisioningHelper.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.console/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/console/ProvisioningHelper.java
index b814b3ee1..6704898f2 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.console/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/console/ProvisioningHelper.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.console/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/console/ProvisioningHelper.java
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@
 package org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.console;
 
 import java.io.IOException;
-import java.net.URL;
+import java.net.URI;
 import java.util.*;
 import org.eclipse.core.runtime.IProgressMonitor;
 import org.eclipse.core.runtime.IStatus;
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ import org.osgi.framework.Version;
 
 public class ProvisioningHelper {
 
-	public static IMetadataRepository addMetadataRepository(URL location) {
+	public static IMetadataRepository addMetadataRepository(URI location) {
 		IMetadataRepositoryManager manager = (IMetadataRepositoryManager) ServiceHelper.getService(Activator.getContext(), IMetadataRepositoryManager.class.getName());
 		if (manager == null)
 			throw new IllegalStateException("No metadata repository manager found"); //$NON-NLS-1$
@@ -51,7 +51,7 @@ public class ProvisioningHelper {
 		}
 	}
 
-	public static IMetadataRepository getMetadataRepository(URL location) {
+	public static IMetadataRepository getMetadataRepository(URI location) {
 		IMetadataRepositoryManager manager = (IMetadataRepositoryManager) ServiceHelper.getService(Activator.getContext(), IMetadataRepositoryManager.class.getName());
 		if (manager == null)
 			throw new IllegalStateException("No metadata repository manager found");
@@ -62,14 +62,14 @@ public class ProvisioningHelper {
 		}
 	}
 
-	public static void removeMetadataRepository(URL location) {
+	public static void removeMetadataRepository(URI location) {
 		IMetadataRepositoryManager manager = (IMetadataRepositoryManager) ServiceHelper.getService(Activator.getContext(), IMetadataRepositoryManager.class.getName());
 		if (manager == null)
 			throw new IllegalStateException("No metadata repository manager found");
 		manager.removeRepository(location);
 	}
 
-	public static IArtifactRepository addArtifactRepository(URL location) {
+	public static IArtifactRepository addArtifactRepository(URI location) {
 		IArtifactRepositoryManager manager = (IArtifactRepositoryManager) ServiceHelper.getService(Activator.getContext(), IArtifactRepositoryManager.class.getName());
 		if (manager == null)
 			// TODO log here
@@ -88,7 +88,7 @@ public class ProvisioningHelper {
 		}
 	}
 
-	public static void removeArtifactRepository(URL location) {
+	public static void removeArtifactRepository(URI location) {
 		IArtifactRepositoryManager manager = (IArtifactRepositoryManager) ServiceHelper.getService(Activator.getContext(), IArtifactRepositoryManager.class.getName());
 		if (manager == null)
 			// TODO log here
@@ -153,11 +153,11 @@ public class ProvisioningHelper {
 	 * @param monitor A progress monitor, or <code>null</code>
 	 * @return The IUs that match the query
 	 */
-	public static Collector getInstallableUnits(URL location, Query query, IProgressMonitor monitor) {
+	public static Collector getInstallableUnits(URI location, Query query, IProgressMonitor monitor) {
 		return getInstallableUnits(location, query, new Collector(), monitor);
 	}
 
-	public static Collector getInstallableUnits(URL location, Query query, Collector collector, IProgressMonitor monitor) {
+	public static Collector getInstallableUnits(URI location, Query query, Collector collector, IProgressMonitor monitor) {
 		IQueryable queryable = null;
 		if (location == null) {
 			queryable = (IQueryable) ServiceHelper.getService(Activator.getContext(), IMetadataRepositoryManager.class.getName());
@@ -167,12 +167,12 @@ public class ProvisioningHelper {
 		return queryable.query(query, collector, monitor);
 	}
 
-	public static URL[] getMetadataRepositories() {
+	public static URI[] getMetadataRepositories() {
 		IMetadataRepositoryManager manager = (IMetadataRepositoryManager) ServiceHelper.getService(Activator.getContext(), IMetadataRepositoryManager.class.getName());
 		if (manager == null)
 			// TODO log here
 			return null;
-		URL[] repos = manager.getKnownRepositories(IMetadataRepositoryManager.REPOSITORIES_ALL);
+		URI[] repos = manager.getKnownRepositories(IMetadataRepositoryManager.REPOSITORIES_ALL);
 		if (repos.length > 0)
 			return repos;
 		return null;
@@ -189,7 +189,7 @@ public class ProvisioningHelper {
 			StringBuffer error = new StringBuffer();
 			error.append("Installable unit not found: " + unitId + ' ' + version + '\n');
 			error.append("Repositories searched:\n");
-			URL[] repos = getMetadataRepositories();
+			URI[] repos = getMetadataRepositories();
 			if (repos != null) {
 				for (int i = 0; i < repos.length; i++)
 					error.append(repos[i] + "\n");
@@ -245,18 +245,18 @@ public class ProvisioningHelper {
 		}
 	}
 
-	public static URL[] getArtifactRepositories() {
+	public static URI[] getArtifactRepositories() {
 		IArtifactRepositoryManager manager = (IArtifactRepositoryManager) ServiceHelper.getService(Activator.getContext(), IArtifactRepositoryManager.class.getName());
 		if (manager == null)
 			// TODO log here
 			return null;
-		URL[] repos = manager.getKnownRepositories(IArtifactRepositoryManager.REPOSITORIES_ALL);
+		URI[] repos = manager.getKnownRepositories(IArtifactRepositoryManager.REPOSITORIES_ALL);
 		if (repos.length > 0)
 			return repos;
 		return null;
 	}
 
-	public static IArtifactRepository getArtifactRepository(URL repoURL) {
+	public static IArtifactRepository getArtifactRepository(URI repoURL) {
 		IArtifactRepositoryManager manager = (IArtifactRepositoryManager) ServiceHelper.getService(Activator.getContext(), IArtifactRepositoryManager.class.getName());
 		try {
 			if (manager != null)
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.core/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/core/BasicLocation.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.core/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/core/BasicLocation.java
index ba818793c..d430c70e6 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.core/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/core/BasicLocation.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.core/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/core/BasicLocation.java
@@ -10,8 +10,8 @@
  *******************************************************************************/
 package org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.core;
 
-import java.net.MalformedURLException;
-import java.net.URL;
+import java.net.*;
+import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.core.helpers.URIUtil;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.core.location.AgentLocation;
 
 /**
@@ -71,18 +71,20 @@ public class BasicLocation implements AgentLocation {
 		return lock;
 	}
 
-	public URL getArtifactRepositoryURL() {
+	public URI getArtifactRepositoryURI() {
 		//the cache is a co-located repository
-		return getMetadataRepositoryURL();
+		return getMetadataRepositoryURI();
 	}
 
-	public URL getMetadataRepositoryURL() {
+	public URI getMetadataRepositoryURI() {
 		try {
-			return new URL(getDataArea(Activator.ID), "cache/"); //$NON-NLS-1$
+			return URIUtil.toURI(new URL(getDataArea(Activator.ID), "cache/")); //$NON-NLS-1$
 		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
 			// TODO Auto-generated catch block
-			return null;
+		} catch (URISyntaxException e) {
+			// TODO Auto-generated catch block
 		}
+		return null;
 	}
 
 	public URL getDataArea(String touchpointId) {
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.core/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/core/helpers/AbstractRepositoryManager.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.core/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/core/helpers/AbstractRepositoryManager.java
index d99ad0b9e..20bc58490 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.core/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/core/helpers/AbstractRepositoryManager.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.core/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/core/helpers/AbstractRepositoryManager.java
@@ -11,8 +11,7 @@
 package org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.core.helpers;
 
 import java.lang.ref.SoftReference;
-import java.net.MalformedURLException;
-import java.net.URL;
+import java.net.*;
 import java.util.*;
 import org.eclipse.core.runtime.*;
 import org.eclipse.core.runtime.preferences.ConfigurationScope;
@@ -33,7 +32,7 @@ public abstract class AbstractRepositoryManager implements IRepositoryManager, P
 		public String description;
 		public boolean isEnabled = true;
 		public boolean isSystem = false;
-		public URL location;
+		public URI location;
 		public String name;
 		public SoftReference repository;
 		public String suffix;
@@ -54,13 +53,14 @@ public abstract class AbstractRepositoryManager implements IRepositoryManager, P
 	public static final String KEY_SYSTEM = "isSystem"; //$NON-NLS-1$
 	public static final String KEY_TYPE = "type"; //$NON-NLS-1$
 	public static final String KEY_URL = "url"; //$NON-NLS-1$
+	public static final String KEY_URI = "uri"; //$NON-NLS-1$
 	public static final String KEY_VERSION = "version"; //$NON-NLS-1$
 
 	public static final String NODE_REPOSITORIES = "repositories"; //$NON-NLS-1$
 
 	/**
 	 * Map of String->RepositoryInfo, where String is the repository key
-	 * obtained via getKey(URL).
+	 * obtained via getKey(URI).
 	 */
 	protected Map repositories = null;
 
@@ -112,9 +112,9 @@ public abstract class AbstractRepositoryManager implements IRepositoryManager, P
 	}
 
 	/* (non-Javadoc)
-	 * @see org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.core.repository.IRepositoryManager#addRepository(java.net.URL)
+	 * @see org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.core.repository.IRepositoryManager#addRepository(java.net.URI)
 	 */
-	public void addRepository(URL location) {
+	public void addRepository(URI location) {
 		//add the repository, or enable it if already known
 		if (!addRepository(location, true, true))
 			setEnabled(location, true);
@@ -128,7 +128,7 @@ public abstract class AbstractRepositoryManager implements IRepositoryManager, P
 	 * @return <code>true</code> if the repository was actually added, and 
 	 * <code>false</code> otherwise.
 	 */
-	private boolean addRepository(URL location, boolean isEnabled, boolean signalAdd) {
+	private boolean addRepository(URI location, boolean isEnabled, boolean signalAdd) {
 		RepositoryInfo info = new RepositoryInfo();
 		info.location = location;
 		info.isEnabled = isEnabled;
@@ -147,7 +147,7 @@ public abstract class AbstractRepositoryManager implements IRepositoryManager, P
 		return added;
 	}
 
-	protected IRepository basicGetRepository(URL location) {
+	protected IRepository basicGetRepository(URI location) {
 		synchronized (repositoryLock) {
 			if (repositories == null)
 				restoreRepositories();
@@ -162,7 +162,7 @@ public abstract class AbstractRepositoryManager implements IRepositoryManager, P
 		}
 	}
 
-	public IRepository basicRefreshRepository(URL location, IProgressMonitor monitor) throws ProvisionException {
+	public IRepository basicRefreshRepository(URI location, IProgressMonitor monitor) throws ProvisionException {
 		clearNotFound(location);
 		boolean wasEnabled = isEnabled(location);
 		//remove the repository so  event is broadcast and repositories can clear their caches
@@ -179,7 +179,7 @@ public abstract class AbstractRepositoryManager implements IRepositoryManager, P
 		}
 	}
 
-	private void broadcastChangeEvent(URL location, int repositoryType, int kind, boolean isEnabled) {
+	private void broadcastChangeEvent(URI location, int repositoryType, int kind, boolean isEnabled) {
 		IProvisioningEventBus bus = (IProvisioningEventBus) ServiceHelper.getService(Activator.getContext(), IProvisioningEventBus.class.getName());
 		if (bus != null)
 			bus.publishEvent(new RepositoryEvent(location, repositoryType, kind, isEnabled));
@@ -190,7 +190,7 @@ public abstract class AbstractRepositoryManager implements IRepositoryManager, P
 	 * to find anything. Returns <code>true</code> if the repository was not
 	 * found, and <code>false</code> otherwise.
 	 */
-	private boolean checkNotFound(URL location) {
+	private boolean checkNotFound(URI location) {
 		if (unavailableRepositories == null)
 			return false;
 		List badRepos = (List) unavailableRepositories.get();
@@ -202,7 +202,7 @@ public abstract class AbstractRepositoryManager implements IRepositoryManager, P
 	/**
 	 * Clear the fact that we tried to load a repository at this location and did not find anything.
 	 */
-	protected void clearNotFound(URL location) {
+	protected void clearNotFound(URI location) {
 		List badRepos;
 		if (unavailableRepositories != null) {
 			badRepos = (List) unavailableRepositories.get();
@@ -216,7 +216,7 @@ public abstract class AbstractRepositoryManager implements IRepositoryManager, P
 	/**
 	 * TODO make private once API is available. See bug 248269.
 	 */
-	public boolean contains(URL location) {
+	public boolean contains(URI location) {
 		synchronized (repositoryLock) {
 			if (repositories == null)
 				restoreRepositories();
@@ -249,9 +249,9 @@ public abstract class AbstractRepositoryManager implements IRepositoryManager, P
 	 * Loads and returns a repository using the given repository factory extension. Returns
 	 * null if no factory could be found associated with that extension.
 	 */
-	protected abstract IRepository factoryLoad(URL location, IExtension extension, SubMonitor monitor) throws ProvisionException;
+	protected abstract IRepository factoryLoad(URI location, IExtension extension, SubMonitor monitor) throws ProvisionException;
 
-	protected void fail(URL location, int code) throws ProvisionException {
+	protected void fail(URI location, int code) throws ProvisionException {
 		String msg = null;
 		switch (code) {
 			case ProvisionException.REPOSITORY_EXISTS :
@@ -329,10 +329,10 @@ public abstract class AbstractRepositoryManager implements IRepositoryManager, P
 	/*
 	 * Return a string key based on the given repository location which
 	 * is suitable for use as a preference node name.
-	 * TODO: convert local file system URL to canonical form
+	 * TODO: convert local file system URI to canonical form
 	 */
-	private String getKey(URL location) {
-		String key = location.toExternalForm().replace('/', '_');
+	private String getKey(URI location) {
+		String key = location.toString().replace('/', '_');
 		//remove trailing slash
 		if (key.endsWith("_")) //$NON-NLS-1$
 			key = key.substring(0, key.length() - 1);
@@ -342,7 +342,7 @@ public abstract class AbstractRepositoryManager implements IRepositoryManager, P
 	/* (non-Javadoc)
 	 * @see org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.core.repository.IRepositoryManager#getKnownRepositories(int)
 	 */
-	public URL[] getKnownRepositories(int flags) {
+	public URI[] getKnownRepositories(int flags) {
 		synchronized (repositoryLock) {
 			if (repositories == null)
 				restoreRepositories();
@@ -353,7 +353,7 @@ public abstract class AbstractRepositoryManager implements IRepositoryManager, P
 				if (matchesFlags(info, flags))
 					result.add(info.location);
 			}
-			return (URL[]) result.toArray(new URL[result.size()]);
+			return (URI[]) result.toArray(new URI[result.size()]);
 		}
 	}
 
@@ -365,9 +365,9 @@ public abstract class AbstractRepositoryManager implements IRepositoryManager, P
 	}
 
 	/*(non-Javadoc)
-	 * @see org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.core.repository.IRepositoryManager#getRepositoryProperty(java.net.URL, java.lang.String)
+	 * @see org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.core.repository.IRepositoryManager#getRepositoryProperty(java.net.URI, java.lang.String)
 	 */
-	public String getRepositoryProperty(URL location, String key) {
+	public String getRepositoryProperty(URI location, String key) {
 		synchronized (repositoryLock) {
 			if (repositories == null)
 				restoreRepositories();
@@ -402,9 +402,9 @@ public abstract class AbstractRepositoryManager implements IRepositoryManager, P
 	protected abstract int getRepositoryType();
 
 	/* (non-Javadoc)
-	 * @see org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.core.repository.IRepositoryManager#isEnabled(java.net.URL)
+	 * @see org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.core.repository.IRepositoryManager#isEnabled(java.net.URI)
 	 */
-	public boolean isEnabled(URL location) {
+	public boolean isEnabled(URI location) {
 		synchronized (repositoryLock) {
 			if (repositories == null)
 				restoreRepositories();
@@ -416,7 +416,7 @@ public abstract class AbstractRepositoryManager implements IRepositoryManager, P
 		}
 	}
 
-	protected IRepository loadRepository(URL location, IProgressMonitor monitor, String type) throws ProvisionException {
+	protected IRepository loadRepository(URI location, IProgressMonitor monitor, String type) throws ProvisionException {
 		boolean added = false;
 		IRepository result = null;
 		synchronized (repositoryLock) {
@@ -460,7 +460,7 @@ public abstract class AbstractRepositoryManager implements IRepositoryManager, P
 		return result;
 	}
 
-	private IRepository loadRepository(URL location, String suffix, String type, SubMonitor monitor) {
+	private IRepository loadRepository(URI location, String suffix, String type, SubMonitor monitor) {
 		IExtension[] providers = findMatchingRepositoryExtensions(suffix, type);
 		// Loop over the candidates and return the first one that successfully loads
 		monitor.beginTask("", providers.length * 10); //$NON-NLS-1$
@@ -494,7 +494,7 @@ public abstract class AbstractRepositoryManager implements IRepositoryManager, P
 				return false;
 		}
 		if ((flags & REPOSITORIES_LOCAL) == REPOSITORIES_LOCAL)
-			return "file".equals(info.location.getProtocol()); //$NON-NLS-1$
+			return "file".equals(info.location.getScheme()); //$NON-NLS-1$
 		return true;
 	}
 
@@ -530,7 +530,8 @@ public abstract class AbstractRepositoryManager implements IRepositoryManager, P
 	private void remember(IRepository repository, String suffix) {
 		boolean changed = false;
 		Preferences node = getPreferences().node(getKey(repository.getLocation()));
-		changed |= putValue(node, KEY_URL, repository.getLocation().toExternalForm());
+		changed |= putValue(node, KEY_URI, repository.getLocation().toString());
+		changed |= putValue(node, KEY_URL, null);
 		changed |= putValue(node, KEY_DESCRIPTION, repository.getDescription());
 		changed |= putValue(node, KEY_NAME, repository.getName());
 		changed |= putValue(node, KEY_PROVIDER, repository.getProvider());
@@ -548,7 +549,8 @@ public abstract class AbstractRepositoryManager implements IRepositoryManager, P
 	private boolean remember(RepositoryInfo info) {
 		boolean changed = false;
 		Preferences node = getPreferences().node(getKey(info.location));
-		changed |= putValue(node, KEY_URL, info.location.toExternalForm());
+		changed |= putValue(node, KEY_URI, info.location.toString());
+		changed |= putValue(node, KEY_URL, null);
 		changed |= putValue(node, KEY_SYSTEM, Boolean.toString(info.isSystem));
 		changed |= putValue(node, KEY_DESCRIPTION, info.description);
 		changed |= putValue(node, KEY_NAME, info.name);
@@ -562,7 +564,7 @@ public abstract class AbstractRepositoryManager implements IRepositoryManager, P
 	/**
 	 * Cache the fact that we tried to load a repository at this location and did not find anything.
 	 */
-	private void rememberNotFound(URL location) {
+	private void rememberNotFound(URI location) {
 		List badRepos;
 		if (unavailableRepositories != null) {
 			badRepos = (List) unavailableRepositories.get();
@@ -576,11 +578,11 @@ public abstract class AbstractRepositoryManager implements IRepositoryManager, P
 		unavailableRepositories = new SoftReference(badRepos);
 	}
 
-	public boolean removeRepository(URL toRemove) {
+	public boolean removeRepository(URI toRemove) {
 		return removeRepository(toRemove, true);
 	}
 
-	private boolean removeRepository(URL toRemove, boolean signalRemove) {
+	private boolean removeRepository(URI toRemove, boolean signalRemove) {
 		Assert.isNotNull(toRemove);
 		final String repoKey = getKey(toRemove);
 		synchronized (repositoryLock) {
@@ -617,34 +619,55 @@ public abstract class AbstractRepositoryManager implements IRepositoryManager, P
 		}
 		for (int i = 0; i < children.length; i++) {
 			Preferences child = node.node(children[i]);
-			String locationString = child.get(KEY_URL, null);
-			if (locationString == null)
+			URI location = getRepositoryLocation(child);
+			if (location == null)
 				continue;
-			try {
-				RepositoryInfo info = new RepositoryInfo();
-				info.location = new URL(locationString);
-				info.name = child.get(KEY_NAME, null);
-				info.description = child.get(KEY_DESCRIPTION, null);
-				info.isSystem = child.getBoolean(KEY_SYSTEM, false);
-				info.isEnabled = child.getBoolean(KEY_ENABLED, true);
-				info.suffix = child.get(KEY_SUFFIX, null);
-				repositories.put(getKey(info.location), info);
-			} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
-				log("Error while restoring repository: " + locationString, e); //$NON-NLS-1$
-			}
+			RepositoryInfo info = new RepositoryInfo();
+			info.location = location;
+			info.name = child.get(KEY_NAME, null);
+			info.description = child.get(KEY_DESCRIPTION, null);
+			info.isSystem = child.getBoolean(KEY_SYSTEM, false);
+			info.isEnabled = child.getBoolean(KEY_ENABLED, true);
+			info.suffix = child.get(KEY_SUFFIX, null);
+			repositories.put(getKey(info.location), info);
 		}
 		// now that we have loaded everything, remember them
 		saveToPreferences();
 	}
 
+	/**
+	 * Restores a repository location from the preferences.
+	 */
+	private URI getRepositoryLocation(Preferences node) {
+		//prefer the location stored in URI form
+		String locationString = node.get(KEY_URI, null);
+		try {
+			if (locationString != null)
+				return new URI(locationString);
+		} catch (URISyntaxException e) {
+			log("Error while restoring repository: " + locationString, e); //$NON-NLS-1$
+		}
+		//we used to store the repository as a URL, so try old key for backwards compatibility
+		locationString = node.get(KEY_URL, null);
+		try {
+			if (locationString != null)
+				return URIUtil.toURI(new URL(locationString));
+		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
+			log("Error while restoring repository: " + locationString, e); //$NON-NLS-1$
+		} catch (URISyntaxException e) {
+			log("Error while restoring repository: " + locationString, e); //$NON-NLS-1$
+		}
+		return null;
+	}
+
 	private void restoreFromSystemProperty() {
 		String locationString = Activator.getContext().getProperty(getRepositorySystemProperty());
 		if (locationString != null) {
 			StringTokenizer tokenizer = new StringTokenizer(locationString, ","); //$NON-NLS-1$
 			while (tokenizer.hasMoreTokens()) {
 				try {
-					addRepository(new URL(tokenizer.nextToken()), true, true);
-				} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
+					addRepository(new URI(tokenizer.nextToken()), true, true);
+				} catch (URISyntaxException e) {
 					log("Error while restoring repository " + locationString, e); //$NON-NLS-1$
 				}
 			}
@@ -682,9 +705,9 @@ public abstract class AbstractRepositoryManager implements IRepositoryManager, P
 	}
 
 	/* (non-Javadoc)
-	 * @see org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.core.repository.IRepositoryManager#setEnabled(java.net.URL, boolean)
+	 * @see org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.core.repository.IRepositoryManager#setEnabled(java.net.URI, boolean)
 	 */
-	public void setEnabled(URL location, boolean enablement) {
+	public void setEnabled(URI location, boolean enablement) {
 		synchronized (repositoryLock) {
 			if (repositories == null)
 				restoreRepositories();
@@ -701,7 +724,7 @@ public abstract class AbstractRepositoryManager implements IRepositoryManager, P
 	 * Optimize the order in which repository suffixes are searched by trying 
 	 * the last successfully loaded suffix first.
 	 */
-	private String[] sortSuffixes(String[] suffixes, URL location) {
+	private String[] sortSuffixes(String[] suffixes, URI location) {
 		synchronized (repositoryLock) {
 			if (repositories == null)
 				restoreRepositories();
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.core/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/core/helpers/URIUtil.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.core/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/core/helpers/URIUtil.java
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..677f7a601
--- /dev/null
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.core/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/core/helpers/URIUtil.java
@@ -0,0 +1,187 @@
+/*******************************************************************************
+ * Copyright (c) 2008 IBM Corporation and others.
+ * All rights reserved. This program and the accompanying materials
+ * are made available under the terms of the Eclipse Public License v1.0
+ * which accompanies this distribution, and is available at
+ * http://www.eclipse.org/legal/epl-v10.html
+ *
+ * Contributors:
+ *     IBM Corporation - initial API and implementation
+ *******************************************************************************/
+package org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.core.helpers;
+
+import java.io.File;
+import java.net.*;
+import org.eclipse.core.runtime.Assert;
+import org.eclipse.core.runtime.Path;
+
+/**
+ * A utility class for manipulating URIs. This class works around some of the
+ * broken behavior of the java.net.URI class.
+ */
+public class URIUtil {
+
+	private static final String SCHEME_FILE = "file"; //$NON-NLS-1$
+
+	/**
+	 * Appends the given extension to the path of the give base URI and returns
+	 * the corresponding new path.
+	 * @param base The base URI to append to
+	 * @param extension The path extension to be added
+	 * @return The appended URI
+	 */
+	public static URI append(URI base, String extension) {
+		try {
+			String path = base.getPath();
+			if (path == null)
+				return appendOpaque(base, extension);
+			//if the base is already a directory then resolve will just do the right thing
+			if (path.endsWith("/")) //$NON-NLS-1$
+				return base.resolve(extension);
+			path = path + "/" + extension; //$NON-NLS-1$
+			return new URI(base.getScheme(), base.getUserInfo(), base.getHost(), base.getPort(), path, base.getQuery(), base.getFragment());
+		} catch (URISyntaxException e) {
+			//shouldn't happen because we started from a valid URI
+			throw new RuntimeException(e);
+		}
+	}
+
+	/**
+	 * Special case of appending to an opaque URI. Since opaque URIs
+	 * have no path segment the best we can do is append to the scheme-specific part
+	 */
+	private static URI appendOpaque(URI base, String extension) throws URISyntaxException {
+		String ssp = base.getSchemeSpecificPart();
+		if (ssp.endsWith("/")) //$NON-NLS-1$
+			ssp += extension;
+		else
+			ssp = ssp + "/" + extension; //$NON-NLS-1$
+		return new URI(base.getScheme(), ssp, base.getFragment());
+	}
+
+	/**
+	 * Returns a URI corresponding to the given unencoded string.
+	 * @throws URISyntaxException If the string cannot be formed into a valid URI
+	 */
+	public static URI fromString(String uriString) throws URISyntaxException {
+		int colon = uriString.indexOf(':');
+		int hash = uriString.lastIndexOf('#');
+		boolean noHash = hash < 0;
+		if (noHash)
+			hash = uriString.length();
+		String scheme = colon < 0 ? null : uriString.substring(0, colon);
+		String ssp = uriString.substring(colon + 1, hash);
+		String fragment = noHash ? null : uriString.substring(hash + 1);
+		//use java.io.File for contructing file: URIs
+		if (scheme != null && scheme.equals(SCHEME_FILE))
+			return new File(uriString.substring(5)).toURI();
+		return new URI(scheme, ssp, fragment);
+	}
+
+	/**
+	 * Returns the last segment of the given URI. For a hierarchical URL this returns
+	 * the last segment of the path. For opaque URIs this treats the scheme-specific
+	 * part as a path and returns the last segment. Returns null if the URI has no
+	 * path or the path is empty.
+	 */
+	public static String lastSegment(URI location) {
+		String path = location.getPath();
+		if (path == null)
+			return new Path(location.getSchemeSpecificPart()).lastSegment();
+		return new Path(path).lastSegment();
+	}
+
+	/*
+	 * Compares two URI for equality.
+	 * Return false if one of them is null
+	 */
+	public static boolean sameURI(URI url1, URI url2) {
+		if (url1 == url2)
+			return true;
+		if (url1 == null || url2 == null)
+			return false;
+		if (url1.equals(url2))
+			return true;
+
+		// check if we have two local file references that are case variants
+		File file1 = toFile(url1);
+		return file1 == null ? false : file1.equals(toFile(url2));
+	}
+
+	/**
+	 * Returns the canonical form of the given URL. This eliminates extra slashes
+	 * and converts local file system paths to canonical form for file: URLs. If any
+	 * failure occurs while converting to canonical form the original URL is returned.
+	 * @param location The location to convert to canonical form; must not be null
+	 * @return The location in canonical form
+	 */
+	public static URI toCanonicalURL2(URI location) {
+		Assert.isNotNull(location);
+		File file = toFile(location);
+		if (file != null) {
+			try {
+				return file.getCanonicalFile().toURI();
+			} catch (Exception e) {
+				//we made a best effort, just return the original location
+				return location;
+			}
+		}
+		//non-local URL, just remove trailing slash
+		String external = location.toString();
+		if (!external.endsWith("/")) //$NON-NLS-1$
+			return location;
+		try {
+			return new URI(external.substring(0, external.length() - 1));
+		} catch (URISyntaxException e) {
+			//ignore and return original location
+			return location;
+		}
+	}
+
+	/**
+	 * Returns the URI as a local file, or <code>null</code> if the given
+	 * URI does not represent a local file.
+	 * @param uri The URI to return the file for
+	 * @return The local file corresponding to the given URI, or <code>null</code>
+	 */
+	public static File toFile(URI uri) {
+		try {
+			if (!SCHEME_FILE.equalsIgnoreCase(uri.getScheme()))
+				return null;
+			//assume all illegal characters have been properly encoded, so use URI class to unencode
+			return new File(uri);
+		} catch (Exception e) {
+			//URL contains unencoded characters
+			String path = uri.getPath();
+			//path is null for non-hierarchical URI such as file:c:/tmp
+			if (path == null)
+				path = uri.getSchemeSpecificPart();
+			return new File(path);
+		}
+	}
+
+	/**
+	 * Returns the URL as a URI. This method will handle broken URLs that are
+	 * not properly encoded (for example they contain unencoded space characters).
+	 */
+	public static URI toURI(URL url) throws URISyntaxException {
+		//go through java.io.File for file: URLs to ensure they are properly encoded
+		File file = URLUtil.toFile(url);
+		if (file != null)
+			return file.toURI();
+		try {
+			return new URI(url.toExternalForm());
+		} catch (URISyntaxException e) {
+			//try multi-argument URI constructor to perform encoding
+			return new URI(url.getProtocol(), url.getUserInfo(), url.getHost(), url.getPort(), url.getPath(), url.getQuery(), url.getRef());
+		}
+	}
+
+	/**
+	 * Returns the URI as a URL.
+	 * @throws MalformedURLException 
+	 */
+	public static URL toURL(URI uri) throws MalformedURLException {
+		return new URL(uri.toString());
+	}
+}
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.core/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/core/helpers/URLUtil.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.core/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/core/helpers/URLUtil.java
index a03abb33a..b6693d146 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.core/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/core/helpers/URLUtil.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.core/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/core/helpers/URLUtil.java
@@ -13,12 +13,43 @@ package org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.core.helpers;
 
 import java.io.File;
 import java.net.*;
+import org.eclipse.core.runtime.Assert;
 
 /**
  * A utility class for manipulating URLs. This class works around some of the
  * broken behavior of the java.net.URL class.
  */
 public class URLUtil {
+	/**
+	 * Returns the canonical form of the given URL. This eliminates extra slashes
+	 * and converts local file system paths to canonical form for file: URLs. If any
+	 * failure occurs while converting to canonical form the original URL is returned.
+	 * @param location The location to convert to canonical form; must not be null
+	 * @return The location in canonical form
+	 */
+	public static URL toCanonicalURL2(URL location) {
+		Assert.isNotNull(location);
+		File file = URLUtil.toFile(location);
+		if (file != null) {
+			try {
+				return file.getCanonicalFile().toURL();
+			} catch (Exception e) {
+				//we made a best effort, just return the original location
+				return location;
+			}
+		}
+		//non-local URL, just remove trailing slash
+		String external = location.toExternalForm();
+		if (!external.endsWith("/")) //$NON-NLS-1$
+			return location;
+		try {
+			return new URL(external.substring(0, external.length() - 1));
+		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
+			//ignore and return original location
+			return location;
+		}
+	}
+
 	/*
 	 * Compares two URL for equality.
 	 * Return false if one of them is null
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.core/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/core/location/AgentLocation.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.core/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/core/location/AgentLocation.java
index 7a0df74d5..aacd84ac4 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.core/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/core/location/AgentLocation.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.core/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/core/location/AgentLocation.java
@@ -10,14 +10,15 @@
  *******************************************************************************/
 package org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.core.location;
 
+import java.net.URI;
 import java.net.URL;
 
 public interface AgentLocation {
 	public static final String SERVICE_NAME = AgentLocation.class.getName();
 
-	public URL getArtifactRepositoryURL();
+	public URI getArtifactRepositoryURI();
 
-	public URL getMetadataRepositoryURL();
+	public URI getMetadataRepositoryURI();
 
 	/**
 	 * Returns the location where the bundle with the given namespace
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.core/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/core/repository/IRepository.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.core/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/core/repository/IRepository.java
index 453186523..ca073d239 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.core/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/core/repository/IRepository.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.core/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/core/repository/IRepository.java
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@
  *******************************************************************************/
 package org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.core.repository;
 
-import java.net.URL;
+import java.net.URI;
 import java.util.Map;
 import org.eclipse.core.runtime.IAdaptable;
 
@@ -109,7 +109,7 @@ public interface IRepository extends IAdaptable {
 	 * to be installed in Java.  Can the URL have any protocol?
 	 * @return the URL of the repository.
 	 */
-	public URL getLocation();
+	public URI getLocation();
 
 	/**
 	 * Returns the name of the repository.
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.core/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/core/repository/IRepositoryManager.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.core/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/core/repository/IRepositoryManager.java
index 4d5c7e948..fe24e0298 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.core/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/core/repository/IRepositoryManager.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.core/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/core/repository/IRepositoryManager.java
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@
  *******************************************************************************/
 package org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.core.repository;
 
-import java.net.URL;
+import java.net.URI;
 
 /**
  * The common base class for metadata and artifact repository managers.
@@ -63,9 +63,9 @@ public interface IRepositoryManager {
 	 * there is a known, enabled repository at the given location when this method returns.
 	 * 
 	 * @param location The location of the metadata repository to add
-	 * @see #isEnabled(URL)
+	 * @see #isEnabled(URI)
 	 */
-	public void addRepository(URL location);
+	public void addRepository(URI location);
 
 	/**
 	 * Returns the artifact repository locations known to the repository manager.
@@ -86,10 +86,10 @@ public interface IRepositoryManager {
 	 * @see #REPOSITORIES_LOCAL
 	 * @see #REPOSITORIES_DISABLED
 	 */
-	public URL[] getKnownRepositories(int flags);
+	public URI[] getKnownRepositories(int flags);
 
 	/**
-	 * Returns the property associated with the repository at the given URL, 
+	 * Returns the property associated with the repository at the given URI, 
 	 * without loading the repository.
 	 * <p>
 	 * Note that some properties for a repository can only be
@@ -101,7 +101,7 @@ public interface IRepositoryManager {
 	 * regardless of the cost of retrieving it, the client should load the 
 	 * repository and then retrieve the property from the repository itself.
 	 * 
-	 * @param location the URL of the repository in question
+	 * @param location the URI of the repository in question
 	 * @param key the String key of the property desired
 	 * @return the value of the property, or <code>null</code> if the repository
 	 * does not exist, the value does not exist, or the property value 
@@ -109,7 +109,7 @@ public interface IRepositoryManager {
 	 * 
 	 * @see IRepository#getProperties()
 	 */
-	public String getRepositoryProperty(URL location, String key);
+	public String getRepositoryProperty(URI location, String key);
 
 	/**
 	 * Returns the enablement value of a repository.  Disabled repositories are known
@@ -126,9 +126,9 @@ public interface IRepositoryManager {
 	 * <code>false</code> if it is not enabled, or if the repository location 
 	 * is not known to the repository manager.
 	 * @see #REPOSITORIES_DISABLED
-	 * @see #setEnabled(URL, boolean)
+	 * @see #setEnabled(URI, boolean)
 	 */
-	public boolean isEnabled(URL location);
+	public boolean isEnabled(URI location);
 
 	/**
 	 * Removes the repository at the given location from the list of
@@ -140,7 +140,7 @@ public interface IRepositoryManager {
 	 * @return <code>true</code> if a repository was removed, and 
 	 * <code>false</code> otherwise.
 	 */
-	public boolean removeRepository(URL location);
+	public boolean removeRepository(URI location);
 
 	/**
 	 * Sets the enablement of a repository. Disabled repositories are known
@@ -159,8 +159,8 @@ public interface IRepositoryManager {
 	 * @param enablement <code>true</code>to enable the repository, and
 	 * <code>false</code> to disable the repository
 	 * @see #REPOSITORIES_DISABLED
-	 * @see #isEnabled(URL)
+	 * @see #isEnabled(URI)
 	 */
-	public void setEnabled(URL location, boolean enablement);
+	public void setEnabled(URI location, boolean enablement);
 
 }
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.core/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/core/repository/RepositoryEvent.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.core/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/core/repository/RepositoryEvent.java
index 2ed68baf1..c8d2680bc 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.core/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/core/repository/RepositoryEvent.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.core/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/core/repository/RepositoryEvent.java
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@
  *******************************************************************************/
 package org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.core.repository;
 
-import java.net.URL;
+import java.net.URI;
 import java.util.EventObject;
 
 /**
@@ -70,7 +70,7 @@ public class RepositoryEvent extends EventObject {
 	 * @param kind the kind of change that occurred.
 	 * @param enabled whether the repository is enabled
 	 */
-	public RepositoryEvent(URL location, int repositoryType, int kind, boolean enabled) {
+	public RepositoryEvent(URI location, int repositoryType, int kind, boolean enabled) {
 		super(location);
 		this.kind = kind;
 		this.type = repositoryType;
@@ -95,8 +95,8 @@ public class RepositoryEvent extends EventObject {
 	 * 
 	 * @return the location of the repository associated with this event.
 	 */
-	public URL getRepositoryLocation() {
-		return (URL) getSource();
+	public URI getRepositoryLocation() {
+		return (URI) getSource();
 	}
 
 	/**
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.core/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/spi/p2/core/repository/AbstractRepository.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.core/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/spi/p2/core/repository/AbstractRepository.java
index b617ce2fe..793c0bbc3 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.core/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/spi/p2/core/repository/AbstractRepository.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.core/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/spi/p2/core/repository/AbstractRepository.java
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@
  *******************************************************************************/
 package org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.spi.p2.core.repository;
 
-import java.net.URL;
+import java.net.URI;
 import java.util.Map;
 import org.eclipse.core.runtime.PlatformObject;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.core.helpers.OrderedProperties;
@@ -25,14 +25,14 @@ import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.core.repository.IRepository;
 */
 public abstract class AbstractRepository extends PlatformObject implements IRepository {
 	protected String description;
-	protected transient URL location;
+	protected transient URI location;
 	protected String name;
 	protected Map properties = new OrderedProperties();
 	protected String provider;
 	protected String type;
 	protected String version;
 
-	protected AbstractRepository(String name, String type, String version, URL location, String description, String provider, Map properties) {
+	protected AbstractRepository(String name, String type, String version, URI location, String description, String provider, Map properties) {
 		this.name = name;
 		this.type = type;
 		this.version = version;
@@ -67,7 +67,7 @@ public abstract class AbstractRepository extends PlatformObject implements IRepo
 	 * to be installed in Java.  Can the URL have any protocol?
 	 * @return the URL of the repository.
 	 */
-	public synchronized URL getLocation() {
+	public synchronized URI getLocation() {
 		return location;
 	}
 
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.director.app/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/director/app/Application.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.director.app/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/director/app/Application.java
index ae4bb44c6..56c641f0f 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.director.app/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/director/app/Application.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.director.app/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/director/app/Application.java
@@ -12,8 +12,8 @@
 package org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.director.app;
 
 import java.io.File;
-import java.net.MalformedURLException;
-import java.net.URL;
+import java.net.URI;
+import java.net.URISyntaxException;
 import java.util.*;
 import org.eclipse.core.runtime.*;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.app.IApplication;
@@ -57,9 +57,9 @@ public class Application implements IApplication {
 
 	private Path destination;
 
-	private URL[] artifactRepositoryLocations;
+	private URI[] artifactRepositoryLocations;
 
-	private URL[] metadataRepositoryLocations;
+	private URI[] metadataRepositoryLocations;
 
 	private String root;
 	private Version version = null;
@@ -165,7 +165,6 @@ public class Application implements IApplication {
 	}
 
 	private void initializeRepositories(boolean throwException) throws CoreException {
-
 		if (artifactRepositoryLocations == null) {
 			if (throwException)
 				missingArgument("artifactRepository"); //$NON-NLS-1$
@@ -182,7 +181,7 @@ public class Application implements IApplication {
 						anyValid = true;
 					} catch (ProvisionException e) {
 						//one of the repositories did not load
-						LogHelper.log(new Status(IStatus.ERROR, Activator.ID, artifactRepositoryLocations[i].getPath() + " failed to load", e)); //$NON-NLS-1$
+						LogHelper.log(new Status(IStatus.ERROR, Activator.ID, artifactRepositoryLocations[i].toString() + " failed to load", e)); //$NON-NLS-1$
 					}
 				}
 				if (throwException && !anyValid)
@@ -207,7 +206,7 @@ public class Application implements IApplication {
 						anyValid = true;
 					} catch (ProvisionException e) {
 						//one of the repositories did not load
-						LogHelper.log(new Status(IStatus.ERROR, Activator.ID, metadataRepositoryLocations[i].getPath() + " failed to load", e)); //$NON-NLS-1$
+						LogHelper.log(new Status(IStatus.ERROR, Activator.ID, metadataRepositoryLocations[i].toString() + " failed to load", e)); //$NON-NLS-1$
 					}
 				}
 				if (throwException && !anyValid)
@@ -500,19 +499,19 @@ public class Application implements IApplication {
 		return engine.perform(profile, new DefaultPhaseSet(), result.getOperands(), new ProvisioningContext(), new NullProgressMonitor());
 	}
 
-	private static URL[] getURLs(String spec) {
+	private static URI[] getURLs(String spec) {
 		if (spec == null)
 			return null;
 		String[] urlSpecs = getArrayFromString(spec, ","); //$NON-NLS-1$
 		ArrayList result = new ArrayList(urlSpecs.length);
 		for (int i = 0; i < urlSpecs.length; i++) {
 			try {
-				result.add(new URL(urlSpecs[i]));
-			} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
+				result.add(new URI(urlSpecs[i]));
+			} catch (URISyntaxException e) {
 				NLS.bind(Messages.Ignored_repo, urlSpecs[i]);
 			}
 		}
-		return (URL[]) result.toArray(new URL[result.size()]);
+		return (URI[]) result.toArray(new URI[result.size()]);
 	}
 
 	/**
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.director.app/src_ant/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/director/app/ant/DirectorTask.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.director.app/src_ant/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/director/app/ant/DirectorTask.java
index a13ed31bd..28d3b5fd3 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.director.app/src_ant/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/director/app/ant/DirectorTask.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.director.app/src_ant/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/director/app/ant/DirectorTask.java
@@ -11,8 +11,8 @@
 package org.eclipse.equinox.p2.director.app.ant;
 
 import java.io.File;
-import java.net.MalformedURLException;
-import java.net.URL;
+import java.net.URI;
+import java.net.URISyntaxException;
 import java.util.ArrayList;
 import java.util.List;
 import org.apache.tools.ant.*;
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@ public class DirectorTask extends Task {
 	boolean list;
 	String profile, flavor, os, ws, nl, arch, installIU, uninstallIU;
 	File destination, bundlePool;
-	URL metadataRepository, artifactRepository;
+	URI metadataRepository, artifactRepository;
 	Version version;
 
 	/*
@@ -64,11 +64,11 @@ public class DirectorTask extends Task {
 		}
 		if (metadataRepository != null) {
 			result.add("-metadataRepository");
-			result.add(metadataRepository.toExternalForm());
+			result.add(metadataRepository.toString());
 		}
 		if (artifactRepository != null) {
 			result.add("-artifactRepository");
-			result.add(artifactRepository.toExternalForm());
+			result.add(artifactRepository.toString());
 		}
 		if (flavor != null) {
 			result.add("-flavor");
@@ -114,8 +114,8 @@ public class DirectorTask extends Task {
 
 	public void setArtifactRepository(String value) {
 		try {
-			artifactRepository = new URL(value);
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
+			artifactRepository = new URI(value);
+		} catch (URISyntaxException e) {
 			log("Error setting the artifact repository.", e, Project.MSG_ERR);
 		}
 	}
@@ -142,8 +142,8 @@ public class DirectorTask extends Task {
 
 	public void setMetadataRepository(String value) {
 		try {
-			metadataRepository = new URL(value);
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
+			metadataRepository = new URI(value);
+		} catch (URISyntaxException e) {
 			log("Error setting the metadata repository.", e, Project.MSG_ERR);
 		}
 	}
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.director/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/director/SimpleDirector.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.director/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/director/SimpleDirector.java
index 7a3489275..29d3d1a29 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.director/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/director/SimpleDirector.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.director/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/director/SimpleDirector.java
@@ -8,10 +8,10 @@
  ******************************************************************************/
 package org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.director;
 
-import java.net.MalformedURLException;
-import java.net.URL;
+import java.net.*;
 import org.eclipse.core.runtime.*;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.core.helpers.ServiceHelper;
+import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.core.helpers.URIUtil;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.rollback.FormerState;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.core.location.AgentLocation;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.director.*;
@@ -40,13 +40,16 @@ public class SimpleDirector implements IDirector {
 		new FormerState(getRollbackRepositoryLocation());
 	}
 
-	public URL getRollbackRepositoryLocation() {
+	public URI getRollbackRepositoryLocation() {
 		AgentLocation agentLocation = (AgentLocation) ServiceHelper.getService(DirectorActivator.context, AgentLocation.class.getName());
 		try {
-			return new URL(agentLocation.getDataArea(DirectorActivator.PI_DIRECTOR), ROLLBACK_LOCATION);
+			return URIUtil.toURI(new URL(agentLocation.getDataArea(DirectorActivator.PI_DIRECTOR), ROLLBACK_LOCATION));
 		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
 			//we know this can't happen because the above URL is well-formed
 			return null;
+		} catch (URISyntaxException e) {
+			//we know this can't happen because the above URL is well-formed
+			return null;
 		}
 	}
 
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.director/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/director/SimplePlanner.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.director/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/director/SimplePlanner.java
index 4f05b17b0..c172db756 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.director/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/director/SimplePlanner.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.director/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/director/SimplePlanner.java
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@
  ******************************************************************************/
 package org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.director;
 
-import java.net.URL;
+import java.net.URI;
 import java.util.*;
 import org.eclipse.core.runtime.*;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.core.helpers.*;
@@ -170,7 +170,7 @@ public class SimplePlanner implements IPlanner {
 		return result;
 	}
 
-	public static IInstallableUnit[] gatherAvailableInstallableUnits(IInstallableUnit[] additionalSource, URL[] repositories, ProvisioningContext context, IProgressMonitor monitor) {
+	public static IInstallableUnit[] gatherAvailableInstallableUnits(IInstallableUnit[] additionalSource, URI[] repositories, ProvisioningContext context, IProgressMonitor monitor) {
 		Map resultsMap = new HashMap();
 		if (additionalSource != null) {
 			for (int i = 0; i < additionalSource.length; i++) {
@@ -228,7 +228,7 @@ public class SimplePlanner implements IPlanner {
 
 			IInstallableUnit[] allIUs = updatePlannerInfo(profileChangeRequest);
 
-			URL[] metadataRepositories = (context != null) ? context.getMetadataRepositories() : null;
+			URI[] metadataRepositories = (context != null) ? context.getMetadataRepositories() : null;
 			Dictionary newSelectionContext = createSelectionContext(profileChangeRequest.getProfileProperties());
 
 			List extraIUs = new ArrayList(Arrays.asList(profileChangeRequest.getAddedInstallableUnits()));
@@ -381,7 +381,7 @@ public class SimplePlanner implements IPlanner {
 		Map resultsMap = new HashMap();
 
 		IMetadataRepositoryManager repoMgr = (IMetadataRepositoryManager) ServiceHelper.getService(DirectorActivator.context, IMetadataRepositoryManager.class.getName());
-		URL[] repositories = context.getMetadataRepositories();
+		URI[] repositories = context.getMetadataRepositories();
 		if (repositories == null)
 			repositories = repoMgr.getKnownRepositories(IMetadataRepositoryManager.REPOSITORIES_ALL);
 
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.director/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/rollback/FormerState.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.director/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/rollback/FormerState.java
index e39cfdde9..5d46f6918 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.director/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/rollback/FormerState.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.director/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/rollback/FormerState.java
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@
  ******************************************************************************/
 package org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.rollback;
 
-import java.net.URL;
+import java.net.URI;
 import java.util.*;
 import java.util.Map.Entry;
 import org.eclipse.core.runtime.*;
@@ -35,7 +35,7 @@ public class FormerState {
 	public static final String IUPROP_PREFIX = "---IUPROPERTY---"; //$NON-NLS-1$
 	public static final String IUPROP_POSTFIX = "---IUPROPERTYKEY---"; //$NON-NLS-1$
 	private static long lastTimestamp;
-	URL location = null;
+	URI location = null;
 
 	Hashtable generatedIUs = new Hashtable(); //key profile id, value the iu representing this profile
 
@@ -58,7 +58,7 @@ public class FormerState {
 		return timestamp;
 	}
 
-	public FormerState(URL repoLocation) {
+	public FormerState(URI repoLocation) {
 		if (repoLocation == null)
 			throw new IllegalArgumentException("Repository location can't be null"); //$NON-NLS-1$
 		IProvisioningEventBus eventBus = (IProvisioningEventBus) ServiceHelper.getService(DirectorActivator.context, IProvisioningEventBus.SERVICE_NAME);
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.director/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/director/IDirector.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.director/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/director/IDirector.java
index ce844edb0..c11d25e55 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.director/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/director/IDirector.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.director/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/director/IDirector.java
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@
  *******************************************************************************/
 package org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.director;
 
-import java.net.URL;
+import java.net.URI;
 import org.eclipse.core.runtime.IProgressMonitor;
 import org.eclipse.core.runtime.IStatus;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.engine.IProfile;
@@ -54,5 +54,5 @@ public interface IDirector {
 	 * Returns the location of the director's rollback repository, where information about
 	 * previous profile states is stored.
 	 */
-	public URL getRollbackRepositoryLocation();
+	public URI getRollbackRepositoryLocation();
 }
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.directorywatcher/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/directorywatcher/Activator.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.directorywatcher/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/directorywatcher/Activator.java
index 63f3ad864..54c196c30 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.directorywatcher/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/directorywatcher/Activator.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.directorywatcher/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/directorywatcher/Activator.java
@@ -12,8 +12,7 @@
 package org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.directorywatcher;
 
 import java.io.File;
-import java.net.MalformedURLException;
-import java.net.URL;
+import java.net.URI;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.core.helpers.ServiceHelper;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.artifact.repository.IArtifactRepositoryManager;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.metadata.repository.IMetadataRepositoryManager;
@@ -48,17 +47,13 @@ public class Activator implements BundleActivator {
 		return (IMetadataRepositoryManager) ServiceHelper.getService(context, IMetadataRepositoryManager.class.getName());
 	}
 
-	public static URL getDefaultRepositoryLocation(Object object, String repositoryName) {
+	public static URI getDefaultRepositoryLocation(Object object, String repositoryName) {
 		PackageAdmin packageAdmin = (PackageAdmin) ServiceHelper.getService(context, PackageAdmin.class.getName());
 		Bundle bundle = packageAdmin.getBundle(object.getClass());
 		BundleContext context = bundle.getBundleContext();
 		File base = context.getDataFile(""); //$NON-NLS-1$
 		File result = new File(base, "listener_" + repositoryName.hashCode()); //$NON-NLS-1$
 		result.mkdirs();
-		try {
-			return result.toURL();
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
-			return null;
-		}
+		return result.toURI();
 	}
 }
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.directorywatcher/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/directorywatcher/CachingArtifactRepository.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.directorywatcher/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/directorywatcher/CachingArtifactRepository.java
index e08d5259a..8abed2915 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.directorywatcher/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/directorywatcher/CachingArtifactRepository.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.directorywatcher/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/directorywatcher/CachingArtifactRepository.java
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ package org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.directorywatcher;
 
 import java.io.File;
 import java.io.OutputStream;
-import java.net.URL;
+import java.net.URI;
 import java.util.*;
 import org.eclipse.core.runtime.*;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.artifact.repository.*;
@@ -172,7 +172,7 @@ public class CachingArtifactRepository implements IArtifactRepository, IFileArti
 		return innerRepo.getDescription();
 	}
 
-	public URL getLocation() {
+	public URI getLocation() {
 		return innerRepo.getLocation();
 	}
 
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.directorywatcher/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/directorywatcher/RepositoryListener.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.directorywatcher/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/directorywatcher/RepositoryListener.java
index 807c8527d..aac31ef40 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.directorywatcher/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/directorywatcher/RepositoryListener.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.directorywatcher/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/directorywatcher/RepositoryListener.java
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ package org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.directorywatcher;
 
 import java.io.File;
 import java.net.MalformedURLException;
-import java.net.URL;
+import java.net.URI;
 import java.util.*;
 import org.eclipse.core.runtime.*;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.core.helpers.LogHelper;
@@ -57,8 +57,8 @@ public class RepositoryListener extends DirectoryChangeListener {
 	 * @param hidden <code>true</code> if the repository should be hidden, <code>false</code> if not.
 	 */
 	public RepositoryListener(String repositoryName, boolean hidden) {
-		URL location = Activator.getDefaultRepositoryLocation(this, repositoryName);
-		metadataRepository = initiailzeMetadataRepository(repositoryName, location, hidden);
+		URI location = Activator.getDefaultRepositoryLocation(this, repositoryName);
+		metadataRepository = initializeMetadataRepository(repositoryName, location, hidden);
 		artifactRepository = initializeArtifactRepository(repositoryName, location, hidden);
 		initializePublisher();
 	}
@@ -77,7 +77,7 @@ public class RepositoryListener extends DirectoryChangeListener {
 		info.setArtifactOptions(IPublisherInfo.A_INDEX);
 	}
 
-	protected CachingArtifactRepository initializeArtifactRepository(String repositoryName, URL repositoryLocation, boolean hidden) {
+	protected CachingArtifactRepository initializeArtifactRepository(String repositoryName, URI repositoryLocation, boolean hidden) {
 		IArtifactRepositoryManager manager = Activator.getArtifactRepositoryManager();
 		if (manager == null)
 			throw new IllegalStateException(Messages.artifact_repo_manager_not_registered);
@@ -103,7 +103,7 @@ public class RepositoryListener extends DirectoryChangeListener {
 		}
 	}
 
-	protected IMetadataRepository initiailzeMetadataRepository(String repositoryName, URL repositoryLocation, boolean hidden) {
+	protected IMetadataRepository initializeMetadataRepository(String repositoryName, URI repositoryLocation, boolean hidden) {
 		IMetadataRepositoryManager manager = Activator.getMetadataRepositoryManager();
 		if (manager == null)
 			throw new IllegalStateException(Messages.metadata_repo_manager_not_registered);
@@ -156,7 +156,7 @@ public class RepositoryListener extends DirectoryChangeListener {
 		if (bundleDescription == null)
 			return false;
 		try {
-			advice.setProperties(file, file.lastModified(), file.toURL(), null);
+			advice.setProperties(file, file.lastModified(), file.toURL());
 		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
 			// should never happen
 		}
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.engine/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/engine/DownloadManager.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.engine/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/engine/DownloadManager.java
index 4a83a263f..412ced5ff 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.engine/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/engine/DownloadManager.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.engine/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/engine/DownloadManager.java
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@
  *******************************************************************************/
 package org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.engine;
 
-import java.net.URL;
+import java.net.URI;
 import java.util.*;
 import org.eclipse.core.runtime.*;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.core.helpers.ServiceHelper;
@@ -31,11 +31,11 @@ public class DownloadManager {
 	private static final Comparator LOCAL_FIRST_COMPARATOR = new Comparator() {
 
 		public int compare(Object arg0, Object arg1) {
-			Assert.isTrue(arg0 instanceof URL);
-			Assert.isTrue(arg1 instanceof URL);
+			Assert.isTrue(arg0 instanceof URI);
+			Assert.isTrue(arg1 instanceof URI);
 
-			String protocol0 = ((URL) arg0).getProtocol();
-			String protocol1 = ((URL) arg1).getProtocol();
+			String protocol0 = ((URI) arg0).getScheme();
+			String protocol1 = ((URI) arg1).getScheme();
 
 			if (protocol0.equals(FILE_PROTOCOL) && !protocol1.equals(FILE_PROTOCOL))
 				return -1;
@@ -84,7 +84,7 @@ public class DownloadManager {
 				return Status.OK_STATUS;
 
 			IArtifactRepositoryManager repoMgr = (IArtifactRepositoryManager) ServiceHelper.getService(EngineActivator.getContext(), IArtifactRepositoryManager.class.getName());
-			URL[] repositories = null;
+			URI[] repositories = null;
 			if (provContext == null || provContext.getArtifactRepositories() == null)
 				repositories = repoMgr.getKnownRepositories(IArtifactRepositoryManager.REPOSITORIES_ALL);
 			else
@@ -99,7 +99,7 @@ public class DownloadManager {
 		}
 	}
 
-	private void fetch(IArtifactRepositoryManager repoMgr, URL[] repositories, SubMonitor monitor) {
+	private void fetch(IArtifactRepositoryManager repoMgr, URI[] repositories, SubMonitor monitor) {
 		for (int i = 0; i < repositories.length && !requestsToProcess.isEmpty() && !monitor.isCanceled(); i++) {
 			try {
 				IArtifactRepository current = repoMgr.loadRepository(repositories[i], monitor.newChild(0));
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.engine/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/engine/MetadataCache.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.engine/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/engine/MetadataCache.java
index 0b5b52a45..f3d2ff65b 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.engine/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/engine/MetadataCache.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.engine/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/engine/MetadataCache.java
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@
  *******************************************************************************/
 package org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.engine;
 
-import java.net.URL;
+import java.net.URI;
 import java.util.*;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.core.helpers.LogHelper;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.core.helpers.ServiceHelper;
@@ -29,14 +29,14 @@ public class MetadataCache {
 	static final private String REPOSITORY_NAME = "Agent Metadata Cache"; //$NON-NLS-1$
 	private ServiceReference busReference;
 	private IProvisioningEventBus bus;
-	private URL location;
+	private URI location;
 	//tracks the IUs that have been installed but not yet committed
 	//TODO: This will work if a single profile is being modified but we should consider how to handle multiple concurrent profile changes.OD
 	final ArrayList toAdd = new ArrayList();
 
 	public MetadataCache() {
 		AgentLocation agentLocation = (AgentLocation) ServiceHelper.getService(EngineActivator.getContext(), AgentLocation.class.getName());
-		location = (agentLocation != null ? agentLocation.getMetadataRepositoryURL() : null);
+		location = (agentLocation != null ? agentLocation.getMetadataRepositoryURI() : null);
 		hookListener();
 	}
 
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.engine/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/engine/IProfile.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.engine/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/engine/IProfile.java
index c509ca0d4..f4c371a17 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.engine/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/engine/IProfile.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.engine/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/engine/IProfile.java
@@ -93,22 +93,20 @@ public interface IProfile extends IQueryable {
 	public String[] getSubProfileIds();
 
 	/**
-	 * 	Get the stored value associated with the given key.
-	 * 	If the profile is a sub-profile and there is no value
-	 * 	locally associated with the key, then the chain
-	 * 	of parent profiles will be traversed to get an associated
-	 *  value from the nearest ancestor.
+	 * Get the stored value associated with the given key.
+	 * If the profile is a sub-profile and there is no value
+	 * locally associated with the key, then the chain
+	 * of parent profiles will be traversed to get an associated
+	 * value from the nearest ancestor.
 	 *  
-	 *  <code>null</code> is return if none of this profile
-	 *  or its ancestors associates a value with the key.
+	 * <code>null</code> is return if none of this profile
+	 * or its ancestors associates a value with the key.
 	 */
 	public String getProperty(String key);
 
 	/**
-	 * 	Get the stored value associated with the given key
-	 * 	in this profile.
-	 * 	No traversal of the ancestor hierarchy is done
-	 * 	for sub-profiles.
+	 * Get the stored value associated with the given key in this profile.
+	 * No traversal of the ancestor hierarchy is done for sub-profiles.
 	 */
 	public String getLocalProperty(String key);
 
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.engine/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/engine/ProvisioningContext.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.engine/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/engine/ProvisioningContext.java
index deefdf1c4..21b9cc5a8 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.engine/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/engine/ProvisioningContext.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.engine/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/engine/ProvisioningContext.java
@@ -10,12 +10,12 @@
  ******************************************************************************/
 package org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.engine;
 
-import java.net.URL;
+import java.net.URI;
 import java.util.*;
 
 public class ProvisioningContext {
-	private URL[] metadataRepositories; //metadata repositories to consult
-	private URL[] artifactRepositories; //artifact repositories to consult
+	private URI[] metadataRepositories; //metadata repositories to consult
+	private URI[] artifactRepositories; //artifact repositories to consult
 	private Properties properties = new Properties();
 	private List extraIUs = new ArrayList();
 
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ public class ProvisioningContext {
 		artifactRepositories = null;
 	}
 
-	public ProvisioningContext(URL[] metadataRepositories) {
+	public ProvisioningContext(URI[] metadataRepositories) {
 		this.metadataRepositories = metadataRepositories;
 	}
 
@@ -33,15 +33,15 @@ public class ProvisioningContext {
 	 * Artifact repositories to consult when performing an operation.
 	 * @param artifactRepositories array of URLs
 	*/
-	public void setArtifactRepositories(URL[] artifactRepositories) {
+	public void setArtifactRepositories(URI[] artifactRepositories) {
 		this.artifactRepositories = artifactRepositories;
 	}
 
-	public URL[] getMetadataRepositories() {
+	public URI[] getMetadataRepositories() {
 		return metadataRepositories;
 	}
 
-	public URL[] getArtifactRepositories() {
+	public URI[] getArtifactRepositories() {
 		return artifactRepositories;
 	}
 
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.engine/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/engine/phases/Sizing.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.engine/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/engine/phases/Sizing.java
index 25d53b000..853c0de0e 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.engine/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/engine/phases/Sizing.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.engine/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/engine/phases/Sizing.java
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@
  *******************************************************************************/
 package org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.engine.phases;
 
-import java.net.URL;
+import java.net.URI;
 import java.util.*;
 import org.eclipse.core.runtime.*;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.core.helpers.ServiceHelper;
@@ -67,7 +67,7 @@ public class Sizing extends InstallableUnitPhase {
 			return Status.CANCEL_STATUS;
 
 		IArtifactRepositoryManager repoMgr = (IArtifactRepositoryManager) ServiceHelper.getService(EngineActivator.getContext(), IArtifactRepositoryManager.class.getName());
-		URL[] repositories = null;
+		URI[] repositories = null;
 		if (provContext == null || provContext.getArtifactRepositories() == null)
 			repositories = repoMgr.getKnownRepositories(IArtifactRepositoryManager.REPOSITORIES_ALL);
 		else
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.extensionlocation/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/extensionlocation/Activator.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.extensionlocation/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/extensionlocation/Activator.java
index b587effcf..efe4c1d02 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.extensionlocation/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/extensionlocation/Activator.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.extensionlocation/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/extensionlocation/Activator.java
@@ -11,9 +11,9 @@
 package org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.extensionlocation;
 
 import java.io.File;
+import java.net.URI;
 import java.net.URL;
-import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.core.helpers.ServiceHelper;
-import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.core.helpers.URLUtil;
+import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.core.helpers.*;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.touchpoint.eclipse.Util;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.artifact.repository.IFileArtifactRepository;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.engine.IProfile;
@@ -92,8 +92,8 @@ public class Activator implements BundleActivator {
 	/**
 	 * Returns a reasonable human-readable repository name for the given location.
 	 */
-	public static String getRepositoryName(URL location) {
-		File file = URLUtil.toFile(location);
-		return file == null ? location.toExternalForm() : file.getAbsolutePath();
+	public static String getRepositoryName(URI location) {
+		File file = URIUtil.toFile(location);
+		return file == null ? location.toString() : file.getAbsolutePath();
 	}
 }
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.extensionlocation/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/extensionlocation/ExtensionLocationArtifactRepository.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.extensionlocation/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/extensionlocation/ExtensionLocationArtifactRepository.java
index 15df198d8..51fd96120 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.extensionlocation/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/extensionlocation/ExtensionLocationArtifactRepository.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.extensionlocation/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/extensionlocation/ExtensionLocationArtifactRepository.java
@@ -13,10 +13,10 @@ package org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.extensionlocation;
 
 import java.io.File;
 import java.io.OutputStream;
-import java.net.MalformedURLException;
-import java.net.URL;
+import java.net.URI;
 import java.util.Map;
 import org.eclipse.core.runtime.*;
+import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.core.helpers.URIUtil;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.artifact.repository.*;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.core.ProvisionException;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.metadata.IArtifactKey;
@@ -37,24 +37,19 @@ public class ExtensionLocationArtifactRepository extends AbstractRepository impl
 	 * Return the location of a local repository based on
 	 * the given URL.
 	 */
-	public static URL getLocalRepositoryLocation(URL location) {
+	public static URI getLocalRepositoryLocation(URI location) {
 		BundleContext context = Activator.getContext();
-		String stateDirName = Integer.toString(location.toExternalForm().hashCode());
+		String stateDirName = Integer.toString(location.toString().hashCode());
 		File bundleData = context.getDataFile(null);
 		File stateDir = new File(bundleData, stateDirName);
-		try {
-			return stateDir.toURL();
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
-			// unexpected
-			return null;
-		}
+		return stateDir.toURI();
 	}
 
 	/*
 	 * Constructor for the class. Return a new extension location repository based on 
 	 * the given url and nested repository.
 	 */
-	public ExtensionLocationArtifactRepository(URL location, IFileArtifactRepository repository, IProgressMonitor monitor) throws ProvisionException {
+	public ExtensionLocationArtifactRepository(URI location, IFileArtifactRepository repository, IProgressMonitor monitor) throws ProvisionException {
 		super(Activator.getRepositoryName(location), TYPE, VERSION.toString(), location, null, null, null);
 		this.artifactRepository = repository;
 		this.base = getBaseDirectory(location);
@@ -84,12 +79,12 @@ public class ExtensionLocationArtifactRepository extends AbstractRepository impl
 		state = value;
 	}
 
-	public static void validate(URL location, IProgressMonitor monitor) throws ProvisionException {
+	public static void validate(URI location, IProgressMonitor monitor) throws ProvisionException {
 		File base = getBaseDirectory(location);
 		if (new File(base, EXTENSION_LOCATION).exists())
 			return;
 		if (containsUpdateSiteFile(base)) {
-			String message = NLS.bind(Messages.error_update_site, location.toExternalForm());
+			String message = NLS.bind(Messages.error_update_site, location.toString());
 			throw new ProvisionException(new Status(IStatus.ERROR, Activator.ID, ProvisionException.REPOSITORY_NOT_FOUND, message, null));
 		}
 	}
@@ -105,17 +100,17 @@ public class ExtensionLocationArtifactRepository extends AbstractRepository impl
 		return false;
 	}
 
-	public static File getBaseDirectory(URL url) throws ProvisionException {
-		if (!FILE.equals(url.getProtocol()))
+	public static File getBaseDirectory(URI uri) throws ProvisionException {
+		if (!FILE.equals(uri.getScheme()))
 			throw new ProvisionException(new Status(IStatus.ERROR, Activator.ID, ProvisionException.REPOSITORY_NOT_FOUND, Messages.not_file_protocol, null));
 
-		String path = url.getPath();
+		String path = URIUtil.toFile(uri).getAbsolutePath();
 		if (path.endsWith(EXTENSION_LOCATION))
 			path = path.substring(0, path.length() - EXTENSION_LOCATION.length());
 		File base = new File(path);
 
 		if (!base.isDirectory())
-			throw new ProvisionException(new Status(IStatus.ERROR, Activator.ID, ProvisionException.REPOSITORY_NOT_FOUND, NLS.bind(Messages.not_directory, url.toExternalForm()), null));
+			throw new ProvisionException(new Status(IStatus.ERROR, Activator.ID, ProvisionException.REPOSITORY_NOT_FOUND, NLS.bind(Messages.not_directory, uri.toString()), null));
 
 		if (isBaseDirectory(base))
 			return base;
@@ -124,7 +119,7 @@ public class ExtensionLocationArtifactRepository extends AbstractRepository impl
 		if (isBaseDirectory(eclipseBase))
 			return eclipseBase;
 
-		throw new ProvisionException(new Status(IStatus.ERROR, Activator.ID, ProvisionException.REPOSITORY_NOT_FOUND, NLS.bind(Messages.not_eclipse_extension, url.toExternalForm()), null));
+		throw new ProvisionException(new Status(IStatus.ERROR, Activator.ID, ProvisionException.REPOSITORY_NOT_FOUND, NLS.bind(Messages.not_eclipse_extension, uri.toString()), null));
 	}
 
 	private static boolean isBaseDirectory(File base) {
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.extensionlocation/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/extensionlocation/ExtensionLocationArtifactRepositoryFactory.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.extensionlocation/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/extensionlocation/ExtensionLocationArtifactRepositoryFactory.java
index fdf2ec168..3c66167e7 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.extensionlocation/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/extensionlocation/ExtensionLocationArtifactRepositoryFactory.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.extensionlocation/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/extensionlocation/ExtensionLocationArtifactRepositoryFactory.java
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@
  *******************************************************************************/
 package org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.extensionlocation;
 
-import java.net.URL;
+import java.net.URI;
 import java.util.Map;
 import org.eclipse.core.runtime.*;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.artifact.repository.IArtifactRepository;
@@ -25,12 +25,12 @@ public class ExtensionLocationArtifactRepositoryFactory implements IArtifactRepo
 	/* (non-Javadoc)
 	 * @see org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.spi.p2.artifact.repository.IArtifactRepositoryFactory#create(java.net.URL, java.lang.String, java.lang.String, java.util.Map)
 	 */
-	public IArtifactRepository create(URL location, String name, String type, Map properties) throws ProvisionException {
+	public IArtifactRepository create(URI location, String name, String type, Map properties) throws ProvisionException {
 		// TODO proper progress monitoring
 		IStatus status = validate(location, null);
 		if (!status.isOK())
 			throw new ProvisionException(status);
-		URL repoLocation = ExtensionLocationArtifactRepository.getLocalRepositoryLocation(location);
+		URI repoLocation = ExtensionLocationArtifactRepository.getLocalRepositoryLocation(location);
 		// unexpected
 		if (repoLocation == null)
 			throw new ProvisionException(new Status(IStatus.ERROR, Activator.ID, Messages.failed_create_local_artifact_repository));
@@ -44,7 +44,7 @@ public class ExtensionLocationArtifactRepositoryFactory implements IArtifactRepo
 			// expected
 		}
 		if (failed) {
-			String msg = NLS.bind(Messages.repo_already_exists, location.toExternalForm());
+			String msg = NLS.bind(Messages.repo_already_exists, location);
 			throw new ProvisionException(new Status(IStatus.ERROR, Activator.ID, ProvisionException.REPOSITORY_EXISTS, msg, null));
 		}
 		IFileArtifactRepository repo = (IFileArtifactRepository) new SimpleArtifactRepositoryFactory().create(repoLocation, name, type, properties);
@@ -54,12 +54,12 @@ public class ExtensionLocationArtifactRepositoryFactory implements IArtifactRepo
 	/* (non-Javadoc)
 	 * @see org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.spi.p2.artifact.repository.IArtifactRepositoryFactory#load(java.net.URL, org.eclipse.core.runtime.IProgressMonitor)
 	 */
-	public IArtifactRepository load(URL location, IProgressMonitor monitor) throws ProvisionException {
+	public IArtifactRepository load(URI location, IProgressMonitor monitor) throws ProvisionException {
 		// TODO proper progress monitoring
 		IStatus status = validate(location, null);
 		if (!status.isOK())
 			throw new ProvisionException(status);
-		URL repoLocation = ExtensionLocationArtifactRepository.getLocalRepositoryLocation(location);
+		URI repoLocation = ExtensionLocationArtifactRepository.getLocalRepositoryLocation(location);
 		// unexpected
 		if (repoLocation == null)
 			throw new ProvisionException(new Status(IStatus.ERROR, Activator.ID, Messages.failed_create_local_artifact_repository));
@@ -72,7 +72,7 @@ public class ExtensionLocationArtifactRepositoryFactory implements IArtifactRepo
 		}
 	}
 
-	public IStatus validate(URL location, IProgressMonitor monitor) {
+	public IStatus validate(URI location, IProgressMonitor monitor) {
 		try {
 			ExtensionLocationArtifactRepository.validate(location, monitor);
 		} catch (ProvisionException e) {
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.extensionlocation/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/extensionlocation/ExtensionLocationMetadataRepository.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.extensionlocation/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/extensionlocation/ExtensionLocationMetadataRepository.java
index b1bd34fce..87ea1cdaf 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.extensionlocation/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/extensionlocation/ExtensionLocationMetadataRepository.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.extensionlocation/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/extensionlocation/ExtensionLocationMetadataRepository.java
@@ -12,10 +12,10 @@
 package org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.extensionlocation;
 
 import java.io.File;
-import java.net.MalformedURLException;
-import java.net.URL;
+import java.net.URI;
 import java.util.Map;
 import org.eclipse.core.runtime.*;
+import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.core.helpers.URIUtil;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.core.ProvisionException;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.metadata.IInstallableUnit;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.metadata.repository.IMetadataRepository;
@@ -37,24 +37,18 @@ public class ExtensionLocationMetadataRepository extends AbstractMetadataReposit
 	/*
 	 * Return the URL for this repo's nested local repository.
 	 */
-	public static URL getLocalRepositoryLocation(URL location) {
+	public static URI getLocalRepositoryLocation(URI location) {
 		BundleContext context = Activator.getContext();
-		String stateDirName = Integer.toString(location.toExternalForm().hashCode());
+		String stateDirName = Integer.toString(location.toString().hashCode());
 		File bundleData = context.getDataFile(null);
-		File stateDir = new File(bundleData, stateDirName);
-		try {
-			return stateDir.toURL();
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
-			// unexpected
-			return null;
-		}
+		return new File(bundleData, stateDirName).toURI();
 	}
 
 	/*
 	 * Constructor for the class. Return a new extension location repository based on the 
 	 * given location and specified nested repo.
 	 */
-	public ExtensionLocationMetadataRepository(URL location, IMetadataRepository repository, IProgressMonitor monitor) throws ProvisionException {
+	public ExtensionLocationMetadataRepository(URI location, IMetadataRepository repository, IProgressMonitor monitor) throws ProvisionException {
 		super(Activator.getRepositoryName(location), TYPE, VERSION.toString(), location, null, null, null);
 		this.metadataRepository = repository;
 		this.base = getBaseDirectory(location);
@@ -113,12 +107,12 @@ public class ExtensionLocationMetadataRepository extends AbstractMetadataReposit
 		return metadataRepository.query(query, collector, monitor);
 	}
 
-	public static void validate(URL location, IProgressMonitor monitor) throws ProvisionException {
+	public static void validate(URI location, IProgressMonitor monitor) throws ProvisionException {
 		File base = getBaseDirectory(location);
 		if (new File(base, EXTENSION_LOCATION).exists())
 			return;
 		if (containsUpdateSiteFile(base)) {
-			String message = NLS.bind(Messages.error_update_site, location.toExternalForm());
+			String message = NLS.bind(Messages.error_update_site, location.toString());
 			throw new ProvisionException(new Status(IStatus.ERROR, Activator.ID, ProvisionException.REPOSITORY_NOT_FOUND, message, null));
 		}
 	}
@@ -134,17 +128,17 @@ public class ExtensionLocationMetadataRepository extends AbstractMetadataReposit
 		return false;
 	}
 
-	public static File getBaseDirectory(URL url) throws ProvisionException {
-		if (!FILE.equals(url.getProtocol()))
+	public static File getBaseDirectory(URI uri) throws ProvisionException {
+		if (!FILE.equals(uri.getScheme()))
 			throw new ProvisionException(new Status(IStatus.ERROR, Activator.ID, ProvisionException.REPOSITORY_NOT_FOUND, Messages.not_file_protocol, null));
 
-		String path = url.getPath();
+		File base = URIUtil.toFile(uri);
+		String path = base.getAbsolutePath();
 		if (path.endsWith(EXTENSION_LOCATION))
-			path = path.substring(0, path.length() - EXTENSION_LOCATION.length());
-		File base = new File(path);
+			base = new File(path.substring(0, path.length() - EXTENSION_LOCATION.length()));
 
 		if (!base.isDirectory())
-			throw new ProvisionException(new Status(IStatus.ERROR, Activator.ID, ProvisionException.REPOSITORY_NOT_FOUND, NLS.bind(Messages.not_directory, url.toExternalForm()), null));
+			throw new ProvisionException(new Status(IStatus.ERROR, Activator.ID, ProvisionException.REPOSITORY_NOT_FOUND, NLS.bind(Messages.not_directory, uri.toString()), null));
 
 		if (isBaseDirectory(base))
 			return base;
@@ -153,7 +147,7 @@ public class ExtensionLocationMetadataRepository extends AbstractMetadataReposit
 		if (isBaseDirectory(eclipseBase))
 			return eclipseBase;
 
-		throw new ProvisionException(new Status(IStatus.ERROR, Activator.ID, ProvisionException.REPOSITORY_NOT_FOUND, NLS.bind(Messages.not_eclipse_extension, url.toExternalForm()), null));
+		throw new ProvisionException(new Status(IStatus.ERROR, Activator.ID, ProvisionException.REPOSITORY_NOT_FOUND, NLS.bind(Messages.not_eclipse_extension, uri.toString()), null));
 	}
 
 	private static boolean isBaseDirectory(File base) {
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.extensionlocation/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/extensionlocation/ExtensionLocationMetadataRepositoryFactory.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.extensionlocation/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/extensionlocation/ExtensionLocationMetadataRepositoryFactory.java
index 7e6db6867..ce3a4fcae 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.extensionlocation/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/extensionlocation/ExtensionLocationMetadataRepositoryFactory.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.extensionlocation/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/extensionlocation/ExtensionLocationMetadataRepositoryFactory.java
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@
  *******************************************************************************/
 package org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.extensionlocation;
 
-import java.net.URL;
+import java.net.URI;
 import java.util.Map;
 import org.eclipse.core.runtime.*;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.core.ProvisionException;
@@ -24,12 +24,12 @@ public class ExtensionLocationMetadataRepositoryFactory implements IMetadataRepo
 	/* (non-Javadoc)
 	 * @see org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.spi.p2.metadata.repository.IMetadataRepositoryFactory#create(java.net.URL, java.lang.String, java.lang.String, java.util.Map)
 	 */
-	public IMetadataRepository create(URL location, String name, String type, Map properties) throws ProvisionException {
+	public IMetadataRepository create(URI location, String name, String type, Map properties) throws ProvisionException {
 		// TODO proper progress monitoring
 		IStatus status = validate(location, null);
 		if (!status.isOK())
 			throw new ProvisionException(status);
-		URL repoLocation = ExtensionLocationMetadataRepository.getLocalRepositoryLocation(location);
+		URI repoLocation = ExtensionLocationMetadataRepository.getLocalRepositoryLocation(location);
 		// unexpected
 		if (repoLocation == null)
 			throw new ProvisionException(new Status(IStatus.ERROR, Activator.ID, Messages.failed_create_local_artifact_repository));
@@ -43,7 +43,7 @@ public class ExtensionLocationMetadataRepositoryFactory implements IMetadataRepo
 			// expected
 		}
 		if (failed) {
-			String msg = NLS.bind(Messages.repo_already_exists, location.toExternalForm());
+			String msg = NLS.bind(Messages.repo_already_exists, location.toString());
 			throw new ProvisionException(new Status(IStatus.ERROR, Activator.ID, ProvisionException.REPOSITORY_EXISTS, msg, null));
 		}
 		IMetadataRepository repository = new SimpleMetadataRepositoryFactory().create(repoLocation, name, null, properties);
@@ -53,12 +53,12 @@ public class ExtensionLocationMetadataRepositoryFactory implements IMetadataRepo
 	/* (non-Javadoc)
 	 * @see org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.spi.p2.metadata.repository.IMetadataRepositoryFactory#load(java.net.URL, org.eclipse.core.runtime.IProgressMonitor)
 	 */
-	public IMetadataRepository load(URL location, IProgressMonitor monitor) throws ProvisionException {
+	public IMetadataRepository load(URI location, IProgressMonitor monitor) throws ProvisionException {
 		// TODO proper progress monitoring
 		IStatus status = validate(location, null);
 		if (!status.isOK())
 			throw new ProvisionException(status);
-		URL repoLocation = ExtensionLocationMetadataRepository.getLocalRepositoryLocation(location);
+		URI repoLocation = ExtensionLocationMetadataRepository.getLocalRepositoryLocation(location);
 		// unexpected
 		if (repoLocation == null)
 			throw new ProvisionException(new Status(IStatus.ERROR, Activator.ID, Messages.failed_create_local_artifact_repository));
@@ -74,7 +74,7 @@ public class ExtensionLocationMetadataRepositoryFactory implements IMetadataRepo
 	/* (non-Javadoc)
 	 * @see org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.spi.p2.metadata.repository.IMetadataRepositoryFactory#validate(java.net.URL, org.eclipse.core.runtime.IProgressMonitor)
 	 */
-	public IStatus validate(URL location, IProgressMonitor monitor) {
+	public IStatus validate(URI location, IProgressMonitor monitor) {
 		try {
 			ExtensionLocationMetadataRepository.validate(location, monitor);
 		} catch (ProvisionException e) {
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.extensionlocation/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/extensionlocation/SiteListener.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.extensionlocation/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/extensionlocation/SiteListener.java
index adacd5608..722b827b4 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.extensionlocation/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/extensionlocation/SiteListener.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.extensionlocation/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/extensionlocation/SiteListener.java
@@ -12,13 +12,13 @@
 package org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.extensionlocation;
 
 import java.io.*;
-import java.net.MalformedURLException;
-import java.net.URL;
+import java.net.URI;
+import java.net.URISyntaxException;
 import java.util.*;
 import org.eclipse.core.runtime.IStatus;
 import org.eclipse.core.runtime.Status;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.core.helpers.LogHelper;
-import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.core.helpers.URLUtil;
+import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.core.helpers.URIUtil;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.publisher.eclipse.FeatureParser;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.update.Site;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.core.ProvisionException;
@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@ public class SiteListener extends DirectoryChangeListener {
 
 	private String policy;
 	private String[] list;
-	private String url;
+	private String siteLocation;
 	private DirectoryChangeListener delegate;
 	private String[] managedFiles;
 	private String[] toBeRemoved;
@@ -97,7 +97,7 @@ public class SiteListener extends DirectoryChangeListener {
 		// read-only wrappers.
 		DirectoryChangeListener listener = new RepositoryListener(metadataRepository.metadataRepository, artifactRepository.artifactRepository);
 		if (metadataRepository.getProperties().get(SiteListener.SITE_POLICY) != null)
-			listener = new SiteListener(metadataRepository.getProperties(), metadataRepository.getLocation().toExternalForm(), new BundlePoolFilteredListener(listener));
+			listener = new SiteListener(metadataRepository.getProperties(), metadataRepository.getLocation().toString(), new BundlePoolFilteredListener(listener));
 		watcher.addListener(listener);
 		watcher.poll();
 		artifactRepository.state(INITIALIZED);
@@ -108,7 +108,7 @@ public class SiteListener extends DirectoryChangeListener {
 	 * Create a new site listener on the given site.
 	 */
 	public SiteListener(Map properties, String url, DirectoryChangeListener delegate) {
-		this.url = url;
+		this.siteLocation = url;
 		this.delegate = delegate;
 		this.policy = (String) properties.get(SITE_POLICY);
 		Collection listCollection = new HashSet();
@@ -219,7 +219,7 @@ public class SiteListener extends DirectoryChangeListener {
 				// ignore
 			}
 		}
-		String urlString = url;
+		String urlString = siteLocation;
 		if (urlString.endsWith(Constants.EXTENSION_LOCATION))
 			urlString = urlString.substring(0, urlString.length() - Constants.EXTENSION_LOCATION.length());
 		List result = new ArrayList();
@@ -244,15 +244,15 @@ public class SiteListener extends DirectoryChangeListener {
 		if (managedFiles != null)
 			return managedFiles;
 		List result = new ArrayList();
-		File siteLocation;
+		File siteFile;
 		try {
-			siteLocation = URLUtil.toFile(new URL(url));
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
-			LogHelper.log(new Status(IStatus.ERROR, Activator.ID, "Unable to create a URL from site location: " + url, e)); //$NON-NLS-1$
+			siteFile = URIUtil.toFile(new URI(siteLocation));
+		} catch (URISyntaxException e) {
+			LogHelper.log(new Status(IStatus.ERROR, Activator.ID, "Unable to create a URL from site location: " + siteLocation, e)); //$NON-NLS-1$
 			return new String[0];
 		}
-		Map pluginCache = getPlugins(siteLocation);
-		Map featureCache = getFeatures(siteLocation);
+		Map pluginCache = getPlugins(siteFile);
+		Map featureCache = getFeatures(siteFile);
 		for (Iterator iter = featureCache.keySet().iterator(); iter.hasNext();) {
 			File featureFile = (File) iter.next();
 			// add the feature path
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.installer/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/installer/InstallDescriptionParser.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.installer/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/installer/InstallDescriptionParser.java
index 843107d63..8d879d396 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.installer/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/installer/InstallDescriptionParser.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.installer/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/installer/InstallDescriptionParser.java
@@ -12,8 +12,7 @@
 package org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.installer;
 
 import java.io.*;
-import java.net.MalformedURLException;
-import java.net.URL;
+import java.net.*;
 import java.util.*;
 import org.eclipse.core.runtime.*;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.core.helpers.LogHelper;
@@ -151,23 +150,23 @@ public class InstallDescriptionParser {
 	}
 
 	/**
-	 * Returns an array of URLs from the given comma-separated list
+	 * Returns an array of URIs from the given comma-separated list
 	 * of URLs. Returns null if the given spec does not contain any URLs.
-	 * @return An array of URLs in the given spec, or <code>null</code>
+	 * @return An array of URIs in the given spec, or <code>null</code>
 	 */
-	private static URL[] getURLs(String spec) {
+	private static URI[] getURLs(String spec) {
 		String[] urlSpecs = getArrayFromString(spec, ","); //$NON-NLS-1$
 		ArrayList result = new ArrayList(urlSpecs.length);
 		for (int i = 0; i < urlSpecs.length; i++) {
 			try {
-				result.add(new URL(urlSpecs[i]));
-			} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
+				result.add(new URI(urlSpecs[i]));
+			} catch (URISyntaxException e) {
 				LogHelper.log(new Status(IStatus.ERROR, InstallerActivator.PI_INSTALLER, "Invalid URL in install description: " + urlSpecs[i], e)); //$NON-NLS-1$
 			}
 		}
 		if (result.isEmpty())
 			return null;
-		return (URL[]) result.toArray(new URL[result.size()]);
+		return (URI[]) result.toArray(new URI[result.size()]);
 	}
 
 	private static void safeClose(InputStream in) {
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.installer/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/installer/InstallUpdateProductOperation.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.installer/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/installer/InstallUpdateProductOperation.java
index f71c743be..f9f11aca6 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.installer/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/installer/InstallUpdateProductOperation.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.installer/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/installer/InstallUpdateProductOperation.java
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@
  *******************************************************************************/
 package org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.installer;
 
-import java.net.URL;
+import java.net.URI;
 import java.util.*;
 import org.eclipse.core.runtime.*;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.core.helpers.ServiceHelper;
@@ -87,6 +87,7 @@ public class InstallUpdateProductOperation implements IInstallOperation {
 			EnvironmentInfo info = (EnvironmentInfo) ServiceHelper.getService(InstallerActivator.getDefault().getContext(), EnvironmentInfo.class.getName());
 			String env = "osgi.os=" + info.getOS() + ",osgi.ws=" + info.getWS() + ",osgi.arch=" + info.getOSArch(); //$NON-NLS-1$ //$NON-NLS-2$ //$NON-NLS-3$
 			properties.put(IProfile.PROP_ENVIRONMENTS, env);
+			properties.put(IProfile.PROP_NAME, installDescription.getProductName());
 			properties.putAll(installDescription.getProfileProperties());
 			IPath location = installDescription.getBundleLocation();
 			if (location != null)
@@ -249,7 +250,7 @@ public class InstallUpdateProductOperation implements IInstallOperation {
 	}
 
 	private void prepareArtifactRepositories() throws ProvisionException {
-		URL[] repos = installDescription.getArtifactRepositories();
+		URI[] repos = installDescription.getArtifactRepositories();
 		if (repos == null)
 			return;
 		for (int i = 0; i < repos.length; i++)
@@ -257,7 +258,7 @@ public class InstallUpdateProductOperation implements IInstallOperation {
 	}
 
 	private void prepareMetadataRepositories() throws ProvisionException {
-		URL[] repos = installDescription.getMetadataRepositories();
+		URI[] repos = installDescription.getMetadataRepositories();
 		if (repos == null)
 			return;
 		for (int i = 0; i < repos.length; i++)
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.installer/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/installer/InstallDescription.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.installer/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/installer/InstallDescription.java
index f260973ee..94284fc99 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.installer/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/installer/InstallDescription.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.installer/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/installer/InstallDescription.java
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@
  *******************************************************************************/
 package org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.installer;
 
-import java.net.URL;
+import java.net.URI;
 import java.util.HashMap;
 import java.util.Map;
 import org.eclipse.core.runtime.IPath;
@@ -23,13 +23,13 @@ import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.installer.VersionedName;
  * be installed, and where it will be installed.
  */
 public class InstallDescription {
-	private URL[] artifactRepos;
+	private URI[] artifactRepos;
 	private IPath installLocation;
 	private IPath agentLocation;
 	private IPath bundleLocation;
 	private boolean isAutoStart;
 	private String launcherName;
-	private URL[] metadataRepos;
+	private URI[] metadataRepos;
 	private String productName;
 	private VersionedName[] roots;
 	private final Map profileProperties = new HashMap();
@@ -46,7 +46,7 @@ public class InstallDescription {
 	 * Returns the locations of the artifact repositories to install from
 	 * @return a list of artifact repository URLs
 	 */
-	public URL[] getArtifactRepositories() {
+	public URI[] getArtifactRepositories() {
 		return artifactRepos;
 	}
 
@@ -78,7 +78,7 @@ public class InstallDescription {
 	 * Returns the locations of the metadata repositories to install from
 	 * @return a list of metadata repository URLs
 	 */
-	public URL[] getMetadataRepositories() {
+	public URI[] getMetadataRepositories() {
 		return metadataRepos;
 	}
 
@@ -111,7 +111,7 @@ public class InstallDescription {
 		this.agentLocation = agentLocation;
 	}
 
-	public void setArtifactRepositories(URL[] value) {
+	public void setArtifactRepositories(URI[] value) {
 		this.artifactRepos = value;
 	}
 
@@ -131,7 +131,7 @@ public class InstallDescription {
 		this.launcherName = name;
 	}
 
-	public void setMetadataRepositories(URL[] value) {
+	public void setMetadataRepositories(URI[] value) {
 		this.metadataRepos = value;
 	}
 
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.metadata.generator/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/metadata/generator/EclipseGeneratorApplication.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.metadata.generator/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/metadata/generator/EclipseGeneratorApplication.java
index c226a073c..60ba86b80 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.metadata.generator/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/metadata/generator/EclipseGeneratorApplication.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.metadata.generator/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/metadata/generator/EclipseGeneratorApplication.java
@@ -11,8 +11,7 @@
 package org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.metadata.generator;
 
 import java.io.File;
-import java.net.MalformedURLException;
-import java.net.URL;
+import java.net.*;
 import java.util.HashMap;
 import java.util.Map;
 import org.eclipse.core.runtime.IStatus;
@@ -21,6 +20,7 @@ import org.eclipse.equinox.app.IApplicationContext;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.artifact.repository.ArtifactRepositoryManager;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.core.ProvisioningEventBus;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.core.helpers.ServiceHelper;
+import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.core.helpers.URIUtil;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.metadata.repository.MetadataRepositoryManager;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.artifact.repository.IArtifactRepository;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.artifact.repository.IArtifactRepositoryManager;
@@ -105,10 +105,10 @@ public class EclipseGeneratorApplication implements IApplication {
 		if (artifactLocation == null)
 			return;
 		IArtifactRepositoryManager manager = (IArtifactRepositoryManager) ServiceHelper.getService(Activator.context, IArtifactRepositoryManager.class.getName());
-		URL location;
+		URI location;
 		try {
-			location = new URL(artifactLocation);
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
+			location = new URI(artifactLocation);
+		} catch (URISyntaxException e) {
 			throw new IllegalArgumentException(NLS.bind(Messages.exception_artifactRepoLocationURL, artifactLocation));
 		}
 
@@ -136,7 +136,7 @@ public class EclipseGeneratorApplication implements IApplication {
 			if (provider.reuseExistingPack200Files())
 				repository.setProperty(PUBLISH_PACK_FILES_AS_SIBLINGS, "true"); //$NON-NLS-1$
 			if (!provider.append()) {
-				File repoLocation = new File(location.getPath());
+				File repoLocation = URIUtil.toFile(location);
 				if (repoLocation.isFile())
 					repoLocation = repoLocation.getParentFile();
 				if (repoLocation.equals(provider.getBaseLocation()))
@@ -167,10 +167,10 @@ public class EclipseGeneratorApplication implements IApplication {
 	private void initializeMetadataRepository(EclipseInstallGeneratorInfoProvider provider) throws ProvisionException {
 		if (metadataLocation == null)
 			return;
-		URL location;
+		URI location;
 		try {
-			location = new URL(metadataLocation);
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
+			location = new URI(metadataLocation);
+		} catch (URISyntaxException e) {
 			throw new IllegalArgumentException(NLS.bind(Messages.exception_metadataRepoLocationURL, metadataLocation));
 		}
 
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.metadata.generator/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/metadata/generator/Generator.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.metadata.generator/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/metadata/generator/Generator.java
index 444b8c0ef..ec8e24f04 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.metadata.generator/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/metadata/generator/Generator.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.metadata.generator/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/metadata/generator/Generator.java
@@ -9,8 +9,7 @@
 package org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.metadata.generator;
 
 import java.io.*;
-import java.net.MalformedURLException;
-import java.net.URL;
+import java.net.*;
 import java.util.*;
 import java.util.Map.Entry;
 import org.eclipse.core.runtime.*;
@@ -1102,11 +1101,11 @@ public class Generator {
 	private void generateSiteReference(String location, String featureId, boolean isEnabled) {
 		IMetadataRepository metadataRepo = info.getMetadataRepository();
 		try {
-			URL associateLocation = new URL(location);
+			URI associateLocation = new URI(location);
 			int flags = isEnabled ? IRepository.ENABLED : IRepository.NONE;
 			metadataRepo.addReference(associateLocation, IRepository.TYPE_METADATA, flags);
 			metadataRepo.addReference(associateLocation, IRepository.TYPE_ARTIFACT, flags);
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
+		} catch (URISyntaxException e) {
 			String message = "Invalid site reference: " + location; //$NON-NLS-1$
 			if (featureId != null)
 				message = message + " in feature: " + featureId; //$NON-NLS-1$
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.metadata.repository/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/metadata/mirror/MirrorApplication.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.metadata.repository/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/metadata/mirror/MirrorApplication.java
index ec8bd95ca..b4ea8b305 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.metadata.repository/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/metadata/mirror/MirrorApplication.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.metadata.repository/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/metadata/mirror/MirrorApplication.java
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@
  *******************************************************************************/
 package org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.metadata.mirror;
 
-import java.net.URL;
+import java.net.URI;
 import java.util.*;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.app.IApplication;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.app.IApplicationContext;
@@ -27,8 +27,8 @@ import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.metadata.repository.IMetadata
 public class MirrorApplication implements IApplication {
 
 	private String[] rootSpecs;
-	private URL sourceLocation;
-	private URL destinationLocation;
+	private URI sourceLocation;
+	private URI destinationLocation;
 	private IMetadataRepository source;
 	private IMetadataRepository destination;
 	private boolean transitive = false;
@@ -146,9 +146,9 @@ public class MirrorApplication implements IApplication {
 			String arg = args[++i];
 
 			if (args[i - 1].equalsIgnoreCase("-source")) //$NON-NLS-1$
-				sourceLocation = new URL(arg);
+				sourceLocation = new URI(arg);
 			if (args[i - 1].equalsIgnoreCase("-destination")) //$NON-NLS-1$
-				destinationLocation = new URL(arg);
+				destinationLocation = new URI(arg);
 			if (args[i - 1].equalsIgnoreCase("-roots")) //$NON-NLS-1$
 				rootSpecs = getArrayArgsFromString(arg, ","); //$NON-NLS-1$
 			if (args[i - 1].equalsIgnoreCase("-transitive")) //$NON-NLS-1$
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.metadata.repository/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/metadata/repository/CacheManager.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.metadata.repository/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/metadata/repository/CacheManager.java
index 72678305d..e2a966b56 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.metadata.repository/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/metadata/repository/CacheManager.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.metadata.repository/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/metadata/repository/CacheManager.java
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@
 package org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.metadata.repository;
 
 import java.io.*;
+import java.net.URI;
 import java.net.URL;
 import java.util.EventObject;
 import org.eclipse.core.runtime.*;
@@ -41,9 +42,8 @@ public class CacheManager {
 	/**
 	 * Returns a hash of the URL.
 	 */
-	private int computeHash(URL repositoryLocation) {
-		//don't use URL#hashCode because it performs DNS lookups
-		return repositoryLocation.toExternalForm().hashCode();
+	private int computeHash(URI repositoryLocation) {
+		return repositoryLocation.hashCode();
 	}
 
 	/**
@@ -57,17 +57,17 @@ public class CacheManager {
 	 * @throws IOException
 	 * @throws ProvisionException
 	 */
-	public File createCache(URL repositoryLocation, IProgressMonitor monitor) throws IOException, ProvisionException {
+	public File createCache(URI repositoryLocation, IProgressMonitor monitor) throws IOException, ProvisionException {
 		File cacheFile = getCache(repositoryLocation);
-		URL jarLocation = URLMetadataRepository.getActualLocation(repositoryLocation, JAR_EXTENSION);
-		URL xmlLocation = URLMetadataRepository.getActualLocation(repositoryLocation, XML_EXTENSION);
+		URI jarLocation = URLMetadataRepository.getActualLocation(repositoryLocation, JAR_EXTENSION);
+		URI xmlLocation = URLMetadataRepository.getActualLocation(repositoryLocation, XML_EXTENSION);
 		AgentLocation agentLocation = (AgentLocation) ServiceHelper.getService(Activator.getContext(), AgentLocation.class.getName());
 		URL dataArea = agentLocation.getDataArea(Activator.ID + "/cache/"); //$NON-NLS-1$
 		File dataAreaFile = URLUtil.toFile(dataArea);
 		int hashCode = computeHash(repositoryLocation);
 		if (cacheFile == null || isCacheStale(repositoryLocation, cacheFile)) {
 			long lastModifiedRemote = getTransport().getLastModified(jarLocation);
-			URL remoteFile;
+			URI remoteFile;
 			if (lastModifiedRemote != 0) {
 				cacheFile = new File(dataAreaFile, CONTENT_FILENAME + hashCode + JAR_EXTENSION);
 				remoteFile = jarLocation;
@@ -82,7 +82,7 @@ public class CacheManager {
 			cacheFile.getParentFile().mkdirs();
 			OutputStream metadata = new BufferedOutputStream(new FileOutputStream(cacheFile));
 			try {
-				IStatus result = getTransport().download(remoteFile.toExternalForm(), metadata, monitor);
+				IStatus result = getTransport().download(remoteFile.toString(), metadata, monitor);
 				if (!result.isOK()) {
 					throw new ProvisionException(result);
 				}
@@ -97,7 +97,7 @@ public class CacheManager {
 	 * Deletes the local cache file for the given repository
 	 * @param repositoryLocation
 	 */
-	void deleteCache(URL repositoryLocation) {
+	void deleteCache(URI repositoryLocation) {
 		File cacheFile = getCache(repositoryLocation);
 		if (cacheFile != null)
 			safeDelete(cacheFile);
@@ -109,7 +109,7 @@ public class CacheManager {
 	 * @return A {@link File} pointing to the cache file or <code>null</code> if
 	 * the cache file does not exist.
 	 */
-	private File getCache(URL repositoryLocation) {
+	private File getCache(URI repositoryLocation) {
 		AgentLocation agentLocation = (AgentLocation) ServiceHelper.getService(Activator.getContext(), AgentLocation.class.getName());
 		URL dataArea = agentLocation.getDataArea(Activator.ID + "/cache/"); //$NON-NLS-1$
 		File dataAreaFile = URLUtil.toFile(dataArea);
@@ -144,10 +144,10 @@ public class CacheManager {
 	 * if the cache file is in sync with the repository. The cache file is
 	 * considered stale if there is no local cache file.
 	 */
-	private boolean isCacheStale(URL repositoryLocation, File cacheFile) {
+	private boolean isCacheStale(URI repositoryLocation, File cacheFile) {
 		long lastModified = cacheFile.lastModified();
 		String name = cacheFile.getName();
-		URL metadataLocation = null;
+		URI metadataLocation = null;
 		if (name.endsWith(XML_EXTENSION)) {
 			metadataLocation = URLMetadataRepository.getActualLocation(repositoryLocation, XML_EXTENSION);
 		} else if (name.endsWith(JAR_EXTENSION)) {
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.metadata.repository/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/metadata/repository/ECFMetadataTransport.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.metadata.repository/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/metadata/repository/ECFMetadataTransport.java
index 4816a199d..90373c4e0 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.metadata.repository/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/metadata/repository/ECFMetadataTransport.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.metadata.repository/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/metadata/repository/ECFMetadataTransport.java
@@ -125,8 +125,8 @@ public class ECFMetadataTransport {
 	 * @return A <code>long</code> representing the date. Returns <code>0</code> if the file is not found or an error occurred.
 	 * @exception OperationCanceledException if the request was canceled.
 	 */
-	public long getLastModified(URL location) throws ProvisionException {
-		String locationString = location.toExternalForm();
+	public long getLastModified(URI location) throws ProvisionException {
+		String locationString = location.toString();
 		try {
 			IConnectContext context = getConnectionContext(locationString, false);
 			for (int i = 0; i < LOGIN_RETRIES; i++) {
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.metadata.repository/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/metadata/repository/LocalMetadataRepository.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.metadata.repository/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/metadata/repository/LocalMetadataRepository.java
index c89c1cc89..7ff4170ce 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.metadata.repository/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/metadata/repository/LocalMetadataRepository.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.metadata.repository/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/metadata/repository/LocalMetadataRepository.java
@@ -12,13 +12,12 @@
 package org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.metadata.repository;
 
 import java.io.*;
-import java.net.URL;
+import java.net.URI;
 import java.util.*;
 import java.util.jar.JarEntry;
 import java.util.jar.JarOutputStream;
 import org.eclipse.core.runtime.*;
-import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.core.helpers.LogHelper;
-import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.core.helpers.ServiceHelper;
+import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.core.helpers.*;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.core.ProvisionException;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.core.eventbus.IProvisioningEventBus;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.core.repository.IRepository;
@@ -46,18 +45,22 @@ public class LocalMetadataRepository extends AbstractMetadataRepository {
 	protected HashSet units = new LinkedHashSet();
 	protected HashSet repositories = new HashSet();
 
-	private static File getActualLocation(URL location, String extension) {
-		String spec = location.getFile();
-		if (spec.endsWith(CONTENT_FILENAME + extension))
-			return new File(spec + extension);
-		if (spec.endsWith("/")) //$NON-NLS-1$
-			spec += CONTENT_FILENAME;
+	private static File getActualLocation(URI location, String extension) {
+		File spec = URIUtil.toFile(location);
+		String path = spec.getAbsolutePath();
+		if (path.endsWith(CONTENT_FILENAME + extension)) {
+			//todo this is the old code that doesn't look right
+			//			return new File(spec + extension);
+			return spec;
+		}
+		if (path.endsWith("/")) //$NON-NLS-1$
+			path += CONTENT_FILENAME;
 		else
-			spec += "/" + CONTENT_FILENAME; //$NON-NLS-1$
-		return new File(spec + extension);
+			path += "/" + CONTENT_FILENAME; //$NON-NLS-1$
+		return new File(path + extension);
 	}
 
-	public static File getActualLocation(URL location) {
+	public static File getActualLocation(URI location) {
 		return getActualLocation(location, XML_EXTENSION);
 	}
 
@@ -73,9 +76,9 @@ public class LocalMetadataRepository extends AbstractMetadataRepository {
 	 * @param location The location of the repository
 	 * @param name The name of the repository
 	 */
-	public LocalMetadataRepository(URL location, String name, Map properties) {
-		super(name == null ? (location != null ? location.toExternalForm() : "") : name, REPOSITORY_TYPE, REPOSITORY_VERSION.toString(), location, null, null, properties); //$NON-NLS-1$
-		if (!location.getProtocol().equals("file")) //$NON-NLS-1$
+	public LocalMetadataRepository(URI location, String name, Map properties) {
+		super(name == null ? (location != null ? location.toString() : "") : name, REPOSITORY_TYPE, REPOSITORY_VERSION.toString(), location, null, null, properties); //$NON-NLS-1$
+		if (!location.getScheme().equals("file")) //$NON-NLS-1$
 			throw new IllegalArgumentException("Invalid local repository location: " + location); //$NON-NLS-1$
 		//when creating a repository, we must ensure it exists on disk so a subsequent load will succeed
 		save();
@@ -88,7 +91,7 @@ public class LocalMetadataRepository extends AbstractMetadataRepository {
 		save();
 	}
 
-	public synchronized void addReference(URL repositoryLocation, int repositoryType, int options) {
+	public synchronized void addReference(URI repositoryLocation, int repositoryType, int options) {
 		assertModifiable();
 		repositories.add(new RepositoryReference(repositoryLocation, repositoryType, options));
 	}
@@ -131,7 +134,7 @@ public class LocalMetadataRepository extends AbstractMetadataRepository {
 	}
 
 	// use this method to setup any transient fields etc after the object has been restored from a stream
-	public synchronized void initializeAfterLoad(URL aLocation) {
+	public synchronized void initializeAfterLoad(URI aLocation) {
 		this.location = aLocation;
 	}
 
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.metadata.repository/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/metadata/repository/MetadataRepositoryIO.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.metadata.repository/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/metadata/repository/MetadataRepositoryIO.java
index 3d854830f..2c029399a 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.metadata.repository/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/metadata/repository/MetadataRepositoryIO.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.metadata.repository/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/metadata/repository/MetadataRepositoryIO.java
@@ -160,7 +160,7 @@ public class MetadataRepositoryIO {
 
 		private void writeRepositoryReference(RepositoryReference reference) {
 			start(REPOSITORY_REFERENCE_ELEMENT);
-			attribute(URL_ATTRIBUTE, reference.Location.toExternalForm());
+			attribute(URL_ATTRIBUTE, reference.Location.toString());
 			attribute(TYPE_ATTRIBUTE, Integer.toString(reference.Type));
 			attribute(OPTIONS_ATTRIBUTE, Integer.toString(reference.Options));
 			end(REPOSITORY_REFERENCE_ELEMENT);
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.metadata.repository/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/metadata/repository/MetadataRepositoryManager.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.metadata.repository/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/metadata/repository/MetadataRepositoryManager.java
index ad3deacc9..91c291a4e 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.metadata.repository/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/metadata/repository/MetadataRepositoryManager.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.metadata.repository/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/metadata/repository/MetadataRepositoryManager.java
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@
  *******************************************************************************/
 package org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.metadata.repository;
 
-import java.net.URL;
+import java.net.URI;
 import java.util.Map;
 import org.eclipse.core.runtime.*;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.core.helpers.AbstractRepositoryManager;
@@ -39,7 +39,7 @@ public class MetadataRepositoryManager extends AbstractRepositoryManager impleme
 	/* (non-Javadoc)
 	 * @see org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.metadata.repository.IMetadataRepositoryManager#createRepository(java.net.URL, java.lang.String, java.lang.String, java.util.Map)
 	 */
-	public IMetadataRepository createRepository(URL location, String name, String type, Map properties) throws ProvisionException {
+	public IMetadataRepository createRepository(URI location, String name, String type, Map properties) throws ProvisionException {
 		Assert.isNotNull(name);
 		Assert.isNotNull(type);
 		boolean loaded = false;
@@ -67,7 +67,7 @@ public class MetadataRepositoryManager extends AbstractRepositoryManager impleme
 		return result;
 	}
 
-	protected IRepository factoryLoad(URL location, IExtension extension, SubMonitor monitor) throws ProvisionException {
+	protected IRepository factoryLoad(URI location, IExtension extension, SubMonitor monitor) throws ProvisionException {
 		IMetadataRepositoryFactory factory = (IMetadataRepositoryFactory) createExecutableExtension(extension, EL_FACTORY);
 		if (factory == null)
 			return null;
@@ -82,7 +82,7 @@ public class MetadataRepositoryManager extends AbstractRepositoryManager impleme
 		return "content.xml"; //$NON-NLS-1$
 	}
 
-	public IMetadataRepository getRepository(URL location) {
+	public IMetadataRepository getRepository(URI location) {
 		return (IMetadataRepository) basicGetRepository(location);
 	}
 
@@ -101,7 +101,7 @@ public class MetadataRepositoryManager extends AbstractRepositoryManager impleme
 		return IRepository.TYPE_METADATA;
 	}
 
-	public IMetadataRepository loadRepository(URL location, IProgressMonitor monitor) throws ProvisionException {
+	public IMetadataRepository loadRepository(URI location, IProgressMonitor monitor) throws ProvisionException {
 		return (IMetadataRepository) loadRepository(location, monitor, null);
 	}
 
@@ -126,7 +126,7 @@ public class MetadataRepositoryManager extends AbstractRepositoryManager impleme
 	 * @return The collector argument
 	 */
 	public Collector query(Query query, Collector collector, IProgressMonitor monitor) {
-		URL[] locations = getKnownRepositories(REPOSITORIES_ALL);
+		URI[] locations = getKnownRepositories(REPOSITORIES_ALL);
 		SubMonitor sub = SubMonitor.convert(monitor, locations.length * 10);
 		for (int i = 0; i < locations.length; i++) {
 			try {
@@ -141,17 +141,17 @@ public class MetadataRepositoryManager extends AbstractRepositoryManager impleme
 		return collector;
 	}
 
-	public IMetadataRepository refreshRepository(URL location, IProgressMonitor monitor) throws ProvisionException {
+	public IMetadataRepository refreshRepository(URI location, IProgressMonitor monitor) throws ProvisionException {
 		return (IMetadataRepository) basicRefreshRepository(location, monitor);
 	}
 
-	public IStatus validateRepositoryLocation(URL location, IProgressMonitor monitor) {
+	public IStatus validateRepositoryLocation(URI location, IProgressMonitor monitor) {
 		IMetadataRepository result = getRepository(location);
 		if (result != null)
 			return Status.OK_STATUS;
 		String[] suffixes = getAllSuffixes();
 		SubMonitor sub = SubMonitor.convert(monitor, Messages.repo_loading, suffixes.length * 100);
-		IStatus status = new Status(IStatus.ERROR, Activator.ID, ProvisionException.REPOSITORY_NOT_FOUND, NLS.bind(Messages.repoMan_notExists, location.toExternalForm()), null);
+		IStatus status = new Status(IStatus.ERROR, Activator.ID, ProvisionException.REPOSITORY_NOT_FOUND, NLS.bind(Messages.repoMan_notExists, location.toString()), null);
 		for (int i = 0; i < suffixes.length; i++) {
 			SubMonitor loopMonitor = sub.newChild(100);
 			IExtension[] providers = findMatchingRepositoryExtensions(suffixes[i], null);
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.metadata.repository/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/metadata/repository/URLMetadataRepository.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.metadata.repository/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/metadata/repository/URLMetadataRepository.java
index 28f88e4bf..de9b5e048 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.metadata.repository/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/metadata/repository/URLMetadataRepository.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.metadata.repository/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/metadata/repository/URLMetadataRepository.java
@@ -11,10 +11,10 @@
  *******************************************************************************/
 package org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.metadata.repository;
 
-import java.net.MalformedURLException;
-import java.net.URL;
+import java.net.URI;
 import java.util.*;
 import org.eclipse.core.runtime.IProgressMonitor;
+import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.core.helpers.URIUtil;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.query.Collector;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.query.Query;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.spi.p2.metadata.repository.AbstractMetadataRepository;
@@ -29,46 +29,30 @@ public class URLMetadataRepository extends AbstractMetadataRepository {
 	private static final String REPOSITORY_TYPE = URLMetadataRepository.class.getName();
 	private static final Integer REPOSITORY_VERSION = new Integer(1);
 
-	transient protected URL content;
+	transient protected URI content;
 	protected HashSet units = new LinkedHashSet();
 
-	public static URL getActualLocation(URL base) {
+	public static URI getActualLocation(URI base) {
 		return getActualLocation(base, XML_EXTENSION);
 	}
 
-	public static URL getActualLocation(URL base, String extension) {
-		if (extension == null) {
+	public static URI getActualLocation(URI base, String extension) {
+		if (extension == null)
 			extension = XML_EXTENSION;
-		}
-		String spec = base.toExternalForm();
-		if (spec.endsWith(CONTENT_FILENAME + extension))
-			try {
-				return new URL(spec + extension);
-			} catch (MalformedURLException e1) {
-				return null;
-			}
-		if (spec.endsWith("/")) //$NON-NLS-1$
-			spec += CONTENT_FILENAME;
-		else
-			spec += "/" + CONTENT_FILENAME; //$NON-NLS-1$
-		try {
-			return new URL(spec + extension);
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
-			return null;
-		}
+		return URIUtil.append(base, CONTENT_FILENAME + extension);
 	}
 
 	public URLMetadataRepository() {
 		super();
 	}
 
-	public URLMetadataRepository(URL location, String name, Map properties) {
-		super(name == null ? (location != null ? location.toExternalForm() : "") : name, REPOSITORY_TYPE, REPOSITORY_VERSION.toString(), location, null, null, properties); //$NON-NLS-1$
+	public URLMetadataRepository(URI location, String name, Map properties) {
+		super(name == null ? (location != null ? location.toString() : "") : name, REPOSITORY_TYPE, REPOSITORY_VERSION.toString(), location, null, null, properties); //$NON-NLS-1$
 		content = getActualLocation(location);
 	}
 
 	// this is synchronized because content can be initialized in initializeAfterLoad
-	protected synchronized URL getContentURL() {
+	protected synchronized URI getContentURL() {
 		return content;
 	}
 
@@ -84,7 +68,7 @@ public class URLMetadataRepository extends AbstractMetadataRepository {
 	}
 
 	// Use this method to setup any transient fields etc after the object has been restored from a stream
-	public synchronized void initializeAfterLoad(URL repoLocation) {
+	public synchronized void initializeAfterLoad(URI repoLocation) {
 		this.location = repoLocation;
 		content = getActualLocation(location);
 	}
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.metadata.repository/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/metadata/repository/io/MetadataParser.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.metadata.repository/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/metadata/repository/io/MetadataParser.java
index 35c404803..999093c3b 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.metadata.repository/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/metadata/repository/io/MetadataParser.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.metadata.repository/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/metadata/repository/io/MetadataParser.java
@@ -11,8 +11,8 @@
  *******************************************************************************/
 package org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.metadata.repository.io;
 
-import java.net.MalformedURLException;
-import java.net.URL;
+import java.net.URI;
+import java.net.URISyntaxException;
 import java.util.*;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.core.helpers.OrderedProperties;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.metadata.ArtifactKey;
@@ -64,8 +64,8 @@ public abstract class MetadataParser extends XMLParser implements XMLConstants {
 			try {
 				int type = checkInteger(elementHandled, TYPE_ATTRIBUTE, values[1]);
 				int options = checkInteger(elementHandled, OPTIONS_ATTRIBUTE, values[2]);
-				references.add(new RepositoryReference(new URL(values[0]), type, options));
-			} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
+				references.add(new RepositoryReference(new URI(values[0]), type, options));
+			} catch (URISyntaxException e) {
 				invalidAttributeValue(elementHandled, URL_ATTRIBUTE, values[0]);
 			}
 		}
@@ -355,10 +355,10 @@ public abstract class MetadataParser extends XMLParser implements XMLConstants {
 
 		protected void finished() {
 			if (children != null) {
-				scopes.add(children.getRequiredCapabilities());
-			}
+			scopes.add(children.getRequiredCapabilities());
 		}
 	}
+	}
 
 	protected class RequirementsChangeHandler extends AbstractHandler {
 		private List requirementChanges;
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.metadata.repository/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/metadata/repository/IMetadataRepository.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.metadata.repository/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/metadata/repository/IMetadataRepository.java
index 867fc84ed..f952a2ef5 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.metadata.repository/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/metadata/repository/IMetadataRepository.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.metadata.repository/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/metadata/repository/IMetadataRepository.java
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@
  *******************************************************************************/
 package org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.metadata.repository;
 
-import java.net.URL;
+import java.net.URI;
 import org.eclipse.core.runtime.IProgressMonitor;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.core.repository.IRepository;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.metadata.IInstallableUnit;
@@ -54,9 +54,9 @@ public interface IMetadataRepository extends IRepository, IQueryable {
 	 * or {@link IRepository#TYPE_ARTIFACT}).
 	 * @param options bit-wise or of option constants (currently either 
 	 * {@link IRepository#ENABLED} or {@link IRepository#NONE}).
-	 * @see IMetadataRepositoryManager#setEnabled(URL, boolean)
+	 * @see IMetadataRepositoryManager#setEnabled(URI, boolean)
 	 */
-	public void addReference(URL location, int type, int options);
+	public void addReference(URI location, int type, int options);
 
 	/**
 	 * Removes all installable units that match the given query from this repository.
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.metadata.repository/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/metadata/repository/IMetadataRepositoryManager.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.metadata.repository/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/metadata/repository/IMetadataRepositoryManager.java
index 2dd0d554f..042a30829 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.metadata.repository/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/metadata/repository/IMetadataRepositoryManager.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.metadata.repository/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/metadata/repository/IMetadataRepositoryManager.java
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@
  *******************************************************************************/
 package org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.metadata.repository;
 
-import java.net.URL;
+import java.net.URI;
 import java.util.Map;
 import org.eclipse.core.runtime.IProgressMonitor;
 import org.eclipse.core.runtime.IStatus;
@@ -37,7 +37,7 @@ public interface IMetadataRepositoryManager extends IRepositoryManager, IQueryab
 	 * the given location.
 	 * <p>
 	 * The resulting repository is added to the list of repositories tracked by
-	 * the repository manager. Clients must make a subsequent call to {@link #removeRepository(URL)}
+	 * the repository manager. Clients must make a subsequent call to {@link #removeRepository(URI)}
 	 * if they do not want the repository manager to remember the repository for subsequent
 	 * load attempts.
 	 * </p>
@@ -54,7 +54,7 @@ public interface IMetadataRepositoryManager extends IRepositoryManager, IQueryab
 	 * <li>A repository already exists at that location.</li>
 	 * </ul>
 	 */
-	public IMetadataRepository createRepository(URL location, String name, String type, Map properties) throws ProvisionException;
+	public IMetadataRepository createRepository(URI location, String name, String type, Map properties) throws ProvisionException;
 
 	/**
 	 * Loads a repository corresponding to the given URL.  If a repository has
@@ -62,7 +62,7 @@ public interface IMetadataRepositoryManager extends IRepositoryManager, IQueryab
 	 * may be returned.
 	 * <p>
 	 * The resulting repository is added to the list of repositories tracked by
-	 * the repository manager. Clients must make a subsequent call to {@link #removeRepository(URL)}
+	 * the repository manager. Clients must make a subsequent call to {@link #removeRepository(URI)}
 	 * if they do not want the repository manager to remember the repository for subsequent
 	 * load attempts.
 	 * </p>
@@ -77,7 +77,7 @@ public interface IMetadataRepositoryManager extends IRepositoryManager, IQueryab
 	 * <li>The repository at that location could not be read.</li>
 	 * </ul>
 	 */
-	public IMetadataRepository loadRepository(URL location, IProgressMonitor monitor) throws ProvisionException;
+	public IMetadataRepository loadRepository(URI location, IProgressMonitor monitor) throws ProvisionException;
 
 	/**
 	 * Refreshes the repository corresponding to the given URL. This method discards
@@ -96,7 +96,7 @@ public interface IMetadataRepositoryManager extends IRepositoryManager, IQueryab
 	 * <li>The repository at that location could not be read.</li>
 	 * </ul>
 	 */
-	public IMetadataRepository refreshRepository(URL location, IProgressMonitor monitor) throws ProvisionException;
+	public IMetadataRepository refreshRepository(URI location, IProgressMonitor monitor) throws ProvisionException;
 
 	/**
 	 * Validates a given URL and returns a status indicating whether a valid repository is likely
@@ -117,5 +117,5 @@ public interface IMetadataRepositoryManager extends IRepositoryManager, IQueryab
 	 * <li>The repository at that location could not be read.</li>
 	 * </ul>
 	 */
-	public IStatus validateRepositoryLocation(URL location, IProgressMonitor monitor);
+	public IStatus validateRepositoryLocation(URI location, IProgressMonitor monitor);
 }
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.metadata.repository/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/spi/p2/metadata/repository/AbstractMetadataRepository.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.metadata.repository/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/spi/p2/metadata/repository/AbstractMetadataRepository.java
index 4ad53ad7e..6d8644789 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.metadata.repository/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/spi/p2/metadata/repository/AbstractMetadataRepository.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.metadata.repository/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/spi/p2/metadata/repository/AbstractMetadataRepository.java
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@
  *******************************************************************************/
 package org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.spi.p2.metadata.repository;
 
-import java.net.URL;
+import java.net.URI;
 import java.util.Map;
 import org.eclipse.core.runtime.IProgressMonitor;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.metadata.IInstallableUnit;
@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@ public abstract class AbstractMetadataRepository extends AbstractRepository impl
 		public Version Version;
 		public String Provider;
 		public String Description;
-		public URL Location;
+		public URI Location;
 		public Map Properties;
 		public IInstallableUnit[] Units;
 		public RepositoryReference[] Repositories;
@@ -45,7 +45,7 @@ public abstract class AbstractMetadataRepository extends AbstractRepository impl
 
 	public abstract void initialize(RepositoryState state);
 
-	protected AbstractMetadataRepository(String name, String type, String version, URL location, String description, String provider, Map properties) {
+	protected AbstractMetadataRepository(String name, String type, String version, URI location, String description, String provider, Map properties) {
 		super(name, type, version, location, description, provider, properties);
 	}
 
@@ -53,7 +53,7 @@ public abstract class AbstractMetadataRepository extends AbstractRepository impl
 		assertModifiable();
 	}
 
-	public void addReference(URL repositoryLocation, int repositoryType, int options) {
+	public void addReference(URI repositoryLocation, int repositoryType, int options) {
 		assertModifiable();
 	}
 
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.metadata.repository/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/spi/p2/metadata/repository/IMetadataRepositoryFactory.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.metadata.repository/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/spi/p2/metadata/repository/IMetadataRepositoryFactory.java
index 203c1cbe7..639cdad3b 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.metadata.repository/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/spi/p2/metadata/repository/IMetadataRepositoryFactory.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.metadata.repository/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/spi/p2/metadata/repository/IMetadataRepositoryFactory.java
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@
  *******************************************************************************/
 package org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.spi.p2.metadata.repository;
 
-import java.net.URL;
+import java.net.URI;
 import java.util.Map;
 import org.eclipse.core.runtime.IProgressMonitor;
 import org.eclipse.core.runtime.IStatus;
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@ public interface IMetadataRepositoryFactory {
 	 * <li>There was an error writing to the given repository location.</li>
 	 * </ul>
 	 */
-	public IMetadataRepository create(URL location, String name, String type, Map properties) throws ProvisionException;
+	public IMetadataRepository create(URI location, String name, String type, Map properties) throws ProvisionException;
 
 	/**
 	 * Loads a repository corresponding to the given URL.
@@ -49,7 +49,7 @@ public interface IMetadataRepositoryFactory {
 	 * <li>The repository at that location could not be read.</li>
 	 * </ul>
 	 */
-	public IMetadataRepository load(URL location, IProgressMonitor monitor) throws ProvisionException;
+	public IMetadataRepository load(URI location, IProgressMonitor monitor) throws ProvisionException;
 
 	/**
 	 * Validates a candidate repository URL and returns a status indicating the
@@ -73,5 +73,5 @@ public interface IMetadataRepositoryFactory {
 	 * <li>The repository at that location could not be read.</li>
 	 * </ul>
 	 */
-	public IStatus validate(URL location, IProgressMonitor monitor);
+	public IStatus validate(URI location, IProgressMonitor monitor);
 }
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.metadata.repository/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/spi/p2/metadata/repository/RepositoryReference.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.metadata.repository/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/spi/p2/metadata/repository/RepositoryReference.java
index c9c985e52..83f9dbab8 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.metadata.repository/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/spi/p2/metadata/repository/RepositoryReference.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.metadata.repository/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/spi/p2/metadata/repository/RepositoryReference.java
@@ -10,17 +10,17 @@
  *******************************************************************************/
 package org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.spi.p2.metadata.repository;
 
-import java.net.URL;
+import java.net.URI;
 
 /**
  * Serialization helper class for repository references.
  */
 public class RepositoryReference {
-	public URL Location;
+	public URI Location;
 	public int Type;
 	public int Options;
 
-	public RepositoryReference(URL location, int type, int options) {
+	public RepositoryReference(URI location, int type, int options) {
 		this.Location = location;
 		this.Type = type;
 		this.Options = options;
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.metadata.repository/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/spi/p2/metadata/repository/SimpleMetadataRepositoryFactory.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.metadata.repository/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/spi/p2/metadata/repository/SimpleMetadataRepositoryFactory.java
index d7bf00358..6bbb6d1d1 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.metadata.repository/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/spi/p2/metadata/repository/SimpleMetadataRepositoryFactory.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.metadata.repository/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/spi/p2/metadata/repository/SimpleMetadataRepositoryFactory.java
@@ -11,12 +11,13 @@
 package org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.spi.p2.metadata.repository;
 
 import java.io.*;
-import java.net.URL;
+import java.net.URI;
 import java.util.Map;
 import java.util.jar.JarEntry;
 import java.util.jar.JarInputStream;
 import org.eclipse.core.runtime.*;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.core.helpers.Tracing;
+import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.core.helpers.URIUtil;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.metadata.repository.*;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.core.ProvisionException;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.metadata.repository.IMetadataRepository;
@@ -28,8 +29,8 @@ public class SimpleMetadataRepositoryFactory implements IMetadataRepositoryFacto
 	private static final String XML_EXTENSION = ".xml"; //$NON-NLS-1$
 	private static final String PROTOCOL_FILE = "file"; //$NON-NLS-1$
 
-	public IMetadataRepository create(URL location, String name, String type, Map properties) {
-		if (location.getProtocol().equals("file")) //$NON-NLS-1$
+	public IMetadataRepository create(URI location, String name, String type, Map properties) {
+		if (location.getScheme().equals("file")) //$NON-NLS-1$
 			return new LocalMetadataRepository(location, name, properties);
 		return new URLMetadataRepository(location, name, properties);
 	}
@@ -38,18 +39,18 @@ public class SimpleMetadataRepositoryFactory implements IMetadataRepositoryFacto
 	 * Returns a file in the local file system that contains the contents of the
 	 * metadata repository at the given location.
 	 */
-	private File getLocalFile(URL location, IProgressMonitor monitor) throws IOException, ProvisionException {
+	private File getLocalFile(URI location, IProgressMonitor monitor) throws IOException, ProvisionException {
 		File localFile = null;
-		URL jarLocation = URLMetadataRepository.getActualLocation(location, JAR_EXTENSION);
-		URL xmlLocation = URLMetadataRepository.getActualLocation(location, XML_EXTENSION);
+		URI jarLocation = URLMetadataRepository.getActualLocation(location, JAR_EXTENSION);
+		URI xmlLocation = URLMetadataRepository.getActualLocation(location, XML_EXTENSION);
 		// If the repository is local, we can return the repository file directly
-		if (PROTOCOL_FILE.equals(xmlLocation.getProtocol())) {
+		if (PROTOCOL_FILE.equals(xmlLocation.getScheme())) {
 			//look for a compressed local file
-			localFile = new File(jarLocation.getPath());
+			localFile = URIUtil.toFile(jarLocation);
 			if (localFile.exists())
 				return localFile;
 			//look for an uncompressed local file
-			localFile = new File(xmlLocation.getPath());
+			localFile = URIUtil.toFile(xmlLocation);
 			if (localFile.exists())
 				return localFile;
 			String msg = NLS.bind(Messages.io_failedRead, location);
@@ -69,7 +70,7 @@ public class SimpleMetadataRepositoryFactory implements IMetadataRepositoryFacto
 	 * (non-Javadoc)
 	 * @see org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.spi.p2.metadata.repository.IMetadataRepositoryFactory#validate(java.net.URL, org.eclipse.core.runtime.IProgressMonitor)
 	 */
-	public IStatus validate(URL location, IProgressMonitor monitor) {
+	public IStatus validate(URI location, IProgressMonitor monitor) {
 		try {
 			validateAndLoad(location, false, monitor);
 		} catch (ProvisionException e) {
@@ -81,11 +82,11 @@ public class SimpleMetadataRepositoryFactory implements IMetadataRepositoryFacto
 	/* (non-Javadoc)
 	 * @see org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.spi.p2.metadata.repository.IMetadataRepositoryFactory#load(java.net.URL, org.eclipse.core.runtime.IProgressMonitor)
 	 */
-	public IMetadataRepository load(URL location, IProgressMonitor monitor) throws ProvisionException {
+	public IMetadataRepository load(URI location, IProgressMonitor monitor) throws ProvisionException {
 		return validateAndLoad(location, true, monitor);
 	}
 
-	protected IMetadataRepository validateAndLoad(URL location, boolean doLoad, IProgressMonitor monitor) throws ProvisionException {
+	protected IMetadataRepository validateAndLoad(URI location, boolean doLoad, IProgressMonitor monitor) throws ProvisionException {
 		long time = 0;
 		final String debugMsg = "Validating and loading metadata repository "; //$NON-NLS-1$
 		if (Tracing.DEBUG_METADATA_PARSING) {
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.metadata/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/metadata/RequiredCapability.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.metadata/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/metadata/RequiredCapability.java
index 64058a478..4dbc9bfe6 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.metadata/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/metadata/RequiredCapability.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.metadata/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/metadata/RequiredCapability.java
@@ -36,6 +36,9 @@ public class RequiredCapability {
 	private final VersionRange range;//never null
 	private String[] selectors = NO_SELECTORS;//never null
 
+	/**
+	 * TODO replace booleans with int options flag.
+	 */
 	RequiredCapability(String namespace, String name, VersionRange range, String filter, boolean optional, boolean multiple) {
 		Assert.isNotNull(namespace);
 		Assert.isNotNull(name);
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.publisher/src/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/publisher/Publisher.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.publisher/src/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/publisher/Publisher.java
index 84599adaa..06c760ae8 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.publisher/src/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/publisher/Publisher.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.publisher/src/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/publisher/Publisher.java
@@ -10,8 +10,8 @@
  ******************************************************************************/
 package org.eclipse.equinox.p2.publisher;
 
-import java.net.MalformedURLException;
-import java.net.URL;
+import java.net.URI;
+import java.net.URISyntaxException;
 import java.util.Collection;
 import org.eclipse.core.runtime.*;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.core.helpers.ServiceHelper;
@@ -44,10 +44,10 @@ public class Publisher {
 	 * @throws ProvisionException
 	 */
 	public static IMetadataRepository createMetadataRepository(String location, String name, boolean append, boolean compress) throws ProvisionException {
-		URL url;
+		URI url;
 		try {
-			url = new URL(location);
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
+			url = new URI(location);
+		} catch (URISyntaxException e) {
 			throw new IllegalArgumentException(NLS.bind(Messages.exception_metadataRepoLocationURL, location));
 		}
 		IMetadataRepositoryManager manager = (IMetadataRepositoryManager) ServiceHelper.getService(Activator.context, IMetadataRepositoryManager.class.getName());
@@ -89,10 +89,10 @@ public class Publisher {
 	 */
 	public static IArtifactRepository createArtifactRepository(String location, String name, boolean append, boolean compress, boolean reusePackedFiles) throws ProvisionException {
 		IArtifactRepositoryManager manager = (IArtifactRepositoryManager) ServiceHelper.getService(Activator.context, IArtifactRepositoryManager.class.getName());
-		URL url;
+		URI url;
 		try {
-			url = new URL(location);
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
+			url = new URI(location);
+		} catch (URISyntaxException e) {
 			throw new IllegalArgumentException(NLS.bind(Messages.exception_artifactRepoLocationURL, location));
 		}
 		try {
@@ -139,17 +139,17 @@ public class Publisher {
 
 		SubMonitor sub = SubMonitor.convert(monitor, actions.length);
 		try {
-			// run all the actions
+		// run all the actions
 			MultiStatus finalStatus = new MultiStatus("this", 0, "publishing result", null); //$NON-NLS-1$//$NON-NLS-2$
-			for (int i = 0; i < actions.length; i++) {
+		for (int i = 0; i < actions.length; i++) {
 				if (sub.isCanceled())
 					return Status.CANCEL_STATUS;
 				IStatus status = actions[i].perform(info, results, monitor);
-				finalStatus.merge(status);
+			finalStatus.merge(status);
 				sub.worked(1);
-			}
-			if (!finalStatus.isOK())
-				return finalStatus;
+		}
+		if (!finalStatus.isOK())
+			return finalStatus;
 		} finally {
 			sub.done();
 		}
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.publisher/src/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/publisher/eclipse/FeaturesAction.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.publisher/src/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/publisher/eclipse/FeaturesAction.java
index 1cba1c0ec..571794448 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.publisher/src/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/publisher/eclipse/FeaturesAction.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.publisher/src/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/publisher/eclipse/FeaturesAction.java
@@ -11,8 +11,8 @@
 package org.eclipse.equinox.p2.publisher.eclipse;
 
 import java.io.*;
-import java.net.MalformedURLException;
-import java.net.URL;
+import java.net.URI;
+import java.net.URISyntaxException;
 import java.util.*;
 import org.eclipse.core.runtime.*;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.core.helpers.FileUtils;
@@ -195,10 +195,10 @@ public class FeaturesAction extends AbstractPublisherAction {
 	 */
 	private void generateSiteReference(String location, String featureId, IMetadataRepository metadataRepo) {
 		try {
-			URL associateLocation = new URL(location);
+			URI associateLocation = new URI(location);
 			metadataRepo.addReference(associateLocation, IRepository.TYPE_METADATA, IRepository.NONE);
 			metadataRepo.addReference(associateLocation, IRepository.TYPE_ARTIFACT, IRepository.NONE);
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
+		} catch (URISyntaxException e) {
 			String message = "Invalid site reference: " + location; //$NON-NLS-1$
 			if (featureId != null)
 				message = message + " in feature: " + featureId; //$NON-NLS-1$
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.reconciler.dropins/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/reconciler/dropins/Activator.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.reconciler.dropins/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/reconciler/dropins/Activator.java
index 7e16fd5fd..811145609 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.reconciler.dropins/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/reconciler/dropins/Activator.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.reconciler.dropins/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/reconciler/dropins/Activator.java
@@ -10,8 +10,7 @@
 package org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.reconciler.dropins;
 
 import java.io.*;
-import java.net.MalformedURLException;
-import java.net.URL;
+import java.net.*;
 import java.util.*;
 import org.eclipse.core.runtime.*;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.artifact.repository.ArtifactRepositoryManager;
@@ -48,7 +47,7 @@ public class Activator implements BundleActivator {
 	private final static Set repositories = new HashSet();
 
 	/**
-	 * Helper method to create an extension location metadata repository at the given URL. 
+	 * Helper method to create an extension location metadata repository at the given URI. 
 	 * If one already exists at that location then an exception will be thrown.
 	 * 
 	 * This method never returns <code>null</code>.
@@ -56,7 +55,7 @@ public class Activator implements BundleActivator {
 	 * @throws IllegalStateException
 	 * @throws ProvisionException 
 	 */
-	public static IMetadataRepository createExtensionLocationMetadataRepository(URL location, String name, Map properties) throws ProvisionException {
+	public static IMetadataRepository createExtensionLocationMetadataRepository(URI location, String name, Map properties) throws ProvisionException {
 		BundleContext context = getContext();
 		IMetadataRepositoryManager manager = (IMetadataRepositoryManager) ServiceHelper.getService(context, IMetadataRepositoryManager.class.getName());
 		if (manager == null)
@@ -74,7 +73,7 @@ public class Activator implements BundleActivator {
 	 * @throws IllegalStateException
 	 * @throws ProvisionException
 	 */
-	public static IMetadataRepository loadMetadataRepository(URL location, IProgressMonitor monitor) throws ProvisionException {
+	public static IMetadataRepository loadMetadataRepository(URI location, IProgressMonitor monitor) throws ProvisionException {
 		BundleContext context = getContext();
 		IMetadataRepositoryManager manager = (IMetadataRepositoryManager) ServiceHelper.getService(context, IMetadataRepositoryManager.class.getName());
 		if (manager == null)
@@ -91,7 +90,7 @@ public class Activator implements BundleActivator {
 	 * @throws IllegalStateException
 	 * @throws ProvisionException 
 	 */
-	public static IArtifactRepository createExtensionLocationArtifactRepository(URL location, String name, Map properties) throws ProvisionException {
+	public static IArtifactRepository createExtensionLocationArtifactRepository(URI location, String name, Map properties) throws ProvisionException {
 		BundleContext context = getContext();
 		IArtifactRepositoryManager manager = (IArtifactRepositoryManager) ServiceHelper.getService(context, IArtifactRepositoryManager.class.getName());
 		if (manager == null)
@@ -109,7 +108,7 @@ public class Activator implements BundleActivator {
 	 * @throws IllegalStateException
 	 * @throws ProvisionException
 	 */
-	public static IArtifactRepository loadArtifactRepository(URL location, IProgressMonitor monitor) throws ProvisionException {
+	public static IArtifactRepository loadArtifactRepository(URI location, IProgressMonitor monitor) throws ProvisionException {
 		BundleContext context = getContext();
 		IArtifactRepositoryManager manager = (IArtifactRepositoryManager) ServiceHelper.getService(context, IArtifactRepositoryManager.class.getName());
 		if (manager == null)
@@ -364,10 +363,10 @@ public class Activator implements BundleActivator {
 		URL osgiInstallArea = getOSGiInstallArea();
 		if (osgiInstallArea == null)
 			return;
-		URL location = null;
+		URI location = null;
 		try {
-			location = new URL(getOSGiInstallArea(), ".pooled"); //$NON-NLS-1$
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
+			location = new URI(getOSGiInstallArea().toString() + ".pooled"); //$NON-NLS-1$
+		} catch (URISyntaxException e) {
 			LogHelper.log(new Status(IStatus.ERROR, ID, "Error occurred while removing old repositories.", e)); //$NON-NLS-1$
 			return;
 		}
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.reconciler.dropins/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/reconciler/dropins/DropinsRepositoryListener.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.reconciler.dropins/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/reconciler/dropins/DropinsRepositoryListener.java
index f21dc3d95..50eee4835 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.reconciler.dropins/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/reconciler/dropins/DropinsRepositoryListener.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.reconciler.dropins/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/reconciler/dropins/DropinsRepositoryListener.java
@@ -12,8 +12,8 @@
 package org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.reconciler.dropins;
 
 import java.io.*;
-import java.net.MalformedURLException;
-import java.net.URL;
+import java.net.URI;
+import java.net.URISyntaxException;
 import java.util.*;
 import org.eclipse.core.runtime.IStatus;
 import org.eclipse.core.runtime.Status;
@@ -65,20 +65,20 @@ public class DropinsRepositoryListener extends RepositoryListener {
 	}
 
 	private void addRepository(File file) {
-		URL repositoryURL = createRepositoryURL(file);
+		URI repoLocation = createRepositoryLocation(file);
 		Properties properties = new Properties();
 		try {
 			// if the file pointed to a link file, keep track of the attribute
 			// so we can add it to the repo later
-			URL linkURL = getLinkRepository(file, false);
-			if (linkURL != null)
+			URI linkLocation = getLinkRepository(file, false);
+			if (linkLocation != null)
 				properties.put(Site.PROP_LINK_FILE, file.getAbsolutePath());
 		} catch (IOException e) {
 			// ignore
 		}
-		if (repositoryURL != null) {
-			getMetadataRepository(repositoryURL, properties);
-			getArtifactRepository(repositoryURL, properties);
+		if (repoLocation != null) {
+			getMetadataRepository(repoLocation, properties);
+			getArtifactRepository(repoLocation, properties);
 		}
 	}
 
@@ -111,7 +111,7 @@ public class DropinsRepositoryListener extends RepositoryListener {
 		return path;
 	}
 
-	private URL createRepositoryURL(File file) {
+	private URI createRepositoryLocation(File file) {
 		try {
 			file = file.getCanonicalFile();
 			String fileName = file.getName();
@@ -124,29 +124,31 @@ public class DropinsRepositoryListener extends RepositoryListener {
 				// This extra check on the features directory is done to avoid adding the parent URL twice
 				if (file.getName().equals(PLUGINS)) {
 					File parentFile = file.getParentFile();
-					return (parentFile != null) ? parentFile.toURL() : null;
+					return (parentFile != null) ? parentFile.toURI() : null;
 				}
 				if (file.getName().equals(FEATURES)) {
 					File parentFile = file.getParentFile();
 					if (parentFile == null || new File(parentFile, PLUGINS).isDirectory())
 						return null;
-					return parentFile.toURL();
+					return parentFile.toURI();
 				}
-				return file.toURL();
+				return file.toURI();
 			}
 
 			if (fileName.endsWith(ZIP) || fileName.endsWith(JAR))
-				return new URL("jar:" + file.toURL().toExternalForm() + "!/"); //$NON-NLS-1$ //$NON-NLS-2$
+				return new URI("jar:" + file.toURI() + "!/"); //$NON-NLS-1$ //$NON-NLS-2$
 
 			// last resort -- we'll try to interpret the file as a link
 			return getLinkRepository(file, false);
+		} catch (URISyntaxException e) {
+			LogHelper.log(new Status(IStatus.ERROR, Activator.ID, "Error occurred while building repository location from file: " + file.getAbsolutePath(), e)); //$NON-NLS-1$
 		} catch (IOException e) {
 			LogHelper.log(new Status(IStatus.ERROR, Activator.ID, "Error occurred while building repository location from file: " + file.getAbsolutePath(), e)); //$NON-NLS-1$
 		}
 		return null;
 	}
 
-	private URL getLinkRepository(File file, boolean logMissingLink) throws IOException {
+	private URI getLinkRepository(File file, boolean logMissingLink) throws IOException {
 		String path = getLinkPath(file);
 		if (path == null) {
 			if (logMissingLink)
@@ -160,11 +162,10 @@ public class DropinsRepositoryListener extends RepositoryListener {
 			if (root != null)
 				linkedFile = new File(root, path);
 		}
-		File canonicalFile = linkedFile.getCanonicalFile();
-		return canonicalFile.toURL();
+		return linkedFile.getCanonicalFile().toURI();
 	}
 
-	public void getMetadataRepository(URL repoURL, Properties extraProperties) {
+	public void getMetadataRepository(URI repoURL, Properties extraProperties) {
 		try {
 			IMetadataRepository repository = null;
 			try {
@@ -173,7 +174,7 @@ public class DropinsRepositoryListener extends RepositoryListener {
 				properties.put(IRepository.PROP_SYSTEM, Boolean.TRUE.toString());
 				if (extraProperties != null)
 					properties.putAll(extraProperties);
-				repository = Activator.createExtensionLocationMetadataRepository(repoURL, "dropins metadata repo: " + repoURL.toExternalForm(), properties); //$NON-NLS-1$
+				repository = Activator.createExtensionLocationMetadataRepository(repoURL, "dropins metadata repo: " + repoURL, properties); //$NON-NLS-1$
 			} catch (ProvisionException e) {
 				repository = Activator.loadMetadataRepository(repoURL, null);
 			}
@@ -183,7 +184,7 @@ public class DropinsRepositoryListener extends RepositoryListener {
 		}
 	}
 
-	public void getArtifactRepository(URL repoURL, Properties extraProperties) {
+	public void getArtifactRepository(URI repoURL, Properties extraProperties) {
 		try {
 			IArtifactRepository repository = null;
 			try {
@@ -192,7 +193,7 @@ public class DropinsRepositoryListener extends RepositoryListener {
 				properties.put(IRepository.PROP_SYSTEM, Boolean.TRUE.toString());
 				if (extraProperties != null)
 					properties.putAll(extraProperties);
-				repository = Activator.createExtensionLocationArtifactRepository(repoURL, "dropins artifact repo: " + repoURL.toExternalForm(), properties); //$NON-NLS-1$
+				repository = Activator.createExtensionLocationArtifactRepository(repoURL, "dropins artifact repo: " + repoURL, properties); //$NON-NLS-1$
 				// fall through here and call the load which then adds the repo to the manager's list
 			} catch (ProvisionException ex) {
 				repository = Activator.loadArtifactRepository(repoURL, null);
@@ -213,8 +214,7 @@ public class DropinsRepositoryListener extends RepositoryListener {
 		List currentRepositories = new ArrayList();
 		for (Iterator it = metadataRepositories.iterator(); it.hasNext();) {
 			IMetadataRepository repository = (IMetadataRepository) it.next();
-			String urlString = repository.getLocation().toExternalForm();
-			currentRepositories.add(urlString);
+			currentRepositories.add(repository.getLocation().toString());
 		}
 		List previousRepositories = getListRepositoryProperty(getMetadataRepository(), DROPIN_METADATA_REPOSITORIES);
 		for (Iterator iterator = previousRepositories.iterator(); iterator.hasNext();) {
@@ -230,8 +230,8 @@ public class DropinsRepositoryListener extends RepositoryListener {
 		if (manager == null)
 			throw new IllegalStateException(Messages.metadata_repo_manager_not_registered);
 		try {
-			manager.removeRepository(new URL(urlString));
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
+			manager.removeRepository(new URI(urlString));
+		} catch (URISyntaxException e) {
 			LogHelper.log(new Status(IStatus.ERROR, Activator.ID, "Error occurred while creating URL from: " + urlString, e)); //$NON-NLS-1$
 		}
 	}
@@ -240,8 +240,7 @@ public class DropinsRepositoryListener extends RepositoryListener {
 		List currentRepositories = new ArrayList();
 		for (Iterator it = artifactRepositories.iterator(); it.hasNext();) {
 			IArtifactRepository repository = (IArtifactRepository) it.next();
-			String urlString = repository.getLocation().toExternalForm();
-			currentRepositories.add(urlString);
+			currentRepositories.add(repository.getLocation().toString());
 		}
 		List previousRepositories = getListRepositoryProperty(getArtifactRepository(), DROPIN_ARTIFACT_REPOSITORIES);
 		for (Iterator iterator = previousRepositories.iterator(); iterator.hasNext();) {
@@ -257,8 +256,8 @@ public class DropinsRepositoryListener extends RepositoryListener {
 		if (manager == null)
 			throw new IllegalStateException(Messages.artifact_repo_manager_not_registered);
 		try {
-			manager.removeRepository(new URL(urlString));
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
+			manager.removeRepository(new URI(urlString));
+		} catch (URISyntaxException e) {
 			LogHelper.log(new Status(IStatus.ERROR, Activator.ID, "Error occurred while creating URL from: " + urlString, e)); //$NON-NLS-1$
 		}
 	}
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.reconciler.dropins/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/reconciler/dropins/PlatformXmlListener.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.reconciler.dropins/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/reconciler/dropins/PlatformXmlListener.java
index d3e9b53cb..a6be7d115 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.reconciler.dropins/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/reconciler/dropins/PlatformXmlListener.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.reconciler.dropins/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/reconciler/dropins/PlatformXmlListener.java
@@ -11,12 +11,12 @@
 package org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.reconciler.dropins;
 
 import java.io.File;
-import java.net.MalformedURLException;
-import java.net.URL;
+import java.net.URI;
+import java.net.URISyntaxException;
 import java.util.*;
 import org.eclipse.core.runtime.*;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.core.helpers.LogHelper;
-import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.core.helpers.URLUtil;
+import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.core.helpers.URIUtil;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.extensionlocation.*;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.update.*;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.artifact.repository.IArtifactRepository;
@@ -155,21 +155,21 @@ public class PlatformXmlListener extends DirectoryChangeListener {
 		IPath urlPath = new Path(urlString).makeAbsolute();
 		for (Iterator iter = repositoryList.iterator(); iter.hasNext();) {
 			IMetadataRepository repo = (IMetadataRepository) iter.next();
-			Path repoPath = new Path(repo.getLocation().toExternalForm());
+			Path repoPath = new Path(URIUtil.toFile(repo.getLocation()).getAbsolutePath());
 			if (repoPath.makeAbsolute().equals(urlPath))
 				return repo;
 			// normalize the URLs to be the same
 			if (repo instanceof ExtensionLocationMetadataRepository) {
 				try {
 					File one = ExtensionLocationMetadataRepository.getBaseDirectory(repo.getLocation());
-					File two = ExtensionLocationMetadataRepository.getBaseDirectory(new URL(urlString));
+					File two = ExtensionLocationMetadataRepository.getBaseDirectory(new URI(urlString));
 					if (one.equals(two))
 						return repo;
 				} catch (ProvisionException e) {
 					// Skip the repo if it's not found. Log all other errors.
 					if (e.getStatus().getCode() != ProvisionException.REPOSITORY_NOT_FOUND)
 						LogHelper.log(new Status(IStatus.ERROR, Activator.ID, "Error occurred while comparing repository locations.", e)); //$NON-NLS-1$
-				} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
+				} catch (URISyntaxException e) {
 					LogHelper.log(new Status(IStatus.ERROR, Activator.ID, "Error occurred while comparing repository locations.", e)); //$NON-NLS-1$
 				}
 			}
@@ -199,7 +199,7 @@ public class PlatformXmlListener extends DirectoryChangeListener {
 						}
 					}
 					String eclipseExtensionURL = siteURL + Constants.EXTENSION_LOCATION;
-					URL location = new URL(eclipseExtensionURL);
+					URI location = new URI(eclipseExtensionURL);
 					Map properties = new HashMap();
 					properties.put(SiteListener.SITE_POLICY, site.getPolicy());
 
@@ -215,15 +215,15 @@ public class PlatformXmlListener extends DirectoryChangeListener {
 					// deal with the metadata repository
 					IMetadataRepository metadataRepository = null;
 					try {
-						metadataRepository = Activator.createExtensionLocationMetadataRepository(location, "extension location metadata repository: " + location.toExternalForm(), properties); //$NON-NLS-1$
+						metadataRepository = Activator.createExtensionLocationMetadataRepository(location, "extension location metadata repository: " + location.toString(), properties); //$NON-NLS-1$
 					} catch (ProvisionException ex) {
 						try {
 							metadataRepository = Activator.loadMetadataRepository(location, null);
 						} catch (ProvisionException inner) {
 							// handle the case where someone has removed the extension location from
 							// disk. Note: we use the siteURL not the eclipseextensionURL
-							URL fileURL = new URL(siteURL);
-							File file = URLUtil.toFile(fileURL);
+							URI fileURI = new URI(siteURL);
+							File file = URIUtil.toFile(fileURI);
 							if (file != null && !file.exists()) {
 								toBeRemoved.add(site);
 								continue;
@@ -246,7 +246,7 @@ public class PlatformXmlListener extends DirectoryChangeListener {
 
 					// now the artifact repository
 					try {
-						Activator.createExtensionLocationArtifactRepository(location, "extension location artifact repository: " + location.toExternalForm(), properties); //$NON-NLS-1$
+						Activator.createExtensionLocationArtifactRepository(location, "extension location artifact repository: " + location, properties); //$NON-NLS-1$
 					} catch (ProvisionException ex) {
 						IArtifactRepository artifactRepository = Activator.loadArtifactRepository(location, null);
 						// set the repository properties here in case they have changed since the last time we loaded
@@ -261,7 +261,7 @@ public class PlatformXmlListener extends DirectoryChangeListener {
 						if (artifactRepository instanceof ExtensionLocationArtifactRepository)
 							((ExtensionLocationArtifactRepository) artifactRepository).ensureInitialized();
 					}
-				} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
+				} catch (URISyntaxException e) {
 					LogHelper.log(new Status(IStatus.ERROR, Activator.ID, NLS.bind(Messages.errorLoadingRepository, siteURL), e));
 				} catch (ProvisionException e) {
 					// Skip the repo if it's not found. Log all other errors.
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.reconciler.dropins/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/reconciler/dropins/ProfileSynchronizer.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.reconciler.dropins/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/reconciler/dropins/ProfileSynchronizer.java
index efd593361..9ce8fc0ed 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.reconciler.dropins/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/reconciler/dropins/ProfileSynchronizer.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.reconciler.dropins/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/reconciler/dropins/ProfileSynchronizer.java
@@ -10,8 +10,8 @@
 package org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.reconciler.dropins;
 
 import java.io.*;
-import java.net.MalformedURLException;
-import java.net.URL;
+import java.net.URI;
+import java.net.URISyntaxException;
 import java.util.*;
 import java.util.Map.Entry;
 import org.eclipse.core.runtime.*;
@@ -64,7 +64,7 @@ public class ProfileSynchronizer {
 		this.repositoryMap = new HashMap();
 		for (Iterator it = repositories.iterator(); it.hasNext();) {
 			IMetadataRepository repository = (IMetadataRepository) it.next();
-			repositoryMap.put(repository.getLocation().toExternalForm(), repository);
+			repositoryMap.put(repository.getLocation().toString(), repository);
 		}
 	}
 
@@ -204,13 +204,13 @@ public class ProfileSynchronizer {
 		ArrayList repoURLs = new ArrayList();
 		for (Iterator iterator = repositoryMap.keySet().iterator(); iterator.hasNext();) {
 			try {
-				repoURLs.add(new URL((String) iterator.next()));
-			} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
+				repoURLs.add(new URI((String) iterator.next()));
+			} catch (URISyntaxException e) {
 				//ignore
 			}
 		}
-		ProvisioningContext result = new ProvisioningContext((URL[]) repoURLs.toArray(new URL[repoURLs.size()]));
-		result.setArtifactRepositories(new URL[0]);
+		ProvisioningContext result = new ProvisioningContext((URI[]) repoURLs.toArray(new URI[repoURLs.size()]));
+		result.setArtifactRepositories(new URI[0]);
 		return result;
 	}
 
@@ -232,7 +232,7 @@ public class ProfileSynchronizer {
 		for (Iterator it = repositories.iterator(); it.hasNext();) {
 			String repositoryId = (String) it.next();
 			try {
-				IArtifactRepository repository = Activator.loadArtifactRepository(new URL(repositoryId), null);
+				IArtifactRepository repository = Activator.loadArtifactRepository(new URI(repositoryId), null);
 
 				if (repository instanceof IFileArtifactRepository) {
 					currentExtensions.add(repositoryId);
@@ -242,7 +242,7 @@ public class ProfileSynchronizer {
 				}
 			} catch (ProvisionException e) {
 				// ignore
-			} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
+			} catch (URISyntaxException e) {
 				// unexpected
 				e.printStackTrace();
 			}
@@ -263,7 +263,7 @@ public class ProfileSynchronizer {
 
 		Operand operand = new PropertyOperand(CACHE_EXTENSIONS, previousExtensionsProperty, currentExtensionsProperty);
 
-		return executeOperands(new ProvisioningContext(new URL[0]), new Operand[] {operand}, null);
+		return executeOperands(new ProvisioningContext(new URI[0]), new Operand[] {operand}, null);
 	}
 
 	public ProfileChangeRequest createProfileChangeRequest(ProvisioningContext context) {
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.repository/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/repository/CacheManager.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.repository/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/repository/CacheManager.java
index 72678305d..e2a966b56 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.repository/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/repository/CacheManager.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.repository/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/repository/CacheManager.java
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@
 package org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.metadata.repository;
 
 import java.io.*;
+import java.net.URI;
 import java.net.URL;
 import java.util.EventObject;
 import org.eclipse.core.runtime.*;
@@ -41,9 +42,8 @@ public class CacheManager {
 	/**
 	 * Returns a hash of the URL.
 	 */
-	private int computeHash(URL repositoryLocation) {
-		//don't use URL#hashCode because it performs DNS lookups
-		return repositoryLocation.toExternalForm().hashCode();
+	private int computeHash(URI repositoryLocation) {
+		return repositoryLocation.hashCode();
 	}
 
 	/**
@@ -57,17 +57,17 @@ public class CacheManager {
 	 * @throws IOException
 	 * @throws ProvisionException
 	 */
-	public File createCache(URL repositoryLocation, IProgressMonitor monitor) throws IOException, ProvisionException {
+	public File createCache(URI repositoryLocation, IProgressMonitor monitor) throws IOException, ProvisionException {
 		File cacheFile = getCache(repositoryLocation);
-		URL jarLocation = URLMetadataRepository.getActualLocation(repositoryLocation, JAR_EXTENSION);
-		URL xmlLocation = URLMetadataRepository.getActualLocation(repositoryLocation, XML_EXTENSION);
+		URI jarLocation = URLMetadataRepository.getActualLocation(repositoryLocation, JAR_EXTENSION);
+		URI xmlLocation = URLMetadataRepository.getActualLocation(repositoryLocation, XML_EXTENSION);
 		AgentLocation agentLocation = (AgentLocation) ServiceHelper.getService(Activator.getContext(), AgentLocation.class.getName());
 		URL dataArea = agentLocation.getDataArea(Activator.ID + "/cache/"); //$NON-NLS-1$
 		File dataAreaFile = URLUtil.toFile(dataArea);
 		int hashCode = computeHash(repositoryLocation);
 		if (cacheFile == null || isCacheStale(repositoryLocation, cacheFile)) {
 			long lastModifiedRemote = getTransport().getLastModified(jarLocation);
-			URL remoteFile;
+			URI remoteFile;
 			if (lastModifiedRemote != 0) {
 				cacheFile = new File(dataAreaFile, CONTENT_FILENAME + hashCode + JAR_EXTENSION);
 				remoteFile = jarLocation;
@@ -82,7 +82,7 @@ public class CacheManager {
 			cacheFile.getParentFile().mkdirs();
 			OutputStream metadata = new BufferedOutputStream(new FileOutputStream(cacheFile));
 			try {
-				IStatus result = getTransport().download(remoteFile.toExternalForm(), metadata, monitor);
+				IStatus result = getTransport().download(remoteFile.toString(), metadata, monitor);
 				if (!result.isOK()) {
 					throw new ProvisionException(result);
 				}
@@ -97,7 +97,7 @@ public class CacheManager {
 	 * Deletes the local cache file for the given repository
 	 * @param repositoryLocation
 	 */
-	void deleteCache(URL repositoryLocation) {
+	void deleteCache(URI repositoryLocation) {
 		File cacheFile = getCache(repositoryLocation);
 		if (cacheFile != null)
 			safeDelete(cacheFile);
@@ -109,7 +109,7 @@ public class CacheManager {
 	 * @return A {@link File} pointing to the cache file or <code>null</code> if
 	 * the cache file does not exist.
 	 */
-	private File getCache(URL repositoryLocation) {
+	private File getCache(URI repositoryLocation) {
 		AgentLocation agentLocation = (AgentLocation) ServiceHelper.getService(Activator.getContext(), AgentLocation.class.getName());
 		URL dataArea = agentLocation.getDataArea(Activator.ID + "/cache/"); //$NON-NLS-1$
 		File dataAreaFile = URLUtil.toFile(dataArea);
@@ -144,10 +144,10 @@ public class CacheManager {
 	 * if the cache file is in sync with the repository. The cache file is
 	 * considered stale if there is no local cache file.
 	 */
-	private boolean isCacheStale(URL repositoryLocation, File cacheFile) {
+	private boolean isCacheStale(URI repositoryLocation, File cacheFile) {
 		long lastModified = cacheFile.lastModified();
 		String name = cacheFile.getName();
-		URL metadataLocation = null;
+		URI metadataLocation = null;
 		if (name.endsWith(XML_EXTENSION)) {
 			metadataLocation = URLMetadataRepository.getActualLocation(repositoryLocation, XML_EXTENSION);
 		} else if (name.endsWith(JAR_EXTENSION)) {
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/tests/ui/operations/AddColocatedRepositoryOperationTest.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/tests/ui/operations/AddColocatedRepositoryOperationTest.java
index fdc7fd8e6..c0e34fe70 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/tests/ui/operations/AddColocatedRepositoryOperationTest.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/tests/ui/operations/AddColocatedRepositoryOperationTest.java
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@
  *******************************************************************************/
 package org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests.ui.operations;
 
-import java.net.URL;
+import java.net.URI;
 import java.util.Arrays;
 import org.eclipse.core.commands.ExecutionException;
 import org.eclipse.core.runtime.IStatus;
@@ -25,9 +25,9 @@ import org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests.*;
  */
 public class AddColocatedRepositoryOperationTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 	public void testAddSingleRepository() {
-		URL repoLocation = null;
+		URI repoLocation = null;
 		try {
-			repoLocation = TestData.getFile("artifactRepo", "").toURL();
+			repoLocation = TestData.getFile("artifactRepo", "").toURI();
 		} catch (Exception e) {
 			fail("0.99", e);
 		}
@@ -47,7 +47,7 @@ public class AddColocatedRepositoryOperationTest extends AbstractProvisioningTes
 		}
 
 		IMetadataRepositoryManager manager = (IMetadataRepositoryManager) ServiceHelper.getService(TestActivator.getContext(), IMetadataRepositoryManager.class.getName());
-		URL[] repos = manager.getKnownRepositories(0);
+		URI[] repos = manager.getKnownRepositories(0);
 		assertTrue("2.0", Arrays.asList(repos).contains(repoLocation));
 		assertTrue("2.1", manager.isEnabled(repoLocation));
 
@@ -58,9 +58,9 @@ public class AddColocatedRepositoryOperationTest extends AbstractProvisioningTes
 	}
 
 	public void testUndoRedo() {
-		URL repoLocation = null;
+		URI repoLocation = null;
 		try {
-			repoLocation = TestData.getFile("artifactRepo", "").toURL();
+			repoLocation = TestData.getFile("artifactRepo", "").toURI();
 		} catch (Exception e) {
 			fail("0.99", e);
 		}
@@ -83,7 +83,7 @@ public class AddColocatedRepositoryOperationTest extends AbstractProvisioningTes
 		}
 
 		IMetadataRepositoryManager metadataManager = (IMetadataRepositoryManager) ServiceHelper.getService(TestActivator.getContext(), IMetadataRepositoryManager.class.getName());
-		URL[] repos = metadataManager.getKnownRepositories(0);
+		URI[] repos = metadataManager.getKnownRepositories(0);
 		assertTrue("2.0", !Arrays.asList(repos).contains(repoLocation));
 		assertTrue("2.1", !metadataManager.isEnabled(repoLocation));
 
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/tests/ui/operations/RemoveColocatedRepositoryOperationTest.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/tests/ui/operations/RemoveColocatedRepositoryOperationTest.java
index b217a1caf..b20129aeb 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/tests/ui/operations/RemoveColocatedRepositoryOperationTest.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/tests/ui/operations/RemoveColocatedRepositoryOperationTest.java
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@
  *******************************************************************************/
 package org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests.ui.operations;
 
-import java.net.URL;
+import java.net.URI;
 import java.util.Arrays;
 import org.eclipse.core.commands.ExecutionException;
 import org.eclipse.core.runtime.IStatus;
@@ -25,9 +25,9 @@ import org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests.*;
  */
 public class RemoveColocatedRepositoryOperationTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 	public void testRemoveSingleRepository() {
-		URL repoLocation = null;
+		URI repoLocation = null;
 		try {
-			repoLocation = TestData.getFile("artifactRepo", "").toURL();
+			repoLocation = TestData.getFile("artifactRepo", "").toURI();
 		} catch (Exception e) {
 			fail("0.99", e);
 		}
@@ -47,7 +47,7 @@ public class RemoveColocatedRepositoryOperationTest extends AbstractProvisioning
 		}
 
 		IMetadataRepositoryManager manager = (IMetadataRepositoryManager) ServiceHelper.getService(TestActivator.getContext(), IMetadataRepositoryManager.class.getName());
-		URL[] repos = manager.getKnownRepositories(0);
+		URI[] repos = manager.getKnownRepositories(0);
 		assertTrue("2.0", Arrays.asList(repos).contains(repoLocation));
 		assertTrue("2.1", manager.isEnabled(repoLocation));
 
@@ -58,9 +58,9 @@ public class RemoveColocatedRepositoryOperationTest extends AbstractProvisioning
 	}
 
 	public void testUndoRedo() {
-		URL repoLocation = null;
+		URI repoLocation = null;
 		try {
-			repoLocation = TestData.getFile("artifactRepo", "").toURL();
+			repoLocation = TestData.getFile("artifactRepo", "").toURI();
 		} catch (Exception e) {
 			fail("0.99", e);
 		}
@@ -83,7 +83,7 @@ public class RemoveColocatedRepositoryOperationTest extends AbstractProvisioning
 		}
 
 		IMetadataRepositoryManager metadataManager = (IMetadataRepositoryManager) ServiceHelper.getService(TestActivator.getContext(), IMetadataRepositoryManager.class.getName());
-		URL[] repos = metadataManager.getKnownRepositories(0);
+		URI[] repos = metadataManager.getKnownRepositories(0);
 		assertTrue("2.0", !Arrays.asList(repos).contains(repoLocation));
 		assertTrue("2.1", !metadataManager.isEnabled(repoLocation));
 
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/tests/ui/query/AnyRequiredCapabilityTest.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/tests/ui/query/AnyRequiredCapabilityTest.java
index 24bd1e433..71a7b9cc6 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/tests/ui/query/AnyRequiredCapabilityTest.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/tests/ui/query/AnyRequiredCapabilityTest.java
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@
  *******************************************************************************/
 package org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests.ui.query;
 
-import java.net.URL;
+import java.net.URI;
 import java.util.ArrayList;
 import java.util.List;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.ui.query.AnyRequiredCapabilityQuery;
@@ -42,9 +42,9 @@ public class AnyRequiredCapabilityTest extends QueryTest {
 	}
 
 	public void testExistingRepository() {
-		URL location;
+		URI location;
 		try {
-			location = TestData.getFile("metadataRepo", "good").toURL();
+			location = TestData.getFile("metadataRepo", "good").toURI();
 		} catch (Exception e) {
 			fail("0.99", e);
 			return;
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/tests/ui/query/IUPropertyUtilsTest.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/tests/ui/query/IUPropertyUtilsTest.java
index 6b732223a..7162dcff0 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/tests/ui/query/IUPropertyUtilsTest.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/tests/ui/query/IUPropertyUtilsTest.java
@@ -11,8 +11,7 @@
 package org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests.ui.query;
 
 import java.io.File;
-import java.net.MalformedURLException;
-import java.net.URL;
+import java.net.URI;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.core.helpers.ServiceHelper;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.core.ProvisionException;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.metadata.*;
@@ -30,12 +29,7 @@ public class IUPropertyUtilsTest extends QueryTest {
 	public void testFeatureProperties() {
 		IMetadataRepositoryManager repoMan = (IMetadataRepositoryManager) ServiceHelper.getService(TestActivator.getContext(), IMetadataRepositoryManager.class.getName());
 		File site = getTestData("0.1", "/testData/metadataRepo/externalized");
-		URL location = null;
-		try {
-			location = site.toURL();
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
-			fail("0.99", e);
-		}
+		URI location = site.toURI();
 		IMetadataRepository repository;
 		try {
 			repository = repoMan.loadRepository(location, getMonitor());
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/tests/ui/query/QueryableMetadataRepositoryManagerTest.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/tests/ui/query/QueryableMetadataRepositoryManagerTest.java
index fde8581e6..249504dd6 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/tests/ui/query/QueryableMetadataRepositoryManagerTest.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/tests/ui/query/QueryableMetadataRepositoryManagerTest.java
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@
 package org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests.ui.query;
 
 import java.io.File;
-import java.net.URL;
+import java.net.URI;
 import java.util.Collection;
 import org.eclipse.core.tests.harness.CancelingProgressMonitor;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.metadata.IInstallableUnit;
@@ -32,9 +32,9 @@ public class QueryableMetadataRepositoryManagerTest extends QueryTest {
 	 * Tests querying against a non-existent repository
 	 */
 	public void testBrokenRepository() {
-		URL brokenRepo;
+		URI brokenRepo;
 		try {
-			brokenRepo = TestData.getFile("metadataRepo", "bad").toURL();
+			brokenRepo = TestData.getFile("metadataRepo", "bad").toURI();
 		} catch (Exception e) {
 			fail("0.99", e);
 			return;
@@ -54,9 +54,9 @@ public class QueryableMetadataRepositoryManagerTest extends QueryTest {
 	 * Tests canceling a load
 	 */
 	public void testCancelLoad() {
-		URL location;
+		URI location;
 		try {
-			location = TestData.getFile("metadataRepo", "good").toURL();
+			location = TestData.getFile("metadataRepo", "good").toURI();
 		} catch (Exception e) {
 			fail("0.99", e);
 			return;
@@ -73,11 +73,11 @@ public class QueryableMetadataRepositoryManagerTest extends QueryTest {
 	}
 
 	public void testCancelQuery() {
-		URL existing, nonExisting, broken;
+		URI existing, nonExisting, broken;
 		try {
-			existing = TestData.getFile("metadataRepo", "good").toURL();
-			nonExisting = new File("does/not/exist/testNotFoundRepository").toURL();
-			broken = TestData.getFile("metadataRepo", "bad").toURL();
+			existing = TestData.getFile("metadataRepo", "good").toURI();
+			nonExisting = new File("does/not/exist/testNotFoundRepository").toURI();
+			broken = TestData.getFile("metadataRepo", "bad").toURI();
 		} catch (Exception e) {
 			fail("0.99", e);
 			return;
@@ -97,9 +97,9 @@ public class QueryableMetadataRepositoryManagerTest extends QueryTest {
 	}
 
 	public void testExistingRepository() {
-		URL location;
+		URI location;
 		try {
-			location = TestData.getFile("metadataRepo", "good").toURL();
+			location = TestData.getFile("metadataRepo", "good").toURI();
 		} catch (Exception e) {
 			fail("0.99", e);
 			return;
@@ -118,10 +118,10 @@ public class QueryableMetadataRepositoryManagerTest extends QueryTest {
 	 * Tests querying against a non-existent repository
 	 */
 	public void testNotFoundRepository() {
-		URL existing, nonExisting;
+		URI existing, nonExisting;
 		try {
-			existing = TestData.getFile("metadataRepo", "good").toURL();
-			nonExisting = new File("does/not/exist/testNotFoundRepository").toURL();
+			existing = TestData.getFile("metadataRepo", "good").toURI();
+			nonExisting = new File("does/not/exist/testNotFoundRepository").toURI();
 		} catch (Exception e) {
 			fail("0.99", e);
 			return;
@@ -139,11 +139,11 @@ public class QueryableMetadataRepositoryManagerTest extends QueryTest {
 	}
 
 	public void testQuery() {
-		URL existing, nonExisting, broken;
+		URI existing, nonExisting, broken;
 		try {
-			existing = TestData.getFile("metadataRepo", "good").toURL();
-			nonExisting = new File("does/not/exist/testNotFoundRepository").toURL();
-			broken = TestData.getFile("metadataRepo", "bad").toURL();
+			existing = TestData.getFile("metadataRepo", "good").toURI();
+			nonExisting = new File("does/not/exist/testNotFoundRepository").toURI();
+			broken = TestData.getFile("metadataRepo", "bad").toURI();
 		} catch (Exception e) {
 			fail("0.99", e);
 			return;
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/All p2 Tests.launch b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/All p2 Tests.launch
index 28dd1ed70..2eda901c8 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/All p2 Tests.launch
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/All p2 Tests.launch
@@ -6,7 +6,6 @@
 <booleanAttribute key="automaticAdd" value="true"/>
 <booleanAttribute key="automaticValidate" value="false"/>
 <stringAttribute key="bootstrap" value=""/>
-<stringAttribute key="checked" value="[NONE]"/>
 <booleanAttribute key="clearConfig" value="true"/>
 <booleanAttribute key="clearws" value="true"/>
 <booleanAttribute key="clearwslog" value="false"/>
@@ -57,7 +56,7 @@
 <stringAttribute key="org.eclipse.jdt.launching.PROGRAM_ARGUMENTS" value="-os ${target.os} -ws ${target.ws} -arch ${target.arch} -nl ${target.nl} -consolelog"/>
 <stringAttribute key="org.eclipse.jdt.launching.PROJECT_ATTR" value="org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests"/>
 <stringAttribute key="org.eclipse.jdt.launching.SOURCE_PATH_PROVIDER" value="org.eclipse.pde.ui.workbenchClasspathProvider"/>
-<stringAttribute key="org.eclipse.jdt.launching.VM_ARGUMENTS" value="-Dorg.eclipse.equinox.p2.reconciler.tests.platform.archive=c:/builds/eclipse-platform-3.4-win32.zip"/>
+<stringAttribute key="org.eclipse.jdt.launching.VM_ARGUMENTS" value="-Dorg.eclipse.equinox.p2.reconciler.tests.platform.archive=c:/builds/eclipse-platform-I20081007-1600-win32.zip"/>
 <stringAttribute key="pde.version" value="3.3"/>
 <stringAttribute key="product" value="org.eclipse.sdk.ide"/>
 <booleanAttribute key="show_selected_only" value="false"/>
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/src/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/tests/AbstractProvisioningTest.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/src/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/tests/AbstractProvisioningTest.java
index 9eba3daa8..dbbce1cd5 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/src/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/tests/AbstractProvisioningTest.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/src/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/tests/AbstractProvisioningTest.java
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@
 package org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests;
 
 import java.io.*;
+import java.net.URI;
 import java.net.URL;
 import java.util.*;
 import junit.framework.AssertionFailedError;
@@ -639,7 +640,7 @@ public abstract class AbstractProvisioningTest extends TestCase {
 		metadataRepos.add(repo);
 	}
 
-	protected IArtifactRepository createArtifactRepository(URL location, Map properties) throws ProvisionException {
+	protected IArtifactRepository createArtifactRepository(URI location, Map properties) throws ProvisionException {
 		IArtifactRepositoryManager artifactRepositoryManager = getArtifactRepositoryManager();
 		IArtifactRepository repo = artifactRepositoryManager.createRepository(location, "artifact", IArtifactRepositoryManager.TYPE_SIMPLE_REPOSITORY, properties);
 		artifactRepositoryManager.removeRepository(repo.getLocation());
@@ -650,7 +651,7 @@ public abstract class AbstractProvisioningTest extends TestCase {
 		return (IArtifactRepositoryManager) ServiceHelper.getService(TestActivator.getContext(), IArtifactRepositoryManager.class.getName());
 	}
 
-	protected IMetadataRepository createMetadataRepository(URL location, Map properties) throws ProvisionException {
+	protected IMetadataRepository createMetadataRepository(URI location, Map properties) throws ProvisionException {
 		IMetadataRepositoryManager metadataRepositoryManager = getMetadataRepositoryManager();
 		IMetadataRepository repo = metadataRepositoryManager.createRepository(location, "metadata", IMetadataRepositoryManager.TYPE_SIMPLE_REPOSITORY, properties);
 		metadataRepos.add(repo);
@@ -710,10 +711,10 @@ public abstract class AbstractProvisioningTest extends TestCase {
 			}
 			metadataRepos.clear();
 		}
-		URL[] urls = repoMan.getKnownRepositories(IRepositoryManager.REPOSITORIES_ALL);
+		URI[] urls = repoMan.getKnownRepositories(IRepositoryManager.REPOSITORIES_ALL);
 		for (int i = 0; i < urls.length; i++) {
 			try {
-				if (urls[i].toExternalForm().indexOf("cache") != -1 || urls[i].toExternalForm().indexOf("rollback") != -1)
+				if (urls[i].toString().indexOf("cache") != -1 || urls[i].toString().indexOf("rollback") != -1)
 					repoMan.loadRepository(urls[i], null).removeAll();
 			} catch (ProvisionException e) {
 				//if the repository didn't load, then it doesn't exist and we don't need to clear it up
@@ -793,7 +794,7 @@ public abstract class AbstractProvisioningTest extends TestCase {
 	protected void setUp() throws Exception {
 		super.setUp();
 		MetadataRepositoryManager repoMan = (MetadataRepositoryManager) ServiceHelper.getService(TestActivator.getContext(), IMetadataRepositoryManager.class.getName());
-		URL[] repos = repoMan.getKnownRepositories(IRepositoryManager.REPOSITORIES_ALL);
+		URI[] repos = repoMan.getKnownRepositories(IRepositoryManager.REPOSITORIES_ALL);
 		for (int i = 0; i < repos.length; i++) {
 			repoMan.removeRepository(repos[i]);
 		}
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/src/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/tests/TestArtifactRepository.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/src/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/tests/TestArtifactRepository.java
index 86a47556c..dcd287d12 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/src/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/tests/TestArtifactRepository.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/src/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/tests/TestArtifactRepository.java
@@ -11,7 +11,8 @@
 package org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests;
 
 import java.io.*;
-import java.net.*;
+import java.net.URI;
+import java.net.URISyntaxException;
 import java.util.*;
 import junit.framework.Assert;
 import org.eclipse.core.runtime.*;
@@ -109,7 +110,7 @@ public class TestArtifactRepository extends AbstractArtifactRepository {
 		}
 	}
 
-	public void initialize(URL repoURL, InputStream descriptorFile) throws RepositoryCreationException {
+	public void initialize(URI repoURL, InputStream descriptorFile) throws RepositoryCreationException {
 		location = repoURL;
 	}
 
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/src/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/tests/TestMetadataRepository.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/src/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/tests/TestMetadataRepository.java
index 0092456d7..f35638817 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/src/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/tests/TestMetadataRepository.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/src/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/tests/TestMetadataRepository.java
@@ -8,8 +8,8 @@
  ******************************************************************************/
 package org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests;
 
-import java.net.MalformedURLException;
-import java.net.URL;
+import java.net.URI;
+import java.net.URISyntaxException;
 import java.util.*;
 import junit.framework.Assert;
 import org.eclipse.core.runtime.IProgressMonitor;
@@ -37,11 +37,11 @@ public class TestMetadataRepository extends AbstractMetadataRepository {
 	private final List units = new ArrayList();
 	protected HashSet repositories = new HashSet();
 
-	private static URL createLocation() {
+	private static URI createLocation() {
 		try {
 			//Just need a unique URL - we don't need to read/write this location
-			return new URL("http://TestMetadataRepository.com/" + Long.toString(System.currentTimeMillis()));
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
+			return new URI("http://TestMetadataRepository.com/" + Long.toString(System.currentTimeMillis()));
+		} catch (URISyntaxException e) {
 			Assert.fail(e.getMessage());
 		}
 		return null;
@@ -96,7 +96,7 @@ public class TestMetadataRepository extends AbstractMetadataRepository {
 		this.repositories.addAll(Arrays.asList(state.Repositories));
 	}
 
-	public synchronized void addReference(URL repositoryLocation, int repositoryType, int options) {
+	public synchronized void addReference(URI repositoryLocation, int repositoryType, int options) {
 		assertModifiable();
 		repositories.add(new RepositoryReference(repositoryLocation, repositoryType, options));
 	}
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/src/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/tests/TestRepositoryListener.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/src/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/tests/TestRepositoryListener.java
index 8ca698d79..0552beebc 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/src/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/tests/TestRepositoryListener.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/src/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/tests/TestRepositoryListener.java
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@
  *******************************************************************************/
 package org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests;
 
-import java.net.URL;
+import java.net.URI;
 import java.util.EventObject;
 import junit.framework.Assert;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.core.eventbus.ProvisioningListener;
@@ -25,10 +25,10 @@ public class TestRepositoryListener implements ProvisioningListener {
 	public boolean lastEnablement;
 	public int lastKind;
 	public int lastRepoType;
-	private URL repoLocation;
+	private URI repoLocation;
 	private boolean wasCalled;
 
-	public TestRepositoryListener(URL location) {
+	public TestRepositoryListener(URI location) {
 		this.repoLocation = location;
 	}
 
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/src/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/tests/artifact/repository/ArtifactOutputStreamTest.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/src/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/tests/artifact/repository/ArtifactOutputStreamTest.java
index a4453488f..f5d99257c 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/src/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/tests/artifact/repository/ArtifactOutputStreamTest.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/src/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/tests/artifact/repository/ArtifactOutputStreamTest.java
@@ -39,7 +39,7 @@ public class ArtifactOutputStreamTest extends TestCase {
 		tempWritableLocation = File.createTempFile("artifact", ".repo");
 		tempWritableLocation.delete();
 		tempWritableLocation.mkdirs();
-		sar = new SimpleArtifactRepository("name", tempWritableLocation.toURL(), null);
+		sar = new SimpleArtifactRepository("name", tempWritableLocation.toURI(), null);
 		destination = new Destination();
 		ak = new ArtifactKey("classifier", "id", new Version("1.0"));
 		ad = new ArtifactDescriptor(ak);
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/src/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/tests/artifact/repository/ArtifactRepositoryManagerTest.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/src/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/tests/artifact/repository/ArtifactRepositoryManagerTest.java
index fc18250bf..be0423f16 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/src/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/tests/artifact/repository/ArtifactRepositoryManagerTest.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/src/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/tests/artifact/repository/ArtifactRepositoryManagerTest.java
@@ -12,8 +12,8 @@ package org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests.artifact.repository;
 
 import java.io.File;
 import java.io.IOException;
-import java.net.MalformedURLException;
-import java.net.URL;
+import java.net.URI;
+import java.net.URISyntaxException;
 import junit.framework.Test;
 import junit.framework.TestSuite;
 import org.eclipse.core.runtime.IStatus;
@@ -37,8 +37,8 @@ public class ArtifactRepositoryManagerTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 	 * Returns whether {@link IArtifactRepositoryManager} contains a reference
 	 * to a repository at the given location.
 	 */
-	private boolean managerContains(URL location) {
-		URL[] locations = manager.getKnownRepositories(IArtifactRepositoryManager.REPOSITORIES_ALL);
+	private boolean managerContains(URI location) {
+		URI[] locations = manager.getKnownRepositories(IArtifactRepositoryManager.REPOSITORIES_ALL);
 		for (int i = 0; i < locations.length; i++) {
 			if (locations[i].equals(location))
 				return true;
@@ -56,7 +56,7 @@ public class ArtifactRepositoryManagerTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 	 */
 	public void testLoadMissingRepository() throws IOException {
 		File tempFile = File.createTempFile("testLoadMissingArtifactRepository", null);
-		URL location = tempFile.toURL();
+		URI location = tempFile.toURI();
 		try {
 			manager.loadRepository(location, null);
 			fail("1.0");//should fail
@@ -73,16 +73,35 @@ public class ArtifactRepositoryManagerTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 	public void testLoadMissingRepositoryElement() {
 		File site = getTestData("Update site", "/testData/artifactRepo/broken/");
 		try {
-			URL location = site.toURL();
+			URI location = site.toURI();
 			manager.loadRepository(location, null);
 			//should have failed
 			fail("1.0");
 		} catch (ProvisionException e) {
 			//expected
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
-			fail("2.99", e);
 		}
+	}
 
+	public void testPathWithSpaces() {
+		File site = getTestData("Repository", "/testData/artifactRepo/simple with spaces/");
+		URI location = site.toURI();
+		try {
+			IArtifactRepository repository = manager.loadRepository(location, getMonitor());
+			assertEquals("1.0", 2, repository.getArtifactKeys().length);
+		} catch (ProvisionException e) {
+			fail("=.99", e);
+		}
+	}
+
+	public void testUpdateSitePathWithSpaces() {
+		File site = getTestData("Repository", "/testData/updatesite/site with spaces/");
+		URI location = site.toURI();
+		try {
+			IArtifactRepository repository = manager.loadRepository(location, getMonitor());
+			assertEquals("1.0", 3, repository.getArtifactKeys().length);
+		} catch (ProvisionException e) {
+			fail("=.99", e);
+		}
 	}
 
 	/**
@@ -90,13 +109,13 @@ public class ArtifactRepositoryManagerTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 	 */
 	public void testTrailingSlashes() {
 		File site = getTestData("Repository", "/testData/artifactRepo/simple/");
-		URL locationSlash, locationNoSlash;
+		URI locationSlash, locationNoSlash;
 		try {
-			locationSlash = site.toURL();
-			String locationString = locationSlash.toExternalForm();
+			locationSlash = site.toURI();
+			String locationString = locationSlash.toString();
 			locationString = locationString.substring(0, locationString.length() - 1);
-			locationNoSlash = new URL(locationString);
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
+			locationNoSlash = new URI(locationString);
+		} catch (URISyntaxException e) {
 			fail("0.99", e);
 			return;
 		}
@@ -112,9 +131,9 @@ public class ArtifactRepositoryManagerTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 
 	}
 
-	public void testBasicAddRemove() throws MalformedURLException {
+	public void testBasicAddRemove() {
 		File tempFile = new File(System.getProperty("java.io.tmpdir"));
-		URL location = tempFile.toURL();
+		URI location = tempFile.toURI();
 		assertTrue(!managerContains(location));
 		manager.addRepository(location);
 		assertTrue(managerContains(location));
@@ -122,9 +141,9 @@ public class ArtifactRepositoryManagerTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 		assertTrue(!managerContains(location));
 	}
 
-	public void testEnablement() throws MalformedURLException {
+	public void testEnablement() {
 		File site = getTestData("Repository", "/testData/artifactRepo/simple/");
-		URL location = site.toURL();
+		URI location = site.toURI();
 		manager.addRepository(location);
 		assertEquals("1.0", true, manager.isEnabled(location));
 		TestRepositoryListener listener = new TestRepositoryListener(location);
@@ -147,9 +166,9 @@ public class ArtifactRepositoryManagerTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 	 * Tests that adding a repository that is already known but disabled
 	 * causes the repository to be enabled. See bug 241307 for discussion.
 	 */
-	public void testEnablementOnAdd() throws MalformedURLException {
+	public void testEnablementOnAdd() throws URISyntaxException {
 		File site = getTestData("Repository", "/testData/artifactRepo/simple/");
-		URL location = site.toURL();
+		URI location = site.toURI();
 		manager.addRepository(location);
 		manager.setEnabled(location, false);
 		TestRepositoryListener listener = new TestRepositoryListener(location);
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/src/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/tests/artifact/repository/FoldersRepositoryTest.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/src/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/tests/artifact/repository/FoldersRepositoryTest.java
index 92173a4f0..b2cadd7f6 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/src/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/tests/artifact/repository/FoldersRepositoryTest.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/src/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/tests/artifact/repository/FoldersRepositoryTest.java
@@ -52,8 +52,8 @@ public class FoldersRepositoryTest extends TestCase {
 		AbstractProvisioningTest.delete(testRepo);
 		testRepo.mkdir();
 
-		manager.removeRepository(testRepo.toURL());
-		IArtifactRepository repo = manager.createRepository(testRepo.toURL(), "testRepo", IArtifactRepositoryManager.TYPE_SIMPLE_REPOSITORY, null);
+		manager.removeRepository(testRepo.toURI());
+		IArtifactRepository repo = manager.createRepository(testRepo.toURI(), "testRepo", IArtifactRepositoryManager.TYPE_SIMPLE_REPOSITORY, null);
 		File pluginsFolder = new File(testRepo, "plugins");
 		pluginsFolder.mkdir();
 
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/src/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/tests/artifact/repository/JarURLRepositoryTest.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/src/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/tests/artifact/repository/JarURLRepositoryTest.java
index 6289d35a5..792ff58c5 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/src/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/tests/artifact/repository/JarURLRepositoryTest.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/src/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/tests/artifact/repository/JarURLRepositoryTest.java
@@ -10,9 +10,9 @@
  *******************************************************************************/
 package org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests.artifact.repository;
 
-import java.net.MalformedURLException;
-import java.net.URL;
+import java.net.*;
 import junit.framework.TestCase;
+import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.core.helpers.URIUtil;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.metadata.ArtifactKey;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.artifact.repository.IArtifactRepository;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.artifact.repository.IArtifactRepositoryManager;
@@ -44,7 +44,7 @@ public class JarURLRepositoryTest extends TestCase {
 		TestActivator.getContext().ungetService(managerRef);
 	}
 
-	public void testJarURLRepository() throws ProvisionException {
+	public void testJarURLRepository() throws ProvisionException, URISyntaxException {
 		URL engineJar = TestActivator.getContext().getBundle().getEntry("/testData/enginerepo.jar");
 		URL jarRepoURL = null;
 		try {
@@ -52,7 +52,7 @@ public class JarURLRepositoryTest extends TestCase {
 		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
 			fail(e.getMessage());
 		}
-		IArtifactRepository repo = manager.loadRepository(jarRepoURL, null);
+		IArtifactRepository repo = manager.loadRepository(URIUtil.toURI(jarRepoURL), null);
 		assertTrue(repo.contains(new ArtifactKey("osgi.bundle", "testdata", new Version("1.0.0.1"))));
 	}
 }
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/src/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/tests/artifact/repository/SimpleArtifactRepositoryTest.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/src/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/tests/artifact/repository/SimpleArtifactRepositoryTest.java
index 69de5fb75..fd44bbb54 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/src/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/tests/artifact/repository/SimpleArtifactRepositoryTest.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/src/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/tests/artifact/repository/SimpleArtifactRepositoryTest.java
@@ -12,8 +12,8 @@
 package org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests.artifact.repository;
 
 import java.io.File;
-import java.net.MalformedURLException;
-import java.net.URL;
+import java.net.URI;
+import java.net.URISyntaxException;
 import java.util.HashMap;
 import java.util.Map;
 import org.eclipse.core.runtime.NullProgressMonitor;
@@ -30,14 +30,14 @@ import org.osgi.framework.Version;
 public class SimpleArtifactRepositoryTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 	//artifact repository to remove on tear down
 	private File repositoryFile = null;
-	private URL repositoryURL = null;
+	private URI repositoryURI = null;
 
 	protected void tearDown() throws Exception {
 		super.tearDown();
 		//repository location is not used by all tests
-		if (repositoryURL != null) {
-			getArtifactRepositoryManager().removeRepository(repositoryURL);
-			repositoryURL = null;
+		if (repositoryURI != null) {
+			getArtifactRepositoryManager().removeRepository(repositoryURI);
+			repositoryURI = null;
 		}
 		if (repositoryFile != null) {
 			delete(repositoryFile);
@@ -45,45 +45,45 @@ public class SimpleArtifactRepositoryTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 		}
 	}
 
-	public void testGetActualLocation1() throws MalformedURLException {
-		URL base = new URL("http://localhost/artifactRepository");
-		assertEquals(new URL(base + "/artifacts.xml"), SimpleArtifactRepository.getActualLocation(base, false));
+	public void testGetActualLocation1() throws URISyntaxException {
+		URI base = new URI("http://localhost/artifactRepository");
+		assertEquals(new URI(base + "/artifacts.xml"), SimpleArtifactRepository.getActualLocation(base, false));
 	}
 
-	public void testGetActualLocation2() throws MalformedURLException {
-		URL base = new URL("http://localhost/artifactRepository/");
-		assertEquals(new URL(base + "artifacts.xml"), SimpleArtifactRepository.getActualLocation(base, false));
+	public void testGetActualLocation2() throws URISyntaxException {
+		URI base = new URI("http://localhost/artifactRepository/");
+		assertEquals(new URI(base + "artifacts.xml"), SimpleArtifactRepository.getActualLocation(base, false));
 	}
 
-	public void testGetActualLocation3() throws MalformedURLException {
-		URL base = new URL("http://localhost/artifactRepository/artifacts.xml");
+	public void testGetActualLocation3() throws URISyntaxException {
+		URI base = new URI("http://localhost/artifactRepository/artifacts.xml");
 		assertEquals(base, SimpleArtifactRepository.getActualLocation(base, false));
 	}
 
-	public void testGetActualLocationCompressed1() throws MalformedURLException {
-		URL base = new URL("http://localhost/artifactRepository");
-		assertEquals(new URL(base + "/artifacts.jar"), SimpleArtifactRepository.getActualLocation(base, true));
+	public void testGetActualLocationCompressed1() throws URISyntaxException {
+		URI base = new URI("http://localhost/artifactRepository");
+		assertEquals(new URI(base + "/artifacts.jar"), SimpleArtifactRepository.getActualLocation(base, true));
 	}
 
-	public void testGetActualLocationCompressed2() throws MalformedURLException {
-		URL base = new URL("http://localhost/artifactRepository/");
-		assertEquals(new URL(base + "artifacts.jar"), SimpleArtifactRepository.getActualLocation(base, true));
+	public void testGetActualLocationCompressed2() throws URISyntaxException {
+		URI base = new URI("http://localhost/artifactRepository/");
+		assertEquals(new URI(base + "artifacts.jar"), SimpleArtifactRepository.getActualLocation(base, true));
 	}
 
-	public void testGetActualLocationCompressed3() throws MalformedURLException {
-		URL base = new URL("http://localhost/artifactRepository/artifacts.jar");
+	public void testGetActualLocationCompressed3() throws URISyntaxException {
+		URI base = new URI("http://localhost/artifactRepository/artifacts.jar");
 		assertEquals(base, SimpleArtifactRepository.getActualLocation(base, true));
 	}
 
-	public void testCompressedRepository() throws MalformedURLException, ProvisionException {
+	public void testCompressedRepository() throws URISyntaxException, ProvisionException {
 		IArtifactRepositoryManager artifactRepositoryManager = getArtifactRepositoryManager();
 		String tempDir = System.getProperty("java.io.tmpdir");
 		repositoryFile = new File(tempDir, "SimpleArtifactRepositoryTest");
 		delete(repositoryFile);
-		repositoryURL = repositoryFile.toURL();
+		repositoryURI = repositoryFile.toURI();
 		Map properties = new HashMap();
 		properties.put(IRepository.PROP_COMPRESSED, "true");
-		IArtifactRepository repo = artifactRepositoryManager.createRepository(repositoryURL, "artifact name", IArtifactRepositoryManager.TYPE_SIMPLE_REPOSITORY, properties);
+		IArtifactRepository repo = artifactRepositoryManager.createRepository(repositoryURI, "artifact name", IArtifactRepositoryManager.TYPE_SIMPLE_REPOSITORY, properties);
 
 		IArtifactKey key = PublisherHelper.createBinaryArtifactKey("testKeyId", new Version("1.2.3"));
 		IArtifactDescriptor descriptor = PublisherHelper.createArtifactDescriptor(key, null);
@@ -108,15 +108,15 @@ public class SimpleArtifactRepositoryTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 			fail("Repository should not create artifact.xml");
 	}
 
-	public void testUncompressedRepository() throws MalformedURLException, ProvisionException {
+	public void testUncompressedRepository() throws URISyntaxException, ProvisionException {
 		IArtifactRepositoryManager artifactRepositoryManager = getArtifactRepositoryManager();
 		String tempDir = System.getProperty("java.io.tmpdir");
 		repositoryFile = new File(tempDir, "SimpleArtifactRepositoryTest");
 		delete(repositoryFile);
-		repositoryURL = repositoryFile.toURL();
+		repositoryURI = repositoryFile.toURI();
 		Map properties = new HashMap();
 		properties.put(IRepository.PROP_COMPRESSED, "false");
-		IArtifactRepository repo = artifactRepositoryManager.createRepository(repositoryURL, "artifact name", IArtifactRepositoryManager.TYPE_SIMPLE_REPOSITORY, properties);
+		IArtifactRepository repo = artifactRepositoryManager.createRepository(repositoryURI, "artifact name", IArtifactRepositoryManager.TYPE_SIMPLE_REPOSITORY, properties);
 
 		IArtifactKey key = PublisherHelper.createBinaryArtifactKey("testKeyId", new Version("1.2.3"));
 		IArtifactDescriptor descriptor = PublisherHelper.createArtifactDescriptor(key, null);
@@ -143,12 +143,8 @@ public class SimpleArtifactRepositoryTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 
 	public void test_248772() {
 		SimpleArtifactRepositoryFactory factory = new SimpleArtifactRepositoryFactory();
-		URL location = null;
-		try {
-			location = new File(getTempFolder(), getUniqueString()).toURL();
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
-			fail("1.0", e);
-		}
+		URI location = null;
+		location = new File(getTempFolder(), getUniqueString()).toURI();
 		factory.create(location, "test type", null, null);
 		try {
 			factory.load(location, new NullProgressMonitor());
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/src/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/tests/core/AllTests.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/src/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/tests/core/AllTests.java
index cbcf6f376..ade5b0dfd 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/src/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/tests/core/AllTests.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/src/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/tests/core/AllTests.java
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@ public class AllTests extends TestCase {
 		TestSuite suite = new TestSuite(AllTests.class.getName());
 		suite.addTestSuite(FileUtilsTest.class);
 		suite.addTestSuite(OrderedPropertiesTest.class);
+		suite.addTestSuite(URIUtilTest.class);
 		suite.addTestSuite(URLUtilTest.class);
 		return suite;
 	}
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/src/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/tests/core/URIUtilTest.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/src/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/tests/core/URIUtilTest.java
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..d1247a3a0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/src/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/tests/core/URIUtilTest.java
@@ -0,0 +1,59 @@
+/*******************************************************************************
+ * Copyright (c) 2008 IBM Corporation and others.
+ * All rights reserved. This program and the accompanying materials
+ * are made available under the terms of the Eclipse Public License v1.0
+ * which accompanies this distribution, and is available at
+ * http://www.eclipse.org/legal/epl-v10.html
+ * 
+ * Contributors:
+ *     IBM Corporation - initial API and implementation
+ *******************************************************************************/
+package org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests.core;
+
+import java.io.File;
+import java.net.*;
+import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.core.helpers.URIUtil;
+import org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests.AbstractProvisioningTest;
+
+/**
+ * Tests for the {@link URLUtil} class.
+ */
+public class URIUtilTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
+	private static final String[] testPaths = new String[] {"abc", "with spaces", "with%percent"};
+
+	/**
+	 * Tests for {@link URLUtil#toFile(URL)}.
+	 */
+	public void testToFile() {
+		File base = new File(System.getProperty("java.io.tmpdir"));
+		for (int i = 0; i < testPaths.length; i++) {
+			File original = new File(base, testPaths[i]);
+			URI uri = original.toURI();
+			File result = URIUtil.toFile(uri);
+			assertEquals("1." + i, original, result);
+		}
+	}
+
+	/**
+	 * Tests for {@link URIUtil#fromString(String)}.
+	 */
+	public void testFromString() throws URISyntaxException {
+		//spaces
+		assertEquals("1.1", new URI("http://foo.bar/a%20b"), URIUtil.fromString("http://foo.bar/a b"));
+		assertEquals("1.2", new URI("http://foo.bar/a#b%20c"), URIUtil.fromString("http://foo.bar/a#b c"));
+		assertEquals("1.3", new URI("foo.bar/a%20b"), URIUtil.fromString("foo.bar/a b"));
+		assertEquals("1.4", new URI("#a%20b"), URIUtil.fromString("#a b"));
+	}
+
+	/**
+	 * Tests for {@link URIUtil#toURI(java.net.URL)}.
+	 */
+	public void testURLtoURI() throws MalformedURLException, URISyntaxException {
+		//spaces
+		assertEquals("1.1", new URI("http://foo.bar/a%20b"), URIUtil.toURI(new URL("http://foo.bar/a b")));
+		assertEquals("1.2", new URI("http://foo.bar/a#b%20c"), URIUtil.toURI(new URL("http://foo.bar/a#b c")));
+
+		//missing slash
+		assertEquals("1.1", new URI("file:/c:/foo/bar.txt"), URIUtil.toURI(new URL("file:c:/foo/bar.txt")));
+	}
+}
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/src/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/tests/director/RollbackTest.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/src/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/tests/director/RollbackTest.java
index 64ccd3579..1ea24f733 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/src/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/tests/director/RollbackTest.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/src/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/tests/director/RollbackTest.java
@@ -8,13 +8,13 @@
  ******************************************************************************/
 package org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests.director;
 
-import java.net.MalformedURLException;
-import java.net.URL;
+import java.net.*;
 import java.util.ArrayList;
 import java.util.List;
 import org.eclipse.core.runtime.IStatus;
 import org.eclipse.core.runtime.NullProgressMonitor;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.core.helpers.ServiceHelper;
+import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.core.helpers.URIUtil;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.director.DirectorActivator;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.core.ProvisionException;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.core.location.AgentLocation;
@@ -70,10 +70,13 @@ public class RollbackTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 		try {
 			IMetadataRepositoryManager repoMan = (IMetadataRepositoryManager) ServiceHelper.getService(TestActivator.getContext(), IMetadataRepositoryManager.class.getName());
 			URL location = ((AgentLocation) ServiceHelper.getService(DirectorActivator.context, AgentLocation.class.getName())).getDataArea(DirectorActivator.PI_DIRECTOR);
-			return repoMan.loadRepository(new URL(location, "rollback"), null);
+			return repoMan.loadRepository(URIUtil.toURI(new URL(location, "rollback")), null);
 		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
 			fail("0.02", e);
 			return null;
+		} catch (URISyntaxException e) {
+			fail("0.03", e);
+			return null;
 		}
 	}
 
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/src/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/tests/engine/DownloadManagerTest.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/src/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/tests/engine/DownloadManagerTest.java
index d72e07cd2..cf299acc3 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/src/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/tests/engine/DownloadManagerTest.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/src/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/tests/engine/DownloadManagerTest.java
@@ -10,8 +10,8 @@
  *******************************************************************************/
 package org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests.engine;
 
-import java.net.MalformedURLException;
-import java.net.URL;
+import java.net.URI;
+import java.net.URISyntaxException;
 import junit.framework.Test;
 import junit.framework.TestSuite;
 import org.eclipse.core.runtime.IStatus;
@@ -131,7 +131,7 @@ public class DownloadManagerTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 
 	public void testEmptyArtifactRepositoryListContext() {
 		ProvisioningContext context = new ProvisioningContext();
-		context.setArtifactRepositories(new URL[0]);
+		context.setArtifactRepositories(new URI[0]);
 		DownloadManager manager = new DownloadManager(context);
 
 		IArtifactRequest[] requests = new IArtifactRequest[] {createArtifactRequest()};
@@ -142,11 +142,11 @@ public class DownloadManagerTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 
 	public void testFileFirstArtifactRepositoryListContext() {
 		ProvisioningContext context = new ProvisioningContext();
-		URL[] artifactRepos = new URL[2];
+		URI[] artifactRepos = new URI[2];
 		try {
-			artifactRepos[0] = new URL("file:/test");
-			artifactRepos[1] = new URL("jar:file:/test!/");
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
+			artifactRepos[0] = new URI("file:/test");
+			artifactRepos[1] = new URI("jar:file:/test!/");
+		} catch (URISyntaxException e) {
 			fail(e.getMessage());
 		}
 
@@ -161,11 +161,11 @@ public class DownloadManagerTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 
 	public void testFileLastArtifactRepositoryListContext() {
 		ProvisioningContext context = new ProvisioningContext();
-		URL[] artifactRepos = new URL[2];
+		URI[] artifactRepos = new URI[2];
 		try {
-			artifactRepos[0] = new URL("jar:file:/test!/");
-			artifactRepos[1] = new URL("file:/test");
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
+			artifactRepos[0] = new URI("jar:file:/test!/");
+			artifactRepos[1] = new URI("file:/test");
+		} catch (URISyntaxException e) {
 			fail(e.getMessage());
 		}
 
@@ -180,11 +180,11 @@ public class DownloadManagerTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 
 	public void testNoFileArtifactRepositoryListContext() {
 		ProvisioningContext context = new ProvisioningContext();
-		URL[] artifactRepos = new URL[2];
+		URI[] artifactRepos = new URI[2];
 		try {
-			artifactRepos[0] = new URL("jar:file:/test1!/");
-			artifactRepos[1] = new URL("jar:file:/test2!/");
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
+			artifactRepos[0] = new URI("jar:file:/test1!/");
+			artifactRepos[1] = new URI("jar:file:/test2!/");
+		} catch (URISyntaxException e) {
 			fail(e.getMessage());
 		}
 
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/src/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/tests/extensionlocation/ExtensionLocationArtifactRepositoryFactoryTest.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/src/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/tests/extensionlocation/ExtensionLocationArtifactRepositoryFactoryTest.java
index 761b6ecae..d70829f39 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/src/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/tests/extensionlocation/ExtensionLocationArtifactRepositoryFactoryTest.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/src/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/tests/extensionlocation/ExtensionLocationArtifactRepositoryFactoryTest.java
@@ -12,8 +12,7 @@ package org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests.extensionlocation;
 
 import java.io.File;
 import java.io.IOException;
-import java.net.MalformedURLException;
-import java.net.URL;
+import java.net.*;
 import org.eclipse.core.runtime.FileLocator;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.extensionlocation.ExtensionLocationArtifactRepositoryFactory;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.artifact.repository.IArtifactRepository;
@@ -52,12 +51,12 @@ public class ExtensionLocationArtifactRepositoryFactoryTest extends AbstractProv
 
 	public void testNonFileURL() {
 		try {
-			URL nonFileURL = new URL("http://www.eclipse.org");
+			URI nonFileURL = new URI("http://www.eclipse.org");
 			factory.load(nonFileURL, getMonitor());
 			fail("0.1");
 		} catch (ProvisionException e) {
 			assertEquals("0.5", ProvisionException.REPOSITORY_NOT_FOUND, e.getStatus().getCode());
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
+		} catch (URISyntaxException e) {
 			fail("0.99", e);
 		}
 	}
@@ -66,12 +65,10 @@ public class ExtensionLocationArtifactRepositoryFactoryTest extends AbstractProv
 		File directory = new File(tempDirectory, "nonexistent");
 		delete(directory);
 		try {
-			factory.load(directory.toURL(), getMonitor());
+			factory.load(directory.toURI(), getMonitor());
 			fail("0.1");
 		} catch (ProvisionException e) {
 			assertEquals("0.5", ProvisionException.REPOSITORY_NOT_FOUND, e.getStatus().getCode());
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
-			fail("0.99", e);
 		}
 	}
 
@@ -79,7 +76,7 @@ public class ExtensionLocationArtifactRepositoryFactoryTest extends AbstractProv
 		File file = new File(tempDirectory, "exists.file");
 		try {
 			file.createNewFile();
-			factory.load(file.toURL(), getMonitor());
+			factory.load(file.toURI(), getMonitor());
 			fail("0.1");
 		} catch (ProvisionException e) {
 			assertEquals("0.5", ProvisionException.REPOSITORY_NOT_FOUND, e.getStatus().getCode());
@@ -94,12 +91,10 @@ public class ExtensionLocationArtifactRepositoryFactoryTest extends AbstractProv
 		File directory = new File(tempDirectory, "exists");
 		directory.mkdirs();
 		try {
-			factory.load(directory.toURL(), getMonitor());
+			factory.load(directory.toURI(), getMonitor());
 		} catch (ProvisionException e) {
 			if (e.getStatus().getCode() == ProvisionException.REPOSITORY_NOT_FOUND)
 				return;
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
-			fail("0.99", e);
 		}
 		fail("1.0");
 	}
@@ -110,11 +105,9 @@ public class ExtensionLocationArtifactRepositoryFactoryTest extends AbstractProv
 		new File(directory, "plugins").mkdir();
 		new File(directory, "features").mkdir();
 		try {
-			factory.load(directory.toURL(), getMonitor());
+			factory.load(directory.toURI(), getMonitor());
 		} catch (ProvisionException e) {
 			fail("0.1", e);
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
-			fail("0.99", e);
 		}
 	}
 
@@ -123,11 +116,9 @@ public class ExtensionLocationArtifactRepositoryFactoryTest extends AbstractProv
 		directory.mkdirs();
 		new File(directory, "features").mkdir();
 		try {
-			factory.load(directory.toURL(), getMonitor());
+			factory.load(directory.toURI(), getMonitor());
 		} catch (ProvisionException e) {
 			fail("0.1", e);
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
-			fail("0.99", e);
 		}
 	}
 
@@ -136,11 +127,9 @@ public class ExtensionLocationArtifactRepositoryFactoryTest extends AbstractProv
 		directory.mkdirs();
 		new File(directory, "plugins").mkdir();
 		try {
-			factory.load(directory.toURL(), getMonitor());
+			factory.load(directory.toURI(), getMonitor());
 		} catch (ProvisionException e) {
 			fail("0.1", e);
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
-			fail("0.99", e);
 		}
 	}
 
@@ -152,11 +141,9 @@ public class ExtensionLocationArtifactRepositoryFactoryTest extends AbstractProv
 		new File(eclipseDirectory, "plugins").mkdir();
 		new File(eclipseDirectory, "features").mkdir();
 		try {
-			factory.load(directory.toURL(), getMonitor());
+			factory.load(directory.toURI(), getMonitor());
 		} catch (ProvisionException e) {
 			fail("0.1", e);
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
-			fail("0.99", e);
 		}
 	}
 
@@ -168,12 +155,10 @@ public class ExtensionLocationArtifactRepositoryFactoryTest extends AbstractProv
 		new File(eclipseDirectory, "plugins").mkdir();
 		new File(eclipseDirectory, "features").mkdir();
 		try {
-			factory.load(directory.toURL(), getMonitor());
+			factory.load(directory.toURI(), getMonitor());
 		} catch (ProvisionException e) {
 			if (e.getStatus().getCode() == ProvisionException.REPOSITORY_NOT_FOUND)
 				return;
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
-			fail("0.99", e);
 		}
 		fail("1.0");
 	}
@@ -182,17 +167,13 @@ public class ExtensionLocationArtifactRepositoryFactoryTest extends AbstractProv
 		File directory = new File(tempDirectory, "exists");
 		directory.mkdirs();
 		copy("1.0", getTestData("1.1", "/testData/extensionlocation"), directory);
+		URI location = directory.toURI();
 		try {
-			URL location = directory.toURL();
-			try {
-				IArtifactRepository repo = factory.load(location, getMonitor());
-				if (repo.getArtifactKeys().length != 2)
-					fail("2.1");
-			} catch (ProvisionException ex) {
-				fail("2.0");
-			}
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
-			fail("3.99", e);
+			IArtifactRepository repo = factory.load(location, getMonitor());
+			if (repo.getArtifactKeys().length != 2)
+				fail("2.1");
+		} catch (ProvisionException ex) {
+			fail("2.0");
 		}
 	}
 
@@ -202,17 +183,13 @@ public class ExtensionLocationArtifactRepositoryFactoryTest extends AbstractProv
 		File features = new File(directory, "features");
 		features.mkdir();
 		copy("1.0", getTestData("1.1", "/testData/extensionlocation/features"), features);
+		URI location = directory.toURI();
 		try {
-			URL location = directory.toURL();
-			try {
-				IArtifactRepository repo = factory.load(location, getMonitor());
-				if (repo.getArtifactKeys().length != 1)
-					fail("2.1");
-			} catch (ProvisionException ex) {
-				fail("2.0");
-			}
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
-			fail("3.99", e);
+			IArtifactRepository repo = factory.load(location, getMonitor());
+			if (repo.getArtifactKeys().length != 1)
+				fail("2.1");
+		} catch (ProvisionException ex) {
+			fail("2.0");
 		}
 	}
 
@@ -222,17 +199,13 @@ public class ExtensionLocationArtifactRepositoryFactoryTest extends AbstractProv
 		File plugins = new File(directory, "plugins");
 		plugins.mkdir();
 		copy("1.0", getTestData("1.1", "/testData/extensionlocation/plugins"), plugins);
+		URI location = directory.toURI();
 		try {
-			URL location = directory.toURL();
-			try {
-				IArtifactRepository repo = factory.load(location, getMonitor());
-				if (repo.getArtifactKeys().length != 1)
-					fail("2.1");
-			} catch (ProvisionException ex) {
-				fail("2.0");
-			}
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
-			fail("3.99", e);
+			IArtifactRepository repo = factory.load(location, getMonitor());
+			if (repo.getArtifactKeys().length != 1)
+				fail("2.1");
+		} catch (ProvisionException ex) {
+			fail("2.0");
 		}
 	}
 
@@ -242,25 +215,21 @@ public class ExtensionLocationArtifactRepositoryFactoryTest extends AbstractProv
 		File eclipseDirectory = new File(directory, "eclipse");
 		copy("1.1", getTestData("1.1", "/testData/extensionlocation"), eclipseDirectory);
 		try {
-			IArtifactRepository repo = factory.load(directory.toURL(), getMonitor());
+			IArtifactRepository repo = factory.load(directory.toURI(), getMonitor());
 			if (repo.getArtifactKeys().length != 2)
 				fail("1.0");
 		} catch (ProvisionException e) {
 			fail("0.5", e);
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
-			fail("0.99", e);
 		}
 	}
 
 	public void testUpdateSiteXMLURL() {
 		File site = getTestData("0.1", "/testData/updatesite/site");
 		try {
-			factory.load(site.toURL(), getMonitor());
+			factory.load(site.toURI(), getMonitor());
 		} catch (ProvisionException e) {
 			if (e.getStatus().getCode() == ProvisionException.REPOSITORY_NOT_FOUND)
 				return;
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
-			fail("0.99", e);
 		}
 		fail("1.0");
 	}
@@ -268,12 +237,10 @@ public class ExtensionLocationArtifactRepositoryFactoryTest extends AbstractProv
 	public void testXXXSiteXXXXMLURL() {
 		File site = getTestData("0.1", "/testData/updatesite/xxxsitexxx");
 		try {
-			factory.load(site.toURL(), getMonitor());
+			factory.load(site.toURI(), getMonitor());
 		} catch (ProvisionException e) {
 			if (e.getStatus().getCode() == ProvisionException.REPOSITORY_NOT_FOUND)
 				return;
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
-			fail("0.99", e);
 		}
 		fail("1.0");
 	}
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/src/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/tests/extensionlocation/ExtensionLocationMetadataRepositoryFactoryTest.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/src/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/tests/extensionlocation/ExtensionLocationMetadataRepositoryFactoryTest.java
index 882d16401..4a9e3bd85 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/src/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/tests/extensionlocation/ExtensionLocationMetadataRepositoryFactoryTest.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/src/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/tests/extensionlocation/ExtensionLocationMetadataRepositoryFactoryTest.java
@@ -12,8 +12,7 @@ package org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests.extensionlocation;
 
 import java.io.File;
 import java.io.IOException;
-import java.net.MalformedURLException;
-import java.net.URL;
+import java.net.*;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.extensionlocation.ExtensionLocationMetadataRepositoryFactory;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.core.ProvisionException;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.metadata.query.InstallableUnitQuery;
@@ -46,12 +45,12 @@ public class ExtensionLocationMetadataRepositoryFactoryTest extends AbstractProv
 
 	public void testNonFileURL() {
 		try {
-			URL nonFileURL = new URL("http://www.eclipse.org");
+			URI nonFileURL = new URI("http://www.eclipse.org");
 			factory.load(nonFileURL, getMonitor());
 			fail("0.1");
 		} catch (ProvisionException e) {
 			assertEquals("0.2", ProvisionException.REPOSITORY_NOT_FOUND, e.getStatus().getCode());
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
+		} catch (URISyntaxException e) {
 			fail("0.3", e);
 		}
 	}
@@ -60,12 +59,10 @@ public class ExtensionLocationMetadataRepositoryFactoryTest extends AbstractProv
 		File directory = new File(tempDirectory, "nonexistent");
 		delete(directory);
 		try {
-			factory.load(directory.toURL(), getMonitor());
+			factory.load(directory.toURI(), getMonitor());
 			fail("0.1");
 		} catch (ProvisionException e) {
 			assertEquals("0.2", ProvisionException.REPOSITORY_NOT_FOUND, e.getStatus().getCode());
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
-			fail("0.3", e);
 		}
 	}
 
@@ -73,7 +70,7 @@ public class ExtensionLocationMetadataRepositoryFactoryTest extends AbstractProv
 		File file = new File(tempDirectory, "exists.file");
 		try {
 			file.createNewFile();
-			factory.load(file.toURL(), getMonitor());
+			factory.load(file.toURI(), getMonitor());
 			fail("0.1");
 		} catch (ProvisionException e) {
 			assertEquals("0.2", ProvisionException.REPOSITORY_NOT_FOUND, e.getStatus().getCode());
@@ -88,12 +85,10 @@ public class ExtensionLocationMetadataRepositoryFactoryTest extends AbstractProv
 		File directory = new File(tempDirectory, "exists");
 		directory.mkdirs();
 		try {
-			factory.load(directory.toURL(), getMonitor());
+			factory.load(directory.toURI(), getMonitor());
 			fail("0.1");
 		} catch (ProvisionException e) {
 			assertEquals("0.2", ProvisionException.REPOSITORY_NOT_FOUND, e.getStatus().getCode());
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
-			fail("0.3", e);
 		}
 	}
 
@@ -103,11 +98,9 @@ public class ExtensionLocationMetadataRepositoryFactoryTest extends AbstractProv
 		new File(directory, "plugins").mkdir();
 		new File(directory, "features").mkdir();
 		try {
-			factory.load(directory.toURL(), getMonitor());
+			factory.load(directory.toURI(), getMonitor());
 		} catch (ProvisionException e) {
 			fail("0.1");
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
-			fail("0.99", e);
 		}
 	}
 
@@ -116,11 +109,9 @@ public class ExtensionLocationMetadataRepositoryFactoryTest extends AbstractProv
 		directory.mkdirs();
 		new File(directory, "features").mkdir();
 		try {
-			factory.load(directory.toURL(), getMonitor());
+			factory.load(directory.toURI(), getMonitor());
 		} catch (ProvisionException e) {
 			fail("0.1");
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
-			fail("0.99", e);
 		}
 	}
 
@@ -129,11 +120,9 @@ public class ExtensionLocationMetadataRepositoryFactoryTest extends AbstractProv
 		directory.mkdirs();
 		new File(directory, "plugins").mkdir();
 		try {
-			factory.load(directory.toURL(), getMonitor());
+			factory.load(directory.toURI(), getMonitor());
 		} catch (ProvisionException e) {
 			fail("0.1");
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
-			fail("0.99", e);
 		}
 	}
 
@@ -145,11 +134,9 @@ public class ExtensionLocationMetadataRepositoryFactoryTest extends AbstractProv
 		new File(eclipseDirectory, "plugins").mkdir();
 		new File(eclipseDirectory, "features").mkdir();
 		try {
-			factory.load(directory.toURL(), getMonitor());
+			factory.load(directory.toURI(), getMonitor());
 		} catch (ProvisionException e) {
 			fail("0.1");
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
-			fail("0.99", e);
 		}
 	}
 
@@ -161,12 +148,10 @@ public class ExtensionLocationMetadataRepositoryFactoryTest extends AbstractProv
 		new File(eclipseDirectory, "plugins").mkdir();
 		new File(eclipseDirectory, "features").mkdir();
 		try {
-			factory.load(directory.toURL(), getMonitor());
+			factory.load(directory.toURI(), getMonitor());
 			fail("0.1");
 		} catch (ProvisionException e) {
 			assertEquals("0.2", ProvisionException.REPOSITORY_NOT_FOUND, e.getStatus().getCode());
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
-			fail("0.99", e);
 		}
 	}
 
@@ -174,17 +159,13 @@ public class ExtensionLocationMetadataRepositoryFactoryTest extends AbstractProv
 		File directory = new File(tempDirectory, "exists");
 		directory.mkdirs();
 		copy("1.0", getTestData("1.1", "/testData/extensionlocation"), directory);
+		URI location = directory.toURI();
 		try {
-			URL location = directory.toURL();
-			try {
-				IMetadataRepository repo = factory.load(location, getMonitor());
-				if (repo.query(InstallableUnitQuery.ANY, new Collector(), null).toCollection().size() != 3)
-					fail("2.99");
-			} catch (ProvisionException ex) {
-				fail("2.0");
-			}
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
-			fail("4.99", e);
+			IMetadataRepository repo = factory.load(location, getMonitor());
+			if (repo.query(InstallableUnitQuery.ANY, new Collector(), null).toCollection().size() != 3)
+				fail("2.99");
+		} catch (ProvisionException ex) {
+			fail("2.0");
 		}
 	}
 
@@ -194,17 +175,13 @@ public class ExtensionLocationMetadataRepositoryFactoryTest extends AbstractProv
 		File features = new File(directory, "features");
 		features.mkdir();
 		copy("1.0", getTestData("1.1", "/testData/extensionlocation/features"), features);
+		URI location = directory.toURI();
 		try {
-			URL location = directory.toURL();
-			try {
-				IMetadataRepository repo = factory.load(location, getMonitor());
-				if (repo.query(InstallableUnitQuery.ANY, new Collector(), null).toCollection().size() != 2)
-					fail("3.0");
-			} catch (ProvisionException ex) {
-				fail("2.0");
-			}
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
-			fail("4.99", e);
+			IMetadataRepository repo = factory.load(location, getMonitor());
+			if (repo.query(InstallableUnitQuery.ANY, new Collector(), null).toCollection().size() != 2)
+				fail("3.0");
+		} catch (ProvisionException ex) {
+			fail("2.0");
 		}
 	}
 
@@ -214,17 +191,13 @@ public class ExtensionLocationMetadataRepositoryFactoryTest extends AbstractProv
 		File plugins = new File(directory, "plugins");
 		plugins.mkdir();
 		copy("1.0", getTestData("1.1", "/testData/extensionlocation/plugins"), plugins);
+		URI location = directory.toURI();
 		try {
-			URL location = directory.toURL();
-			try {
-				IMetadataRepository repo = factory.load(location, getMonitor());
-				if (repo.query(InstallableUnitQuery.ANY, new Collector(), null).toCollection().size() != 1)
-					fail("3.0");
-			} catch (ProvisionException ex) {
-				fail("2.0");
-			}
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
-			fail("4.99", e);
+			IMetadataRepository repo = factory.load(location, getMonitor());
+			if (repo.query(InstallableUnitQuery.ANY, new Collector(), null).toCollection().size() != 1)
+				fail("3.0");
+		} catch (ProvisionException ex) {
+			fail("2.0");
 		}
 	}
 
@@ -234,25 +207,21 @@ public class ExtensionLocationMetadataRepositoryFactoryTest extends AbstractProv
 		File eclipseDirectory = new File(directory, "eclipse");
 		copy("1.0", getTestData("1.1", "/testData/extensionlocation"), eclipseDirectory);
 		try {
-			IMetadataRepository repo = factory.load(directory.toURL(), getMonitor());
+			IMetadataRepository repo = factory.load(directory.toURI(), getMonitor());
 			if (repo.query(InstallableUnitQuery.ANY, new Collector(), null).toCollection().size() != 3)
 				fail("3.0");
 		} catch (ProvisionException e) {
 			fail("2.0");
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
-			fail("2.99", e);
 		}
 	}
 
 	public void testUpdateSiteXMLURL() {
 		File site = getTestData("0.1", "/testData/updatesite/site");
 		try {
-			factory.load(site.toURL(), getMonitor());
+			factory.load(site.toURI(), getMonitor());
 		} catch (ProvisionException e) {
 			if (e.getStatus().getCode() == ProvisionException.REPOSITORY_NOT_FOUND)
 				return;
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
-			fail("0.99", e);
 		}
 		fail("1.0");
 	}
@@ -260,12 +229,10 @@ public class ExtensionLocationMetadataRepositoryFactoryTest extends AbstractProv
 	public void testXXXSiteXXXXMLURL() {
 		File site = getTestData("0.1", "/testData/updatesite/xxxsitexxx");
 		try {
-			factory.load(site.toURL(), getMonitor());
+			factory.load(site.toURI(), getMonitor());
 		} catch (ProvisionException e) {
 			if (e.getStatus().getCode() == ProvisionException.REPOSITORY_NOT_FOUND)
 				return;
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
-			fail("0.99", e);
 		}
 		fail("1.0");
 	}
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/src/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/tests/full/DirectorTest.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/src/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/tests/full/DirectorTest.java
index 816f09135..b0c7ca8c9 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/src/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/tests/full/DirectorTest.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/src/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/tests/full/DirectorTest.java
@@ -18,7 +18,8 @@ import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.core.ProvisionException;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.core.location.AgentLocation;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.director.IDirector;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.director.ProfileChangeRequest;
-import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.engine.*;
+import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.engine.IProfile;
+import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.engine.IProfileRegistry;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.metadata.IInstallableUnit;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.metadata.query.InstallableUnitQuery;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.metadata.repository.IMetadataRepository;
@@ -108,9 +109,9 @@ public class DirectorTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 	private void ensureFragmentAssociationIsNotPersisted(IMetadataRepositoryManager mgr) throws ProvisionException {
 		//Test for https://bugs.eclipse.org/bugs/show_bug.cgi?id=177661
 		AgentLocation location = (AgentLocation) ServiceHelper.getService(TestActivator.getContext(), AgentLocation.class.getName());
-		mgr.removeRepository(location.getMetadataRepositoryURL());
+		mgr.removeRepository(location.getMetadataRepositoryURI());
 		IMetadataRepository repo = null;
-		repo = mgr.loadRepository(location.getMetadataRepositoryURL(), null);
+		repo = mgr.loadRepository(location.getMetadataRepositoryURI(), null);
 		Iterator it = repo.query(new InstallableUnitQuery("org.eclipse.equinox.simpleconfigurator", VersionRange.emptyRange), new Collector(), null).iterator();
 		if (!it.hasNext())
 			return;
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/src/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/tests/full/End2EndTest.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/src/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/tests/full/End2EndTest.java
index 9df8f9fe4..54309a3d0 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/src/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/tests/full/End2EndTest.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/src/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/tests/full/End2EndTest.java
@@ -10,8 +10,8 @@ package org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests.full;
 
 import java.io.File;
 import java.io.IOException;
-import java.net.MalformedURLException;
-import java.net.URL;
+import java.net.URI;
+import java.net.URISyntaxException;
 import java.util.*;
 import org.eclipse.core.runtime.*;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.core.helpers.LogHelper;
@@ -83,7 +83,7 @@ public class End2EndTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 
 		//Add repository of the release
 		try {
-			URL location = new URL("http://download.eclipse.org/eclipse/updates/3.4");
+			URI location = new URI("http://download.eclipse.org/eclipse/updates/3.4");
 			metadataRepoManager.addRepository(location);
 			metadataRepoManager.setEnabled(location, true);
 			metadataRepoManager.loadRepository(location, new NullProgressMonitor());
@@ -91,8 +91,8 @@ public class End2EndTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 			artifactRepoManager.setEnabled(location, true);
 		} catch (ProvisionException e) {
 			fail("Exception loading the repository.", e);
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
-			//Ignore
+		} catch (URISyntaxException e) {
+			fail("Invalid repository location", e);
 		}
 
 		installPlatform(profile2, installFolder);
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/src/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/tests/full/RepoValidator.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/src/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/tests/full/RepoValidator.java
index 95b67f32a..938af9845 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/src/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/tests/full/RepoValidator.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/src/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/tests/full/RepoValidator.java
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 package org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests.full;
 
-import java.net.MalformedURLException;
-import java.net.URL;
+import java.net.URI;
+import java.net.URISyntaxException;
 import java.util.*;
 import org.eclipse.core.runtime.IStatus;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.core.ProvisionException;
@@ -20,8 +20,8 @@ import org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests.TestActivator;
 import org.osgi.framework.ServiceReference;
 
 public class RepoValidator extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
-	public void testValidate() throws ProvisionException, MalformedURLException {
-		URL repoLoc = new URL("file:d:/ganymedeM5");
+	public void testValidate() throws ProvisionException, URISyntaxException {
+		URI repoLoc = new URI("file:d:/ganymedeM5");
 		ServiceReference sr = TestActivator.context.getServiceReference(IPlanner.class.getName());
 		if (sr == null) {
 			throw new RuntimeException("Planner service not available");
@@ -59,7 +59,7 @@ public class RepoValidator extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 		q = InstallableUnitQuery.ANY;
 		Collector iusToTest = validatedRepo.query(q, new Collector(), null);
 
-		ProvisioningContext pc = new ProvisioningContext(new URL[] {repoLoc});
+		ProvisioningContext pc = new ProvisioningContext(new URI[] {repoLoc});
 		for (Iterator iterator = iusToTest.iterator(); iterator.hasNext();) {
 			try {
 				IInstallableUnit isInstallable = (IInstallableUnit) iterator.next();
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/src/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/tests/installer/InstallDescriptionParserTest.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/src/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/tests/installer/InstallDescriptionParserTest.java
index a6b6995df..0d849f76a 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/src/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/tests/installer/InstallDescriptionParserTest.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/src/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/tests/installer/InstallDescriptionParserTest.java
@@ -12,8 +12,7 @@ package org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests.installer;
 
 import java.io.File;
 import java.io.IOException;
-import java.net.MalformedURLException;
-import java.net.URL;
+import java.net.*;
 import org.eclipse.core.runtime.Path;
 import org.eclipse.core.runtime.SubMonitor;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.installer.InstallDescriptionParser;
@@ -89,14 +88,14 @@ public class InstallDescriptionParserTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 	 */
 	public void testLoadGoodDescription() {
 		InstallDescription description = loadDescription("good.properties");
-		URL[] artifactRepositories = description.getArtifactRepositories();
+		URI[] artifactRepositories = description.getArtifactRepositories();
 		assertEquals("1.0", 2, artifactRepositories.length);
-		assertEquals("1.1", "http://update.eclipse.org/eclipse/someUpdateSite/", artifactRepositories[0].toExternalForm());
-		assertEquals("1.1", "http://update.eclipse.org/eclipse/someArtifacts/", artifactRepositories[1].toExternalForm());
-		URL[] metadataRepositories = description.getMetadataRepositories();
+		assertEquals("1.1", "http://update.eclipse.org/eclipse/someUpdateSite/", artifactRepositories[0].toString());
+		assertEquals("1.1", "http://update.eclipse.org/eclipse/someArtifacts/", artifactRepositories[1].toString());
+		URI[] metadataRepositories = description.getMetadataRepositories();
 		assertEquals("1.2", 2, metadataRepositories.length);
-		assertEquals("1.3", "http://update.eclipse.org/eclipse/someUpdateSite/", metadataRepositories[0].toExternalForm());
-		assertEquals("1.3", "http://update.eclipse.org/eclipse/someMetadata/", metadataRepositories[1].toExternalForm());
+		assertEquals("1.3", "http://update.eclipse.org/eclipse/someUpdateSite/", metadataRepositories[0].toString());
+		assertEquals("1.3", "http://update.eclipse.org/eclipse/someMetadata/", metadataRepositories[1].toString());
 		assertEquals("1.4", "testFlavor", description.getProfileProperties().get("eclipse.p2.flavor"));
 		assertEquals("1.5", "Test Profile Name", description.getProductName());
 		assertEquals("1.5", "testLauncherName", description.getLauncherName());
@@ -137,12 +136,12 @@ public class InstallDescriptionParserTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 	 */
 	public void testLoadSDKDescription() {
 		InstallDescription description = loadDescription("sdk-installer.properties");
-		URL[] artifactRepositories = description.getArtifactRepositories();
+		URI[] artifactRepositories = description.getArtifactRepositories();
 		assertEquals("1.0", 1, artifactRepositories.length);
-		assertEquals("1.1", "http://update.eclipse.org/eclipse/testUpdates/", artifactRepositories[0].toExternalForm());
-		URL[] metadataRepositories = description.getMetadataRepositories();
+		assertEquals("1.1", "http://update.eclipse.org/eclipse/testUpdates/", artifactRepositories[0].toString());
+		URI[] metadataRepositories = description.getMetadataRepositories();
 		assertEquals("1.2", 1, metadataRepositories.length);
-		assertEquals("1.3", "http://update.eclipse.org/eclipse/testUpdates/", metadataRepositories[0].toExternalForm());
+		assertEquals("1.3", "http://update.eclipse.org/eclipse/testUpdates/", metadataRepositories[0].toString());
 		assertEquals("1.4", "tooling", description.getProfileProperties().get("eclipse.p2.flavor"));
 		assertEquals("1.5", "Eclipse SDK", description.getProductName());
 		assertEquals("1.5", "eclipse", description.getLauncherName());
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/src/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/tests/metadata/repository/JarURLRepositoryTest.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/src/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/tests/metadata/repository/JarURLRepositoryTest.java
index 37014119e..42a7221f7 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/src/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/tests/metadata/repository/JarURLRepositoryTest.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/src/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/tests/metadata/repository/JarURLRepositoryTest.java
@@ -12,8 +12,8 @@
 package org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests.metadata.repository;
 
 import java.io.File;
-import java.net.MalformedURLException;
-import java.net.URL;
+import java.net.URI;
+import java.net.URISyntaxException;
 import java.util.HashMap;
 import java.util.Map;
 import junit.framework.TestCase;
@@ -55,7 +55,7 @@ public class JarURLRepositoryTest extends TestCase {
 		testRepo.mkdir();
 		Map properties = new HashMap();
 		properties.put(IRepository.PROP_COMPRESSED, "true");
-		IMetadataRepository repo = manager.createRepository(testRepo.toURL(), "TestRepo", IMetadataRepositoryManager.TYPE_SIMPLE_REPOSITORY, properties);
+		IMetadataRepository repo = manager.createRepository(testRepo.toURI(), "TestRepo", IMetadataRepositoryManager.TYPE_SIMPLE_REPOSITORY, properties);
 
 		InstallableUnitDescription descriptor = new MetadataFactory.InstallableUnitDescription();
 		descriptor.setId("testIuId");
@@ -75,14 +75,14 @@ public class JarURLRepositoryTest extends TestCase {
 	}
 
 	public void testJarURLRepository() throws ProvisionException {
-		URL jarRepoURL = null;
+		URI jarRepoLocation = null;
 		try {
-			jarRepoURL = new URL("jar:" + testRepoJar.toURL().toString() + "!/");
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
+			jarRepoLocation = new URI("jar:" + testRepoJar.toURI() + "!/");
+		} catch (URISyntaxException e) {
 			fail(e.getMessage());
 		}
-		IMetadataRepository repo = manager.loadRepository(jarRepoURL, null);
+		IMetadataRepository repo = manager.loadRepository(jarRepoLocation, null);
 		assertTrue(!repo.query(InstallableUnitQuery.ANY, new Collector(), null).isEmpty());
-		manager.removeRepository(jarRepoURL);
+		manager.removeRepository(jarRepoLocation);
 	}
 }
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/src/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/tests/metadata/repository/LocalMetadataRepositoryTest.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/src/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/tests/metadata/repository/LocalMetadataRepositoryTest.java
index 0b6775cfb..e247785bc 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/src/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/tests/metadata/repository/LocalMetadataRepositoryTest.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/src/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/tests/metadata/repository/LocalMetadataRepositoryTest.java
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ package org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests.metadata.repository;
 
 import java.io.File;
 import java.net.MalformedURLException;
-import java.net.URL;
+import java.net.URI;
 import java.util.*;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.core.ProvisionException;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.core.eventbus.ProvisioningListener;
@@ -45,7 +45,7 @@ public class LocalMetadataRepositoryTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 	}
 
 	protected void tearDown() throws Exception {
-		getMetadataRepositoryManager().removeRepository(repoLocation.toURL());
+		getMetadataRepositoryManager().removeRepository(repoLocation.toURI());
 		delete(repoLocation);
 		super.tearDown();
 	}
@@ -54,7 +54,7 @@ public class LocalMetadataRepositoryTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 		IMetadataRepositoryManager manager = getMetadataRepositoryManager();
 		Map properties = new HashMap();
 		properties.put(IRepository.PROP_COMPRESSED, "true");
-		IMetadataRepository repo = manager.createRepository(repoLocation.toURL(), "TestRepo", IMetadataRepositoryManager.TYPE_SIMPLE_REPOSITORY, properties);
+		IMetadataRepository repo = manager.createRepository(repoLocation.toURI(), "TestRepo", IMetadataRepositoryManager.TYPE_SIMPLE_REPOSITORY, properties);
 
 		InstallableUnitDescription descriptor = new MetadataFactory.InstallableUnitDescription();
 		descriptor.setId("testIuId");
@@ -84,7 +84,7 @@ public class LocalMetadataRepositoryTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 
 	public void testGetProperties() throws MalformedURLException, ProvisionException {
 		IMetadataRepositoryManager manager = getMetadataRepositoryManager();
-		IMetadataRepository repo = manager.createRepository(repoLocation.toURL(), "TestRepo", IMetadataRepositoryManager.TYPE_SIMPLE_REPOSITORY, null);
+		IMetadataRepository repo = manager.createRepository(repoLocation.toURI(), "TestRepo", IMetadataRepositoryManager.TYPE_SIMPLE_REPOSITORY, null);
 		Map properties = repo.getProperties();
 		//attempting to modify the properties should fail
 		try {
@@ -97,7 +97,7 @@ public class LocalMetadataRepositoryTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 
 	public void testSetProperty() throws MalformedURLException, ProvisionException {
 		IMetadataRepositoryManager manager = getMetadataRepositoryManager();
-		IMetadataRepository repo = manager.createRepository(repoLocation.toURL(), "TestRepo", IMetadataRepositoryManager.TYPE_SIMPLE_REPOSITORY, null);
+		IMetadataRepository repo = manager.createRepository(repoLocation.toURI(), "TestRepo", IMetadataRepositoryManager.TYPE_SIMPLE_REPOSITORY, null);
 		Map properties = repo.getProperties();
 		assertTrue("1.0", !properties.containsKey(TEST_KEY));
 		repo.setProperty(TEST_KEY, TEST_VALUE);
@@ -108,7 +108,7 @@ public class LocalMetadataRepositoryTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 		assertTrue("1.2", properties.containsKey(TEST_KEY));
 
 		//going back to repo manager, should still get the new property
-		repo = manager.loadRepository(repoLocation.toURL(), null);
+		repo = manager.loadRepository(repoLocation.toURI(), null);
 		properties = repo.getProperties();
 		assertTrue("1.3", properties.containsKey(TEST_KEY));
 
@@ -122,7 +122,7 @@ public class LocalMetadataRepositoryTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 		IMetadataRepositoryManager manager = getMetadataRepositoryManager();
 		Map properties = new HashMap();
 		properties.put(IRepository.PROP_COMPRESSED, "false");
-		IMetadataRepository repo = manager.createRepository(repoLocation.toURL(), "TestRepo", IMetadataRepositoryManager.TYPE_SIMPLE_REPOSITORY, properties);
+		IMetadataRepository repo = manager.createRepository(repoLocation.toURI(), "TestRepo", IMetadataRepositoryManager.TYPE_SIMPLE_REPOSITORY, properties);
 
 		InstallableUnitDescription descriptor = new MetadataFactory.InstallableUnitDescription();
 		descriptor.setId("testIuId");
@@ -153,9 +153,9 @@ public class LocalMetadataRepositoryTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 		IMetadataRepositoryManager manager = getMetadataRepositoryManager();
 		Map properties = new HashMap();
 		properties.put(IRepository.PROP_COMPRESSED, "false");
-		final URL repoURL = repoLocation.toURL();
-		IMetadataRepository repo = manager.createRepository(repoURL, "testLoadSelfReference", IMetadataRepositoryManager.TYPE_SIMPLE_REPOSITORY, properties);
-		repo.addReference(repoURL, IRepository.TYPE_METADATA, IRepository.NONE);
+		final URI repoURI = repoLocation.toURI();
+		IMetadataRepository repo = manager.createRepository(repoURI, "testLoadSelfReference", IMetadataRepositoryManager.TYPE_SIMPLE_REPOSITORY, properties);
+		repo.addReference(repoURI, IRepository.TYPE_METADATA, IRepository.NONE);
 		//adding a reference doesn't save the repository, but setting a property does
 		repo.setProperty("changed", "false");
 
@@ -169,7 +169,7 @@ public class LocalMetadataRepositoryTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 				RepositoryEvent event = (RepositoryEvent) o;
 				if (event.getKind() != RepositoryEvent.ADDED)
 					return;
-				if (!event.getRepositoryLocation().equals(repoURL))
+				if (!event.getRepositoryLocation().equals(repoURI))
 					return;
 				wasEnabled[0] = event.isRepositoryEnabled();
 				callCount[0]++;
@@ -178,9 +178,9 @@ public class LocalMetadataRepositoryTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 		getEventBus().addListener(listener);
 		try {
 			//now remove and reload the repository
-			manager.removeRepository(repoURL);
-			repo = manager.loadRepository(repoURL, null);
-			assertTrue("1.0", manager.isEnabled(repoURL));
+			manager.removeRepository(repoURI);
+			repo = manager.loadRepository(repoURI, null);
+			assertTrue("1.0", manager.isEnabled(repoURI));
 			assertTrue("1.1", wasEnabled[0]);
 			assertEquals("1.2", 1, callCount[0]);
 		} finally {
@@ -188,12 +188,12 @@ public class LocalMetadataRepositoryTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 		}
 	}
 
-	public void testRefreshSelfReference() throws MalformedURLException, ProvisionException {
+	public void testRefreshSelfReference() throws ProvisionException {
 		//setup a repository that has a reference to itself in disabled state
 		IMetadataRepositoryManager manager = getMetadataRepositoryManager();
 		Map properties = new HashMap();
 		properties.put(IRepository.PROP_COMPRESSED, "false");
-		final URL repoURL = repoLocation.toURL();
+		final URI repoURL = repoLocation.toURI();
 		IMetadataRepository repo = manager.createRepository(repoURL, "testRefreshSelfReference", IMetadataRepositoryManager.TYPE_SIMPLE_REPOSITORY, properties);
 		repo.addReference(repoURL, IRepository.TYPE_METADATA, IRepository.NONE);
 		//adding a reference doesn't save the repository, but setting a property does
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/src/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/tests/metadata/repository/MetadataRepositoryManagerTest.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/src/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/tests/metadata/repository/MetadataRepositoryManagerTest.java
index 16c4c199f..f2a0b0344 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/src/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/tests/metadata/repository/MetadataRepositoryManagerTest.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/src/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/tests/metadata/repository/MetadataRepositoryManagerTest.java
@@ -12,8 +12,7 @@ package org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests.metadata.repository;
 
 import java.io.File;
 import java.io.IOException;
-import java.net.MalformedURLException;
-import java.net.URL;
+import java.net.*;
 import java.util.*;
 import junit.framework.Test;
 import junit.framework.TestSuite;
@@ -23,8 +22,11 @@ import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.core.helpers.URLUtil;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.core.ProvisionException;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.core.location.AgentLocation;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.core.repository.IRepository;
+import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.core.repository.IRepositoryManager;
+import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.metadata.query.InstallableUnitQuery;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.metadata.repository.IMetadataRepository;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.metadata.repository.IMetadataRepositoryManager;
+import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.query.Collector;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests.*;
 
 /**
@@ -53,9 +55,9 @@ public class MetadataRepositoryManagerTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 		toDelete.clear();
 	}
 
-	public void testBasicAddRemove() throws MalformedURLException {
+	public void testBasicAddRemove() {
 		File tempFile = new File(System.getProperty("java.io.tmpdir"));
-		URL location = tempFile.toURL();
+		URI location = tempFile.toURI();
 		assertTrue(!managerContains(location));
 		manager.addRepository(location);
 		assertTrue(managerContains(location));
@@ -63,9 +65,9 @@ public class MetadataRepositoryManagerTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 		assertTrue(!managerContains(location));
 	}
 
-	public void testEnablement() throws MalformedURLException {
+	public void testEnablement() {
 		File site = getTestData("Repositoy", "/testData/metadataRepo/good/");
-		URL location = site.toURL();
+		URI location = site.toURI();
 		manager.addRepository(location);
 		assertEquals("1.0", true, manager.isEnabled(location));
 		TestRepositoryListener listener = new TestRepositoryListener(location);
@@ -88,9 +90,9 @@ public class MetadataRepositoryManagerTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 	 * Tests that adding a repository that is already known but disabled
 	 * causes the repository to be enabled. See bug 241307 for discussion.
 	 */
-	public void testEnablementOnAdd() throws MalformedURLException {
+	public void testEnablementOnAdd() {
 		File site = getTestData("Repositoy", "/testData/metadataRepo/good/");
-		URL location = site.toURL();
+		URI location = site.toURI();
 		manager.addRepository(location);
 		manager.setEnabled(location, false);
 		TestRepositoryListener listener = new TestRepositoryListener(location);
@@ -103,18 +105,18 @@ public class MetadataRepositoryManagerTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 		assertEquals("1.1", true, manager.isEnabled(location));
 	}
 
-	public void testGetKnownRepositories() throws MalformedURLException, ProvisionException {
-		int nonSystemCount = manager.getKnownRepositories(IMetadataRepositoryManager.REPOSITORIES_NON_SYSTEM).length;
-		int systemCount = manager.getKnownRepositories(IMetadataRepositoryManager.REPOSITORIES_SYSTEM).length;
-		int allCount = manager.getKnownRepositories(IMetadataRepositoryManager.REPOSITORIES_ALL).length;
+	public void testGetKnownRepositories() throws ProvisionException {
+		int nonSystemCount = manager.getKnownRepositories(IRepositoryManager.REPOSITORIES_NON_SYSTEM).length;
+		int systemCount = manager.getKnownRepositories(IRepositoryManager.REPOSITORIES_SYSTEM).length;
+		int allCount = manager.getKnownRepositories(IRepositoryManager.REPOSITORIES_ALL).length;
 		assertEquals("1.0", allCount, nonSystemCount + systemCount);
 
 		//create a new repository
 		File repoLocation = getTempLocation();
-		IMetadataRepository testRepo = manager.createRepository(repoLocation.toURL(), "MetadataRepositoryManagerTest", IMetadataRepositoryManager.TYPE_SIMPLE_REPOSITORY, null);
-		int newNonSystemCount = manager.getKnownRepositories(IMetadataRepositoryManager.REPOSITORIES_NON_SYSTEM).length;
-		int newSystemCount = manager.getKnownRepositories(IMetadataRepositoryManager.REPOSITORIES_SYSTEM).length;
-		int newAllCount = manager.getKnownRepositories(IMetadataRepositoryManager.REPOSITORIES_ALL).length;
+		IMetadataRepository testRepo = manager.createRepository(repoLocation.toURI(), "MetadataRepositoryManagerTest", IMetadataRepositoryManager.TYPE_SIMPLE_REPOSITORY, null);
+		int newNonSystemCount = manager.getKnownRepositories(IRepositoryManager.REPOSITORIES_NON_SYSTEM).length;
+		int newSystemCount = manager.getKnownRepositories(IRepositoryManager.REPOSITORIES_SYSTEM).length;
+		int newAllCount = manager.getKnownRepositories(IRepositoryManager.REPOSITORIES_ALL).length;
 
 		//there should be one more non-system repository
 		assertEquals("2.0", nonSystemCount + 1, newNonSystemCount);
@@ -125,29 +127,29 @@ public class MetadataRepositoryManagerTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 		testRepo.setProperty(IRepository.PROP_SYSTEM, Boolean.TRUE.toString());
 
 		//there should be one more system repository
-		newNonSystemCount = manager.getKnownRepositories(IMetadataRepositoryManager.REPOSITORIES_NON_SYSTEM).length;
-		newSystemCount = manager.getKnownRepositories(IMetadataRepositoryManager.REPOSITORIES_SYSTEM).length;
-		newAllCount = manager.getKnownRepositories(IMetadataRepositoryManager.REPOSITORIES_ALL).length;
+		newNonSystemCount = manager.getKnownRepositories(IRepositoryManager.REPOSITORIES_NON_SYSTEM).length;
+		newSystemCount = manager.getKnownRepositories(IRepositoryManager.REPOSITORIES_SYSTEM).length;
+		newAllCount = manager.getKnownRepositories(IRepositoryManager.REPOSITORIES_ALL).length;
 		assertEquals("3.0", nonSystemCount, newNonSystemCount);
 		assertEquals("3.1", systemCount + 1, newSystemCount);
 		assertEquals("3.2", allCount + 1, newAllCount);
 
-		int disabledCount = manager.getKnownRepositories(IMetadataRepositoryManager.REPOSITORIES_DISABLED).length;
+		int disabledCount = manager.getKnownRepositories(IRepositoryManager.REPOSITORIES_DISABLED).length;
 		allCount = newAllCount;
 
 		//mark the repository as disabled
 		manager.setEnabled(testRepo.getLocation(), false);
 
 		//should be one less enabled repository and one more disabled repository
-		int newDisabledCount = manager.getKnownRepositories(IMetadataRepositoryManager.REPOSITORIES_DISABLED).length;
-		newAllCount = manager.getKnownRepositories(IMetadataRepositoryManager.REPOSITORIES_ALL).length;
+		int newDisabledCount = manager.getKnownRepositories(IRepositoryManager.REPOSITORIES_DISABLED).length;
+		newAllCount = manager.getKnownRepositories(IRepositoryManager.REPOSITORIES_ALL).length;
 		assertEquals("4.0", disabledCount + 1, newDisabledCount);
 		assertEquals("4.1", allCount - 1, newAllCount);
 
 		//re-loading the repository should not change anything
 		manager.loadRepository(testRepo.getLocation(), null);
-		newDisabledCount = manager.getKnownRepositories(IMetadataRepositoryManager.REPOSITORIES_DISABLED).length;
-		newAllCount = manager.getKnownRepositories(IMetadataRepositoryManager.REPOSITORIES_ALL).length;
+		newDisabledCount = manager.getKnownRepositories(IRepositoryManager.REPOSITORIES_DISABLED).length;
+		newAllCount = manager.getKnownRepositories(IRepositoryManager.REPOSITORIES_ALL).length;
 		assertEquals("5.0", disabledCount + 1, newDisabledCount);
 		assertEquals("5.1", allCount - 1, newAllCount);
 
@@ -155,8 +157,8 @@ public class MetadataRepositoryManagerTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 		manager.setEnabled(testRepo.getLocation(), true);
 
 		//should be back to the original counts
-		newDisabledCount = manager.getKnownRepositories(IMetadataRepositoryManager.REPOSITORIES_DISABLED).length;
-		newAllCount = manager.getKnownRepositories(IMetadataRepositoryManager.REPOSITORIES_ALL).length;
+		newDisabledCount = manager.getKnownRepositories(IRepositoryManager.REPOSITORIES_DISABLED).length;
+		newAllCount = manager.getKnownRepositories(IRepositoryManager.REPOSITORIES_ALL).length;
 		assertEquals("6.0", disabledCount, newDisabledCount);
 		assertEquals("6.1", allCount, newAllCount);
 	}
@@ -166,7 +168,7 @@ public class MetadataRepositoryManagerTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 	 */
 	public void testLoadMissingRepository() throws IOException {
 		File tempFile = File.createTempFile("testLoadMissingArtifactRepository", null);
-		URL location = tempFile.toURL();
+		URI location = tempFile.toURI();
 		try {
 			manager.loadRepository(location, null);
 			fail("1.0");//should fail
@@ -179,7 +181,7 @@ public class MetadataRepositoryManagerTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 	/**
 	 * Tests that we don't create a local cache when contacting a local metadata repository.
 	 */
-	public void testMetadataCachingLocalRepo() throws MalformedURLException, ProvisionException {
+	public void testMetadataCachingLocalRepo() throws ProvisionException {
 		File repoLocation = getTempLocation();
 		AgentLocation agentLocation = (AgentLocation) ServiceHelper.getService(TestActivator.getContext(), AgentLocation.class.getName());
 		URL dataArea = agentLocation.getDataArea("org.eclipse.equinox.p2.metadata.repository/cache/");
@@ -188,8 +190,8 @@ public class MetadataRepositoryManagerTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 		File cacheFileJAR = new File(dataAreaFile, "content" + repoLocation.hashCode() + ".jar");
 
 		// create a local repository
-		manager.createRepository(repoLocation.toURL(), "MetadataRepositoryCachingTest", IMetadataRepositoryManager.TYPE_SIMPLE_REPOSITORY, null);
-		manager.loadRepository(repoLocation.toURL(), null);
+		manager.createRepository(repoLocation.toURI(), "MetadataRepositoryCachingTest", IMetadataRepositoryManager.TYPE_SIMPLE_REPOSITORY, null);
+		manager.loadRepository(repoLocation.toURI(), null);
 
 		// check that a local cache was not created
 		assertFalse("Cache file was created.", cacheFileXML.exists() || cacheFileJAR.exists());
@@ -199,15 +201,15 @@ public class MetadataRepositoryManagerTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 	 * Tests that local caching of remote metadata repositories works, and that the
 	 * cache is updated when it becomes stale.
 	 */
-	public void testMetadataCachingRemoteRepo() throws MalformedURLException, ProvisionException {
-		URL repoLocation = new URL("http://download.eclipse.org/eclipse/updates/3.4milestones/");
+	public void testMetadataCachingRemoteRepo() throws URISyntaxException, ProvisionException {
+		URI repoLocation = new URI("http://download.eclipse.org/eclipse/updates/3.4milestones/");
 		if (!repoAvailable(repoLocation))
 			return;
 		AgentLocation agentLocation = (AgentLocation) ServiceHelper.getService(TestActivator.getContext(), AgentLocation.class.getName());
 		URL dataArea = agentLocation.getDataArea("org.eclipse.equinox.p2.metadata.repository/cache/");
 		File dataAreaFile = URLUtil.toFile(dataArea);
-		File cacheFileXML = new File(dataAreaFile, "content" + repoLocation.toExternalForm().hashCode() + ".xml");
-		File cacheFileJAR = new File(dataAreaFile, "content" + repoLocation.toExternalForm().hashCode() + ".jar");
+		File cacheFileXML = new File(dataAreaFile, "content" + repoLocation.hashCode() + ".xml");
+		File cacheFileJAR = new File(dataAreaFile, "content" + repoLocation.hashCode() + ".jar");
 		File cacheFile;
 
 		// load a remote repository and check that a local cache was created
@@ -233,18 +235,30 @@ public class MetadataRepositoryManagerTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 		cacheFile.delete();
 	}
 
+	public void testPathWithSpaces() {
+		File site = getTestData("Repository", "/testData/metadataRepo/good with spaces/");
+		URI location = site.toURI();
+		try {
+			IMetadataRepository repository = manager.loadRepository(location, getMonitor());
+			Collector result = repository.query(new InstallableUnitQuery("test.bundle"), new Collector(), getMonitor());
+			assertEquals("1.0", 1, result.size());
+		} catch (ProvisionException e) {
+			fail("=.99", e);
+		}
+	}
+
 	/**
 	 * Tests that trailing slashes do not affect repository identity.
 	 */
 	public void testTrailingSlashes() {
 		File site = getTestData("Repository", "/testData/metadataRepo/good/");
-		URL locationSlash, locationNoSlash;
+		URI locationSlash, locationNoSlash;
 		try {
-			locationSlash = site.toURL();
-			String locationString = locationSlash.toExternalForm();
+			locationSlash = site.toURI();
+			String locationString = locationSlash.toString();
 			locationString = locationString.substring(0, locationString.length() - 1);
-			locationNoSlash = new URL(locationString);
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
+			locationNoSlash = new URI(locationString);
+		} catch (URISyntaxException e) {
 			fail("0.99", e);
 			return;
 		}
@@ -259,9 +273,9 @@ public class MetadataRepositoryManagerTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 		}
 	}
 
-	private boolean repoAvailable(URL repoLocation) {
+	private boolean repoAvailable(URI repoLocation) {
 		try {
-			repoLocation.openStream().close();
+			repoLocation.toURL().openStream().close();
 		} catch (IOException e) {
 			return false;
 		}
@@ -299,8 +313,8 @@ public class MetadataRepositoryManagerTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 	 * Returns whether {@link IMetadataRepositoryManager} contains a reference
 	 * to a repository at the given location.
 	 */
-	private boolean managerContains(URL location) {
-		URL[] locations = manager.getKnownRepositories(IMetadataRepositoryManager.REPOSITORIES_ALL);
+	private boolean managerContains(URI location) {
+		URI[] locations = manager.getKnownRepositories(IRepositoryManager.REPOSITORIES_ALL);
 		for (int i = 0; i < locations.length; i++) {
 			if (locations[i].equals(location))
 				return true;
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/src/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/tests/mirror/ArtifactMirrorApplicationTest.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/src/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/tests/mirror/ArtifactMirrorApplicationTest.java
index a6bb7c7c1..2b155159d 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/src/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/tests/mirror/ArtifactMirrorApplicationTest.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/src/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/tests/mirror/ArtifactMirrorApplicationTest.java
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ package org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests.mirror;
 
 import java.io.File;
 import java.net.MalformedURLException;
-import java.net.URL;
+import java.net.URI;
 import java.util.HashMap;
 import java.util.Map;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.app.IApplicationContext;
@@ -60,11 +60,11 @@ public class ArtifactMirrorApplicationTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 	 */
 	protected void tearDown() throws Exception {
 		//remove all the repositories
-		getManager().removeRepository(destRepoLocation.toURL());
-		getManager().removeRepository(sourceRepoLocation.toURL());
-		getManager().removeRepository(sourceRepo2Location.toURL());
-		getManager().removeRepository(sourceRepo3Location.toURL());
-		getManager().removeRepository(sourceRepo4Location.toURL());
+		getManager().removeRepository(destRepoLocation.toURI());
+		getManager().removeRepository(sourceRepoLocation.toURI());
+		getManager().removeRepository(sourceRepo2Location.toURI());
+		getManager().removeRepository(sourceRepo3Location.toURI());
+		getManager().removeRepository(sourceRepo4Location.toURI());
 
 		//delete the destination location (no left over files for the next test)
 		delete(destRepoLocation);
@@ -118,9 +118,9 @@ public class ArtifactMirrorApplicationTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 	/**
 	 * runs mirror application with default arguments. source is the source repo, destination is the destination repo, append is if the "-append" argument is needed
 	 */
-	private void basicRunMirrorApplication(String message, URL source, URL destination, boolean append) throws Exception {
+	private void basicRunMirrorApplication(String message, URI source, URI destination, boolean append) throws Exception {
 		//set the default arguments
-		String[] args = new String[] {"-source", source.toExternalForm(), "-destination", destination.toExternalForm(), append ? "-append" : ""};
+		String[] args = new String[] {"-source", source.toString(), "-destination", destination.toString(), append ? "-append" : ""};
 		//run the mirror application
 		runMirrorApplication(message, args);
 	}
@@ -130,7 +130,7 @@ public class ArtifactMirrorApplicationTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 	 */
 	private void runMirrorApplication(String message, File source, File destination, boolean append) {
 		try {
-			basicRunMirrorApplication(message, source.toURL(), destination.toURL(), append);
+			basicRunMirrorApplication(message, source.toURI(), destination.toURI(), append);
 		} catch (Exception e) {
 			fail(message, e);
 		}
@@ -157,11 +157,9 @@ public class ArtifactMirrorApplicationTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 
 		try {
 			//Setup ensure setup completes successfully
-			assertContentEquals(message + ".1", getManager().loadRepository(sourceRepo2Location.toURL(), null), getManager().loadRepository(destRepoLocation.toURL(), null));
+			assertContentEquals(message + ".1", getManager().loadRepository(sourceRepo2Location.toURI(), null), getManager().loadRepository(destRepoLocation.toURI(), null));
 		} catch (ProvisionException e) {
 			fail(message + ".2", e);
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
-			fail(message + ".3", e);
 		}
 
 		//mirror test data
@@ -179,11 +177,9 @@ public class ArtifactMirrorApplicationTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 
 		try {
 			//Setup: verify contents
-			assertContentEquals(message + ".1", getManager().loadRepository(sourceRepoLocation.toURL(), null), getManager().loadRepository(destRepoLocation.toURL(), null));
+			assertContentEquals(message + ".1", getManager().loadRepository(sourceRepoLocation.toURI(), null), getManager().loadRepository(destRepoLocation.toURI(), null));
 		} catch (ProvisionException e) {
 			fail(message + ".2", e);
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
-			fail(message + ".3", e);
 		}
 
 		//mirror test data
@@ -201,11 +197,9 @@ public class ArtifactMirrorApplicationTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 
 		try {
 			//Setup: verify contents
-			assertContentEquals(message + ".1", getManager().loadRepository(sourceRepoLocation.toURL(), null), getManager().loadRepository(destRepoLocation.toURL(), null));
+			assertContentEquals(message + ".1", getManager().loadRepository(sourceRepoLocation.toURI(), null), getManager().loadRepository(destRepoLocation.toURI(), null));
 		} catch (ProvisionException e) {
 			fail(message + ".2", e);
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
-			fail(message + ".3", e);
 		}
 
 		//mirror test data
@@ -223,11 +217,9 @@ public class ArtifactMirrorApplicationTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 
 		try {
 			//Setup: verify
-			assertContentEquals(message + ".1", getManager().loadRepository(sourceRepo3Location.toURL(), null), getManager().loadRepository(destRepoLocation.toURL(), null));
+			assertContentEquals(message + ".1", getManager().loadRepository(sourceRepo3Location.toURI(), null), getManager().loadRepository(destRepoLocation.toURI(), null));
 		} catch (ProvisionException e) {
 			fail(message + ".2", e);
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
-			fail(message + ".3", e);
 		}
 
 		//mirror duplicate data
@@ -245,11 +237,9 @@ public class ArtifactMirrorApplicationTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 
 		try {
 			//Setup: verify
-			assertContentEquals(message + ".1", getManager().loadRepository(sourceRepo2Location.toURL(), null), getManager().loadRepository(destRepoLocation.toURL(), null));
+			assertContentEquals(message + ".1", getManager().loadRepository(sourceRepo2Location.toURI(), null), getManager().loadRepository(destRepoLocation.toURI(), null));
 		} catch (ProvisionException e) {
 			fail(message + ".2", e);
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
-			fail(message + ".3", e);
 		}
 
 		//Setup: populate destination with duplicate artifacts
@@ -257,12 +247,10 @@ public class ArtifactMirrorApplicationTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 
 		try {
 			//Setup: verify
-			assertContains(message + ".5", getManager().loadRepository(sourceRepoLocation.toURL(), null), getManager().loadRepository(destRepoLocation.toURL(), null));
-			assertContains(message + ".6", getManager().loadRepository(sourceRepo2Location.toURL(), null), getManager().loadRepository(destRepoLocation.toURL(), null));
+			assertContains(message + ".5", getManager().loadRepository(sourceRepoLocation.toURI(), null), getManager().loadRepository(destRepoLocation.toURI(), null));
+			assertContains(message + ".6", getManager().loadRepository(sourceRepo2Location.toURI(), null), getManager().loadRepository(destRepoLocation.toURI(), null));
 		} catch (ProvisionException e) {
 			fail(message + ".7", e);
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
-			fail(message + ".8", e);
 		}
 
 		//mirror duplicate data
@@ -276,20 +264,14 @@ public class ArtifactMirrorApplicationTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 	private File artifactMirrorEmpty(String message, boolean append) {
 		//Setup: Create an empty repository
 		File emptyRepository = new File(getTempFolder(), getUniqueString());
-		try {
-			//Setup: remove repository if it exists
-			getManager().removeRepository(emptyRepository.toURL());
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e1) {
-			fail(message + ".0", e1);
-		}
+		//Setup: remove repository if it exists
+		getManager().removeRepository(emptyRepository.toURI());
 		//Setup: delete any data that may be in the folder
 		delete(emptyRepository);
 		try {
-			getManager().createRepository(emptyRepository.toURL(), "Empty Repository", IArtifactRepositoryManager.TYPE_SIMPLE_REPOSITORY, null);
+			getManager().createRepository(emptyRepository.toURI(), "Empty Repository", IArtifactRepositoryManager.TYPE_SIMPLE_REPOSITORY, null);
 		} catch (ProvisionException e) {
 			fail(message + ".1", e);
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
-			fail(message + ".2", e);
 		}
 
 		runMirrorApplication(message + ".0", emptyRepository, destRepoLocation, append);
@@ -318,11 +300,9 @@ public class ArtifactMirrorApplicationTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 
 		try {
 			//verify destination's content
-			assertContentEquals("1.1", getManager().loadRepository(sourceRepoLocation.toURL(), null), getManager().loadRepository(destRepoLocation.toURL(), null));
+			assertContentEquals("1.1", getManager().loadRepository(sourceRepoLocation.toURI(), null), getManager().loadRepository(destRepoLocation.toURI(), null));
 		} catch (ProvisionException e) {
 			fail("1.2", e);
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
-			fail("1.3", e);
 		}
 	}
 
@@ -337,11 +317,9 @@ public class ArtifactMirrorApplicationTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 
 		try {
 			//verify destination's content
-			assertContentEquals("2.1", getManager().loadRepository(sourceRepoLocation.toURL(), null), getManager().loadRepository(destRepoLocation.toURL(), null));
+			assertContentEquals("2.1", getManager().loadRepository(sourceRepoLocation.toURI(), null), getManager().loadRepository(destRepoLocation.toURI(), null));
 		} catch (ProvisionException e) {
 			fail("2.2", e);
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
-			fail("2.3", e);
 		}
 	}
 
@@ -356,11 +334,9 @@ public class ArtifactMirrorApplicationTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 
 		try {
 			//verify destination's content
-			assertContentEquals("3.1", getManager().loadRepository(sourceRepoLocation.toURL(), null), getManager().loadRepository(destRepoLocation.toURL(), null));
+			assertContentEquals("3.1", getManager().loadRepository(sourceRepoLocation.toURI(), null), getManager().loadRepository(destRepoLocation.toURI(), null));
 		} catch (ProvisionException e) {
 			fail("3.2", e);
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
-			fail("3.3", e);
 		}
 	}
 
@@ -375,11 +351,9 @@ public class ArtifactMirrorApplicationTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 
 		try {
 			//verify destination's content
-			assertContentEquals("4.1", getManager().loadRepository(sourceRepoLocation.toURL(), null), getManager().loadRepository(destRepoLocation.toURL(), null));
+			assertContentEquals("4.1", getManager().loadRepository(sourceRepoLocation.toURI(), null), getManager().loadRepository(destRepoLocation.toURI(), null));
 		} catch (ProvisionException e) {
 			fail("4.2", e);
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
-			fail("4.3", e);
 		}
 	}
 
@@ -394,14 +368,12 @@ public class ArtifactMirrorApplicationTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 
 		try {
 			//verify destination's content
-			assertContains("5.1", getManager().loadRepository(sourceRepoLocation.toURL(), null), getManager().loadRepository(destRepoLocation.toURL(), null));
-			assertContains("5.2", getManager().loadRepository(sourceRepo2Location.toURL(), null), getManager().loadRepository(destRepoLocation.toURL(), null));
+			assertContains("5.1", getManager().loadRepository(sourceRepoLocation.toURI(), null), getManager().loadRepository(destRepoLocation.toURI(), null));
+			assertContains("5.2", getManager().loadRepository(sourceRepo2Location.toURI(), null), getManager().loadRepository(destRepoLocation.toURI(), null));
 			//checks that the destination has the correct number of keys (no extras)
-			assertEquals("5.3", getManager().loadRepository(sourceRepoLocation.toURL(), null).getArtifactKeys().length + getManager().loadRepository(sourceRepo2Location.toURL(), null).getArtifactKeys().length, getManager().loadRepository(destRepoLocation.toURL(), null).getArtifactKeys().length);
+			assertEquals("5.3", getManager().loadRepository(sourceRepoLocation.toURI(), null).getArtifactKeys().length + getManager().loadRepository(sourceRepo2Location.toURI(), null).getArtifactKeys().length, getManager().loadRepository(destRepoLocation.toURI(), null).getArtifactKeys().length);
 		} catch (ProvisionException e) {
 			fail("5.4", e);
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
-			fail("5.5", e);
 		}
 	}
 
@@ -416,11 +388,9 @@ public class ArtifactMirrorApplicationTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 
 		try {
 			//verify destination's content
-			assertContentEquals("6.1", getManager().loadRepository(sourceRepoLocation.toURL(), null), getManager().loadRepository(destRepoLocation.toURL(), null));
+			assertContentEquals("6.1", getManager().loadRepository(sourceRepoLocation.toURI(), null), getManager().loadRepository(destRepoLocation.toURI(), null));
 		} catch (ProvisionException e) {
 			fail("6.2", e);
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
-			fail("6.3", e);
 		}
 	}
 
@@ -435,11 +405,9 @@ public class ArtifactMirrorApplicationTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 
 		try {
 			//verify destination's content
-			assertContentEquals("7.1", getManager().loadRepository(sourceRepo3Location.toURL(), null), getManager().loadRepository(destRepoLocation.toURL(), null));
+			assertContentEquals("7.1", getManager().loadRepository(sourceRepo3Location.toURI(), null), getManager().loadRepository(destRepoLocation.toURI(), null));
 		} catch (ProvisionException e) {
 			fail("7.2", e);
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
-			fail("7.3", e);
 		}
 	}
 
@@ -454,11 +422,9 @@ public class ArtifactMirrorApplicationTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 
 		try {
 			//verify destination's content
-			assertContentEquals("8.1", getManager().loadRepository(sourceRepo3Location.toURL(), null), getManager().loadRepository(destRepoLocation.toURL(), null));
+			assertContentEquals("8.1", getManager().loadRepository(sourceRepo3Location.toURI(), null), getManager().loadRepository(destRepoLocation.toURI(), null));
 		} catch (ProvisionException e) {
 			fail("8.2", e);
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
-			fail("8.3", e);
 		}
 	}
 
@@ -473,11 +439,9 @@ public class ArtifactMirrorApplicationTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 
 		try {
 			//verify destination's content
-			assertContentEquals("9.1", getManager().loadRepository(sourceRepo3Location.toURL(), null), getManager().loadRepository(destRepoLocation.toURL(), null));
+			assertContentEquals("9.1", getManager().loadRepository(sourceRepo3Location.toURI(), null), getManager().loadRepository(destRepoLocation.toURI(), null));
 		} catch (ProvisionException e) {
 			fail("9.2", e);
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
-			fail("9.3", e);
 		}
 	}
 
@@ -492,11 +456,9 @@ public class ArtifactMirrorApplicationTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 
 		try {
 			//verify destination's content
-			assertContentEquals("10.1", getManager().loadRepository(sourceRepoLocation.toURL(), null), getManager().loadRepository(destRepoLocation.toURL(), null));
+			assertContentEquals("10.1", getManager().loadRepository(sourceRepoLocation.toURI(), null), getManager().loadRepository(destRepoLocation.toURI(), null));
 		} catch (ProvisionException e) {
 			fail("10.2", e);
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
-			fail("10.3", e);
 		}
 	}
 
@@ -511,14 +473,12 @@ public class ArtifactMirrorApplicationTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 
 		try {
 			//verify destination's content
-			assertContains("11.1", getManager().loadRepository(sourceRepo3Location.toURL(), null), getManager().loadRepository(destRepoLocation.toURL(), null));
-			assertContains("11.2", getManager().loadRepository(sourceRepo2Location.toURL(), null), getManager().loadRepository(destRepoLocation.toURL(), null));
+			assertContains("11.1", getManager().loadRepository(sourceRepo3Location.toURI(), null), getManager().loadRepository(destRepoLocation.toURI(), null));
+			assertContains("11.2", getManager().loadRepository(sourceRepo2Location.toURI(), null), getManager().loadRepository(destRepoLocation.toURI(), null));
 			//checks that the destination has the correct number of keys (no extras)
-			assertEquals("11.3", getManager().loadRepository(sourceRepo2Location.toURL(), null).getArtifactKeys().length + getManager().loadRepository(sourceRepo3Location.toURL(), null).getArtifactKeys().length, getManager().loadRepository(destRepoLocation.toURL(), null).getArtifactKeys().length);
+			assertEquals("11.3", getManager().loadRepository(sourceRepo2Location.toURI(), null).getArtifactKeys().length + getManager().loadRepository(sourceRepo3Location.toURI(), null).getArtifactKeys().length, getManager().loadRepository(destRepoLocation.toURI(), null).getArtifactKeys().length);
 		} catch (ProvisionException e) {
 			fail("11.4", e);
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
-			fail("11.5", e);
 		}
 	}
 
@@ -533,11 +493,9 @@ public class ArtifactMirrorApplicationTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 
 		try {
 			//verify destination's content
-			assertContentEquals("12.1", getManager().loadRepository(sourceRepo3Location.toURL(), null), getManager().loadRepository(destRepoLocation.toURL(), null));
+			assertContentEquals("12.1", getManager().loadRepository(sourceRepo3Location.toURI(), null), getManager().loadRepository(destRepoLocation.toURI(), null));
 		} catch (ProvisionException e) {
 			fail("12.2", e);
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
-			fail("12.3", e);
 		}
 	}
 
@@ -549,7 +507,7 @@ public class ArtifactMirrorApplicationTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 		delete(invalidRepository);
 
 		try {
-			basicRunMirrorApplication("13.1", invalidRepository.toURL(), destRepoLocation.toURL(), true);
+			basicRunMirrorApplication("13.1", invalidRepository.toURI(), destRepoLocation.toURI(), true);
 			//we expect a provision exception to be thrown. We should never get here.
 			fail("13.0 ProvisionExpection not thrown");
 		} catch (ProvisionException e) {
@@ -565,10 +523,10 @@ public class ArtifactMirrorApplicationTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 	public void testArtifactMirrorToInvalid() {
 		try {
 			//Setup: create a URL pointing to an unmodifiable place
-			URL invalidDestRepository = new URL("http://foobar.com/abcdefg");
+			URI invalidDestRepository = new URI("http://foobar.com/abcdefg");
 
 			//run the application with the modifiable destination
-			basicRunMirrorApplication("14.1", sourceRepoLocation.toURL(), invalidDestRepository, true);
+			basicRunMirrorApplication("14.1", sourceRepoLocation.toURI(), invalidDestRepository, true);
 			//we're expecting an UnsupportedOperationException so we should never get here
 			fail("14.0 UnsupportedOperationException not thrown");
 		} catch (UnsupportedOperationException e) {
@@ -589,8 +547,8 @@ public class ArtifactMirrorApplicationTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 
 		try {
 			//Setup: create a URL pointing to an unmodifiable place
-			URL invalidDestRepository = new URL("http://foobar.com/abcdefg");
-			basicRunMirrorApplication("15.1", invalidRepository.toURL(), invalidDestRepository, true);
+			URI invalidDestRepository = new URI("http://foobar.com/abcdefg");
+			basicRunMirrorApplication("15.1", invalidRepository.toURI(), invalidDestRepository, true);
 			//We expect the ProvisionException to be thrown
 			fail("15.0 ProvisionException not thrown");
 		} catch (ProvisionException e) {
@@ -611,22 +569,13 @@ public class ArtifactMirrorApplicationTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 
 		try {
 			//verify destination's content
-			assertContentEquals("16.1", getManager().loadRepository(emptyRepository.toURL(), null), getManager().loadRepository(destRepoLocation.toURL(), null));
+			assertContentEquals("16.1", getManager().loadRepository(emptyRepository.toURI(), null), getManager().loadRepository(destRepoLocation.toURI(), null));
 		} catch (ProvisionException e) {
 			fail("16.2", e);
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
-			fail("16.3", e);
 		}
 
-		//Cleanup
-		try {
-			//remove the emptyRepository
-			getManager().removeRepository(emptyRepository.toURL());
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e1) {
-			//delete any leftover data
-			delete(emptyRepository);
-			fail("16.4", e1);
-		}
+		//remove the emptyRepository
+		getManager().removeRepository(emptyRepository.toURI());
 		//delete any left over data
 		delete(emptyRepository);
 	}
@@ -642,23 +591,14 @@ public class ArtifactMirrorApplicationTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 
 		try {
 			//verify destination's content
-			assertContains("17.1", getManager().loadRepository(emptyRepository.toURL(), null), getManager().loadRepository(destRepoLocation.toURL(), null));
-			assertContentEquals("17.2", getManager().loadRepository(sourceRepoLocation.toURL(), null), getManager().loadRepository(destRepoLocation.toURL(), null));
+			assertContains("17.1", getManager().loadRepository(emptyRepository.toURI(), null), getManager().loadRepository(destRepoLocation.toURI(), null));
+			assertContentEquals("17.2", getManager().loadRepository(sourceRepoLocation.toURI(), null), getManager().loadRepository(destRepoLocation.toURI(), null));
 		} catch (ProvisionException e) {
 			fail("17.3", e);
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
-			fail("17.4", e);
 		}
 
-		//Cleanup
-		try {
-			//remove the empty repository
-			getManager().removeRepository(emptyRepository.toURL());
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e1) {
-			//delete any leftover data
-			delete(emptyRepository);
-			fail("17.5", e1);
-		}
+		//remove the empty repository
+		getManager().removeRepository(emptyRepository.toURI());
 		//remove any leftover data
 		delete(emptyRepository);
 	}
@@ -674,22 +614,13 @@ public class ArtifactMirrorApplicationTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 
 		try {
 			//verify destination's content
-			assertContentEquals("18.1", getManager().loadRepository(emptyRepository.toURL(), null), getManager().loadRepository(destRepoLocation.toURL(), null));
+			assertContentEquals("18.1", getManager().loadRepository(emptyRepository.toURI(), null), getManager().loadRepository(destRepoLocation.toURI(), null));
 		} catch (ProvisionException e) {
 			fail("18.2", e);
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
-			fail("18.3", e);
 		}
 
-		//Cleanup
-		try {
-			//remove the empty repository
-			getManager().removeRepository(emptyRepository.toURL());
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e1) {
-			//delete any leftover data
-			delete(emptyRepository);
-			fail("18.4", e1);
-		}
+		//remove the empty repository
+		getManager().removeRepository(emptyRepository.toURI());
 		//delete any leftover data
 		delete(emptyRepository);
 	}
@@ -709,11 +640,9 @@ public class ArtifactMirrorApplicationTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 
 		try {
 			//verify destination's content
-			assertContentEquals("19.2", getManager().loadRepository(sourceRepoLocation.toURL(), null), getManager().loadRepository(destRepoLocation.toURL(), null));
+			assertContentEquals("19.2", getManager().loadRepository(sourceRepoLocation.toURI(), null), getManager().loadRepository(destRepoLocation.toURI(), null));
 		} catch (ProvisionException e) {
 			fail("19.3", e);
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
-			fail("19.4", e);
 		}
 	}
 
@@ -732,14 +661,12 @@ public class ArtifactMirrorApplicationTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 
 		try {
 			//verify destination's content
-			assertContains("20.2", getManager().loadRepository(sourceRepoLocation.toURL(), null), getManager().loadRepository(destRepoLocation.toURL(), null));
-			assertContains("20.3", getManager().loadRepository(sourceRepo4Location.toURL(), null), getManager().loadRepository(destRepoLocation.toURL(), null));
+			assertContains("20.2", getManager().loadRepository(sourceRepoLocation.toURI(), null), getManager().loadRepository(destRepoLocation.toURI(), null));
+			assertContains("20.3", getManager().loadRepository(sourceRepo4Location.toURI(), null), getManager().loadRepository(destRepoLocation.toURI(), null));
 			//checks that the destination has the correct number of keys (no extras)
-			assertEquals("20.4", getManager().loadRepository(sourceRepoLocation.toURL(), null).getArtifactKeys().length + getManager().loadRepository(sourceRepo4Location.toURL(), null).getArtifactKeys().length, getManager().loadRepository(destRepoLocation.toURL(), null).getArtifactKeys().length);
+			assertEquals("20.4", getManager().loadRepository(sourceRepoLocation.toURI(), null).getArtifactKeys().length + getManager().loadRepository(sourceRepo4Location.toURI(), null).getArtifactKeys().length, getManager().loadRepository(destRepoLocation.toURI(), null).getArtifactKeys().length);
 		} catch (ProvisionException e) {
 			fail("20.5", e);
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
-			fail("20.6", e);
 		}
 	}
 
@@ -815,14 +742,12 @@ public class ArtifactMirrorApplicationTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 		artifactMirrorToEmpty("24.0", true);
 
 		try {
-			IArtifactRepository sourceRepository = getManager().loadRepository(sourceRepoLocation.toURL(), null);
-			IArtifactRepository destinationRepository = getManager().loadRepository(destRepoLocation.toURL(), null);
+			IArtifactRepository sourceRepository = getManager().loadRepository(sourceRepoLocation.toURI(), null);
+			IArtifactRepository destinationRepository = getManager().loadRepository(destRepoLocation.toURI(), null);
 			assertEquals("24.1", sourceRepository.getName(), destinationRepository.getName());
 			assertRepositoryProperties("24.2", sourceRepository.getProperties(), destinationRepository.getProperties());
 		} catch (ProvisionException e) {
 			fail("24.3", e);
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
-			fail("24.4", e);
 		}
 	}
 
@@ -835,24 +760,20 @@ public class ArtifactMirrorApplicationTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 		Map properties = null; //default properties
 		try {
 			//create the repository and get the resulting properties
-			properties = getManager().createRepository(destRepoLocation.toURL(), name, IArtifactRepositoryManager.TYPE_SIMPLE_REPOSITORY, properties).getProperties();
+			properties = getManager().createRepository(destRepoLocation.toURI(), name, IArtifactRepositoryManager.TYPE_SIMPLE_REPOSITORY, properties).getProperties();
 		} catch (ProvisionException e) {
 			fail("25.0", e);
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
-			fail("25.1", e);
 		}
 
 		//run the mirror application
 		artifactMirrorToEmpty("25.2", true);
 
 		try {
-			IArtifactRepository repository = getManager().loadRepository(destRepoLocation.toURL(), null);
+			IArtifactRepository repository = getManager().loadRepository(destRepoLocation.toURI(), null);
 			assertEquals("25.3", name, repository.getName());
 			assertRepositoryProperties("25.4", properties, repository.getProperties());
 		} catch (ProvisionException e) {
 			fail("25.5", e);
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
-			fail("25.6", e);
 		}
 	}
 }
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/src/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/tests/mirror/ArtifactRepositoryCleanupTest.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/src/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/tests/mirror/ArtifactRepositoryCleanupTest.java
index d89121351..42149bbda 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/src/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/tests/mirror/ArtifactRepositoryCleanupTest.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/src/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/tests/mirror/ArtifactRepositoryCleanupTest.java
@@ -11,17 +11,15 @@
 package org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests.mirror;
 
 import java.io.File;
-import java.net.MalformedURLException;
+import java.net.URI;
 import java.util.HashMap;
 import java.util.Map;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.app.IApplicationContext;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.artifact.mirror.MirrorApplication;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.artifact.repository.ArtifactRepositoryManager;
-import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.core.helpers.ServiceHelper;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.artifact.repository.IArtifactRepositoryManager;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.core.ProvisionException;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests.AbstractProvisioningTest;
-import org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests.TestActivator;
 import org.osgi.framework.Bundle;
 
 /**
@@ -33,9 +31,9 @@ public class ArtifactRepositoryCleanupTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 	protected File bystanderRepoLocation; //anotherfeature
 
 	//TODO change to an abstracted type when API is available
-	private ArtifactRepositoryManager getConcreteArtifactRepositoryManager() {
-		return (ArtifactRepositoryManager) ServiceHelper.getService(TestActivator.getContext(), IArtifactRepositoryManager.class.getName());
-	}
+	//	private ArtifactRepositoryManager getArtifactRepositoryManager() {
+	//		return (ArtifactRepositoryManager) ServiceHelper.getService(TestActivator.getContext(), IArtifactRepositoryManager.class.getName());
+	//	}
 
 	protected void setUp() throws Exception {
 		super.setUp();
@@ -51,9 +49,9 @@ public class ArtifactRepositoryCleanupTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 
 	protected void tearDown() throws Exception {
 		//remove all the repositories
-		getArtifactRepositoryManager().removeRepository(destRepoLocation.toURL());
-		getArtifactRepositoryManager().removeRepository(sourceRepoLocation.toURL());
-		getArtifactRepositoryManager().removeRepository(bystanderRepoLocation.toURL());
+		getArtifactRepositoryManager().removeRepository(destRepoLocation.toURI());
+		getArtifactRepositoryManager().removeRepository(sourceRepoLocation.toURI());
+		getArtifactRepositoryManager().removeRepository(bystanderRepoLocation.toURI());
 
 		//delete the destination location (no left over files for the next test)
 		delete(destRepoLocation);
@@ -61,6 +59,13 @@ public class ArtifactRepositoryCleanupTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 	}
 
 	/**
+	 * Returns whether the artifact repository manager contains a repository at the given location.
+	 */
+	protected boolean contains(URI location) {
+		return ((ArtifactRepositoryManager) getArtifactRepositoryManager()).contains(location);
+	}
+
+	/**
 	 * runs default mirror. source is the source repo, destination is the destination repo
 	 */
 	private void runMirrorApplication(final File source, final File destination, final boolean append) throws Exception {
@@ -73,12 +78,7 @@ public class ArtifactRepositoryCleanupTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 			public Map getArguments() {
 				Map arguments = new HashMap();
 
-				try {
-					arguments.put(IApplicationContext.APPLICATION_ARGS, new String[] {"-source", source.toURL().toExternalForm(), "-destination", destination.toURL().toExternalForm(), append ? "-append" : ""});
-
-				} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
-					fail("invalid URL for source or target repo");
-				}
+				arguments.put(IApplicationContext.APPLICATION_ARGS, new String[] {"-source", source.toURI().toString(), "-destination", destination.toURI().toString(), append ? "-append" : ""});
 
 				return arguments;
 			}
@@ -120,14 +120,10 @@ public class ArtifactRepositoryCleanupTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 			fail("1.0", e);
 		}
 
-		try {
-			//TODO modify the contains statement once the API is available
-			assertFalse(getConcreteArtifactRepositoryManager().contains(sourceRepoLocation.toURL()));
-			//TODO modify the contains statement once the API is available
-			assertFalse(getConcreteArtifactRepositoryManager().contains(destRepoLocation.toURL()));
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
-			fail("1.1", e);
-		}
+		//TODO modify the contains statement once the API is available
+		assertFalse(contains(sourceRepoLocation.toURI()));
+		//TODO modify the contains statement once the API is available
+		assertFalse(contains(destRepoLocation.toURI()));
 	}
 
 	/**
@@ -137,11 +133,9 @@ public class ArtifactRepositoryCleanupTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 	public void testArtifactMirrorRemovesReposWithSourceLoaded() {
 		try {
 			//Load the source
-			getArtifactRepositoryManager().loadRepository(sourceRepoLocation.toURL(), null);
+			getArtifactRepositoryManager().loadRepository(sourceRepoLocation.toURI(), null);
 		} catch (ProvisionException e) {
 			fail("2.0", e);
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
-			fail("2.1", e);
 		}
 
 		try {
@@ -150,14 +144,10 @@ public class ArtifactRepositoryCleanupTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 			fail("2.2", e);
 		}
 
-		try {
-			//TODO modify the contains statement once the API is available
-			assertTrue(getConcreteArtifactRepositoryManager().contains(sourceRepoLocation.toURL()));
-			//TODO modify the contains statement once the API is available
-			assertFalse(getConcreteArtifactRepositoryManager().contains(destRepoLocation.toURL()));
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
-			fail("2.3", e);
-		}
+		//TODO modify the contains statement once the API is available
+		assertTrue(contains(sourceRepoLocation.toURI()));
+		//TODO modify the contains statement once the API is available
+		assertFalse(contains(destRepoLocation.toURI()));
 	}
 
 	/**
@@ -167,12 +157,10 @@ public class ArtifactRepositoryCleanupTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 	public void testArtifactMirrorRemovesReposWithDestinationLoaded() {
 		try {
 			//Load (by creating) the destination
-			String repositoryName = destRepoLocation.toURL() + " - artifacts"; //$NON-NLS-1$
-			getConcreteArtifactRepositoryManager().createRepository(destRepoLocation.toURL(), repositoryName, IArtifactRepositoryManager.TYPE_SIMPLE_REPOSITORY, null);
+			String repositoryName = destRepoLocation.toURI() + " - artifacts"; //$NON-NLS-1$
+			getArtifactRepositoryManager().createRepository(destRepoLocation.toURI(), repositoryName, IArtifactRepositoryManager.TYPE_SIMPLE_REPOSITORY, null);
 		} catch (ProvisionException e) {
 			fail("3.0", e);
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
-			fail("3.1", e);
 		}
 
 		try {
@@ -181,14 +169,10 @@ public class ArtifactRepositoryCleanupTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 			fail("3.2", e);
 		}
 
-		try {
-			//TODO modify the contains statement once the API is available
-			assertTrue(getConcreteArtifactRepositoryManager().contains(destRepoLocation.toURL()));
-			//TODO modify the contains statement once the API is available
-			assertFalse(getConcreteArtifactRepositoryManager().contains(sourceRepoLocation.toURL()));
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
-			fail("3.3", e);
-		}
+		//TODO modify the contains statement once the API is available
+		assertTrue(contains(destRepoLocation.toURI()));
+		//TODO modify the contains statement once the API is available
+		assertFalse(contains(sourceRepoLocation.toURI()));
 	}
 
 	/**
@@ -198,14 +182,12 @@ public class ArtifactRepositoryCleanupTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 	public void testArtifactMirrorRemovesReposWithBothLoaded() {
 		try {
 			//Load (by creating) the destination
-			String repositoryName = destRepoLocation.toURL() + " - artifacts"; //$NON-NLS-1$
-			getConcreteArtifactRepositoryManager().createRepository(destRepoLocation.toURL(), repositoryName, IArtifactRepositoryManager.TYPE_SIMPLE_REPOSITORY, null);
+			String repositoryName = destRepoLocation.toURI() + " - artifacts"; //$NON-NLS-1$
+			getArtifactRepositoryManager().createRepository(destRepoLocation.toURI(), repositoryName, IArtifactRepositoryManager.TYPE_SIMPLE_REPOSITORY, null);
 			//Load the source
-			getConcreteArtifactRepositoryManager().loadRepository(sourceRepoLocation.toURL(), null);
+			getArtifactRepositoryManager().loadRepository(sourceRepoLocation.toURI(), null);
 		} catch (ProvisionException e) {
 			fail("4.0", e);
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
-			fail("4.1", e);
 		}
 
 		try {
@@ -214,14 +196,10 @@ public class ArtifactRepositoryCleanupTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 			fail("4.2", e);
 		}
 
-		try {
-			//TODO modify the contains statement once the API is available
-			assertTrue(getConcreteArtifactRepositoryManager().contains(destRepoLocation.toURL()));
-			//TODO modify the contains statement once the API is available
-			assertTrue(getConcreteArtifactRepositoryManager().contains(sourceRepoLocation.toURL()));
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
-			fail("4.3", e);
-		}
+		//TODO modify the contains statement once the API is available
+		assertTrue(contains(destRepoLocation.toURI()));
+		//TODO modify the contains statement once the API is available
+		assertTrue(contains(sourceRepoLocation.toURI()));
 	}
 
 	/**
@@ -233,11 +211,9 @@ public class ArtifactRepositoryCleanupTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 	public void testArtifactMirrorRemovesReposWithBystanderLoaded() {
 		try {
 			//Load the bystander repository. This should not be effected by the mirror application
-			getConcreteArtifactRepositoryManager().loadRepository(bystanderRepoLocation.toURL(), null);
+			getArtifactRepositoryManager().loadRepository(bystanderRepoLocation.toURI(), null);
 		} catch (ProvisionException e) {
 			fail("5.0", e);
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
-			fail("5.1", e);
 		}
 
 		try {
@@ -246,17 +222,13 @@ public class ArtifactRepositoryCleanupTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 			fail("5.2", e);
 		}
 
-		try {
-			//TODO modify the contains statement once the API is available
-			assertFalse(getConcreteArtifactRepositoryManager().contains(sourceRepoLocation.toURL()));
-			//TODO modify the contains statement once the API is available
-			assertFalse(getConcreteArtifactRepositoryManager().contains(destRepoLocation.toURL()));
-			//Ensure bystander was not effected by the mirror application
-			//TODO modify the contains statement once the API is available
-			assertTrue(getConcreteArtifactRepositoryManager().contains(bystanderRepoLocation.toURL()));
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
-			fail("5.3", e);
-		}
+		//TODO modify the contains statement once the API is available
+		assertFalse(contains(sourceRepoLocation.toURI()));
+		//TODO modify the contains statement once the API is available
+		assertFalse(contains(destRepoLocation.toURI()));
+		//Ensure bystander was not effected by the mirror application
+		//TODO modify the contains statement once the API is available
+		assertTrue(contains(bystanderRepoLocation.toURI()));
 	}
 
 	/**
@@ -268,13 +240,11 @@ public class ArtifactRepositoryCleanupTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 	public void testArtifactMirrorRemovesReposWithSourceAndBystanderLoaded() {
 		try {
 			//Load the bystander repository. This should not be effected by the mirror application
-			getConcreteArtifactRepositoryManager().loadRepository(bystanderRepoLocation.toURL(), null);
+			getArtifactRepositoryManager().loadRepository(bystanderRepoLocation.toURI(), null);
 			//Load the source
-			getConcreteArtifactRepositoryManager().loadRepository(sourceRepoLocation.toURL(), null);
+			getArtifactRepositoryManager().loadRepository(sourceRepoLocation.toURI(), null);
 		} catch (ProvisionException e) {
 			fail("6.0", e);
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
-			fail("6.1", e);
 		}
 
 		try {
@@ -283,17 +253,13 @@ public class ArtifactRepositoryCleanupTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 			fail("6.2", e);
 		}
 
-		try {
-			//TODO modify the contains statement once the API is available
-			assertTrue(getConcreteArtifactRepositoryManager().contains(sourceRepoLocation.toURL()));
-			//TODO modify the contains statement once the API is available
-			assertFalse(getConcreteArtifactRepositoryManager().contains(destRepoLocation.toURL()));
-			//Ensure bystander was not effected by the mirror application
-			//TODO modify the contains statement once the API is available
-			assertTrue(getConcreteArtifactRepositoryManager().contains(bystanderRepoLocation.toURL()));
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
-			fail("6.3", e);
-		}
+		//TODO modify the contains statement once the API is available
+		assertTrue(contains(sourceRepoLocation.toURI()));
+		//TODO modify the contains statement once the API is available
+		assertFalse(contains(destRepoLocation.toURI()));
+		//Ensure bystander was not effected by the mirror application
+		//TODO modify the contains statement once the API is available
+		assertTrue(contains(bystanderRepoLocation.toURI()));
 	}
 
 	/**
@@ -305,14 +271,12 @@ public class ArtifactRepositoryCleanupTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 	public void testArtifactMirrorRemovesReposWithDestinationAndBystanderLoaded() {
 		try {
 			//Load the bystander repository. This should not be effected by the mirror application
-			getArtifactRepositoryManager().loadRepository(bystanderRepoLocation.toURL(), null);
+			getArtifactRepositoryManager().loadRepository(bystanderRepoLocation.toURI(), null);
 			//Load (by creating) the destination
-			String repositoryName = destRepoLocation.toURL() + " - artifacts"; //$NON-NLS-1$
-			getArtifactRepositoryManager().createRepository(destRepoLocation.toURL(), repositoryName, IArtifactRepositoryManager.TYPE_SIMPLE_REPOSITORY, null);
+			String repositoryName = destRepoLocation.toURI() + " - artifacts"; //$NON-NLS-1$
+			getArtifactRepositoryManager().createRepository(destRepoLocation.toURI(), repositoryName, IArtifactRepositoryManager.TYPE_SIMPLE_REPOSITORY, null);
 		} catch (ProvisionException e) {
 			fail("7.0", e);
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
-			fail("7.1", e);
 		}
 
 		try {
@@ -321,17 +285,13 @@ public class ArtifactRepositoryCleanupTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 			fail("7.2", e);
 		}
 
-		try {
-			//TODO modify the contains statement once the API is available
-			assertTrue(getConcreteArtifactRepositoryManager().contains(destRepoLocation.toURL()));
-			//TODO modify the contains statement once the API is available
-			assertFalse(getConcreteArtifactRepositoryManager().contains(sourceRepoLocation.toURL()));
-			//Ensure bystander was not effected by the mirror application
-			//TODO modify the contains statement once the API is available
-			assertTrue(getConcreteArtifactRepositoryManager().contains(bystanderRepoLocation.toURL()));
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
-			fail("7.3", e);
-		}
+		//TODO modify the contains statement once the API is available
+		assertTrue(contains(destRepoLocation.toURI()));
+		//TODO modify the contains statement once the API is available
+		assertFalse(contains(sourceRepoLocation.toURI()));
+		//Ensure bystander was not effected by the mirror application
+		//TODO modify the contains statement once the API is available
+		assertTrue(contains(bystanderRepoLocation.toURI()));
 	}
 
 	/**
@@ -343,16 +303,14 @@ public class ArtifactRepositoryCleanupTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 	public void testArtifactMirrorRemovesReposWithBothAndBystanderLoaded() {
 		try {
 			//Load the bystander repository. This should not be effected by the mirror application
-			getConcreteArtifactRepositoryManager().loadRepository(bystanderRepoLocation.toURL(), null);
+			getArtifactRepositoryManager().loadRepository(bystanderRepoLocation.toURI(), null);
 			//Load (by creating) the destination
-			String repositoryName = destRepoLocation.toURL() + " - artifacts"; //$NON-NLS-1$
-			getConcreteArtifactRepositoryManager().createRepository(destRepoLocation.toURL(), repositoryName, IArtifactRepositoryManager.TYPE_SIMPLE_REPOSITORY, null);
+			String repositoryName = destRepoLocation.toURI() + " - artifacts"; //$NON-NLS-1$
+			getArtifactRepositoryManager().createRepository(destRepoLocation.toURI(), repositoryName, IArtifactRepositoryManager.TYPE_SIMPLE_REPOSITORY, null);
 			//Load the source
-			getConcreteArtifactRepositoryManager().loadRepository(sourceRepoLocation.toURL(), null);
+			getArtifactRepositoryManager().loadRepository(sourceRepoLocation.toURI(), null);
 		} catch (ProvisionException e) {
 			fail("8.0", e);
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
-			fail("8.1", e);
 		}
 
 		try {
@@ -361,16 +319,12 @@ public class ArtifactRepositoryCleanupTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 			fail("8.2", e);
 		}
 
-		try {
-			//TODO modify the contains statement once the API is available
-			assertTrue(getConcreteArtifactRepositoryManager().contains(destRepoLocation.toURL()));
-			//TODO modify the contains statement once the API is available
-			assertTrue(getConcreteArtifactRepositoryManager().contains(sourceRepoLocation.toURL()));
-			//Ensure bystander was not effected by the mirror application
-			//TODO modify the contains statement once the API is available
-			assertTrue(getConcreteArtifactRepositoryManager().contains(bystanderRepoLocation.toURL()));
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
-			fail("8.3", e);
-		}
+		//TODO modify the contains statement once the API is available
+		assertTrue(contains(destRepoLocation.toURI()));
+		//TODO modify the contains statement once the API is available
+		assertTrue(contains(sourceRepoLocation.toURI()));
+		//Ensure bystander was not effected by the mirror application
+		//TODO modify the contains statement once the API is available
+		assertTrue(contains(bystanderRepoLocation.toURI()));
 	}
 }
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/src/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/tests/mirror/MetadataMirrorApplicationTest.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/src/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/tests/mirror/MetadataMirrorApplicationTest.java
index 39d8a9cdb..7962011e8 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/src/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/tests/mirror/MetadataMirrorApplicationTest.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/src/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/tests/mirror/MetadataMirrorApplicationTest.java
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ package org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests.mirror;
 
 import java.io.File;
 import java.net.MalformedURLException;
-import java.net.URL;
+import java.net.URI;
 import java.util.HashMap;
 import java.util.Map;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.app.IApplicationContext;
@@ -63,11 +63,11 @@ public class MetadataMirrorApplicationTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 	 */
 	protected void tearDown() throws Exception {
 		//remove all the repositories
-		getManager().removeRepository(destRepoLocation.toURL());
-		getManager().removeRepository(sourceRepoLocation.toURL());
-		getManager().removeRepository(sourceRepo2Location.toURL());
-		getManager().removeRepository(sourceRepo3Location.toURL());
-		getManager().removeRepository(sourceRepo4Location.toURL());
+		getManager().removeRepository(destRepoLocation.toURI());
+		getManager().removeRepository(sourceRepoLocation.toURI());
+		getManager().removeRepository(sourceRepo2Location.toURI());
+		getManager().removeRepository(sourceRepo3Location.toURI());
+		getManager().removeRepository(sourceRepo4Location.toURI());
 
 		//delete the destination location (no left over files for the next test)
 		delete(destRepoLocation);
@@ -121,9 +121,9 @@ public class MetadataMirrorApplicationTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 	/**
 	 * runs mirror application with default arguments. source is the source repo, destination is the destination repo, append is if the "-append" argument is needed
 	 */
-	private void basicRunMirrorApplication(String message, URL source, URL destination, boolean append) throws Exception {
+	private void basicRunMirrorApplication(String message, URI source, URI destination, boolean append) throws Exception {
 		//set the default arguments
-		String[] args = new String[] {"-source", source.toExternalForm(), "-destination", destination.toExternalForm(), append ? "-append" : ""};
+		String[] args = new String[] {"-source", source.toString(), "-destination", destination.toString(), append ? "-append" : ""};
 		//run the mirror application
 		runMirrorApplication(message, args);
 	}
@@ -133,7 +133,7 @@ public class MetadataMirrorApplicationTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 	 */
 	private void runMirrorApplication(String message, File source, File destination, boolean append) {
 		try {
-			basicRunMirrorApplication(message, source.toURL(), destination.toURL(), append);
+			basicRunMirrorApplication(message, source.toURI(), destination.toURI(), append);
 		} catch (Exception e) {
 			fail(message, e);
 		}
@@ -181,11 +181,9 @@ public class MetadataMirrorApplicationTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 
 		try {
 			//Setup: ensure setup completed successfully
-			assertContentEquals(message + ".1", getManager().loadRepository(sourceRepo2Location.toURL(), null), getManager().loadRepository(destRepoLocation.toURL(), null));
+			assertContentEquals(message + ".1", getManager().loadRepository(sourceRepo2Location.toURI(), null), getManager().loadRepository(destRepoLocation.toURI(), null));
 		} catch (ProvisionException e) {
 			fail(message + ".2", e);
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
-			fail(message + ".3", e);
 		}
 
 		//mirror test data
@@ -204,11 +202,9 @@ public class MetadataMirrorApplicationTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 
 		try {
 			//Setup: verify contents
-			assertContentEquals(message + ".1", getManager().loadRepository(sourceRepoLocation.toURL(), null), getManager().loadRepository(destRepoLocation.toURL(), null));
+			assertContentEquals(message + ".1", getManager().loadRepository(sourceRepoLocation.toURI(), null), getManager().loadRepository(destRepoLocation.toURI(), null));
 		} catch (ProvisionException e) {
 			fail(message + ".2", e);
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
-			fail(message + ".3", e);
 		}
 
 		//mirror test data
@@ -226,11 +222,9 @@ public class MetadataMirrorApplicationTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 
 		try {
 			//Setup: verify contents
-			assertContentEquals(message + ".1", getManager().loadRepository(sourceRepoLocation.toURL(), null), getManager().loadRepository(destRepoLocation.toURL(), null));
+			assertContentEquals(message + ".1", getManager().loadRepository(sourceRepoLocation.toURI(), null), getManager().loadRepository(destRepoLocation.toURI(), null));
 		} catch (ProvisionException e) {
 			fail(message + ".2", e);
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
-			fail(message + ".3", e);
 		}
 
 		//mirror test data
@@ -248,11 +242,9 @@ public class MetadataMirrorApplicationTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 
 		try {
 			//Setup: verify
-			assertContentEquals(message + ".1", getManager().loadRepository(sourceRepo3Location.toURL(), null), getManager().loadRepository(destRepoLocation.toURL(), null));
+			assertContentEquals(message + ".1", getManager().loadRepository(sourceRepo3Location.toURI(), null), getManager().loadRepository(destRepoLocation.toURI(), null));
 		} catch (ProvisionException e) {
 			fail(message + ".2", e);
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
-			fail(message + ".3", e);
 		}
 
 		//mirror duplicate data
@@ -270,11 +262,9 @@ public class MetadataMirrorApplicationTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 
 		try {
 			//Setup: verify
-			assertContentEquals(message + ".1", getManager().loadRepository(sourceRepo2Location.toURL(), null), getManager().loadRepository(destRepoLocation.toURL(), null));
+			assertContentEquals(message + ".1", getManager().loadRepository(sourceRepo2Location.toURI(), null), getManager().loadRepository(destRepoLocation.toURI(), null));
 		} catch (ProvisionException e) {
 			fail(message + ".2", e);
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
-			fail(message + ".3", e);
 		}
 
 		//Setup: populate destination with duplicate metadata
@@ -282,12 +272,10 @@ public class MetadataMirrorApplicationTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 
 		try {
 			//Setup: verify
-			assertContains(message + ".5", getManager().loadRepository(sourceRepoLocation.toURL(), null), getManager().loadRepository(destRepoLocation.toURL(), null));
-			assertContains(message + ".6", getManager().loadRepository(sourceRepo2Location.toURL(), null), getManager().loadRepository(destRepoLocation.toURL(), null));
+			assertContains(message + ".5", getManager().loadRepository(sourceRepoLocation.toURI(), null), getManager().loadRepository(destRepoLocation.toURI(), null));
+			assertContains(message + ".6", getManager().loadRepository(sourceRepo2Location.toURI(), null), getManager().loadRepository(destRepoLocation.toURI(), null));
 		} catch (ProvisionException e) {
 			fail(message + ".7", e);
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
-			fail(message + ".8", e);
 		}
 
 		//mirror duplicate data
@@ -302,20 +290,14 @@ public class MetadataMirrorApplicationTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 	private File metadataMirrorEmpty(String message, boolean append) {
 		//Setup: Create an empty repository
 		File emptyRepository = new File(getTempFolder(), getUniqueString());
-		try {
-			//Setup: remove repository if it exists
-			getManager().removeRepository(emptyRepository.toURL());
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e1) {
-			fail(message + ".0", e1);
-		}
+		//Setup: remove repository if it exists
+		getManager().removeRepository(emptyRepository.toURI());
 		//Setup: delete any data that may be in the folder
 		AbstractProvisioningTest.delete(emptyRepository);
 		try {
-			getManager().createRepository(emptyRepository.toURL(), "Empty Repository", IMetadataRepositoryManager.TYPE_SIMPLE_REPOSITORY, null);
+			getManager().createRepository(emptyRepository.toURI(), "Empty Repository", IMetadataRepositoryManager.TYPE_SIMPLE_REPOSITORY, null);
 		} catch (ProvisionException e) {
 			fail(message + ".1", e);
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
-			fail(message + ".2", e);
 		}
 
 		runMirrorApplication(message + ".0", emptyRepository, destRepoLocation, append);
@@ -344,11 +326,9 @@ public class MetadataMirrorApplicationTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 
 		try {
 			//verify destination's content
-			assertContentEquals("1.1", getManager().loadRepository(sourceRepoLocation.toURL(), null), getManager().loadRepository(destRepoLocation.toURL(), null));
+			assertContentEquals("1.1", getManager().loadRepository(sourceRepoLocation.toURI(), null), getManager().loadRepository(destRepoLocation.toURI(), null));
 		} catch (ProvisionException e) {
 			fail("1.2", e);
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
-			fail("1.3", e);
 		}
 	}
 
@@ -363,11 +343,9 @@ public class MetadataMirrorApplicationTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 
 		try {
 			//verify destination's content
-			assertContentEquals("2.1", getManager().loadRepository(sourceRepoLocation.toURL(), null), getManager().loadRepository(destRepoLocation.toURL(), null));
+			assertContentEquals("2.1", getManager().loadRepository(sourceRepoLocation.toURI(), null), getManager().loadRepository(destRepoLocation.toURI(), null));
 		} catch (ProvisionException e) {
 			fail("2.2", e);
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
-			fail("2.3", e);
 		}
 	}
 
@@ -382,11 +360,9 @@ public class MetadataMirrorApplicationTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 
 		try {
 			//verify destination's content
-			assertContentEquals("3.1", getManager().loadRepository(sourceRepoLocation.toURL(), null), getManager().loadRepository(destRepoLocation.toURL(), null));
+			assertContentEquals("3.1", getManager().loadRepository(sourceRepoLocation.toURI(), null), getManager().loadRepository(destRepoLocation.toURI(), null));
 		} catch (ProvisionException e) {
 			fail("3.2", e);
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
-			fail("3.3", e);
 		}
 	}
 
@@ -401,11 +377,9 @@ public class MetadataMirrorApplicationTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 
 		try {
 			//verify destination's content
-			assertContentEquals("4.1", getManager().loadRepository(sourceRepoLocation.toURL(), null), getManager().loadRepository(destRepoLocation.toURL(), null));
+			assertContentEquals("4.1", getManager().loadRepository(sourceRepoLocation.toURI(), null), getManager().loadRepository(destRepoLocation.toURI(), null));
 		} catch (ProvisionException e) {
 			fail("4.2", e);
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
-			fail("4.3", e);
 		}
 	}
 
@@ -420,14 +394,12 @@ public class MetadataMirrorApplicationTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 
 		try {
 			//verify destination's content
-			assertContains("5.1", getManager().loadRepository(sourceRepoLocation.toURL(), null), getManager().loadRepository(destRepoLocation.toURL(), null));
-			assertContains("5.2", getManager().loadRepository(sourceRepo2Location.toURL(), null), getManager().loadRepository(destRepoLocation.toURL(), null));
+			assertContains("5.1", getManager().loadRepository(sourceRepoLocation.toURI(), null), getManager().loadRepository(destRepoLocation.toURI(), null));
+			assertContains("5.2", getManager().loadRepository(sourceRepo2Location.toURI(), null), getManager().loadRepository(destRepoLocation.toURI(), null));
 			//checks that the destination has the correct number of keys (no extras)
-			assertEquals("5.3", getNumUnique(getManager().loadRepository(sourceRepoLocation.toURL(), null).query(InstallableUnitQuery.ANY, new Collector(), null), getManager().loadRepository(sourceRepo2Location.toURL(), null).query(InstallableUnitQuery.ANY, new Collector(), null)), getManager().loadRepository(destRepoLocation.toURL(), null).query(InstallableUnitQuery.ANY, new Collector(), null).size());
+			assertEquals("5.3", getNumUnique(getManager().loadRepository(sourceRepoLocation.toURI(), null).query(InstallableUnitQuery.ANY, new Collector(), null), getManager().loadRepository(sourceRepo2Location.toURI(), null).query(InstallableUnitQuery.ANY, new Collector(), null)), getManager().loadRepository(destRepoLocation.toURI(), null).query(InstallableUnitQuery.ANY, new Collector(), null).size());
 		} catch (ProvisionException e) {
 			fail("5.4", e);
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
-			fail("5.5", e);
 		}
 	}
 
@@ -442,11 +414,9 @@ public class MetadataMirrorApplicationTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 
 		try {
 			//verify destination's content
-			assertContentEquals("6.1", getManager().loadRepository(sourceRepoLocation.toURL(), null), getManager().loadRepository(destRepoLocation.toURL(), null));
+			assertContentEquals("6.1", getManager().loadRepository(sourceRepoLocation.toURI(), null), getManager().loadRepository(destRepoLocation.toURI(), null));
 		} catch (ProvisionException e) {
 			fail("6.2", e);
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
-			fail("6.3", e);
 		}
 	}
 
@@ -461,11 +431,9 @@ public class MetadataMirrorApplicationTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 
 		try {
 			//verify destination's content
-			assertContentEquals("7.1", getManager().loadRepository(sourceRepo3Location.toURL(), null), getManager().loadRepository(destRepoLocation.toURL(), null));
+			assertContentEquals("7.1", getManager().loadRepository(sourceRepo3Location.toURI(), null), getManager().loadRepository(destRepoLocation.toURI(), null));
 		} catch (ProvisionException e) {
 			fail("7.2", e);
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
-			fail("7.3", e);
 		}
 	}
 
@@ -480,11 +448,9 @@ public class MetadataMirrorApplicationTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 
 		try {
 			//verify destination's content
-			assertContentEquals("8.1", getManager().loadRepository(sourceRepo3Location.toURL(), null), getManager().loadRepository(destRepoLocation.toURL(), null));
+			assertContentEquals("8.1", getManager().loadRepository(sourceRepo3Location.toURI(), null), getManager().loadRepository(destRepoLocation.toURI(), null));
 		} catch (ProvisionException e) {
 			fail("8.2", e);
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
-			fail("8.3", e);
 		}
 	}
 
@@ -499,11 +465,9 @@ public class MetadataMirrorApplicationTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 
 		try {
 			//verify destination's content
-			assertContentEquals("9.1", getManager().loadRepository(sourceRepo3Location.toURL(), null), getManager().loadRepository(destRepoLocation.toURL(), null));
+			assertContentEquals("9.1", getManager().loadRepository(sourceRepo3Location.toURI(), null), getManager().loadRepository(destRepoLocation.toURI(), null));
 		} catch (ProvisionException e) {
 			fail("9.2", e);
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
-			fail("9.3", e);
 		}
 	}
 
@@ -518,11 +482,9 @@ public class MetadataMirrorApplicationTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 
 		try {
 			//verify destination's content
-			assertContentEquals("10.1", getManager().loadRepository(sourceRepoLocation.toURL(), null), getManager().loadRepository(destRepoLocation.toURL(), null));
+			assertContentEquals("10.1", getManager().loadRepository(sourceRepoLocation.toURI(), null), getManager().loadRepository(destRepoLocation.toURI(), null));
 		} catch (ProvisionException e) {
 			fail("10.2", e);
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
-			fail("10.3", e);
 		}
 	}
 
@@ -537,14 +499,12 @@ public class MetadataMirrorApplicationTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 
 		try {
 			//verify destination's content
-			assertContains("11.1", getManager().loadRepository(sourceRepo3Location.toURL(), null), getManager().loadRepository(destRepoLocation.toURL(), null));
-			assertContains("11.2", getManager().loadRepository(sourceRepo2Location.toURL(), null), getManager().loadRepository(destRepoLocation.toURL(), null));
+			assertContains("11.1", getManager().loadRepository(sourceRepo3Location.toURI(), null), getManager().loadRepository(destRepoLocation.toURI(), null));
+			assertContains("11.2", getManager().loadRepository(sourceRepo2Location.toURI(), null), getManager().loadRepository(destRepoLocation.toURI(), null));
 			//checks that the destination has the correct number of keys (no extras)
-			assertEquals("11.3", getNumUnique(getManager().loadRepository(sourceRepo2Location.toURL(), null).query(InstallableUnitQuery.ANY, new Collector(), null), getManager().loadRepository(sourceRepo3Location.toURL(), null).query(InstallableUnitQuery.ANY, new Collector(), null)), getManager().loadRepository(destRepoLocation.toURL(), null).query(InstallableUnitQuery.ANY, new Collector(), null).size());
+			assertEquals("11.3", getNumUnique(getManager().loadRepository(sourceRepo2Location.toURI(), null).query(InstallableUnitQuery.ANY, new Collector(), null), getManager().loadRepository(sourceRepo3Location.toURI(), null).query(InstallableUnitQuery.ANY, new Collector(), null)), getManager().loadRepository(destRepoLocation.toURI(), null).query(InstallableUnitQuery.ANY, new Collector(), null).size());
 		} catch (ProvisionException e) {
 			fail("11.4", e);
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
-			fail("11.5", e);
 		}
 	}
 
@@ -559,11 +519,9 @@ public class MetadataMirrorApplicationTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 
 		try {
 			//verify destination's content
-			assertContentEquals("12.1", getManager().loadRepository(sourceRepo3Location.toURL(), null), getManager().loadRepository(destRepoLocation.toURL(), null));
+			assertContentEquals("12.1", getManager().loadRepository(sourceRepo3Location.toURI(), null), getManager().loadRepository(destRepoLocation.toURI(), null));
 		} catch (ProvisionException e) {
 			fail("12.2", e);
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
-			fail("12.3", e);
 		}
 	}
 
@@ -577,7 +535,7 @@ public class MetadataMirrorApplicationTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 		delete(invalidRepository);
 
 		try {
-			basicRunMirrorApplication("13.1", invalidRepository.toURL(), destRepoLocation.toURL(), true);
+			basicRunMirrorApplication("13.1", invalidRepository.toURI(), destRepoLocation.toURI(), true);
 			//we expect a provisioning exception to be thrown and should never get here
 			fail("13.0 ProvisionExpection not thrown");
 		} catch (ProvisionException e) {
@@ -591,10 +549,10 @@ public class MetadataMirrorApplicationTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 	 * Tests MirrorApplication's behaviour when given an invalid destination repository with "-append"
 	 */
 	public void testMetadataMirrorToInvalid() {
-		URL invalidDestRepository;
+		URI invalidDestRepository;
 		try {
-			invalidDestRepository = new URL("http://foobar.com/abcdefg");
-			basicRunMirrorApplication("14.1", sourceRepoLocation.toURL(), invalidDestRepository, true);
+			invalidDestRepository = new URI("http://foobar.com/abcdefg");
+			basicRunMirrorApplication("14.1", sourceRepoLocation.toURI(), invalidDestRepository, true);
 			//we expect an illegal state exception to be thrown and should never get here
 			fail("14.0 IllegalStateExpection not thrown");
 		} catch (IllegalStateException e) {
@@ -612,8 +570,8 @@ public class MetadataMirrorApplicationTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 		delete(invalidRepository);
 
 		try {
-			URL invalidDestRepository = new URL("http://foobar.com/abcdefg");
-			basicRunMirrorApplication("15.1", invalidRepository.toURL(), invalidDestRepository, true);
+			URI invalidDestRepository = new URI("http://foobar.com/abcdefg");
+			basicRunMirrorApplication("15.1", invalidRepository.toURI(), invalidDestRepository, true);
 			//we expect a provisioning exception to be thrown and should never get here
 			fail("15.0 ProvisionExpection not thrown");
 		} catch (ProvisionException e) {
@@ -634,22 +592,13 @@ public class MetadataMirrorApplicationTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 
 		try {
 			//verify destination's content
-			assertContentEquals("16.1", getManager().loadRepository(emptyRepository.toURL(), null), getManager().loadRepository(destRepoLocation.toURL(), null));
+			assertContentEquals("16.1", getManager().loadRepository(emptyRepository.toURI(), null), getManager().loadRepository(destRepoLocation.toURI(), null));
 		} catch (ProvisionException e) {
 			fail("16.2", e);
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
-			fail("16.3", e);
 		}
 
-		//Cleanup
-		try {
-			//remove the empty repository
-			getManager().removeRepository(emptyRepository.toURL());
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
-			//delete any leftover data
-			delete(emptyRepository);
-			fail("16.4", e);
-		}
+		//remove the empty repository
+		getManager().removeRepository(emptyRepository.toURI());
 		//delete any leftover data
 		delete(emptyRepository);
 	}
@@ -665,23 +614,14 @@ public class MetadataMirrorApplicationTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 
 		try {
 			//verify destination's content
-			assertContains("17.1", getManager().loadRepository(emptyRepository.toURL(), null), getManager().loadRepository(destRepoLocation.toURL(), null));
-			assertContentEquals("17.2", getManager().loadRepository(sourceRepoLocation.toURL(), null), getManager().loadRepository(destRepoLocation.toURL(), null));
+			assertContains("17.1", getManager().loadRepository(emptyRepository.toURI(), null), getManager().loadRepository(destRepoLocation.toURI(), null));
+			assertContentEquals("17.2", getManager().loadRepository(sourceRepoLocation.toURI(), null), getManager().loadRepository(destRepoLocation.toURI(), null));
 		} catch (ProvisionException e) {
 			fail("17.3", e);
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
-			fail("17.4", e);
 		}
 
-		//Cleanup
-		try {
-			//remove the empty repository
-			getManager().removeRepository(emptyRepository.toURL());
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e1) {
-			//delete any leftover data
-			delete(emptyRepository);
-			fail("17.5", e1);
-		}
+		//remove the empty repository
+		getManager().removeRepository(emptyRepository.toURI());
 		//delete any leftover data
 		delete(emptyRepository);
 	}
@@ -697,22 +637,13 @@ public class MetadataMirrorApplicationTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 
 		try {
 			//verify destination's content
-			assertContentEquals("18.1", getManager().loadRepository(emptyRepository.toURL(), null), getManager().loadRepository(destRepoLocation.toURL(), null));
+			assertContentEquals("18.1", getManager().loadRepository(emptyRepository.toURI(), null), getManager().loadRepository(destRepoLocation.toURI(), null));
 		} catch (ProvisionException e) {
 			fail("18.2", e);
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
-			fail("18.3", e);
 		}
 
-		//Cleanup
-		try {
-			//remove the empty repository
-			getManager().removeRepository(emptyRepository.toURL());
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e1) {
-			//delete any leftover data
-			delete(emptyRepository);
-			fail("18.4", e1);
-		}
+		//remove the empty repository
+		getManager().removeRepository(emptyRepository.toURI());
 		//delete any leftover data
 		delete(emptyRepository);
 	}
@@ -732,11 +663,9 @@ public class MetadataMirrorApplicationTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 
 		try {
 			//verify destination's content
-			assertContentEquals("19.2", getManager().loadRepository(sourceRepoLocation.toURL(), null), getManager().loadRepository(destRepoLocation.toURL(), null));
+			assertContentEquals("19.2", getManager().loadRepository(sourceRepoLocation.toURI(), null), getManager().loadRepository(destRepoLocation.toURI(), null));
 		} catch (ProvisionException e) {
 			fail("19.3", e);
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
-			fail("19.4", e);
 		}
 	}
 
@@ -755,14 +684,12 @@ public class MetadataMirrorApplicationTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 
 		try {
 			//verify destination's content
-			assertContains("20.2", getManager().loadRepository(sourceRepoLocation.toURL(), null), getManager().loadRepository(destRepoLocation.toURL(), null));
-			assertContains("20.3", getManager().loadRepository(sourceRepo4Location.toURL(), null), getManager().loadRepository(destRepoLocation.toURL(), null));
+			assertContains("20.2", getManager().loadRepository(sourceRepoLocation.toURI(), null), getManager().loadRepository(destRepoLocation.toURI(), null));
+			assertContains("20.3", getManager().loadRepository(sourceRepo4Location.toURI(), null), getManager().loadRepository(destRepoLocation.toURI(), null));
 			//checks that the destination has the correct number of keys (no extras)
-			assertEquals("20.4", getNumUnique(getManager().loadRepository(sourceRepoLocation.toURL(), null).query(InstallableUnitQuery.ANY, new Collector(), null), getManager().loadRepository(sourceRepo4Location.toURL(), null).query(InstallableUnitQuery.ANY, new Collector(), null)), getManager().loadRepository(destRepoLocation.toURL(), null).query(InstallableUnitQuery.ANY, new Collector(), null).size());
+			assertEquals("20.4", getNumUnique(getManager().loadRepository(sourceRepoLocation.toURI(), null).query(InstallableUnitQuery.ANY, new Collector(), null), getManager().loadRepository(sourceRepo4Location.toURI(), null).query(InstallableUnitQuery.ANY, new Collector(), null)), getManager().loadRepository(destRepoLocation.toURI(), null).query(InstallableUnitQuery.ANY, new Collector(), null).size());
 		} catch (ProvisionException e) {
 			fail("20.5", e);
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
-			fail("20.6", e);
 		}
 	}
 
@@ -834,18 +761,16 @@ public class MetadataMirrorApplicationTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 	 * Ensures that a repository created by the mirror application is a copy of the source
 	 */
 	public void testNewArtifactRepoProperties() {
-		//run mirror application with source not preexisting
+		//run mirror application with source not pre-existing
 		metadataMirrorToEmpty("24.0", true);
 
 		try {
-			IMetadataRepository sourceRepository = getManager().loadRepository(sourceRepoLocation.toURL(), null);
-			IMetadataRepository destinationRepository = getManager().loadRepository(destRepoLocation.toURL(), null);
+			IMetadataRepository sourceRepository = getManager().loadRepository(sourceRepoLocation.toURI(), null);
+			IMetadataRepository destinationRepository = getManager().loadRepository(destRepoLocation.toURI(), null);
 			assertEquals("24.1", sourceRepository.getName(), destinationRepository.getName());
 			assertRepositoryProperties("24.2", sourceRepository.getProperties(), destinationRepository.getProperties());
 		} catch (ProvisionException e) {
 			fail("24.3", e);
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
-			fail("24.4", e);
 		}
 	}
 
@@ -858,24 +783,20 @@ public class MetadataMirrorApplicationTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 		Map properties = null; //default properties
 		try {
 			//create the repository and get the resulting properties
-			properties = getManager().createRepository(destRepoLocation.toURL(), name, IMetadataRepositoryManager.TYPE_SIMPLE_REPOSITORY, properties).getProperties();
+			properties = getManager().createRepository(destRepoLocation.toURI(), name, IMetadataRepositoryManager.TYPE_SIMPLE_REPOSITORY, properties).getProperties();
 		} catch (ProvisionException e) {
 			fail("25.0", e);
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
-			fail("25.1", e);
 		}
 
 		//run the mirror application
 		metadataMirrorToEmpty("25.2", true);
 
 		try {
-			IMetadataRepository repository = getManager().loadRepository(destRepoLocation.toURL(), null);
+			IMetadataRepository repository = getManager().loadRepository(destRepoLocation.toURI(), null);
 			assertEquals("25.3", name, repository.getName());
 			assertRepositoryProperties("25.4", properties, repository.getProperties());
 		} catch (ProvisionException e) {
 			fail("25.5", e);
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
-			fail("25.6", e);
 		}
 	}
 }
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/src/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/tests/mirror/MetadataRepositoryCleanupTest.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/src/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/tests/mirror/MetadataRepositoryCleanupTest.java
index d1ba57835..eba88d6ec 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/src/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/tests/mirror/MetadataRepositoryCleanupTest.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/src/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/tests/mirror/MetadataRepositoryCleanupTest.java
@@ -11,17 +11,15 @@
 package org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests.mirror;
 
 import java.io.File;
-import java.net.MalformedURLException;
+import java.net.URI;
 import java.util.HashMap;
 import java.util.Map;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.app.IApplicationContext;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.artifact.mirror.MirrorApplication;
-import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.core.helpers.ServiceHelper;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.metadata.repository.MetadataRepositoryManager;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.core.ProvisionException;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.metadata.repository.IMetadataRepositoryManager;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests.AbstractProvisioningTest;
-import org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests.TestActivator;
 import org.osgi.framework.Bundle;
 
 /**
@@ -32,9 +30,11 @@ public class MetadataRepositoryCleanupTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 	protected File sourceRepoLocation; //helloworldfeature
 	protected File bystanderRepoLocation; //anotherfeature
 
-	//TODO change to an abstracted type when API is available
-	private MetadataRepositoryManager getConcreteMetadataRepositoryManager() {
-		return (MetadataRepositoryManager) ServiceHelper.getService(TestActivator.getContext(), IMetadataRepositoryManager.class.getName());
+	/**
+	 * Returns whether the artifact repository manager contains a repository at the given location.
+	 */
+	protected boolean contains(URI location) {
+		return ((MetadataRepositoryManager) getMetadataRepositoryManager()).contains(location);
 	}
 
 	protected void setUp() throws Exception {
@@ -51,9 +51,9 @@ public class MetadataRepositoryCleanupTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 
 	protected void tearDown() throws Exception {
 		//remove all the repositories
-		getMetadataRepositoryManager().removeRepository(destRepoLocation.toURL());
-		getMetadataRepositoryManager().removeRepository(sourceRepoLocation.toURL());
-		getMetadataRepositoryManager().removeRepository(bystanderRepoLocation.toURL());
+		getMetadataRepositoryManager().removeRepository(destRepoLocation.toURI());
+		getMetadataRepositoryManager().removeRepository(sourceRepoLocation.toURI());
+		getMetadataRepositoryManager().removeRepository(bystanderRepoLocation.toURI());
 
 		//delete the destination location (no left over files for the next test)
 		delete(destRepoLocation);
@@ -72,14 +72,7 @@ public class MetadataRepositoryCleanupTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 
 			public Map getArguments() {
 				Map arguments = new HashMap();
-
-				try {
-					arguments.put(IApplicationContext.APPLICATION_ARGS, new String[] {"-source", source.toURL().toExternalForm(), "-destination", destination.toURL().toExternalForm(), append ? "-append" : ""});
-
-				} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
-					fail("invalid URL for source or target repo");
-				}
-
+				arguments.put(IApplicationContext.APPLICATION_ARGS, new String[] {"-source", source.toURI().toString(), "-destination", destination.toURI().toString(), append ? "-append" : ""});
 				return arguments;
 			}
 
@@ -120,14 +113,10 @@ public class MetadataRepositoryCleanupTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 			fail("1.0", e);
 		}
 
-		try {
-			//TODO modify the contains statement once the API is available
-			assertFalse(getConcreteMetadataRepositoryManager().contains(sourceRepoLocation.toURL()));
-			//TODO modify the contains statement once the API is available
-			assertFalse(getConcreteMetadataRepositoryManager().contains(destRepoLocation.toURL()));
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
-			fail("1.1", e);
-		}
+		//TODO modify the contains statement once the API is available
+		assertFalse(contains(sourceRepoLocation.toURI()));
+		//TODO modify the contains statement once the API is available
+		assertFalse(contains(destRepoLocation.toURI()));
 	}
 
 	/**
@@ -137,11 +126,9 @@ public class MetadataRepositoryCleanupTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 	public void testMetadataMirrorRemovesReposWithSourceLoaded() {
 		try {
 			//Load the source
-			getMetadataRepositoryManager().loadRepository(sourceRepoLocation.toURL(), null);
+			getMetadataRepositoryManager().loadRepository(sourceRepoLocation.toURI(), null);
 		} catch (ProvisionException e) {
 			fail("2.0", e);
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
-			fail("2.1", e);
 		}
 
 		try {
@@ -150,14 +137,10 @@ public class MetadataRepositoryCleanupTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 			fail("2.2", e);
 		}
 
-		try {
-			//TODO modify the contains statement once the API is available
-			assertTrue(getConcreteMetadataRepositoryManager().contains(sourceRepoLocation.toURL()));
-			//TODO modify the contains statement once the API is available
-			assertFalse(getConcreteMetadataRepositoryManager().contains(destRepoLocation.toURL()));
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
-			fail("2.3", e);
-		}
+		//TODO modify the contains statement once the API is available
+		assertTrue(contains(sourceRepoLocation.toURI()));
+		//TODO modify the contains statement once the API is available
+		assertFalse(contains(destRepoLocation.toURI()));
 	}
 
 	/**
@@ -167,12 +150,10 @@ public class MetadataRepositoryCleanupTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 	public void testMetadataMirrorRemovesReposWithDestinationLoaded() {
 		try {
 			//Load (by creating) the destination
-			String repositoryName = destRepoLocation.toURL() + " - metadata"; //$NON-NLS-1$
-			getMetadataRepositoryManager().createRepository(destRepoLocation.toURL(), repositoryName, IMetadataRepositoryManager.TYPE_SIMPLE_REPOSITORY, null);
+			String repositoryName = destRepoLocation.toURI() + " - metadata"; //$NON-NLS-1$
+			getMetadataRepositoryManager().createRepository(destRepoLocation.toURI(), repositoryName, IMetadataRepositoryManager.TYPE_SIMPLE_REPOSITORY, null);
 		} catch (ProvisionException e) {
 			fail("3.0", e);
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
-			fail("3.1", e);
 		}
 
 		try {
@@ -181,14 +162,10 @@ public class MetadataRepositoryCleanupTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 			fail("3.2", e);
 		}
 
-		try {
-			//TODO modify the contains statement once the API is available
-			assertTrue(getConcreteMetadataRepositoryManager().contains(destRepoLocation.toURL()));
-			//TODO modify the contains statement once the API is available
-			assertFalse(getConcreteMetadataRepositoryManager().contains(sourceRepoLocation.toURL()));
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
-			fail("3.3", e);
-		}
+		//TODO modify the contains statement once the API is available
+		assertTrue(contains(destRepoLocation.toURI()));
+		//TODO modify the contains statement once the API is available
+		assertFalse(contains(sourceRepoLocation.toURI()));
 	}
 
 	/**
@@ -198,14 +175,12 @@ public class MetadataRepositoryCleanupTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 	public void testMetadataMirrorRemovesReposWithBothLoaded() {
 		try {
 			//Load (by creating) the destination
-			String repositoryName = destRepoLocation.toURL() + " - metadata"; //$NON-NLS-1$
-			getMetadataRepositoryManager().createRepository(destRepoLocation.toURL(), repositoryName, IMetadataRepositoryManager.TYPE_SIMPLE_REPOSITORY, null);
+			String repositoryName = destRepoLocation.toURI() + " - metadata"; //$NON-NLS-1$
+			getMetadataRepositoryManager().createRepository(destRepoLocation.toURI(), repositoryName, IMetadataRepositoryManager.TYPE_SIMPLE_REPOSITORY, null);
 			//Load the source
-			getMetadataRepositoryManager().loadRepository(sourceRepoLocation.toURL(), null);
+			getMetadataRepositoryManager().loadRepository(sourceRepoLocation.toURI(), null);
 		} catch (ProvisionException e) {
 			fail("4.0", e);
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
-			fail("4.1", e);
 		}
 
 		try {
@@ -214,14 +189,10 @@ public class MetadataRepositoryCleanupTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 			fail("4.2", e);
 		}
 
-		try {
-			//TODO modify the contains statement once the API is available
-			assertTrue(getConcreteMetadataRepositoryManager().contains(destRepoLocation.toURL()));
-			//TODO modify the contains statement once the API is available
-			assertTrue(getConcreteMetadataRepositoryManager().contains(sourceRepoLocation.toURL()));
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
-			fail("4.3", e);
-		}
+		//TODO modify the contains statement once the API is available
+		assertTrue(contains(destRepoLocation.toURI()));
+		//TODO modify the contains statement once the API is available
+		assertTrue(contains(sourceRepoLocation.toURI()));
 	}
 
 	/**
@@ -233,12 +204,10 @@ public class MetadataRepositoryCleanupTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 	public void testMetadataMirrorRemovesReposWithBystanderLoaded() {
 		//Load the bystander repository. This should not be effected by the mirror application
 		try {
-			getMetadataRepositoryManager().loadRepository(bystanderRepoLocation.toURL(), null);
+			getMetadataRepositoryManager().loadRepository(bystanderRepoLocation.toURI(), null);
 		} catch (ProvisionException e) {
 			// TODO Auto-generated catch block
 			fail("5.0", e);
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
-			fail("5.1", e);
 		}
 
 		try {
@@ -247,17 +216,13 @@ public class MetadataRepositoryCleanupTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 			fail("5.2", e);
 		}
 
-		try {
-			//TODO modify the contains statement once the API is available
-			assertFalse(getConcreteMetadataRepositoryManager().contains(sourceRepoLocation.toURL()));
-			//TODO modify the contains statement once the API is available
-			assertFalse(getConcreteMetadataRepositoryManager().contains(destRepoLocation.toURL()));
-			//Ensure bystander was not effected by the mirror application
-			//TODO modify the contains statement once the API is available
-			assertTrue(getConcreteMetadataRepositoryManager().contains(bystanderRepoLocation.toURL()));
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
-			fail("5.3", e);
-		}
+		//TODO modify the contains statement once the API is available
+		assertFalse(contains(sourceRepoLocation.toURI()));
+		//TODO modify the contains statement once the API is available
+		assertFalse(contains(destRepoLocation.toURI()));
+		//Ensure bystander was not effected by the mirror application
+		//TODO modify the contains statement once the API is available
+		assertTrue(contains(bystanderRepoLocation.toURI()));
 	}
 
 	/**
@@ -269,13 +234,11 @@ public class MetadataRepositoryCleanupTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 	public void testMetadataMirrorRemovesReposWithSourceAndBystanderLoaded() {
 		try {
 			//Load the bystander repository. This should not be effected by the mirror application
-			getMetadataRepositoryManager().loadRepository(bystanderRepoLocation.toURL(), null);
+			getMetadataRepositoryManager().loadRepository(bystanderRepoLocation.toURI(), null);
 			//Load the source
-			getMetadataRepositoryManager().loadRepository(sourceRepoLocation.toURL(), null);
+			getMetadataRepositoryManager().loadRepository(sourceRepoLocation.toURI(), null);
 		} catch (ProvisionException e) {
 			fail("6.0", e);
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
-			fail("6.1", e);
 		}
 
 		try {
@@ -284,17 +247,13 @@ public class MetadataRepositoryCleanupTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 			fail("6.2", e);
 		}
 
-		try {
-			//TODO modify the contains statement once the API is available
-			assertTrue(getConcreteMetadataRepositoryManager().contains(sourceRepoLocation.toURL()));
-			//TODO modify the contains statement once the API is available
-			assertFalse(getConcreteMetadataRepositoryManager().contains(destRepoLocation.toURL()));
-			//Ensure bystander was not effected by the mirror application
-			//TODO modify the contains statement once the API is available
-			assertTrue(getConcreteMetadataRepositoryManager().contains(bystanderRepoLocation.toURL()));
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
-			fail("6.3", e);
-		}
+		//TODO modify the contains statement once the API is available
+		assertTrue(contains(sourceRepoLocation.toURI()));
+		//TODO modify the contains statement once the API is available
+		assertFalse(contains(destRepoLocation.toURI()));
+		//Ensure bystander was not effected by the mirror application
+		//TODO modify the contains statement once the API is available
+		assertTrue(contains(bystanderRepoLocation.toURI()));
 	}
 
 	/**
@@ -306,14 +265,12 @@ public class MetadataRepositoryCleanupTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 	public void testMetadataMirrorRemovesReposWithDestinationAndBystanderLoaded() {
 		try {
 			//Load the bystander repository. This should not be effected by the mirror application
-			getMetadataRepositoryManager().loadRepository(bystanderRepoLocation.toURL(), null);
+			getMetadataRepositoryManager().loadRepository(bystanderRepoLocation.toURI(), null);
 			//Load (by creating) the destination
-			String repositoryName = destRepoLocation.toURL() + " - metadata"; //$NON-NLS-1$
-			getMetadataRepositoryManager().createRepository(destRepoLocation.toURL(), repositoryName, IMetadataRepositoryManager.TYPE_SIMPLE_REPOSITORY, null);
+			String repositoryName = destRepoLocation.toURI() + " - metadata"; //$NON-NLS-1$
+			getMetadataRepositoryManager().createRepository(destRepoLocation.toURI(), repositoryName, IMetadataRepositoryManager.TYPE_SIMPLE_REPOSITORY, null);
 		} catch (ProvisionException e) {
 			fail("7.0", e);
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
-			fail("7.1", e);
 		}
 
 		try {
@@ -322,17 +279,13 @@ public class MetadataRepositoryCleanupTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 			fail("7.2", e);
 		}
 
-		try {
-			//TODO modify the contains statement once the API is available
-			assertTrue(getConcreteMetadataRepositoryManager().contains(destRepoLocation.toURL()));
-			//TODO modify the contains statement once the API is available
-			assertFalse(getConcreteMetadataRepositoryManager().contains(sourceRepoLocation.toURL()));
-			//Ensure bystander was not effected by the mirror application
-			//TODO modify the contains statement once the API is available
-			assertTrue(getConcreteMetadataRepositoryManager().contains(bystanderRepoLocation.toURL()));
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
-			fail("7.3", e);
-		}
+		//TODO modify the contains statement once the API is available
+		assertTrue(contains(destRepoLocation.toURI()));
+		//TODO modify the contains statement once the API is available
+		assertFalse(contains(sourceRepoLocation.toURI()));
+		//Ensure bystander was not effected by the mirror application
+		//TODO modify the contains statement once the API is available
+		assertTrue(contains(bystanderRepoLocation.toURI()));
 	}
 
 	/**
@@ -344,16 +297,14 @@ public class MetadataRepositoryCleanupTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 	public void testMetadataMirrorRemovesReposWithBothAndBystanderLoaded() {
 		try {
 			//Load the bystander repository. This should not be effected by the mirror application
-			getMetadataRepositoryManager().loadRepository(bystanderRepoLocation.toURL(), null);
+			getMetadataRepositoryManager().loadRepository(bystanderRepoLocation.toURI(), null);
 			//Load (by creating) the destination
-			String repositoryName = destRepoLocation.toURL() + " - metadata"; //$NON-NLS-1$
-			getMetadataRepositoryManager().createRepository(destRepoLocation.toURL(), repositoryName, IMetadataRepositoryManager.TYPE_SIMPLE_REPOSITORY, null);
+			String repositoryName = destRepoLocation.toURI() + " - metadata"; //$NON-NLS-1$
+			getMetadataRepositoryManager().createRepository(destRepoLocation.toURI(), repositoryName, IMetadataRepositoryManager.TYPE_SIMPLE_REPOSITORY, null);
 			//Load the source
-			getMetadataRepositoryManager().loadRepository(sourceRepoLocation.toURL(), null);
+			getMetadataRepositoryManager().loadRepository(sourceRepoLocation.toURI(), null);
 		} catch (ProvisionException e) {
 			fail("8.0", e);
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
-			fail("8.1", e);
 		}
 
 		try {
@@ -362,16 +313,12 @@ public class MetadataRepositoryCleanupTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 			fail("8.2", e);
 		}
 
-		try {
-			//TODO modify the contains statement once the API is available
-			assertTrue(getConcreteMetadataRepositoryManager().contains(destRepoLocation.toURL()));
-			//TODO modify the contains statement once the API is available
-			assertTrue(getConcreteMetadataRepositoryManager().contains(sourceRepoLocation.toURL()));
-			//Ensure bystander was not effected by the mirror application
-			//TODO modify the contains statement once the API is available
-			assertTrue(getConcreteMetadataRepositoryManager().contains(bystanderRepoLocation.toURL()));
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
-			fail("8.3", e);
-		}
+		//TODO modify the contains statement once the API is available
+		assertTrue(contains(destRepoLocation.toURI()));
+		//TODO modify the contains statement once the API is available
+		assertTrue(contains(sourceRepoLocation.toURI()));
+		//Ensure bystander was not effected by the mirror application
+		//TODO modify the contains statement once the API is available
+		assertTrue(contains(bystanderRepoLocation.toURI()));
 	}
 }
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/src/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/tests/planner/AllOrbit.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/src/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/tests/planner/AllOrbit.java
index 394fddf7f..21375e69a 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/src/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/tests/planner/AllOrbit.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/src/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/tests/planner/AllOrbit.java
@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@ public class AllOrbit extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 	protected void setUp() throws Exception {
 		super.setUp();
 		IMetadataRepositoryManager repoMan = (MetadataRepositoryManager) ServiceHelper.getService(TestActivator.getContext(), IMetadataRepositoryManager.class.getName());
-		repo = repoMan.loadRepository(getTestData("repository for wsdl test", "testData/orbitRepo/").toURL(), new NullProgressMonitor());
+		repo = repoMan.loadRepository(getTestData("repository for wsdl test", "testData/orbitRepo/").toURI(), new NullProgressMonitor());
 
 		profile1 = createProfile("TestProfile." + getName());
 		planner = createPlanner();
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/src/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/tests/planner/TwoVersionsOfWSDL.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/src/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/tests/planner/TwoVersionsOfWSDL.java
index dd396abb9..c782621ba 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/src/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/tests/planner/TwoVersionsOfWSDL.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/src/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/tests/planner/TwoVersionsOfWSDL.java
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@ public class TwoVersionsOfWSDL extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 	protected void setUp() throws Exception {
 		super.setUp();
 		IMetadataRepositoryManager repoMan = (MetadataRepositoryManager) ServiceHelper.getService(TestActivator.getContext(), IMetadataRepositoryManager.class.getName());
-		IMetadataRepository repo = repoMan.loadRepository(getTestData("repository for wsdl test", "testData/metadataRepo/wsdlTestRepo/").toURL(), new NullProgressMonitor());
+		IMetadataRepository repo = repoMan.loadRepository(getTestData("repository for wsdl test", "testData/metadataRepo/wsdlTestRepo/").toURI(), new NullProgressMonitor());
 		wsdl15 = (IInstallableUnit) repo.query(new InstallableUnitQuery("javax.wsdl", new VersionRange("[1.5, 1.6)")), new Collector(), null).iterator().next();
 		wsdl14 = (IInstallableUnit) repo.query(new InstallableUnitQuery("javax.wsdl", new VersionRange("[1.4, 1.5)")), new Collector(), null).iterator().next();
 
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/src/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/tests/publisher/TestArtifactRepository.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/src/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/tests/publisher/TestArtifactRepository.java
index 59fbdd647..bd9676ca5 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/src/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/tests/publisher/TestArtifactRepository.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/src/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/tests/publisher/TestArtifactRepository.java
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@
 package org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests.publisher;
 
 import java.io.*;
-import java.net.URL;
+import java.net.URI;
 import java.util.*;
 import java.util.zip.ZipInputStream;
 import org.eclipse.core.runtime.*;
@@ -112,7 +112,7 @@ public class TestArtifactRepository implements IArtifactRepository {
 	public OutputStream getOutputStream(IArtifactDescriptor descriptor) throws ProvisionException {
 		// Check if the artifact is already in this repository
 		if (contains(descriptor)) {
-			String msg = NLS.bind(Messages.available_already_in, getLocation().toExternalForm());
+			String msg = NLS.bind(Messages.available_already_in, getLocation());
 			throw new ProvisionException(new Status(IStatus.ERROR, TestActivator.PI_PROV_TESTS, ProvisionException.ARTIFACT_EXISTS, msg, null));
 		}
 		return new ArtifactOutputStream(new ByteArrayOutputStream(500), descriptor);
@@ -216,7 +216,7 @@ public class TestArtifactRepository implements IArtifactRepository {
 		return description;
 	}
 
-	public URL getLocation() {
+	public URI getLocation() {
 		return null;
 	}
 
@@ -283,4 +283,8 @@ public class TestArtifactRepository implements IArtifactRepository {
 	public byte[] getBytes(IArtifactDescriptor artifactDescriptor) {
 		return (byte[]) repo.get(artifactDescriptor);
 	}
+
+	public IStatus getRawArtifact(IArtifactDescriptor descriptor, OutputStream destination, IProgressMonitor monitor) {
+		return getArtifact(descriptor, destination, monitor);
+	}
 }
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/src/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/tests/reconciler/dropins/AbstractReconcilerTest.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/src/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/tests/reconciler/dropins/AbstractReconcilerTest.java
index f3e1687ae..a3c4e57b4 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/src/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/tests/reconciler/dropins/AbstractReconcilerTest.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/src/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/tests/reconciler/dropins/AbstractReconcilerTest.java
@@ -402,12 +402,12 @@ public class AbstractReconcilerTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 	/*
 	 * Create and return a new site object with the given parameters.
 	 */
-	public Site createSite(String policy, boolean enabled, boolean updateable, String url, String[] plugins) {
+	public Site createSite(String policy, boolean enabled, boolean updateable, String uri, String[] plugins) {
 		Site result = new Site();
 		result.setPolicy(policy);
 		result.setEnabled(enabled);
 		result.setUpdateable(updateable);
-		result.setUrl(url);
+		result.setUrl(uri);
 		if (plugins != null)
 			for (int i = 0; i < plugins.length; i++)
 				result.addPlugin(plugins[i]);
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/src/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/tests/reconciler/dropins/AllTests.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/src/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/tests/reconciler/dropins/AllTests.java
index 2d53d2e8b..b973045d5 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/src/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/tests/reconciler/dropins/AllTests.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/src/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/tests/reconciler/dropins/AllTests.java
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ import junit.framework.*;
 
 /**
  * To run the reconciler tests, you must perform some manual setup steps:
- * 1) Download the platform runtime binary zip (any build, such as 3.4.0).
+ * 1) Download the platform runtime binary zip (latest build or the one you want to test).
  * 2) Set the following system property to the file system path of the binary zip. For example:
  * 
  * -Dorg.eclipse.equinox.p2.reconciler.tests.platform.archive=c:/tmp/eclipse-platform-3.4-win32.zip
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/src/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/tests/reconciler/dropins/ConfigurationTests.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/src/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/tests/reconciler/dropins/ConfigurationTests.java
index 480b3ca7e..1fd71d5c2 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/src/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/tests/reconciler/dropins/ConfigurationTests.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/src/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/tests/reconciler/dropins/ConfigurationTests.java
@@ -11,7 +11,6 @@
 package org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests.reconciler.dropins;
 
 import java.io.File;
-import java.net.MalformedURLException;
 import junit.framework.Test;
 import junit.framework.TestSuite;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.update.*;
@@ -85,11 +84,7 @@ public class ConfigurationTests extends AbstractReconcilerTest {
 		File temp = getTempFolder();
 		toRemove.add(temp);
 		String siteLocation = null;
-		try {
-			siteLocation = new File(temp, "eclipse").toURL().toExternalForm();
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
-			fail("0.9", e);
-		}
+		siteLocation = new File(temp, "eclipse").toURI().toString();
 
 		// copy the data to the temp folder
 		File source = getTestData("1.0", "testData/reconciler/247095");
@@ -145,11 +140,7 @@ public class ConfigurationTests extends AbstractReconcilerTest {
 		File temp = getTempFolder();
 		toRemove.add(temp);
 		String siteLocation = null;
-		try {
-			siteLocation = new File(temp, "eclipse").toURL().toExternalForm();
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
-			fail("0.9", e);
-		}
+		siteLocation = new File(temp, "eclipse").toURI().toString();
 
 		// copy the data to the temp folder
 		File source = getTestData("1.0", "testData/reconciler/247095");
@@ -209,11 +200,7 @@ public class ConfigurationTests extends AbstractReconcilerTest {
 		File temp = getTempFolder();
 		toRemove.add(temp);
 		String siteLocation = null;
-		try {
-			siteLocation = new File(temp, "eclipse").toURL().toExternalForm();
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
-			fail("0.99", e);
-		}
+		siteLocation = new File(temp, "eclipse").toURI().toString();
 
 		// copy the data to the temp folder
 		File source = getTestData("1.0", "testData/reconciler/247095");
@@ -253,12 +240,7 @@ public class ConfigurationTests extends AbstractReconcilerTest {
 		Configuration configuration = getConfiguration();
 		File temp = getTempFolder();
 		toRemove.add(temp);
-		String siteLocation = null;
-		try {
-			siteLocation = new File(temp, "eclipse").toURL().toExternalForm();
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
-			fail("0.9", e);
-		}
+		String siteLocation = new File(temp, "eclipse").toURI().toString();
 
 		// copy the data to the temp folder
 		File source = getTestData("1.0", "testData/reconciler/247095");
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/src/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/tests/touchpoint/eclipse/UtilTest.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/src/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/tests/touchpoint/eclipse/UtilTest.java
index 537d03120..2f40a11a1 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/src/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/tests/touchpoint/eclipse/UtilTest.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/src/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/tests/touchpoint/eclipse/UtilTest.java
@@ -43,7 +43,7 @@ public class UtilTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 	public void testDefaultBundlePool() throws MalformedURLException {
 		IProfile profile = createProfile("test");
 		AgentLocation agentLocation = (AgentLocation) ServiceHelper.getService(Activator.getContext(), AgentLocation.class.getName());
-		assertEquals(agentLocation.getDataArea("org.eclipse.equinox.p2.touchpoint.eclipse").toExternalForm(), Util.getBundlePoolLocation(profile).toExternalForm());
+		assertEquals(agentLocation.getDataArea("org.eclipse.equinox.p2.touchpoint.eclipse").toExternalForm(), Util.getBundlePoolLocation(profile).toString());
 	}
 
 	public void testExplicitBundlePool() throws MalformedURLException {
@@ -51,6 +51,6 @@ public class UtilTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 		File cacheDir = new File(System.getProperty("java.io.tmpdir"), "cache");
 		props.put(IProfile.PROP_CACHE, cacheDir.toString());
 		IProfile profile = createProfile("test", null, props);
-		assertEquals(cacheDir.toURL().toExternalForm(), Util.getBundlePoolLocation(profile).toExternalForm());
+		assertEquals(cacheDir.toURL().toExternalForm(), Util.getBundlePoolLocation(profile).toString());
 	}
 }
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/src/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/tests/updatesite/UpdateSiteTest.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/src/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/tests/updatesite/UpdateSiteTest.java
index 72d0f6a62..f60a778cf 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/src/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/tests/updatesite/UpdateSiteTest.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/src/org/eclipse/equinox/p2/tests/updatesite/UpdateSiteTest.java
@@ -12,8 +12,8 @@ package org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests.updatesite;
 
 import java.io.ByteArrayOutputStream;
 import java.io.File;
-import java.net.MalformedURLException;
-import java.net.URL;
+import java.net.URI;
+import java.net.URISyntaxException;
 import java.util.Map;
 import junit.framework.Test;
 import junit.framework.TestSuite;
@@ -56,11 +56,9 @@ public class UpdateSiteTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 		File site = getTestData("0.1", "/testData/updatesite/siteurl");
 		UpdateSite updatesite = null;
 		try {
-			updatesite = UpdateSite.load(site.toURL(), getMonitor());
+			updatesite = UpdateSite.load(site.toURI(), getMonitor());
 		} catch (ProvisionException e) {
 			fail("0.2", e);
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
-			fail("0.3", e);
 		}
 
 		try {
@@ -76,12 +74,10 @@ public class UpdateSiteTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 		File siteDirectory = getTestData("0.1", "/testData/updatesite/siteurl2/siteurl/");
 		UpdateSite updatesite = null;
 		try {
-			updatesite = UpdateSite.load(site.toURL(), getMonitor());
-			updatesite.getSite().setLocationURLString(siteDirectory.toURL().toExternalForm());
+			updatesite = UpdateSite.load(site.toURI(), getMonitor());
+			updatesite.getSite().setLocationURIString(siteDirectory.toURI().toString());
 		} catch (ProvisionException e) {
 			fail("0.2", e);
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
-			fail("0.3", e);
 		}
 
 		try {
@@ -96,11 +92,9 @@ public class UpdateSiteTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 		File site = getTestData("0.1", "/testData/updatesite/digest");
 		UpdateSite updatesite = null;
 		try {
-			updatesite = UpdateSite.load(site.toURL(), getMonitor());
+			updatesite = UpdateSite.load(site.toURI(), getMonitor());
 		} catch (ProvisionException e) {
 			fail("0.2", e);
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
-			fail("0.3", e);
 		}
 
 		try {
@@ -115,11 +109,9 @@ public class UpdateSiteTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 		File site = getTestData("0.1", "/testData/updatesite/digesturl");
 		UpdateSite updatesite = null;
 		try {
-			updatesite = UpdateSite.load(site.toURL(), getMonitor());
+			updatesite = UpdateSite.load(site.toURI(), getMonitor());
 		} catch (ProvisionException e) {
 			fail("0.2", e);
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
-			fail("0.3", e);
 		}
 
 		try {
@@ -135,12 +127,10 @@ public class UpdateSiteTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 		File digestDirectory = getTestData("0.1", "/testData/updatesite/digesturl2/digesturl/");
 		UpdateSite updatesite = null;
 		try {
-			updatesite = UpdateSite.load(site.toURL(), getMonitor());
-			updatesite.getSite().setDigestURLString(digestDirectory.toURL().toExternalForm());
+			updatesite = UpdateSite.load(site.toURI(), getMonitor());
+			updatesite.getSite().setDigestURIString(digestDirectory.toURI().toString());
 		} catch (ProvisionException e) {
 			fail("0.2", e);
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
-			fail("0.3", e);
 		}
 
 		try {
@@ -159,11 +149,9 @@ public class UpdateSiteTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 		File site = getTestData("0.1", "/testData/updatesite/site");
 		UpdateSite updatesite = null;
 		try {
-			updatesite = UpdateSite.load(site.toURL(), getMonitor());
+			updatesite = UpdateSite.load(site.toURI(), getMonitor());
 		} catch (ProvisionException e) {
 			fail("0.2", e);
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
-			fail("0.3", e);
 		}
 		try {
 			int featureCount = updatesite.loadFeatures(new NullProgressMonitor()).length;
@@ -177,12 +165,10 @@ public class UpdateSiteTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 		File base = getTestData("0.1", "/testData/updatesite");
 		UpdateSite updatesite = null;
 		try {
-			URL siteURL = new URL(base.toURL(), "site");
+			URI siteURL = base.toURI().resolve("site");
 			updatesite = UpdateSite.load(siteURL, getMonitor());
 		} catch (ProvisionException e) {
 			fail("0.2", e);
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
-			fail("0.3", e);
 		}
 		try {
 			int featureCount = updatesite.loadFeatures(new NullProgressMonitor()).length;
@@ -196,11 +182,25 @@ public class UpdateSiteTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 		File site = getTestData("0.1", "/testData/updatesite/site/site.xml");
 		UpdateSite updatesite = null;
 		try {
-			updatesite = UpdateSite.load(site.toURL(), getMonitor());
+			updatesite = UpdateSite.load(site.toURI(), getMonitor());
+		} catch (ProvisionException e) {
+			fail("0.2", e);
+		}
+		try {
+			int featureCount = updatesite.loadFeatures(getMonitor()).length;
+			assertEquals(1, featureCount);
+		} catch (ProvisionException e) {
+			fail("0.4", e);
+		}
+	}
+
+	public void testSiteWithSpaces() {
+		File site = getTestData("0.1", "/testData/updatesite/site with spaces/");
+		UpdateSite updatesite = null;
+		try {
+			updatesite = UpdateSite.load(site.toURI(), getMonitor());
 		} catch (ProvisionException e) {
 			fail("0.2", e);
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
-			fail("0.3", e);
 		}
 		try {
 			int featureCount = updatesite.loadFeatures(new NullProgressMonitor()).length;
@@ -214,11 +214,9 @@ public class UpdateSiteTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 		File site = getTestData("0.1", "/testData/updatesite/xxxsitexxx/xxxsitexxx.xml");
 		UpdateSite updatesite = null;
 		try {
-			updatesite = UpdateSite.load(site.toURL(), getMonitor());
+			updatesite = UpdateSite.load(site.toURI(), getMonitor());
 		} catch (ProvisionException e) {
 			fail("0.2", e);
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
-			fail("0.3", e);
 		}
 		try {
 			int featureCount = updatesite.loadFeatures(new NullProgressMonitor()).length;
@@ -232,12 +230,10 @@ public class UpdateSiteTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 		File siteDir = getTestData("0.1", "/testData/updatesite/xxxsitexxx");
 		File site = new File(siteDir, "site.xml");
 		try {
-			UpdateSite.load(site.toURL(), getMonitor());
+			UpdateSite.load(site.toURI(), getMonitor());
 			fail("0.2");
 		} catch (ProvisionException e) {
 			// expected
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
-			fail("0.3", e);
 		}
 	}
 
@@ -245,11 +241,9 @@ public class UpdateSiteTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 		File site = getTestData("0.1", "/testData/updatesite/baddigestgoodsite");
 		UpdateSite updatesite = null;
 		try {
-			updatesite = UpdateSite.load(site.toURL(), getMonitor());
+			updatesite = UpdateSite.load(site.toURI(), getMonitor());
 		} catch (ProvisionException e) {
 			fail("0.2", e);
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
-			fail("0.3", e);
 		}
 		try {
 			updatesite.loadFeatures(new NullProgressMonitor());
@@ -261,12 +255,10 @@ public class UpdateSiteTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 	public void testBadDigestBadSite() {
 		File site = getTestData("0.1", "/testData/updatesite/baddigestbadsite");
 		try {
-			UpdateSite.load(site.toURL(), getMonitor());
+			UpdateSite.load(site.toURI(), getMonitor());
 			fail("0.2");
 		} catch (ProvisionException e) {
 			// expected
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
-			fail("0.3", e);
 		}
 	}
 
@@ -274,12 +266,10 @@ public class UpdateSiteTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 		// handle the case where the site.xml doesn't parse correctly
 		File site = getTestData("0.1", "/testData/updatesite/badSiteXML");
 		try {
-			UpdateSite.load(site.toURL(), getMonitor());
+			UpdateSite.load(site.toURI(), getMonitor());
 			fail("0.2");
 		} catch (ProvisionException e) {
 			// expected exception
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
-			fail("0.3", e);
 		}
 	}
 
@@ -291,12 +281,10 @@ public class UpdateSiteTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 		File temp = getTempFolder();
 		temp.mkdirs();
 		try {
-			UpdateSite.load(temp.toURL(), getMonitor());
+			UpdateSite.load(temp.toURI(), getMonitor());
 			fail("0.2");
 		} catch (ProvisionException e) {
 			// we expect an exception
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
-			fail("0.1", e);
 		}
 	}
 
@@ -312,11 +300,9 @@ public class UpdateSiteTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 		File site = getTestData("0.1", "/testData/updatesite/badfeatureurl");
 		UpdateSite updatesite = null;
 		try {
-			updatesite = UpdateSite.load(site.toURL(), getMonitor());
+			updatesite = UpdateSite.load(site.toURI(), getMonitor());
 		} catch (ProvisionException e) {
 			fail("0.2", e);
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
-			fail("0.3", e);
 		}
 		try {
 			int featureCount = updatesite.loadFeatures(new NullProgressMonitor()).length;
@@ -330,11 +316,9 @@ public class UpdateSiteTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 		File site = getTestData("0.1", "/testData/updatesite/goodfeatureurl");
 		UpdateSite updatesite = null;
 		try {
-			updatesite = UpdateSite.load(site.toURL(), getMonitor());
+			updatesite = UpdateSite.load(site.toURI(), getMonitor());
 		} catch (ProvisionException e) {
 			fail("0.2", e);
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
-			fail("0.3", e);
 		}
 		try {
 			int featureCount = updatesite.loadFeatures(new NullProgressMonitor()).length;
@@ -344,15 +328,27 @@ public class UpdateSiteTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 		}
 	}
 
+	public void testGetFileURI() throws URISyntaxException {
+		URI rootNoSlash = new URI("http://eclipse.org/eclipse/updates");
+		URI rootSlash = new URI("http://eclipse.org/eclipse/updates/");
+		URI rootSiteXML = new URI("http://eclipse.org/eclipse/updates/site.xml");
+		URI rootSiteXML2 = new URI("http://eclipse.org/eclipse/updates/site_old.xml");
+		URI[] allURIs = new URI[] {rootNoSlash, rootSlash, rootSiteXML, rootSiteXML2};
+		for (URI uri : allURIs) {
+			assertEquals("1." + uri, new URI("http://eclipse.org/eclipse/updates/digest.zip"), UpdateSite.getFileURI(uri, "digest.zip"));
+		}
+
+		URI rootEmpty = new URI("http://update.eclemma.org");
+		assertEquals("2.1", new URI("http://update.eclemma.org/digest.zip"), UpdateSite.getFileURI(rootEmpty, "digest.zip"));
+	}
+
 	public void testIncludedFeature() {
 		File site = getTestData("0.1", "/testData/updatesite/includedfeature");
 		UpdateSite updatesite = null;
 		try {
-			updatesite = UpdateSite.load(site.toURL(), getMonitor());
+			updatesite = UpdateSite.load(site.toURI(), getMonitor());
 		} catch (ProvisionException e) {
 			fail("0.2", e);
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
-			fail("0.3", e);
 		}
 		try {
 			int featureCount = updatesite.loadFeatures(new NullProgressMonitor()).length;
@@ -366,11 +362,9 @@ public class UpdateSiteTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 		File site = getTestData("0.1", "/testData/updatesite/includedfeaturearchive");
 		UpdateSite updatesite = null;
 		try {
-			updatesite = UpdateSite.load(site.toURL(), getMonitor());
+			updatesite = UpdateSite.load(site.toURI(), getMonitor());
 		} catch (ProvisionException e) {
 			fail("0.2", e);
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
-			fail("0.3", e);
 		}
 		try {
 			int featureCount = updatesite.loadFeatures(new NullProgressMonitor()).length;
@@ -384,11 +378,9 @@ public class UpdateSiteTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 		File site = getTestData("0.1", "/testData/updatesite/badincludedfeaturearchive");
 		UpdateSite updatesite = null;
 		try {
-			updatesite = UpdateSite.load(site.toURL(), getMonitor());
+			updatesite = UpdateSite.load(site.toURI(), getMonitor());
 		} catch (ProvisionException e) {
 			fail("0.2", e);
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
-			fail("0.3", e);
 		}
 		try {
 			int featureCount = updatesite.loadFeatures(new NullProgressMonitor()).length;
@@ -402,11 +394,9 @@ public class UpdateSiteTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 		File site = getTestData("0.1", "/testData/updatesite/nofeatureidandversion");
 		UpdateSite updatesite = null;
 		try {
-			updatesite = UpdateSite.load(site.toURL(), getMonitor());
+			updatesite = UpdateSite.load(site.toURI(), getMonitor());
 		} catch (ProvisionException e) {
 			fail("0.2", e);
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
-			fail("0.3", e);
 		}
 		try {
 			int featureCount = updatesite.loadFeatures(new NullProgressMonitor()).length;
@@ -425,11 +415,9 @@ public class UpdateSiteTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 		File site = getTestData("Update site", "/testData/updatesite/UpdateSite243422/");
 		IMetadataRepository metadataRepo = null;
 		try {
-			metadataRepo = repoMan.loadRepository(site.toURL(), null);
+			metadataRepo = repoMan.loadRepository(site.toURI(), null);
 		} catch (ProvisionException e) {
 			fail("Can't load repository UpdateSite243422");
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
-			fail("Can't load repository UpdateSite243422");
 		}
 		InstallableUnitQuery query = new InstallableUnitQuery("org.eclipse.jdt.astview.feature.feature.group", new Version("1.0.1"));
 		Collector result = metadataRepo.query(query, new Collector(), null);
@@ -449,11 +437,9 @@ public class UpdateSiteTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 		File site = getTestData("Update site", "/testData/updatesite/240121/UpdateSite240121/");
 		IArtifactRepository artifactRepo = null;
 		try {
-			artifactRepo = repoMan.loadRepository(site.toURL(), null);
+			artifactRepo = repoMan.loadRepository(site.toURI(), null);
 		} catch (ProvisionException e) {
 			fail("Can't load repository UpdateSite240121");
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
-			fail("Can't load repository UpdateSite240121");
 		}
 		IArtifactKey[] keys = artifactRepo.getArtifactKeys();
 		for (int i = 0; i < keys.length; i++) {
@@ -472,12 +458,8 @@ public class UpdateSiteTest extends AbstractProvisioningTest {
 	public void testFeatureJarUnzipInstruction() {
 		IMetadataRepositoryManager repoMan = (IMetadataRepositoryManager) ServiceHelper.getService(TestActivator.getContext(), IMetadataRepositoryManager.class.getName());
 		File site = getTestData("0.1", "/testData/updatesite/site");
-		URL location = null;
-		try {
-			location = site.toURL();
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
-			fail("0.99", e);
-		}
+		URI location = null;
+		location = site.toURI();
 		IMetadataRepository repository;
 		try {
 			repository = repoMan.loadRepository(location, getMonitor());
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/testData/artifactRepo/simple with spaces/artifacts.xml b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/testData/artifactRepo/simple with spaces/artifacts.xml
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..6c73323c4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/testData/artifactRepo/simple with spaces/artifacts.xml
@@ -0,0 +1,28 @@
+<?xml version='1.0' encoding='UTF-8'?>
+<?artifactRepository class='org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.artifact.repository.simple.SimpleArtifactRepository' version='1.0.0'?>
+<repository name='file:/C:/1target/provmiddle/aaTestSite/ - artifacts' type='org.eclipse.equinox.p2.artifact.repository.simpleRepository' version='1'>
+  <properties size='2'>
+    <property name='p2.compressed' value='false'/>
+    <property name='p2.timestamp' value='1218734853468'/>
+  </properties>
+  <mappings size='3'>
+    <rule filter='(&amp; (classifier=osgi.bundle))' output='${repoUrl}/plugins/${id}_${version}.jar'/>
+    <rule filter='(&amp; (classifier=binary))' output='${repoUrl}/binary/${id}_${version}'/>
+    <rule filter='(&amp; (classifier=org.eclipse.update.feature))' output='${repoUrl}/features/${id}_${version}.jar'/>
+  </mappings>
+  <artifacts size='2'>
+    <artifact classifier='osgi.bundle' id='aaPlugin' version='1.0.0'>
+      <properties size='3'>
+        <property name='artifact.size' value='469'/>
+        <property name='download.size' value='469'/>
+        <property name='download.contentType' value='application/zip'/>
+      </properties>
+    </artifact>
+    <artifact classifier='org.eclipse.update.feature' id='aaFeature' version='1.0.0'>
+      <properties size='2'>
+        <property name='artifact.size' value='670'/>
+        <property name='download.size' value='670'/>
+      </properties>
+    </artifact>
+  </artifacts>
+</repository>
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/testData/artifactRepo/simple with spaces/features/aaFeature_1.0.0.jar b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/testData/artifactRepo/simple with spaces/features/aaFeature_1.0.0.jar
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..f800a9ad2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/testData/artifactRepo/simple with spaces/features/aaFeature_1.0.0.jar
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/testData/artifactRepo/simple with spaces/plugins/aaPlugin_1.0.0.jar b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/testData/artifactRepo/simple with spaces/plugins/aaPlugin_1.0.0.jar
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..65ff62b79
--- /dev/null
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/testData/artifactRepo/simple with spaces/plugins/aaPlugin_1.0.0.jar
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/testData/artifactRepo/simple with spaces/readme.txt b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/testData/artifactRepo/simple with spaces/readme.txt
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..6fcc19b18
--- /dev/null
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/testData/artifactRepo/simple with spaces/readme.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+This is a very simple artifact repository containing a single group IU (a feature), and
+a single bundle IU. This repository is used by ArtifactRepositoryManagerTest
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/testData/metadataRepo/good with spaces/content.xml b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/testData/metadataRepo/good with spaces/content.xml
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..fd315dbb3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/testData/metadataRepo/good with spaces/content.xml
@@ -0,0 +1,128 @@
+<?xml version='1.0' encoding='UTF-8'?>
+<?metadataRepository class='org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.metadata.repository.LocalMetadataRepository' version='1.0.0'?>
+<repository name='update site: file:/C:/1target/provmiddle/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/testData/updatesite/site' type='org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.metadata.repository.LocalMetadataRepository' version='1'>
+  <properties size='3'>
+    <property name='p2.system' value='true'/>
+    <property name='p2.timestamp' value='1221680367875'/>
+    <property name='site.checksum' value='2404093275'/>
+  </properties>
+  <units size='5'>
+    <unit id='test.feature.feature.jar' version='1.0.0'>
+      <provides size='3'>
+        <provided namespace='org.eclipse.equinox.p2.iu' name='test.feature.feature.jar' version='1.0.0'/>
+        <provided namespace='org.eclipse.equinox.p2.eclipse.type' name='feature' version='1.0.0'/>
+        <provided namespace='org.eclipse.update.feature' name='test.feature' version='1.0.0'/>
+      </provides>
+      <filter>
+        (org.eclipse.update.install.features=true)
+      </filter>
+      <artifacts size='1'>
+        <artifact classifier='org.eclipse.update.feature' id='test.feature' version='1.0.0'/>
+      </artifacts>
+      <touchpoint id='org.eclipse.equinox.p2.osgi' version='1.0.0'/>
+      <touchpointData size='1'>
+        <instructions size='1'>
+          <instruction key='zipped'>
+            true
+          </instruction>
+        </instructions>
+      </touchpointData>
+      <licenses size='1'>
+        <license url='http://www.example.com/license'>
+          [Enter License Description here.]
+        </license>
+      </licenses>
+      <copyright url='http://www.example.com/copyright'>
+        [Enter Copyright Description here.]
+      </copyright>
+    </unit>
+    <unit id='test.bundle' version='1.0.0' singleton='false'>
+      <update id='test.bundle' range='[0.0.0,1.0.0)' severity='0'/>
+      <properties size='1'>
+        <property name='org.eclipse.equinox.p2.partial.iu' value='true'/>
+      </properties>
+      <provides size='3'>
+        <provided namespace='org.eclipse.equinox.p2.iu' name='test.bundle' version='1.0.0'/>
+        <provided namespace='osgi.bundle' name='test.bundle' version='1.0.0'/>
+        <provided namespace='org.eclipse.equinox.p2.eclipse.type' name='bundle' version='1.0.0'/>
+      </provides>
+      <artifacts size='1'>
+        <artifact classifier='osgi.bundle' id='test.bundle' version='1.0.0'/>
+      </artifacts>
+      <touchpoint id='org.eclipse.equinox.p2.osgi' version='1.0.0'/>
+      <touchpointData size='1'>
+        <instructions size='1'>
+          <instruction key='manifest'>
+          </instruction>
+        </instructions>
+      </touchpointData>
+    </unit>
+    <unit id='test.fragment' version='1.0.0' singleton='false'>
+      <update id='test.fragment' range='[0.0.0,1.0.0)' severity='0'/>
+      <properties size='1'>
+        <property name='org.eclipse.equinox.p2.partial.iu' value='true'/>
+      </properties>
+      <provides size='3'>
+        <provided namespace='org.eclipse.equinox.p2.iu' name='test.fragment' version='1.0.0'/>
+        <provided namespace='osgi.bundle' name='test.fragment' version='1.0.0'/>
+        <provided namespace='org.eclipse.equinox.p2.eclipse.type' name='bundle' version='1.0.0'/>
+      </provides>
+      <artifacts size='1'>
+        <artifact classifier='osgi.bundle' id='test.fragment' version='1.0.0'/>
+      </artifacts>
+      <touchpoint id='org.eclipse.equinox.p2.osgi' version='1.0.0'/>
+      <touchpointData size='1'>
+        <instructions size='1'>
+          <instruction key='manifest'>
+          </instruction>
+        </instructions>
+      </touchpointData>
+    </unit>
+    <unit id='test.feature.feature.group' version='1.0.0' singleton='false'>
+      <update id='test.feature.feature.group' range='[0.0.0,1.0.0)' severity='0'/>
+      <properties size='5'>
+        <property name='org.eclipse.equinox.p2.name' value='%featurename'/>
+        <property name='org.eclipse.equinox.p2.description' value='[Enter Feature Description here.]'/>
+        <property name='org.eclipse.equinox.p2.description.url' value='http://www.example.com/description'/>
+        <property name='org.eclipse.equinox.p2.type.group' value='true'/>
+        <property name='df_LT.featurename' value='j the feature'/>
+      </properties>
+      <provides size='2'>
+        <provided namespace='org.eclipse.equinox.p2.iu' name='test.feature.feature.group' version='1.0.0'/>
+        <provided namespace='org.eclipse.equinox.p2.localization' name='df_LT' version='1.0.0'/>
+      </provides>
+      <requires size='3'>
+        <required namespace='org.eclipse.equinox.p2.iu' name='test.bundle' range='[1.0.0,1.0.0]'/>
+        <required namespace='org.eclipse.equinox.p2.iu' name='test.fragment' range='[1.0.0,1.0.0]'/>
+        <required namespace='org.eclipse.equinox.p2.iu' name='test.feature.feature.jar' range='[1.0.0,1.0.0]'>
+          <filter>
+            (org.eclipse.update.install.features=true)
+          </filter>
+        </required>
+      </requires>
+      <touchpoint id='null' version='0.0.0'/>
+      <licenses size='1'>
+        <license url='http://www.example.com/license'>
+          [Enter License Description here.]
+        </license>
+      </licenses>
+      <copyright url='http://www.example.com/copyright'>
+        [Enter Copyright Description here.]
+      </copyright>
+    </unit>
+    <unit id='Default' version='0.0.0'>
+      <properties size='3'>
+        <property name='org.eclipse.equinox.p2.name' value='Uncategorized'/>
+        <property name='org.eclipse.equinox.p2.description' value='Default category for otherwise uncategorized features'/>
+        <property name='org.eclipse.equinox.p2.type.category' value='true'/>
+      </properties>
+      <provides size='1'>
+        <provided namespace='org.eclipse.equinox.p2.iu' name='Default' version='0.0.0'/>
+      </provides>
+      <requires size='1'>
+        <required namespace='org.eclipse.equinox.p2.iu' name='test.feature.feature.group' range='[1.0.0,1.0.0]'/>
+      </requires>
+      <touchpoint id='null' version='0.0.0'/>
+    </unit>
+  </units>
+</repository>
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/testData/updatesite/site with spaces/features/test.feature_1.0.0.jar b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/testData/updatesite/site with spaces/features/test.feature_1.0.0.jar
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..80bbc69fd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/testData/updatesite/site with spaces/features/test.feature_1.0.0.jar
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/testData/updatesite/site with spaces/plugins/test.bundle_1.0.0.jar b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/testData/updatesite/site with spaces/plugins/test.bundle_1.0.0.jar
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..00dd829d8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/testData/updatesite/site with spaces/plugins/test.bundle_1.0.0.jar
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/testData/updatesite/site with spaces/plugins/test.fragment_1.0.0.jar b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/testData/updatesite/site with spaces/plugins/test.fragment_1.0.0.jar
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..d033e2eda
--- /dev/null
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/testData/updatesite/site with spaces/plugins/test.fragment_1.0.0.jar
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/testData/updatesite/site with spaces/site.xml b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/testData/updatesite/site with spaces/site.xml
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..4e619773e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tests/testData/updatesite/site with spaces/site.xml
@@ -0,0 +1,4 @@
+<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
+<site>
+   <feature url="features/test.feature_1.0.0.jar" id="test.feature" version="1.0.0"/>
+</site>
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tools/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/tools/MetadataCompareApplication.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tools/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/tools/MetadataCompareApplication.java
index b544f6946..6c5d761bb 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tools/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/tools/MetadataCompareApplication.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tools/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/tools/MetadataCompareApplication.java
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@
  *******************************************************************************/
 package org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.tools;
 
-import java.net.URL;
+import java.net.URI;
 import java.util.Arrays;
 import java.util.Comparator;
 import org.eclipse.core.runtime.NullProgressMonitor;
@@ -43,8 +43,8 @@ public class MetadataCompareApplication implements IApplication {
 		}
 	};
 
-	private URL sourceLocation;
-	private URL targetLocation;
+	private URI sourceLocation;
+	private URI targetLocation;
 	private boolean compare = false;
 	private boolean list = false;
 
@@ -61,7 +61,7 @@ public class MetadataCompareApplication implements IApplication {
 		return IApplication.EXIT_OK;
 	}
 
-	private void list(URL location) throws ProvisionException {
+	private void list(URI location) throws ProvisionException {
 		if (location == null)
 			return;
 		IMetadataRepository locationRepo = repoManager.getRepository(location);
@@ -79,7 +79,7 @@ public class MetadataCompareApplication implements IApplication {
 	}
 
 	private void compareMetadataRepositories() throws ProvisionException {
-		System.out.println("\n" + sourceLocation.toExternalForm() + " -> " + targetLocation.toExternalForm()); //$NON-NLS-1$ //$NON-NLS-2$
+		System.out.println("\n" + sourceLocation + " -> " + targetLocation); //$NON-NLS-1$ //$NON-NLS-2$
 		compare(sourceRepo, targetRepo);
 	}
 
@@ -226,9 +226,9 @@ public class MetadataCompareApplication implements IApplication {
 			String arg = args[++i];
 
 			if (args[i - 1].equalsIgnoreCase("-source")) //$NON-NLS-1$
-				sourceLocation = new URL(arg);
+				sourceLocation = new URI(arg);
 			if (args[i - 1].equalsIgnoreCase("-target")) //$NON-NLS-1$
-				targetLocation = new URL(arg);
+				targetLocation = new URI(arg);
 		}
 	}
 
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tools/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/tools/mirror/MirrorApplication.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tools/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/tools/mirror/MirrorApplication.java
index dd6e9e9f2..749507c33 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tools/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/tools/mirror/MirrorApplication.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tools/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/tools/mirror/MirrorApplication.java
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@
  *******************************************************************************/
 package org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.tools.mirror;
 
-import java.net.URL;
+import java.net.URI;
 import java.util.*;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.app.IApplication;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.app.IApplicationContext;
@@ -24,10 +24,10 @@ public class MirrorApplication implements IApplication {
 	private static final String COMMA_SEPARATOR = ","; //$NON-NLS-1$
 	private String[] iuSpecs;
 	private String[] artifactSpecs;
-	private URL metadataSourceLocation;
-	private URL metadataDestinationLocation;
-	private URL artifactSourceLocation;
-	private URL artifactDestinationLocation;
+	private URI metadataSourceLocation;
+	private URI metadataDestinationLocation;
+	private URI artifactSourceLocation;
+	private URI artifactDestinationLocation;
 	private boolean referencedIUs = false;
 	private boolean raw = false;
 	private boolean overwrite = false;
@@ -112,21 +112,21 @@ public class MirrorApplication implements IApplication {
 			String arg = args[++i];
 
 			if (args[i - 1].equalsIgnoreCase("-source")) { //$NON-NLS-1$
-				metadataSourceLocation = new URL(arg);
-				artifactSourceLocation = new URL(arg);
+				metadataSourceLocation = new URI(arg);
+				artifactSourceLocation = new URI(arg);
 			}
 			if (args[i - 1].equalsIgnoreCase("-destination")) { //$NON-NLS-1$
-				metadataDestinationLocation = new URL(arg);
-				artifactDestinationLocation = new URL(arg);
+				metadataDestinationLocation = new URI(arg);
+				artifactDestinationLocation = new URI(arg);
 			}
 			if (args[i - 1].equalsIgnoreCase("-metadatadestination")) //$NON-NLS-1$
-				metadataDestinationLocation = new URL(arg);
+				metadataDestinationLocation = new URI(arg);
 			if (args[i - 1].equalsIgnoreCase("-metadatasource")) //$NON-NLS-1$
-				metadataSourceLocation = new URL(arg);
+				metadataSourceLocation = new URI(arg);
 			if (args[i - 1].equalsIgnoreCase("-artifactdestination")) //$NON-NLS-1$
-				artifactDestinationLocation = new URL(arg);
+				artifactDestinationLocation = new URI(arg);
 			if (args[i - 1].equalsIgnoreCase("-artifactsource")) //$NON-NLS-1$
-				artifactSourceLocation = new URL(arg);
+				artifactSourceLocation = new URI(arg);
 			if (args[i - 1].equalsIgnoreCase("-ius")) //$NON-NLS-1$
 				if (arg.equalsIgnoreCase("all")) //$NON-NLS-1$ 
 					iuSpecs = new String[0];
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tools/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/tools/mirror/RepositoryMirroring.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tools/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/tools/mirror/RepositoryMirroring.java
index 59d852747..987a439c5 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tools/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/tools/mirror/RepositoryMirroring.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.tools/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/tools/mirror/RepositoryMirroring.java
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ package org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.tools.mirror;
 
 import java.io.IOException;
 import java.io.OutputStream;
-import java.net.URL;
+import java.net.URI;
 import java.util.HashMap;
 import java.util.Map;
 import org.eclipse.core.runtime.NullProgressMonitor;
@@ -50,7 +50,7 @@ public class RepositoryMirroring {
 	private boolean verbose = false;
 	private boolean compressed = false;
 
-	public RepositoryMirroring(URL metadataSourceLocation, URL metadataDestinationLocation, URL artifactSourceLocation, URL artifactDestinationLocation, boolean overwrite, boolean compressed) throws ProvisionException {
+	public RepositoryMirroring(URI metadataSourceLocation, URI metadataDestinationLocation, URI artifactSourceLocation, URI artifactDestinationLocation, boolean overwrite, boolean compressed) throws ProvisionException {
 		this.overwrite = overwrite;
 		this.compressed = compressed;
 		if (metadataSourceLocation != null && metadataDestinationLocation != null) {
@@ -181,7 +181,7 @@ public class RepositoryMirroring {
 		return true;
 	}
 
-	private IMetadataRepository initializeMetadataDestination(MetadataRepositoryManager manager, URL destinationLocation) throws ProvisionException {
+	private IMetadataRepository initializeMetadataDestination(MetadataRepositoryManager manager, URI destinationLocation) throws ProvisionException {
 		IMetadataRepository repository;
 		try {
 			String repositoryName = destinationLocation + " - metadata"; //$NON-NLS-1$
@@ -206,7 +206,7 @@ public class RepositoryMirroring {
 		return repository;
 	}
 
-	private IArtifactRepository initializeArtifactDestination(ArtifactRepositoryManager repoManager, URL destinationLocation) throws ProvisionException {
+	private IArtifactRepository initializeArtifactDestination(ArtifactRepositoryManager repoManager, URI destinationLocation) throws ProvisionException {
 		IArtifactRepositoryManager manager = (IArtifactRepositoryManager) ServiceHelper.getService(Activator.getContext(), IArtifactRepositoryManager.class.getName());
 		IArtifactRepository repository;
 		try {
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.touchpoint.eclipse/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/touchpoint/eclipse/EclipseTouchpoint.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.touchpoint.eclipse/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/touchpoint/eclipse/EclipseTouchpoint.java
index 611e90230..315695d8c 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.touchpoint.eclipse/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/touchpoint/eclipse/EclipseTouchpoint.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.touchpoint.eclipse/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/touchpoint/eclipse/EclipseTouchpoint.java
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ package org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.touchpoint.eclipse;
 
 import java.io.File;
 import java.io.IOException;
-import java.net.URL;
+import java.net.URI;
 import java.util.Map;
 import org.eclipse.core.runtime.*;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.core.helpers.LogHelper;
@@ -87,7 +87,7 @@ public class EclipseTouchpoint extends Touchpoint {
 		touchpointParameters.put(PARM_MANIPULATOR, manipulator);
 		touchpointParameters.put(PARM_SOURCE_BUNDLES, new SourceManipulator(profile));
 		File configLocation = Util.getConfigurationFolder(profile);
-		URL poolURL = Util.getBundlePoolLocation(profile);
+		URI poolURL = Util.getBundlePoolLocation(profile);
 		touchpointParameters.put(PARM_PLATFORM_CONFIGURATION, new PlatformConfigurationWrapper(configLocation, poolURL, manipulator));
 		return null;
 	}
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.touchpoint.eclipse/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/touchpoint/eclipse/PlatformConfigurationWrapper.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.touchpoint.eclipse/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/touchpoint/eclipse/PlatformConfigurationWrapper.java
index 952eb6386..2c9b328c4 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.touchpoint.eclipse/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/touchpoint/eclipse/PlatformConfigurationWrapper.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.touchpoint.eclipse/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/touchpoint/eclipse/PlatformConfigurationWrapper.java
@@ -11,11 +11,11 @@
 package org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.touchpoint.eclipse;
 
 import java.io.File;
-import java.net.MalformedURLException;
-import java.net.URL;
+import java.net.*;
 import java.util.Iterator;
 import java.util.List;
 import org.eclipse.core.runtime.*;
+import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.core.helpers.URIUtil;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.update.*;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.frameworkadmin.BundleInfo;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.frameworkadmin.Manipulator;
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ public class PlatformConfigurationWrapper {
 	private Configuration configuration = null;
 	private Site poolSite = null;
 	private File configFile;
-	private URL poolURL;
+	private URI poolURI;
 	private Manipulator manipulator;
 
 	private static String FEATURES = "features/"; //$NON-NLS-1$
@@ -67,10 +67,10 @@ public class PlatformConfigurationWrapper {
 		return parentFolder.toFile();
 	}
 
-	public PlatformConfigurationWrapper(File configDir, URL featurePool, Manipulator manipulator) {
+	public PlatformConfigurationWrapper(File configDir, URI featurePool, Manipulator manipulator) {
 		this.configuration = null;
 		this.configFile = new File(configDir, "/org.eclipse.update/platform.xml"); //$NON-NLS-1$
-		this.poolURL = featurePool;
+		this.poolURI = featurePool;
 		this.manipulator = manipulator;
 	}
 
@@ -88,12 +88,12 @@ public class PlatformConfigurationWrapper {
 			// TODO: Make this a real message
 			throw new IllegalStateException(Messages.error_parsing_configuration);
 		}
-		if (poolURL == null)
+		if (poolURI == null)
 			throw new IllegalStateException("Error creating platform configuration. No bundle pool defined."); //$NON-NLS-1$
 
-		poolSite = getSite(poolURL);
+		poolSite = getSite(poolURI);
 		if (poolSite == null) {
-			poolSite = createSite(poolURL, getDefaultPolicy());
+			poolSite = createSite(poolURI, getDefaultPolicy());
 			configuration.add(poolSite);
 		}
 	}
@@ -115,9 +115,9 @@ public class PlatformConfigurationWrapper {
 	/*
 	 * Create and return a site object based on the given location.
 	 */
-	private Site createSite(URL location, String policy) {
+	private Site createSite(URI location, String policy) {
 		Site result = new Site();
-		result.setUrl(location.toExternalForm());
+		result.setUrl(location.toString());
 		result.setPolicy(policy);
 		result.setEnabled(true);
 		return result;
@@ -127,13 +127,17 @@ public class PlatformConfigurationWrapper {
 	 * Look in the configuration and return the site object whose location matches
 	 * the given URL. Return null if there is no match.
 	 */
-	private Site getSite(URL url) {
+	private Site getSite(URI url) {
 		List sites = configuration.getSites();
+		File file = URIUtil.toFile(url);
 		for (Iterator iter = sites.iterator(); iter.hasNext();) {
 			Site nextSite = (Site) iter.next();
-			String nextURL = nextSite.getUrl();
-			if (new Path(nextURL).equals(new Path(url.toExternalForm()))) {
-				return nextSite;
+			try {
+				File nextFile = URIUtil.toFile(new URI(nextSite.getUrl()));
+				if (nextFile.equals(file))
+					return nextSite;
+			} catch (URISyntaxException e) {
+				//ignore incorrectly formed site
 			}
 		}
 		return null;
@@ -164,19 +168,15 @@ public class PlatformConfigurationWrapper {
 		if (configuration == null)
 			return new Status(IStatus.WARNING, Activator.ID, Messages.platform_config_unavailable, null);
 
-		URL fileURL = null;
-		try {
-			File featureDir = file.getParentFile();
-			if (featureDir == null || !featureDir.getName().equals("features")) //$NON-NLS-1$
-				return new Status(IStatus.ERROR, Activator.ID, NLS.bind(Messages.parent_dir_features, file.getAbsolutePath()), null);
-			File locationDir = featureDir.getParentFile();
-			if (locationDir == null)
-				return new Status(IStatus.ERROR, Activator.ID, NLS.bind(Messages.cannot_calculate_extension_location, file.getAbsolutePath()), null);
-
-			fileURL = locationDir.toURL();
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
-			return new Status(IStatus.ERROR, Activator.ID, NLS.bind(Messages.cannot_create_url_from_file, file.getAbsolutePath()), e);
-		}
+		URI fileURL = null;
+		File featureDir = file.getParentFile();
+		if (featureDir == null || !featureDir.getName().equals("features")) //$NON-NLS-1$
+			return new Status(IStatus.ERROR, Activator.ID, NLS.bind(Messages.parent_dir_features, file.getAbsolutePath()), null);
+		File locationDir = featureDir.getParentFile();
+		if (locationDir == null)
+			return new Status(IStatus.ERROR, Activator.ID, NLS.bind(Messages.cannot_calculate_extension_location, file.getAbsolutePath()), null);
+
+		fileURL = locationDir.toURI();
 		Site site = getSite(fileURL);
 		if (site == null) {
 			site = createSite(fileURL, getDefaultPolicy());
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.touchpoint.eclipse/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/touchpoint/eclipse/Util.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.touchpoint.eclipse/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/touchpoint/eclipse/Util.java
index 0e2c9dec7..d17c5b6db 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.touchpoint.eclipse/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/touchpoint/eclipse/Util.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.touchpoint.eclipse/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/touchpoint/eclipse/Util.java
@@ -14,8 +14,7 @@ package org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.touchpoint.eclipse;
 
 import java.io.ByteArrayInputStream;
 import java.io.File;
-import java.net.MalformedURLException;
-import java.net.URL;
+import java.net.*;
 import java.util.*;
 import org.eclipse.core.runtime.*;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.core.helpers.*;
@@ -64,24 +63,24 @@ public class Util {
 		return (IArtifactRepositoryManager) ServiceHelper.getService(Activator.getContext(), IArtifactRepositoryManager.class.getName());
 	}
 
-	public static URL getBundlePoolLocation(IProfile profile) {
+	public static URI getBundlePoolLocation(IProfile profile) {
 		String path = profile.getProperty(IProfile.PROP_CACHE);
 		if (path != null)
-			try {
-				// create a file url
-				return new File(path).toURL();
-			} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
-				// unexpected, URLs should be pre-checked
-				LogHelper.log(new Status(IStatus.ERROR, Activator.ID, e.getMessage(), e));
-			}
+			return new File(path).toURI();
 		AgentLocation location = getAgentLocation();
 		if (location == null)
 			return null;
-		return location.getDataArea(Activator.ID);
+		try {
+			return URIUtil.toURI(location.getDataArea(Activator.ID));
+		} catch (URISyntaxException e) {
+			// unexpected, URLs should be pre-checked
+			LogHelper.log(new Status(IStatus.ERROR, Activator.ID, e.getMessage(), e));
+			throw new RuntimeException(e);
+		}
 	}
 
 	public static synchronized IFileArtifactRepository getBundlePoolRepository(IProfile profile) {
-		URL location = getBundlePoolLocation(profile);
+		URI location = getBundlePoolLocation(profile);
 		if (location == null)
 			return null;
 		IArtifactRepositoryManager manager = getArtifactRepositoryManager();
@@ -114,15 +113,12 @@ public class Util {
 			String sharedCache = profile.getProperty(IProfile.PROP_SHARED_CACHE);
 			if (sharedCache != null) {
 				try {
-					URL repoURL = new File(sharedCache).toURL();
-					IArtifactRepository repository = manager.loadRepository(repoURL, null);
+					URI repoLocation = new File(sharedCache).toURI();
+					IArtifactRepository repository = manager.loadRepository(repoLocation, null);
 					if (repository != null && repository instanceof IFileArtifactRepository && !bundleRepositories.contains(repository))
 						bundleRepositories.add(repository);
 				} catch (ProvisionException e) {
 					//skip repository if it could not be read
-				} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
-					// unexpected, URLs should be pre-checked
-					LogHelper.log(new Status(IStatus.ERROR, Activator.ID, e.getMessage(), e));
 				}
 			}
 		}
@@ -138,13 +134,13 @@ public class Util {
 			for (Iterator iterator = repos.iterator(); iterator.hasNext();) {
 				try {
 					String repo = (String) iterator.next();
-					URL repoURL = new URL(repo);
-					IArtifactRepository repository = manager.loadRepository(repoURL, null);
+					URI repoLocation = new URI(repo);
+					IArtifactRepository repository = manager.loadRepository(repoLocation, null);
 					if (repository != null && repository instanceof IFileArtifactRepository && !bundleRepositories.contains(repository))
 						bundleRepositories.add(repository);
 				} catch (ProvisionException e) {
 					//skip repositories that could not be read
-				} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
+				} catch (URISyntaxException e) {
 					// unexpected, URLs should be pre-checked
 					LogHelper.log(new Status(IStatus.ERROR, Activator.ID, e.getMessage(), e));
 				}
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.touchpoint.natives/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/touchpoint/natives/NativeTouchpoint.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.touchpoint.natives/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/touchpoint/natives/NativeTouchpoint.java
index 991725cf4..48f772c2c 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.touchpoint.natives/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/touchpoint/natives/NativeTouchpoint.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.touchpoint.natives/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/touchpoint/natives/NativeTouchpoint.java
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@
 package org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.touchpoint.natives;
 
 import java.io.File;
-import java.net.URL;
+import java.net.URI;
 import java.util.*;
 import org.eclipse.core.runtime.*;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.core.helpers.ServiceHelper;
@@ -162,7 +162,7 @@ public class NativeTouchpoint extends Touchpoint {
 	}
 
 	static private IFileArtifactRepository getDownloadCacheRepo() throws ProvisionException {
-		URL location = getDownloadCacheLocation();
+		URI location = getDownloadCacheLocation();
 		if (location == null)
 			throw new IllegalStateException(Messages.could_not_obtain_download_cache);
 		IArtifactRepositoryManager manager = getArtifactRepositoryManager();
@@ -185,9 +185,9 @@ public class NativeTouchpoint extends Touchpoint {
 		return downloadCache;
 	}
 
-	static private URL getDownloadCacheLocation() {
+	static private URI getDownloadCacheLocation() {
 		AgentLocation location = getAgentLocation();
-		return (location != null ? location.getArtifactRepositoryURL() : null);
+		return (location != null ? location.getArtifactRepositoryURI() : null);
 	}
 
 	public IStatus initializePhase(IProgressMonitor monitor, IProfile profile, String phaseId, Map touchpointParameters) {
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui.admin/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/ui/admin/ArtifactRepositoriesView.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui.admin/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/ui/admin/ArtifactRepositoriesView.java
index df183e6fe..9e1ae8a0f 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui.admin/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/ui/admin/ArtifactRepositoriesView.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui.admin/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/ui/admin/ArtifactRepositoriesView.java
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@
  *******************************************************************************/
 package org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.ui.admin;
 
-import java.net.URL;
+import java.net.URI;
 import java.util.ArrayList;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.ui.admin.dialogs.AddArtifactRepositoryDialog;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.ui.admin.preferences.PreferenceConstants;
@@ -58,12 +58,12 @@ public class ArtifactRepositoriesView extends RepositoriesView {
 	}
 
 	protected ProvisioningOperation getRemoveOperation(Object[] elements) {
-		ArrayList urls = new ArrayList();
+		ArrayList locations = new ArrayList();
 		for (int i = 0; i < elements.length; i++) {
 			if (elements[i] instanceof IRepositoryElement)
-				urls.add(((IRepositoryElement) elements[i]).getLocation());
+				locations.add(((IRepositoryElement) elements[i]).getLocation());
 		}
-		return new RemoveArtifactRepositoryOperation(ProvAdminUIMessages.ArtifactRepositoriesView_RemoveRepositoryOperationLabel, (URL[]) urls.toArray(new URL[urls.size()]));
+		return new RemoveArtifactRepositoryOperation(ProvAdminUIMessages.ArtifactRepositoriesView_RemoveRepositoryOperationLabel, (URI[]) locations.toArray(new URI[locations.size()]));
 	}
 
 	protected int getRepoFlags() {
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui.admin/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/ui/admin/MetadataRepositoriesView.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui.admin/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/ui/admin/MetadataRepositoriesView.java
index 7699c416c..bc29dbb36 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui.admin/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/ui/admin/MetadataRepositoriesView.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui.admin/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/ui/admin/MetadataRepositoriesView.java
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@
 package org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.ui.admin;
 
 import java.lang.reflect.InvocationTargetException;
-import java.net.URL;
+import java.net.URI;
 import java.util.ArrayList;
 import java.util.List;
 import org.eclipse.core.runtime.IProgressMonitor;
@@ -133,12 +133,12 @@ public class MetadataRepositoriesView extends RepositoriesView {
 	}
 
 	protected ProvisioningOperation getRemoveOperation(Object[] elements) {
-		ArrayList urls = new ArrayList();
+		ArrayList locations = new ArrayList();
 		for (int i = 0; i < elements.length; i++) {
 			if (elements[i] instanceof IRepositoryElement)
-				urls.add(((IRepositoryElement) elements[i]).getLocation());
+				locations.add(((IRepositoryElement) elements[i]).getLocation());
 		}
-		return new RemoveMetadataRepositoryOperation(ProvAdminUIMessages.ArtifactRepositoriesView_RemoveRepositoryOperationLabel, (URL[]) urls.toArray(new URL[urls.size()]));
+		return new RemoveMetadataRepositoryOperation(ProvAdminUIMessages.ArtifactRepositoriesView_RemoveRepositoryOperationLabel, (URI[]) locations.toArray(new URI[locations.size()]));
 	}
 
 	protected void makeActions() {
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui.admin/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/ui/admin/dialogs/AddArtifactRepositoryDialog.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui.admin/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/ui/admin/dialogs/AddArtifactRepositoryDialog.java
index c3a37207f..44a7d7b45 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui.admin/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/ui/admin/dialogs/AddArtifactRepositoryDialog.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui.admin/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/ui/admin/dialogs/AddArtifactRepositoryDialog.java
@@ -10,14 +10,14 @@
  *******************************************************************************/
 package org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.ui.admin.dialogs;
 
-import java.net.URL;
+import java.net.URI;
 import org.eclipse.core.runtime.*;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.ui.admin.ProvAdminUIActivator;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.ui.admin.ProvAdminUIMessages;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.core.ProvisionException;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.ui.dialogs.AddRepositoryDialog;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.ui.operations.*;
-import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.ui.policy.URLValidator;
+import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.ui.policy.RepositoryLocationValidator;
 import org.eclipse.swt.widgets.Shell;
 
 /**
@@ -32,22 +32,22 @@ public class AddArtifactRepositoryDialog extends AddRepositoryDialog {
 		super(parentShell, repoFlags);
 	}
 
-	protected ProvisioningOperation getOperation(URL url) {
-		return new AddArtifactRepositoryOperation(ProvAdminUIMessages.AddArtifactRepositoryDialog_OperationLabel, url);
+	protected ProvisioningOperation getOperation(URI location) {
+		return new AddArtifactRepositoryOperation(ProvAdminUIMessages.AddArtifactRepositoryDialog_OperationLabel, location);
 	}
 
-	protected URLValidator createURLValidator() {
-		return new URLValidator() {
-			public IStatus validateRepositoryURL(URL location, boolean contactRepositories, IProgressMonitor monitor) {
+	protected RepositoryLocationValidator createURLValidator() {
+		return new RepositoryLocationValidator() {
+			public IStatus validateRepositoryLocation(URI location, boolean contactRepositories, IProgressMonitor monitor) {
 				IStatus duplicateStatus = Status.OK_STATUS;
-				URL[] knownRepositories;
+				URI[] knownRepositories;
 				try {
 					knownRepositories = ProvisioningUtil.getArtifactRepositories(repoFlag);
 				} catch (ProvisionException e) {
-					knownRepositories = new URL[0];
+					knownRepositories = new URI[0];
 				}
 				for (int i = 0; i < knownRepositories.length; i++) {
-					if (knownRepositories[i].toExternalForm().equalsIgnoreCase(location.toExternalForm())) {
+					if (knownRepositories[i].equals(location)) {
 						duplicateStatus = new Status(IStatus.ERROR, ProvAdminUIActivator.PLUGIN_ID, LOCAL_VALIDATION_ERROR, ProvAdminUIMessages.AddArtifactRepositoryDialog_DuplicateURL, null);
 						break;
 					}
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui.admin/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/ui/admin/dialogs/AddMetadataRepositoryDialog.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui.admin/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/ui/admin/dialogs/AddMetadataRepositoryDialog.java
index d852dc054..7dc22d60c 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui.admin/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/ui/admin/dialogs/AddMetadataRepositoryDialog.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui.admin/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/ui/admin/dialogs/AddMetadataRepositoryDialog.java
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@
  *******************************************************************************/
 package org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.ui.admin.dialogs;
 
-import java.net.URL;
+import java.net.URI;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.ui.admin.ProvAdminUIMessages;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.ui.dialogs.AddRepositoryDialog;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.ui.operations.AddMetadataRepositoryOperation;
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@ public class AddMetadataRepositoryDialog extends AddRepositoryDialog {
 		super(parentShell, repoFlags);
 	}
 
-	protected ProvisioningOperation getOperation(URL url) {
-		return new AddMetadataRepositoryOperation(ProvAdminUIMessages.AddMetadataRepositoryDialog_OperationLabel, url);
+	protected ProvisioningOperation getOperation(URI location) {
+		return new AddMetadataRepositoryOperation(ProvAdminUIMessages.AddMetadataRepositoryDialog_OperationLabel, location);
 	}
 }
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/ui/ColocatedRepositoryManipulator.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/ui/ColocatedRepositoryManipulator.java
index dbaa72d7d..df4af78bb 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/ui/ColocatedRepositoryManipulator.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/ui/ColocatedRepositoryManipulator.java
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@
  *******************************************************************************/
 package org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.ui;
 
-import java.net.URL;
+import java.net.URI;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.core.ProvisionException;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.ui.dialogs.RepositoryManipulationDialog;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.ui.operations.*;
@@ -54,8 +54,8 @@ public class ColocatedRepositoryManipulator extends RepositoryManipulator {
 	 * (non-Javadoc)
 	 * @see org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.ui.policy.RepositoryManipulator#getAddOperation(java.net.URL)
 	 */
-	public ProvisioningOperation getAddOperation(URL repoURL) {
-		return new AddColocatedRepositoryOperation(getAddOperationLabel(), repoURL);
+	public ProvisioningOperation getAddOperation(URI repoLocation) {
+		return new AddColocatedRepositoryOperation(getAddOperationLabel(), repoLocation);
 	}
 
 	/*
@@ -70,11 +70,11 @@ public class ColocatedRepositoryManipulator extends RepositoryManipulator {
 	 * (non-Javadoc)
 	 * @see org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.ui.policy.RepositoryManipulator#getKnownRepositories()
 	 */
-	public URL[] getKnownRepositories() {
+	public URI[] getKnownRepositories() {
 		try {
 			return ProvisioningUtil.getMetadataRepositories(policy.getQueryContext().getMetadataRepositoryFlags());
 		} catch (ProvisionException e) {
-			return new URL[0];
+			return new URI[0];
 		}
 	}
 
@@ -82,7 +82,7 @@ public class ColocatedRepositoryManipulator extends RepositoryManipulator {
 	 * (non-Javadoc)
 	 * @see org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.ui.policy.RepositoryManipulator#getRemoveOperation(java.net.URL[])
 	 */
-	public ProvisioningOperation getRemoveOperation(URL[] reposToRemove) {
+	public ProvisioningOperation getRemoveOperation(URI[] reposToRemove) {
 		return new RemoveColocatedRepositoryOperation(getRemoveOperationLabel(), reposToRemove);
 	}
 
@@ -98,7 +98,7 @@ public class ColocatedRepositoryManipulator extends RepositoryManipulator {
 	 * (non-Javadoc)
 	 * @see org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.ui.policy.RepositoryManipulator#getURLValidator(org.eclipse.swt.widgets.Shell)
 	 */
-	public URLValidator getURLValidator(Shell shell) {
+	public RepositoryLocationValidator getRepositoryLocationValidator(Shell shell) {
 		DefaultMetadataURLValidator validator = new DefaultMetadataURLValidator();
 		validator.setKnownRepositoriesFlag(policy.getQueryContext().getMetadataRepositoryFlags());
 		return validator;
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/ui/DefaultMetadataURLValidator.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/ui/DefaultMetadataURLValidator.java
index fa75d8920..4baced2e0 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/ui/DefaultMetadataURLValidator.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/ui/DefaultMetadataURLValidator.java
@@ -11,18 +11,18 @@
 
 package org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.ui;
 
-import java.net.URL;
+import java.net.URI;
 import org.eclipse.core.runtime.*;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.core.ProvisionException;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.core.repository.IRepositoryManager;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.ui.operations.ProvisioningUtil;
-import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.ui.policy.URLValidator;
+import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.ui.policy.RepositoryLocationValidator;
 
 /**
  * @since 3.4
  *
  */
-public class DefaultMetadataURLValidator extends URLValidator {
+public class DefaultMetadataURLValidator extends RepositoryLocationValidator {
 
 	protected int repoFlag;
 
@@ -37,16 +37,16 @@ public class DefaultMetadataURLValidator extends URLValidator {
 	/* (non-Javadoc)
 	 * @see org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.ui.dialogs.URLValidator#validateRepositoryURL(boolean)
 	 */
-	public IStatus validateRepositoryURL(URL location, boolean contactRepositories, IProgressMonitor monitor) {
+	public IStatus validateRepositoryLocation(URI location, boolean contactRepositories, IProgressMonitor monitor) {
 		IStatus duplicateStatus = Status.OK_STATUS;
-		URL[] knownRepositories;
+		URI[] knownRepositories;
 		try {
 			knownRepositories = ProvisioningUtil.getMetadataRepositories(repoFlag);
 		} catch (ProvisionException e) {
-			knownRepositories = new URL[0];
+			knownRepositories = new URI[0];
 		}
 		for (int i = 0; i < knownRepositories.length; i++) {
-			if (knownRepositories[i].toExternalForm().equalsIgnoreCase(location.toExternalForm())) {
+			if (knownRepositories[i].equals(location)) {
 				duplicateStatus = new Status(IStatus.ERROR, ProvUIActivator.PLUGIN_ID, LOCAL_VALIDATION_ERROR, ProvUIMessages.AddRepositoryDialog_DuplicateURL, null);
 				break;
 			}
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/ui/DefaultQueryProvider.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/ui/DefaultQueryProvider.java
index f993af7c2..f4fcbf64d 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/ui/DefaultQueryProvider.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/ui/DefaultQueryProvider.java
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@
  *******************************************************************************/
 package org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.ui;
 
+import java.net.URI;
 import java.net.URL;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.ui.model.*;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.ui.query.*;
@@ -61,7 +62,7 @@ public class DefaultQueryProvider extends QueryProvider {
 				return new ElementQueryDescriptor(queryable, null, new Collector() {
 					public boolean accept(Object object) {
 						if (object instanceof URL)
-							return super.accept(new ArtifactRepositoryElement(element, (URL) object));
+							return super.accept(new ArtifactRepositoryElement(element, (URI) object));
 						return true;
 					}
 				});
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/ui/dialogs/AddColocatedRepositoryDialog.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/ui/dialogs/AddColocatedRepositoryDialog.java
index 733438d54..cc4da0ad9 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/ui/dialogs/AddColocatedRepositoryDialog.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/ui/dialogs/AddColocatedRepositoryDialog.java
@@ -10,9 +10,8 @@
  *******************************************************************************/
 package org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.ui.dialogs;
 
+import java.net.URI;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.ui.ProvUIMessages;
-
-import java.net.URL;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.ui.dialogs.AddRepositoryDialog;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.ui.operations.AddColocatedRepositoryOperation;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.ui.operations.ProvisioningOperation;
@@ -33,7 +32,7 @@ public class AddColocatedRepositoryDialog extends AddRepositoryDialog {
 
 	}
 
-	protected ProvisioningOperation getOperation(URL url) {
+	protected ProvisioningOperation getOperation(URI url) {
 		return new AddColocatedRepositoryOperation(getShell().getText(), url);
 	}
 }
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/ui/dialogs/RepositoryManipulatorDropTarget.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/ui/dialogs/RepositoryManipulatorDropTarget.java
index 8c67dca53..aef77290b 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/ui/dialogs/RepositoryManipulatorDropTarget.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/ui/dialogs/RepositoryManipulatorDropTarget.java
@@ -1,17 +1,16 @@
 package org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.ui.dialogs;
 
-import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.ui.policy.URLValidator;
-
-import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.ui.policy.RepositoryManipulator;
-
-import java.net.MalformedURLException;
-import java.net.URL;
+import java.net.URI;
+import java.net.URISyntaxException;
 import org.eclipse.core.runtime.*;
 import org.eclipse.core.runtime.jobs.Job;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.ui.ProvUIActivator;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.ui.ProvUIMessages;
-import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.ui.*;
+import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.ui.ProvUI;
+import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.ui.ProvisioningOperationRunner;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.ui.operations.ProvisioningOperation;
+import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.ui.policy.RepositoryManipulator;
+import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.ui.policy.RepositoryLocationValidator;
 import org.eclipse.osgi.util.NLS;
 import org.eclipse.swt.dnd.DND;
 import org.eclipse.swt.dnd.DropTargetEvent;
@@ -41,30 +40,30 @@ public class RepositoryManipulatorDropTarget extends URLDropAdapter {
 
 	protected void handleDrop(String urlText, final DropTargetEvent event) {
 		event.detail = DND.DROP_NONE;
-		final URL[] url = new URL[1];
+		final URI[] location = new URI[1];
 		try {
-			url[0] = new URL(urlText);
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
-			ProvUI.reportStatus(URLValidator.getInvalidURLStatus(urlText), StatusManager.SHOW | StatusManager.LOG);
+			location[0] = new URI(urlText);
+		} catch (URISyntaxException e) {
+			ProvUI.reportStatus(RepositoryLocationValidator.getInvalidURLStatus(urlText), StatusManager.SHOW | StatusManager.LOG);
 			return;
 		}
-		if (url[0] == null)
+		if (location[0] == null)
 			return;
 
 		Job job = new WorkbenchJob(ProvUIMessages.RepositoryManipulatorDropTarget_DragAndDropJobLabel) {
 
 			public IStatus runInUIThread(IProgressMonitor monitor) {
-				IStatus status = manipulator.getURLValidator(control.getShell()).validateRepositoryURL(url[0], false, monitor);
+				IStatus status = manipulator.getRepositoryLocationValidator(control.getShell()).validateRepositoryLocation(location[0], false, monitor);
 				if (status.isOK()) {
-					ProvisioningOperation addOperation = manipulator.getAddOperation(url[0]);
+					ProvisioningOperation addOperation = manipulator.getAddOperation(location[0]);
 					ProvisioningOperationRunner.schedule(addOperation, control.getShell(), StatusManager.SHOW | StatusManager.LOG);
 					event.detail = DND.DROP_LINK;
-				} else if (status.getCode() == URLValidator.ALTERNATE_ACTION_TAKEN) {
+				} else if (status.getCode() == RepositoryLocationValidator.ALTERNATE_ACTION_TAKEN) {
 					event.detail = DND.DROP_COPY;
 				} else if (status.getSeverity() == IStatus.CANCEL) {
 					event.detail = DND.DROP_NONE;
 				} else {
-					status = new MultiStatus(ProvUIActivator.PLUGIN_ID, 0, new IStatus[] {status}, NLS.bind(ProvUIMessages.RepositoryManipulatorDropTarget_DragSourceNotValid, url[0].toExternalForm()), null);
+					status = new MultiStatus(ProvUIActivator.PLUGIN_ID, 0, new IStatus[] {status}, NLS.bind(ProvUIMessages.RepositoryManipulatorDropTarget_DragSourceNotValid, location[0]), null);
 					event.detail = DND.DROP_NONE;
 				}
 				return status;
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/ui/dialogs/StructuredIUGroup.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/ui/dialogs/StructuredIUGroup.java
index 452b34c97..b197ddf89 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/ui/dialogs/StructuredIUGroup.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/ui/dialogs/StructuredIUGroup.java
@@ -41,7 +41,9 @@ public abstract class StructuredIUGroup {
 	/**
 	 * Create a group that represents the available IU's.
 	 * 
+	 * @param policy The application policy to use in the group
 	 * @param parent the parent composite for the group
+	 * to retrieve elements in the viewer.
 	 * @param font The font to use for calculating pixel sizes.  This font is
 	 * not managed by the receiver.
 	 */
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/ui/dialogs/URLDropAdapter.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/ui/dialogs/URLDropAdapter.java
index e3c14a340..321ca9ded 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/ui/dialogs/URLDropAdapter.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/ui/dialogs/URLDropAdapter.java
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@
 
 package org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.ui.dialogs;
 
-import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.ui.policy.URLValidator;
+import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.ui.policy.RepositoryLocationValidator;
 
 import org.eclipse.swt.dnd.*;
 
@@ -62,7 +62,7 @@ public abstract class URLDropAdapter extends DropTargetAdapter {
 		if (convertFileToURL && FileTransfer.getInstance().isSupportedType(event.currentDataType)) {
 			String[] names = (String[]) FileTransfer.getInstance().nativeToJava(event.currentDataType);
 			if (names != null && names.length == 1)
-				return URLValidator.makeJarURLString(names[0]);
+				return RepositoryLocationValidator.makeJarURLString(names[0]);
 		}
 		return null;
 	}
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/ui/model/ArtifactRepositoryElement.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/ui/model/ArtifactRepositoryElement.java
index 187895a27..d92f13c46 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/ui/model/ArtifactRepositoryElement.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/ui/model/ArtifactRepositoryElement.java
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@
  *******************************************************************************/
 package org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.ui.model;
 
-import java.net.URL;
+import java.net.URI;
 import org.eclipse.core.runtime.IProgressMonitor;
 import org.eclipse.core.runtime.jobs.ISchedulingRule;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.ui.ProvUIMessages;
@@ -33,17 +33,17 @@ import org.eclipse.ui.progress.IElementCollector;
  */
 public class ArtifactRepositoryElement extends ProvElement implements IDeferredWorkbenchAdapter, IRepositoryElement {
 
-	URL url;
+	URI location;
 	IArtifactRepository repo;
 	boolean isEnabled;
 
-	public ArtifactRepositoryElement(Object parent, URL url) {
-		this(parent, url, true);
+	public ArtifactRepositoryElement(Object parent, URI location) {
+		this(parent, location, true);
 	}
 
-	public ArtifactRepositoryElement(Object parent, URL url, boolean isEnabled) {
+	public ArtifactRepositoryElement(Object parent, URI location, boolean isEnabled) {
 		super(parent);
-		this.url = url;
+		this.location = location;
 		this.isEnabled = isEnabled;
 	}
 
@@ -76,15 +76,15 @@ public class ArtifactRepositoryElement extends ProvElement implements IDeferredW
 		if (name != null && name.length() > 0) {
 			return name;
 		}
-		return getLocation().toExternalForm();
+		return getLocation().toString();
 	}
 
 	public IRepository getRepository(IProgressMonitor monitor) {
 		if (repo == null)
 			try {
-				repo = ProvisioningUtil.loadArtifactRepository(url, monitor);
+				repo = ProvisioningUtil.loadArtifactRepository(location, monitor);
 			} catch (ProvisionException e) {
-				handleException(e, NLS.bind(ProvUIMessages.MetadataRepositoryElement_RepositoryLoadError, url));
+				handleException(e, NLS.bind(ProvUIMessages.MetadataRepositoryElement_RepositoryLoadError, location));
 			}
 		return repo;
 	}
@@ -108,8 +108,8 @@ public class ArtifactRepositoryElement extends ProvElement implements IDeferredW
 	/* (non-Javadoc)
 	 * @see org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.ui.model.RepositoryElement#getURL()
 	 */
-	public URL getLocation() {
-		return url;
+	public URI getLocation() {
+		return location;
 	}
 
 	/*
@@ -118,7 +118,7 @@ public class ArtifactRepositoryElement extends ProvElement implements IDeferredW
 	 */
 	public String getName() {
 		try {
-			String name = ProvisioningUtil.getArtifactRepositoryProperty(url, IRepository.PROP_NAME);
+			String name = ProvisioningUtil.getArtifactRepositoryProperty(location, IRepository.PROP_NAME);
 			if (name == null)
 				return ""; //$NON-NLS-1$
 			return name;
@@ -133,7 +133,7 @@ public class ArtifactRepositoryElement extends ProvElement implements IDeferredW
 	 */
 	public String getDescription() {
 		try {
-			String description = ProvisioningUtil.getArtifactRepositoryProperty(url, IRepository.PROP_DESCRIPTION);
+			String description = ProvisioningUtil.getArtifactRepositoryProperty(location, IRepository.PROP_DESCRIPTION);
 			if (description == null)
 				return ""; //$NON-NLS-1$
 			return description;
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/ui/model/ElementUtils.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/ui/model/ElementUtils.java
index 93af5abfd..3e390d404 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/ui/model/ElementUtils.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/ui/model/ElementUtils.java
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@
 
 package org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.ui.model;
 
-import java.net.URL;
+import java.net.URI;
 import org.eclipse.core.runtime.*;
 import org.eclipse.core.runtime.jobs.Job;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.ui.ProvUIMessages;
@@ -34,24 +34,24 @@ public class ElementUtils {
 			public IStatus run(IProgressMonitor monitor) {
 				ProvUI.startBatchOperation();
 				try {
-					URL[] currentlyEnabled = ProvisioningUtil.getMetadataRepositories(IRepositoryManager.REPOSITORIES_ALL);
-					URL[] currentlyDisabled = ProvisioningUtil.getMetadataRepositories(IRepositoryManager.REPOSITORIES_DISABLED);
+					URI[] currentlyEnabled = ProvisioningUtil.getMetadataRepositories(IRepositoryManager.REPOSITORIES_ALL);
+					URI[] currentlyDisabled = ProvisioningUtil.getMetadataRepositories(IRepositoryManager.REPOSITORIES_DISABLED);
 					for (int i = 0; i < elements.length; i++) {
-						URL location = elements[i].getLocation();
+						URI location = elements[i].getLocation();
 						if (elements[i].isEnabled()) {
-							if (containsURL(currentlyDisabled, location))
+							if (containsURI(currentlyDisabled, location))
 								// It should be enabled and is not currently
 								ProvisioningUtil.setColocatedRepositoryEnablement(location, true);
-							else if (!containsURL(currentlyEnabled, location)) {
+							else if (!containsURI(currentlyEnabled, location)) {
 								// It is not known as enabled or disabled.  Add it.
 								ProvisioningUtil.addMetadataRepository(location);
 								ProvisioningUtil.addArtifactRepository(location);
 							}
 						} else {
-							if (containsURL(currentlyEnabled, location))
+							if (containsURI(currentlyEnabled, location))
 								// It should be disabled, and is currently enabled
 								ProvisioningUtil.setColocatedRepositoryEnablement(location, false);
-							else if (!containsURL(currentlyDisabled, location)) {
+							else if (!containsURI(currentlyDisabled, location)) {
 								// It is not known as enabled or disabled.  Add it and then disable it.
 								ProvisioningUtil.addMetadataRepository(location);
 								ProvisioningUtil.addArtifactRepository(location);
@@ -70,9 +70,9 @@ public class ElementUtils {
 		job.schedule();
 	}
 
-	static boolean containsURL(URL[] locations, URL url) {
+	static boolean containsURI(URI[] locations, URI url) {
 		for (int i = 0; i < locations.length; i++)
-			if (locations[i].toExternalForm().equals(url.toExternalForm()))
+			if (locations[i].equals(url))
 				return true;
 		return false;
 	}
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/ui/model/MetadataRepositoryElement.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/ui/model/MetadataRepositoryElement.java
index 9911ee073..db173c296 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/ui/model/MetadataRepositoryElement.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/ui/model/MetadataRepositoryElement.java
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@
  *******************************************************************************/
 package org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.ui.model;
 
-import java.net.URL;
+import java.net.URI;
 import org.eclipse.core.runtime.IProgressMonitor;
 import org.eclipse.core.runtime.NullProgressMonitor;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.core.helpers.ServiceHelper;
@@ -38,17 +38,17 @@ import org.eclipse.ui.statushandlers.StatusManager;
  */
 public class MetadataRepositoryElement extends RemoteQueriedElement implements IRepositoryElement {
 
-	URL url;
+	URI location;
 	boolean isEnabled;
 	boolean alreadyReportedNotFound = false;
 
-	public MetadataRepositoryElement(Object parent, URL url) {
-		this(parent, url, true);
+	public MetadataRepositoryElement(Object parent, URI location) {
+		this(parent, location, true);
 	}
 
-	public MetadataRepositoryElement(Object parent, URL url, boolean isEnabled) {
+	public MetadataRepositoryElement(Object parent, URI location, boolean isEnabled) {
 		super(parent);
-		this.url = url;
+		this.location = location;
 		this.isEnabled = isEnabled;
 	}
 
@@ -73,7 +73,7 @@ public class MetadataRepositoryElement extends RemoteQueriedElement implements I
 		if (name != null && name.length() > 0) {
 			return name;
 		}
-		return getLocation().toExternalForm();
+		return getLocation().toString();
 	}
 
 	/*
@@ -94,7 +94,7 @@ public class MetadataRepositoryElement extends RemoteQueriedElement implements I
 	private IMetadataRepository getMetadataRepository(IProgressMonitor monitor) {
 		if (queryable == null)
 			try {
-				queryable = ProvisioningUtil.loadMetadataRepository(url, monitor);
+				queryable = ProvisioningUtil.loadMetadataRepository(location, monitor);
 			} catch (ProvisionException e) {
 				// If repository could not be found, report to the user, but only once.
 				// If the user refreshes the repositories, new elements will be created and
@@ -103,12 +103,12 @@ public class MetadataRepositoryElement extends RemoteQueriedElement implements I
 					if (!alreadyReportedNotFound) {
 						// report the status, not the exception, to the user because we
 						// do not want to show them stack trace and exception detail.
-						ProvUI.reportNotFoundStatus(url, e.getStatus(), StatusManager.SHOW);
+						ProvUI.reportNotFoundStatus(location, e.getStatus(), StatusManager.SHOW);
 						alreadyReportedNotFound = true;
 					}
 				} else
 					// handle other exceptions the normal way
-					handleException(e, NLS.bind(ProvUIMessages.MetadataRepositoryElement_RepositoryLoadError, url));
+					handleException(e, NLS.bind(ProvUIMessages.MetadataRepositoryElement_RepositoryLoadError, location));
 			}
 		return (IMetadataRepository) queryable;
 
@@ -121,14 +121,14 @@ public class MetadataRepositoryElement extends RemoteQueriedElement implements I
 	 * @see org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.ui.query.QueriedElement#knowsQueryable()
 	 */
 	public boolean knowsQueryable() {
-		return url != null;
+		return location != null;
 	}
 
 	/* (non-Javadoc)
 	 * @see org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.ui.model.RepositoryElement#getURL()
 	 */
-	public URL getLocation() {
-		return url;
+	public URI getLocation() {
+		return location;
 	}
 
 	/*
@@ -137,7 +137,7 @@ public class MetadataRepositoryElement extends RemoteQueriedElement implements I
 	 */
 	public String getName() {
 		try {
-			String name = ProvisioningUtil.getMetadataRepositoryProperty(url, IRepository.PROP_NAME);
+			String name = ProvisioningUtil.getMetadataRepositoryProperty(location, IRepository.PROP_NAME);
 			if (name == null)
 				return ""; //$NON-NLS-1$
 			return name;
@@ -154,7 +154,7 @@ public class MetadataRepositoryElement extends RemoteQueriedElement implements I
 		if (alreadyReportedNotFound)
 			return ProvUIMessages.MetadataRepositoryElement_NotFound;
 		try {
-			String description = ProvisioningUtil.getMetadataRepositoryProperty(url, IRepository.PROP_DESCRIPTION);
+			String description = ProvisioningUtil.getMetadataRepositoryProperty(location, IRepository.PROP_DESCRIPTION);
 			if (description == null)
 				return ""; //$NON-NLS-1$
 			return description;
@@ -190,12 +190,12 @@ public class MetadataRepositoryElement extends RemoteQueriedElement implements I
 	public boolean hasQueryable() {
 		if (queryable != null)
 			return true;
-		if (url == null)
+		if (location == null)
 			return false;
 		IMetadataRepositoryManager manager = (IMetadataRepositoryManager) ServiceHelper.getService(ProvUIActivator.getContext(), IMetadataRepositoryManager.class.getName());
 		if (manager == null || !(manager instanceof MetadataRepositoryManager))
 			return false;
-		IMetadataRepository repo = ((MetadataRepositoryManager) manager).getRepository(url);
+		IMetadataRepository repo = ((MetadataRepositoryManager) manager).getRepository(location);
 		if (repo == null)
 			return false;
 		queryable = repo;
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/ui/model/RollbackRepositoryElement.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/ui/model/RollbackRepositoryElement.java
index 5a891c1e0..d43cea39d 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/ui/model/RollbackRepositoryElement.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/ui/model/RollbackRepositoryElement.java
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@
  *******************************************************************************/
 package org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.ui.model;
 
-import java.net.URL;
+import java.net.URI;
 
 /**
  * Element wrapper class for a rollback repository.
@@ -21,8 +21,8 @@ public class RollbackRepositoryElement extends MetadataRepositoryElement {
 
 	String profileId;
 
-	public RollbackRepositoryElement(URL url, String profileId) {
-		super(null, url);
+	public RollbackRepositoryElement(URI location, String profileId) {
+		super(null, location);
 		this.profileId = profileId;
 	}
 
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/ui/query/MetadataRepositoryElementCollector.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/ui/query/MetadataRepositoryElementCollector.java
index 7ad555c4a..71185903e 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/ui/query/MetadataRepositoryElementCollector.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/ui/query/MetadataRepositoryElementCollector.java
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@
  *******************************************************************************/
 package org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.ui.query;
 
-import java.net.URL;
+import java.net.URI;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.ui.model.MetadataRepositoryElement;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.ui.model.QueriedElementCollector;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.query.IQueryable;
@@ -36,8 +36,8 @@ public class MetadataRepositoryElementCollector extends QueriedElementCollector
 	 * or <code>false</code> to indicate the query should stop.
 	 */
 	public boolean accept(Object match) {
-		if (!(match instanceof URL))
+		if (!(match instanceof URI))
 			return true;
-		return super.accept(new MetadataRepositoryElement(parent, (URL) match, ProvisioningUtil.getMetadataRepositoryEnablement((URL) match)));
+		return super.accept(new MetadataRepositoryElement(parent, (URI) match, ProvisioningUtil.getMetadataRepositoryEnablement((URI) match)));
 	}
 }
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/ui/ProvUI.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/ui/ProvUI.java
index 9fab26fd6..41817a034 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/ui/ProvUI.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/ui/ProvUI.java
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@
 package org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.ui;
 
 import java.lang.reflect.InvocationTargetException;
-import java.net.URL;
+import java.net.URI;
 import java.util.*;
 import java.util.List;
 import org.eclipse.core.commands.*;
@@ -53,6 +53,10 @@ public class ProvUI {
 	static ObjectUndoContext provisioningUndoContext;
 	private static final int DEFAULT_COLUMN_WIDTH = 200;
 	private static IUColumnConfig[] iuColumnConfig = new IUColumnConfig[] {new IUColumnConfig(ProvUIMessages.ProvUI_NameColumnTitle, IUColumnConfig.COLUMN_NAME, DEFAULT_COLUMN_WIDTH), new IUColumnConfig(ProvUIMessages.ProvUI_VersionColumnTitle, IUColumnConfig.COLUMN_VERSION, DEFAULT_COLUMN_WIDTH)};
+
+	/**
+	 * List<URI> of repositories that have already been reported to the user as not found.
+	 */
 	private static final List reposNotFound = Collections.synchronizedList(new ArrayList());
 
 	// These values rely on the command markup in org.eclipse.ui.ide that defines the update commands
@@ -90,32 +94,24 @@ public class ProvUI {
 		return status;
 	}
 
-	public static void reportNotFoundStatus(URL url, IStatus status, int style) {
-		if (!hasNotFoundStatusBeenReported(url)) {
-			reposNotFound.add(url);
+	public static void reportNotFoundStatus(URI location, IStatus status, int style) {
+		if (!hasNotFoundStatusBeenReported(location)) {
+			reposNotFound.add(location);
 			reportStatus(status, style);
 		}
 	}
 
 	// This assumes that callers already checked whether it *should*
 	// be reported so that we don't need to loop through the list
-	// when the caller just has done so in order to know whether
-	// to report.
-	public static void notFoundStatusReported(URL url) {
-		reposNotFound.add(url);
+	// when the caller just has done so in order to know whether to report.
+	public static void notFoundStatusReported(URI location) {
+		reposNotFound.add(location);
 	}
 
-	// We don't simply use a set data structure to keep the URLs unique
-	// because using equals() for URLs is notoriously slow
 	// We don't check for things like case variants or end slash variants
 	// because we know that the repository managers already did this.
-	public static boolean hasNotFoundStatusBeenReported(URL url) {
-		synchronized (reposNotFound) {
-			for (int i = 0; i < reposNotFound.size(); i++)
-				if (reposNotFound.get(i) instanceof URL && ((URL) reposNotFound.get(i)).toExternalForm().equals(url.toExternalForm()))
-					return true;
-		}
-		return false;
+	public static boolean hasNotFoundStatusBeenReported(URI location) {
+		return reposNotFound.contains(location);
 	}
 
 	public static void clearRepositoriesNotFound() {
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/ui/QueryableArtifactRepositoryManager.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/ui/QueryableArtifactRepositoryManager.java
index 9273c620a..9dbd1b3db 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/ui/QueryableArtifactRepositoryManager.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/ui/QueryableArtifactRepositoryManager.java
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@
  *******************************************************************************/
 package org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.ui;
 
-import java.net.URL;
+import java.net.URI;
 import org.eclipse.core.runtime.*;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.core.helpers.ServiceHelper;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.ui.ProvUIActivator;
@@ -58,13 +58,13 @@ public class QueryableArtifactRepositoryManager implements IQueryable {
 			ProvUI.reportStatus(new Status(IStatus.ERROR, ProvUIActivator.PLUGIN_ID, ProvUIMessages.ProvisioningUtil_NoRepositoryManager), StatusManager.SHOW | StatusManager.LOG);
 			return result;
 		}
-		URL[] repoURLs = manager.getKnownRepositories(flags);
+		URI[] repoLocations = manager.getKnownRepositories(flags);
 		if (monitor == null)
 			monitor = new NullProgressMonitor();
-		monitor.beginTask(ProvUIMessages.QueryableArtifactRepositoryManager_RepositoryQueryProgress, repoURLs.length);
-		for (int i = 0; i < repoURLs.length; i++) {
-			if (query == null || query.isMatch(repoURLs[i]))
-				result.accept(repoURLs[i]);
+		monitor.beginTask(ProvUIMessages.QueryableArtifactRepositoryManager_RepositoryQueryProgress, repoLocations.length);
+		for (int i = 0; i < repoLocations.length; i++) {
+			if (query == null || query.isMatch(repoLocations[i]))
+				result.accept(repoLocations[i]);
 			monitor.worked(1);
 		}
 		monitor.done();
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/ui/QueryableMetadataRepositoryManager.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/ui/QueryableMetadataRepositoryManager.java
index e82b1d0ec..c30796057 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/ui/QueryableMetadataRepositoryManager.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/ui/QueryableMetadataRepositoryManager.java
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@
  *******************************************************************************/
 package org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.ui;
 
-import java.net.URL;
+import java.net.URI;
 import java.util.*;
 import org.eclipse.core.runtime.*;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.core.helpers.ServiceHelper;
@@ -29,15 +29,23 @@ import org.eclipse.ui.statushandlers.StatusManager;
 /**
  * An object that adds queryable support to a metadata repository 
  * manager.  It can be constructed to iterate over a specific array
- * of repositories named by URL, or filtered according to repository filter
+ * of repositories named by URI, or filtered according to repository filter
  * flags.  When a query is provided, the object being queried is the loaded
  * repository, and collectors should be prepared to accept IInstallableUnits that
- * meet the query criteria.  Callers interested in only the resulting repository URL's 
- * should specify a null query, in which case the collector will be accepting the URL's.
+ * meet the query criteria.  Callers interested in only the resulting repository URI 
+ * should specify a null query, in which case the collector will be accepting the URI's.
  */
 public class QueryableMetadataRepositoryManager implements IQueryable {
+	/**
+	 * List<URI> of locations of repositories that were not found
+	 */
 	private ArrayList notFound = new ArrayList();
+
+	/**
+	 * Map<URI,IMetadataRepository> of loaded repositories.
+	 */
 	private HashMap loaded = new HashMap();
+
 	private MultiStatus accumulatedNotFound = null;
 	private boolean includeDisabledRepos;
 	private Policy policy;
@@ -71,32 +79,32 @@ public class QueryableMetadataRepositoryManager implements IQueryable {
 			ProvUI.reportStatus(new Status(IStatus.ERROR, ProvUIActivator.PLUGIN_ID, ProvUIMessages.ProvisioningUtil_NoRepositoryManager), StatusManager.SHOW | StatusManager.LOG);
 			return result;
 		}
-		List repoURLs = getRepoLocations(manager);
+		List repoLocations = getRepoLocations(manager);
 
-		SubMonitor sub = SubMonitor.convert(monitor, ProvUIMessages.QueryableMetadataRepositoryManager_RepositoryQueryProgress, repoURLs.size() * 2);
+		SubMonitor sub = SubMonitor.convert(monitor, ProvUIMessages.QueryableMetadataRepositoryManager_RepositoryQueryProgress, repoLocations.size() * 2);
 		if (sub.isCanceled())
 			return result;
-		for (int i = 0; i < repoURLs.size(); i++) {
+		for (int i = 0; i < repoLocations.size(); i++) {
 			if (sub.isCanceled())
 				return result;
 			if (query == null) {
-				result.accept(repoURLs.get(i));
+				result.accept(repoLocations.get(i));
 				sub.worked(2);
 			} else {
-				URL url = (URL) repoURLs.get(i);
+				URI location = (URI) repoLocations.get(i);
 				try {
-					Object alreadyLoaded = loaded.get(url.toExternalForm());
+					Object alreadyLoaded = loaded.get(location);
 					IMetadataRepository repo;
 					if (alreadyLoaded == null) {
-						repo = manager.loadRepository(url, sub.newChild(1));
+						repo = manager.loadRepository(location, sub.newChild(1));
 					} else
 						repo = (IMetadataRepository) alreadyLoaded;
 					repo.query(query, result, sub.newChild(1));
 				} catch (ProvisionException e) {
 					if (e.getStatus().getCode() == ProvisionException.REPOSITORY_NOT_FOUND)
-						handleNotFound(e, url);
+						handleNotFound(e, location);
 					else
-						ProvUI.handleException(e, NLS.bind(ProvUIMessages.ProvisioningUtil_LoadRepositoryFailure, repoURLs.get(i)), StatusManager.LOG);
+						ProvUI.handleException(e, NLS.bind(ProvUIMessages.ProvisioningUtil_LoadRepositoryFailure, repoLocations.get(i)), StatusManager.LOG);
 				}
 				reportAccumulatedStatus();
 			}
@@ -114,32 +122,35 @@ public class QueryableMetadataRepositoryManager implements IQueryable {
 			ProvUI.reportStatus(new Status(IStatus.ERROR, ProvUIActivator.PLUGIN_ID, ProvUIMessages.ProvisioningUtil_NoRepositoryManager), StatusManager.SHOW | StatusManager.LOG);
 			return;
 		}
-		List repoURLs = getRepoLocations(manager);
-		SubMonitor sub = SubMonitor.convert(monitor, ProvUIMessages.QueryableMetadataRepositoryManager_RepositoryQueryProgress, repoURLs.size());
+		List repoLocations = getRepoLocations(manager);
+		SubMonitor sub = SubMonitor.convert(monitor, ProvUIMessages.QueryableMetadataRepositoryManager_RepositoryQueryProgress, repoLocations.size());
 		if (sub.isCanceled())
 			return;
-		for (int i = 0; i < repoURLs.size(); i++) {
+		for (int i = 0; i < repoLocations.size(); i++) {
 			if (sub.isCanceled())
 				return;
-			URL url = (URL) repoURLs.get(i);
+			URI location = (URI) repoLocations.get(i);
 			try {
-				Object repo = loaded.get(url.toExternalForm());
+				Object repo = loaded.get(location);
 				if (repo == null) {
 					SubMonitor mon = sub.newChild(1);
-					mon.setTaskName(NLS.bind(ProvUIMessages.QueryableMetadataRepositoryManager_LoadRepositoryProgress, url.toExternalForm()));
-					loaded.put(url.toExternalForm(), manager.loadRepository(url, mon));
+					mon.setTaskName(NLS.bind(ProvUIMessages.QueryableMetadataRepositoryManager_LoadRepositoryProgress, location.toString()));
+					loaded.put(location, manager.loadRepository(location, mon));
 				}
 			} catch (ProvisionException e) {
 				if (e.getStatus().getCode() == ProvisionException.REPOSITORY_NOT_FOUND)
-					handleNotFound(e, url);
+					handleNotFound(e, location);
 				else
-					ProvUI.handleException(e, NLS.bind(ProvUIMessages.ProvisioningUtil_LoadRepositoryFailure, repoURLs.get(i)), StatusManager.LOG);
+					ProvUI.handleException(e, NLS.bind(ProvUIMessages.ProvisioningUtil_LoadRepositoryFailure, repoLocations.get(i)), StatusManager.LOG);
 			}
 		}
 		reportAccumulatedStatus();
 
 	}
 
+	/**
+	 * Returns a List<URI> of repository locations.
+	 */
 	private List getRepoLocations(IMetadataRepositoryManager manager) {
 		ArrayList locations = new ArrayList();
 		locations.addAll(Arrays.asList(manager.getKnownRepositories(policy.getQueryContext().getMetadataRepositoryFlags())));
@@ -149,18 +160,18 @@ public class QueryableMetadataRepositoryManager implements IQueryable {
 		return locations;
 	}
 
-	private void handleNotFound(ProvisionException e, URL missingRepo) {
+	private void handleNotFound(ProvisionException e, URI missingRepo) {
 		// If we thought we had loaded it, get rid of the reference
-		loaded.remove(missingRepo.toExternalForm());
+		loaded.remove(missingRepo);
 		// If we've already reported a URL is not found, don't report again.
-		if (notFound.contains(missingRepo.toExternalForm()))
+		if (notFound.contains(missingRepo))
 			return;
 		// If someone else reported a URL is not found, don't report again.
 		if (ProvUI.hasNotFoundStatusBeenReported(missingRepo)) {
-			notFound.add(missingRepo.toExternalForm());
+			notFound.add(missingRepo);
 			return;
 		}
-		notFound.add(missingRepo.toExternalForm());
+		notFound.add(missingRepo);
 		ProvUI.notFoundStatusReported(missingRepo);
 		// Empty multi statuses have a severity OK.  The platform status handler doesn't handle
 		// this well.  We correct this by recreating a status with error severity
@@ -208,8 +219,8 @@ public class QueryableMetadataRepositoryManager implements IQueryable {
 		MetadataRepositoryManager mgr = (MetadataRepositoryManager) manager;
 		List repoURLs = getRepoLocations(mgr);
 		for (int i = 0; i < repoURLs.size(); i++) {
-			if (repoURLs.get(i) instanceof URL) {
-				IMetadataRepository repo = mgr.getRepository((URL) repoURLs.get(i));
+			if (repoURLs.get(i) instanceof URI) {
+				IMetadataRepository repo = mgr.getRepository((URI) repoURLs.get(i));
 				if (repo == null)
 					return false;
 			}
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/ui/UpdateManagerCompatibility.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/ui/UpdateManagerCompatibility.java
index 059b0da8f..6f22b599a 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/ui/UpdateManagerCompatibility.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/ui/UpdateManagerCompatibility.java
@@ -11,8 +11,8 @@
 package org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.ui;
 
 import java.io.*;
-import java.net.MalformedURLException;
-import java.net.URL;
+import java.net.URI;
+import java.net.URISyntaxException;
 import java.util.ArrayList;
 import java.util.Vector;
 import javax.xml.parsers.*;
@@ -96,10 +96,10 @@ public class UpdateManagerCompatibility {
 	}
 
 	private static void createSite(Node child, Vector bookmarks) {
-		URL url = null;
+		URI url = null;
 		try {
-			url = new URL(getAttribute(child, "url")); //$NON-NLS-1$
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
+			url = new URI(getAttribute(child, "url")); //$NON-NLS-1$
+		} catch (URISyntaxException e) {
 			logFail(e);
 			return;
 		}
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/ui/actions/ColocatedRepositoryAction.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/ui/actions/ColocatedRepositoryAction.java
index f14ebfbc4..7f9a53b61 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/ui/actions/ColocatedRepositoryAction.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/ui/actions/ColocatedRepositoryAction.java
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@
 
 package org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.ui.actions;
 
-import java.net.URL;
+import java.net.URI;
 import java.util.ArrayList;
 import java.util.List;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.ui.model.MetadataRepositoryElement;
@@ -34,16 +34,16 @@ public abstract class ColocatedRepositoryAction extends ProvisioningAction {
 
 	protected abstract ProvisioningOperation getOperation();
 
-	protected URL[] getSelectedURLs(Object[] selectionArray) {
+	protected URI[] getSelectedLocations(Object[] selectionArray) {
 		List urls = new ArrayList();
 		for (int i = 0; i < selectionArray.length; i++) {
 			if (selectionArray[i] instanceof MetadataRepositoryElement)
 				urls.add(((MetadataRepositoryElement) selectionArray[i]).getLocation());
 		}
-		return (URL[]) urls.toArray(new URL[urls.size()]);
+		return (URI[]) urls.toArray(new URI[urls.size()]);
 	}
 
 	protected void checkEnablement(Object[] selectionArray) {
-		setEnabled(getSelectedURLs(selectionArray).length > 0);
+		setEnabled(getSelectedLocations(selectionArray).length > 0);
 	}
 }
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/ui/actions/RemoveColocatedRepositoryAction.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/ui/actions/RemoveColocatedRepositoryAction.java
index 4ede33b65..00e008ce6 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/ui/actions/RemoveColocatedRepositoryAction.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/ui/actions/RemoveColocatedRepositoryAction.java
@@ -12,7 +12,6 @@
 package org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.ui.actions;
 
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.ui.ProvUIMessages;
-
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.ui.operations.ProvisioningOperation;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.ui.operations.RemoveColocatedRepositoryOperation;
 import org.eclipse.jface.viewers.ISelectionProvider;
@@ -25,6 +24,6 @@ public class RemoveColocatedRepositoryAction extends ColocatedRepositoryAction {
 	}
 
 	protected ProvisioningOperation getOperation() {
-		return new RemoveColocatedRepositoryOperation(ProvUIMessages.RemoveColocatedRepositoryAction_OperationLabel, getSelectedURLs(getStructuredSelection().toArray()));
+		return new RemoveColocatedRepositoryOperation(ProvUIMessages.RemoveColocatedRepositoryAction_OperationLabel, getSelectedLocations(getStructuredSelection().toArray()));
 	}
 }
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/ui/dialogs/AddRepositoryDialog.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/ui/dialogs/AddRepositoryDialog.java
index fb6b68c4c..9c4ddbdce 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/ui/dialogs/AddRepositoryDialog.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/ui/dialogs/AddRepositoryDialog.java
@@ -10,21 +10,18 @@
  *******************************************************************************/
 package org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.ui.dialogs;
 
-import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.ui.policy.URLValidator;
-
-import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.ui.dialogs.TextURLDropAdapter;
-
-import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.ui.DefaultMetadataURLValidator;
-
-import java.net.MalformedURLException;
-import java.net.URL;
+import java.net.URI;
+import java.net.URISyntaxException;
 import org.eclipse.core.runtime.IStatus;
 import org.eclipse.core.runtime.Status;
-import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.ui.ProvUIActivator;
-import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.ui.ProvUIMessages;
+import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.core.helpers.URIUtil;
+import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.ui.*;
+import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.ui.DefaultMetadataURLValidator;
+import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.ui.dialogs.TextURLDropAdapter;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.ui.IProvHelpContextIds;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.ui.ProvisioningOperationRunner;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.ui.operations.ProvisioningOperation;
+import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.ui.policy.RepositoryLocationValidator;
 import org.eclipse.jface.dialogs.*;
 import org.eclipse.jface.dialogs.Dialog;
 import org.eclipse.swt.SWT;
@@ -50,7 +47,7 @@ public abstract class AddRepositoryDialog extends StatusDialog {
 
 	Button okButton;
 	Text url;
-	URLValidator urlValidator;
+	RepositoryLocationValidator urlValidator;
 	static final String[] ARCHIVE_EXTENSIONS = new String[] {"*.jar;*.zip"}; //$NON-NLS-1$ 
 	static String lastLocalLocation = null;
 	static String lastArchiveLocation = null;
@@ -115,7 +112,7 @@ public abstract class AddRepositoryDialog extends StatusDialog {
 				String path = dialog.open();
 				if (path != null) {
 					lastLocalLocation = path;
-					url.setText(URLValidator.makeFileURLString(path));
+					url.setText(RepositoryLocationValidator.makeFileURLString(path));
 					validateRepositoryURL(false);
 				}
 			}
@@ -132,7 +129,7 @@ public abstract class AddRepositoryDialog extends StatusDialog {
 				String path = dialog.open();
 				if (path != null) {
 					lastArchiveLocation = path;
-					url.setText(URLValidator.makeJarURLString(path));
+					url.setText(RepositoryLocationValidator.makeJarURLString(path));
 					validateRepositoryURL(false);
 				}
 			}
@@ -142,13 +139,13 @@ public abstract class AddRepositoryDialog extends StatusDialog {
 		return comp;
 	}
 
-	protected URLValidator createURLValidator() {
+	protected RepositoryLocationValidator createURLValidator() {
 		DefaultMetadataURLValidator validator = new DefaultMetadataURLValidator();
 		validator.setKnownRepositoriesFlag(repoFlag);
 		return validator;
 	}
 
-	protected URLValidator getURLValidator() {
+	protected RepositoryLocationValidator getURLValidator() {
 		return urlValidator;
 	}
 
@@ -160,30 +157,30 @@ public abstract class AddRepositoryDialog extends StatusDialog {
 	}
 
 	/**
-	 * Get the URL as currently typed in by the user.  Return null if there
+	 * Get the repository location as currently typed in by the user.  Return null if there
 	 * is a problem with the URL.
 	 * 
 	 * @return the URL currently typed in by the user.
 	 */
-	protected URL getUserURL() {
-		URL userURL;
+	protected URI getUserLocation() {
+		URI userLocation;
 		try {
-			userURL = new URL(url.getText().trim());
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
+			userLocation = URIUtil.fromString(url.getText().trim());
+		} catch (URISyntaxException e) {
 			return null;
 		}
-		return userURL;
+		return userLocation;
 	}
 
 	protected IStatus addRepository() {
 		IStatus status = validateRepositoryURL(false);
 		if (status.isOK()) {
-			ProvisioningOperationRunner.schedule(getOperation(getUserURL()), getShell(), StatusManager.SHOW | StatusManager.LOG);
+			ProvisioningOperationRunner.schedule(getOperation(getUserLocation()), getShell(), StatusManager.SHOW | StatusManager.LOG);
 		}
 		return status;
 	}
 
-	protected abstract ProvisioningOperation getOperation(URL repoURL);
+	protected abstract ProvisioningOperation getOperation(URI repositoryLocation);
 
 	/**
 	 * Validate the repository URL, returning a status that is appropriate
@@ -195,16 +192,16 @@ public abstract class AddRepositoryDialog extends StatusDialog {
 		if (url == null || url.isDisposed())
 			return Status.OK_STATUS;
 		final IStatus[] status = new IStatus[1];
-		status[0] = URLValidator.getInvalidURLStatus(url.getText().trim());
-		final URL userURL = getUserURL();
+		status[0] = RepositoryLocationValidator.getInvalidURLStatus(url.getText().trim());
+		final URI userLocation = getUserLocation();
 		if (url.getText().length() == 0)
-			status[0] = new Status(IStatus.ERROR, ProvUIActivator.PLUGIN_ID, URLValidator.LOCAL_VALIDATION_ERROR, ProvUIMessages.RepositoryGroup_URLRequired, null);
-		else if (userURL == null)
-			status[0] = new Status(IStatus.ERROR, ProvUIActivator.PLUGIN_ID, URLValidator.LOCAL_VALIDATION_ERROR, ProvUIMessages.AddRepositoryDialog_InvalidURL, null);
+			status[0] = new Status(IStatus.ERROR, ProvUIActivator.PLUGIN_ID, RepositoryLocationValidator.LOCAL_VALIDATION_ERROR, ProvUIMessages.RepositoryGroup_URLRequired, null);
+		else if (userLocation == null)
+			status[0] = new Status(IStatus.ERROR, ProvUIActivator.PLUGIN_ID, RepositoryLocationValidator.LOCAL_VALIDATION_ERROR, ProvUIMessages.AddRepositoryDialog_InvalidURL, null);
 		else {
 			BusyIndicator.showWhile(getShell().getDisplay(), new Runnable() {
 				public void run() {
-					status[0] = getURLValidator().validateRepositoryURL(userURL, contactRepositories, null);
+					status[0] = getURLValidator().validateRepositoryLocation(userLocation, contactRepositories, null);
 				}
 			});
 
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/ui/dialogs/AvailableIUGroup.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/ui/dialogs/AvailableIUGroup.java
index 36e2fbb10..41a40ad2f 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/ui/dialogs/AvailableIUGroup.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/ui/dialogs/AvailableIUGroup.java
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@
  *******************************************************************************/
 package org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.ui.dialogs;
 
-import java.net.URL;
+import java.net.URI;
 import java.util.ArrayList;
 import java.util.List;
 import org.eclipse.core.runtime.*;
@@ -292,7 +292,7 @@ public class AvailableIUGroup extends StructuredIUGroup {
 	 * Refresh the available view completely.
 	 */
 	public void refresh() {
-		URL[] urls = provisioningContext.getMetadataRepositories();
+		URI[] urls = provisioningContext.getMetadataRepositories();
 		ProvisioningOperation op;
 		if (urls == null)
 			op = new RefreshColocatedRepositoriesOperation(ProvUIMessages.AvailableIUGroup_RefreshOperationLabel, refreshRepoFlags);
@@ -306,7 +306,7 @@ public class AvailableIUGroup extends StructuredIUGroup {
 	/*
 	 * Make the repository with the specified location visible in the viewer.
 	 */
-	void makeRepositoryVisible(final URL location) {
+	void makeRepositoryVisible(final URI location) {
 		// First reset the input so that the new repo shows up
 		display.asyncExec(new Runnable() {
 			public void run() {
@@ -324,7 +324,7 @@ public class AvailableIUGroup extends StructuredIUGroup {
 		// We don't know if loading will be a fast or slow operation.
 		// We do it in a job to be safe, and when it's done, we update
 		// the UI.
-		Job job = new Job(NLS.bind(ProvUIMessages.AvailableIUGroup_LoadingRepository, location.toExternalForm())) {
+		Job job = new Job(NLS.bind(ProvUIMessages.AvailableIUGroup_LoadingRepository, location.toString())) {
 			protected IStatus run(IProgressMonitor monitor) {
 				try {
 					ProvisioningUtil.loadMetadataRepository(location, null);
@@ -353,8 +353,8 @@ public class AvailableIUGroup extends StructuredIUGroup {
 									TreeItem[] items = tree.getItems();
 									for (int i = 0; i < items.length; i++) {
 										if (items[i].getData() instanceof IRepositoryElement) {
-											URL url = ((IRepositoryElement) items[i].getData()).getLocation();
-											if (url.toExternalForm().equals(location.toExternalForm())) {
+											URI url = ((IRepositoryElement) items[i].getData()).getLocation();
+											if (url.equals(location)) {
 												treeViewer.expandToLevel(items[i].getData(), AbstractTreeViewer.ALL_LEVELS);
 												tree.select(items[i]);
 												return;
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/ui/dialogs/RepositoryPropertyPage.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/ui/dialogs/RepositoryPropertyPage.java
index f7611fb92..23f7a1a14 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/ui/dialogs/RepositoryPropertyPage.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/ui/dialogs/RepositoryPropertyPage.java
@@ -10,10 +10,9 @@
  *******************************************************************************/
 package org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.ui.dialogs;
 
-import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.ui.model.IRepositoryElement;
-
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.ui.ProvUIMessages;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.ui.ProvUI;
+import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.ui.model.IRepositoryElement;
 import org.eclipse.jface.dialogs.Dialog;
 import org.eclipse.swt.SWT;
 import org.eclipse.swt.layout.GridData;
@@ -81,7 +80,7 @@ public class RepositoryPropertyPage extends PropertyPage {
 		// Shouldn't happen since we checked this before creating any controls
 		if (repositoryElement == null)
 			return;
-		url.setText(repositoryElement.getLocation().toExternalForm());
+		url.setText(repositoryElement.getLocation().toString());
 		name.setText(repositoryElement.getName());
 		description.setText(repositoryElement.getDescription());
 	}
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/ui/model/IRepositoryElement.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/ui/model/IRepositoryElement.java
index 53c84440b..39f455c9b 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/ui/model/IRepositoryElement.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/ui/model/IRepositoryElement.java
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@
  *******************************************************************************/
 package org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.ui.model;
 
-import java.net.URL;
+import java.net.URI;
 import org.eclipse.core.runtime.IProgressMonitor;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.core.repository.IRepository;
 
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.core.repository.IRepository;
  */
 public interface IRepositoryElement {
 
-	public URL getLocation();
+	public URI getLocation();
 
 	public String getName();
 
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/ui/operations/AddArtifactRepositoryOperation.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/ui/operations/AddArtifactRepositoryOperation.java
index 4b7e43a33..26b0f2c51 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/ui/operations/AddArtifactRepositoryOperation.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/ui/operations/AddArtifactRepositoryOperation.java
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@
  *******************************************************************************/
 package org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.ui.operations;
 
-import java.net.URL;
+import java.net.URI;
 import org.eclipse.core.runtime.*;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.core.ProvisionException;
 
@@ -23,21 +23,21 @@ public class AddArtifactRepositoryOperation extends RepositoryOperation {
 
 	boolean added = false;
 
-	public AddArtifactRepositoryOperation(String label, URL url) {
-		super(label, new URL[] {url});
+	public AddArtifactRepositoryOperation(String label, URI location) {
+		super(label, new URI[] {location});
 	}
 
 	protected IStatus doBatchedExecute(IProgressMonitor monitor, IAdaptable uiInfo) throws ProvisionException {
-		for (int i = 0; i < urls.length; i++) {
-			ProvisioningUtil.addArtifactRepository(urls[i]);
+		for (int i = 0; i < locations.length; i++) {
+			ProvisioningUtil.addArtifactRepository(locations[i]);
 		}
 		added = true;
 		return okStatus();
 	}
 
 	protected IStatus doBatchedUndo(IProgressMonitor monitor, IAdaptable uiInfo) throws ProvisionException {
-		for (int i = 0; i < urls.length; i++) {
-			ProvisioningUtil.removeArtifactRepository(urls[i], monitor);
+		for (int i = 0; i < locations.length; i++) {
+			ProvisioningUtil.removeArtifactRepository(locations[i], monitor);
 		}
 		// assume the best if no exception is thrown;
 		added = false;
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/ui/operations/AddColocatedRepositoryOperation.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/ui/operations/AddColocatedRepositoryOperation.java
index 01f2161ef..b78984c77 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/ui/operations/AddColocatedRepositoryOperation.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/ui/operations/AddColocatedRepositoryOperation.java
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@
  *******************************************************************************/
 package org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.ui.operations;
 
-import java.net.URL;
+import java.net.URI;
 import org.eclipse.core.runtime.*;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.core.ProvisionException;
 
@@ -24,27 +24,27 @@ public class AddColocatedRepositoryOperation extends RepositoryOperation {
 
 	boolean added = false;
 
-	public AddColocatedRepositoryOperation(String label, URL url) {
-		super(label, new URL[] {url});
+	public AddColocatedRepositoryOperation(String label, URI url) {
+		super(label, new URI[] {url});
 	}
 
-	public AddColocatedRepositoryOperation(String label, URL[] urls) {
+	public AddColocatedRepositoryOperation(String label, URI[] urls) {
 		super(label, urls);
 	}
 
 	protected IStatus doBatchedExecute(IProgressMonitor monitor, IAdaptable uiInfo) throws ProvisionException {
-		for (int i = 0; i < urls.length; i++) {
-			ProvisioningUtil.addMetadataRepository(urls[i]);
-			ProvisioningUtil.addArtifactRepository(urls[i]);
+		for (int i = 0; i < locations.length; i++) {
+			ProvisioningUtil.addMetadataRepository(locations[i]);
+			ProvisioningUtil.addArtifactRepository(locations[i]);
 		}
 		added = true;
 		return okStatus();
 	}
 
 	protected IStatus doBatchedUndo(IProgressMonitor monitor, IAdaptable uiInfo) throws ProvisionException {
-		for (int i = 0; i < urls.length; i++) {
-			ProvisioningUtil.removeMetadataRepository(urls[i], monitor);
-			ProvisioningUtil.removeArtifactRepository(urls[i], monitor);
+		for (int i = 0; i < locations.length; i++) {
+			ProvisioningUtil.removeMetadataRepository(locations[i], monitor);
+			ProvisioningUtil.removeArtifactRepository(locations[i], monitor);
 		}
 		added = false;
 		return okStatus();
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/ui/operations/AddMetadataRepositoryOperation.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/ui/operations/AddMetadataRepositoryOperation.java
index 400e117db..1ef06425d 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/ui/operations/AddMetadataRepositoryOperation.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/ui/operations/AddMetadataRepositoryOperation.java
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@
  *******************************************************************************/
 package org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.ui.operations;
 
-import java.net.URL;
+import java.net.URI;
 import org.eclipse.core.runtime.*;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.core.ProvisionException;
 
@@ -23,21 +23,21 @@ public class AddMetadataRepositoryOperation extends RepositoryOperation {
 
 	boolean added = false;
 
-	public AddMetadataRepositoryOperation(String label, URL url) {
-		super(label, new URL[] {url});
+	public AddMetadataRepositoryOperation(String label, URI location) {
+		super(label, new URI[] {location});
 	}
 
 	protected IStatus doBatchedExecute(IProgressMonitor monitor, IAdaptable uiInfo) throws ProvisionException {
-		for (int i = 0; i < urls.length; i++) {
-			ProvisioningUtil.addMetadataRepository(urls[i]);
+		for (int i = 0; i < locations.length; i++) {
+			ProvisioningUtil.addMetadataRepository(locations[i]);
 		}
 		added = true;
 		return okStatus();
 	}
 
 	protected IStatus doBatchedUndo(IProgressMonitor monitor, IAdaptable uiInfo) throws ProvisionException {
-		for (int i = 0; i < urls.length; i++) {
-			ProvisioningUtil.removeMetadataRepository(urls[i], monitor);
+		for (int i = 0; i < locations.length; i++) {
+			ProvisioningUtil.removeMetadataRepository(locations[i], monitor);
 		}
 		added = false;
 		return okStatus();
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/ui/operations/ProvisioningUtil.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/ui/operations/ProvisioningUtil.java
index 6e65adebb..377f5779d 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/ui/operations/ProvisioningUtil.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/ui/operations/ProvisioningUtil.java
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@
 
 package org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.ui.operations;
 
-import java.net.URL;
+import java.net.URI;
 import java.util.ArrayList;
 import java.util.Map;
 import org.eclipse.core.runtime.*;
@@ -36,49 +36,49 @@ import org.eclipse.osgi.util.NLS;
  */
 public class ProvisioningUtil {
 
-	public static void addMetadataRepository(URL location) throws ProvisionException {
+	public static void addMetadataRepository(URI location) throws ProvisionException {
 		IMetadataRepositoryManager manager = (IMetadataRepositoryManager) ServiceHelper.getService(ProvUIActivator.getContext(), IMetadataRepositoryManager.class.getName());
 		if (manager == null)
 			throw new ProvisionException(ProvUIMessages.ProvisioningUtil_NoRepositoryManager);
 		manager.addRepository(location);
 	}
 
-	public static String getMetadataRepositoryProperty(URL location, String key) throws ProvisionException {
+	public static String getMetadataRepositoryProperty(URI location, String key) throws ProvisionException {
 		IMetadataRepositoryManager manager = (IMetadataRepositoryManager) ServiceHelper.getService(ProvUIActivator.getContext(), IMetadataRepositoryManager.class.getName());
 		if (manager == null)
 			throw new ProvisionException(ProvUIMessages.ProvisioningUtil_NoRepositoryManager);
 		return manager.getRepositoryProperty(location, key);
 	}
 
-	public static boolean getMetadataRepositoryEnablement(URL location) {
+	public static boolean getMetadataRepositoryEnablement(URI location) {
 		IMetadataRepositoryManager manager = (IMetadataRepositoryManager) ServiceHelper.getService(ProvUIActivator.getContext(), IMetadataRepositoryManager.class.getName());
 		if (manager == null)
 			return false;
 		return manager.isEnabled(location);
 	}
 
-	public static boolean getArtifactRepositoryEnablement(URL location) {
+	public static boolean getArtifactRepositoryEnablement(URI location) {
 		IArtifactRepositoryManager manager = (IArtifactRepositoryManager) ServiceHelper.getService(ProvUIActivator.getContext(), IArtifactRepositoryManager.class.getName());
 		if (manager == null)
 			return false;
 		return manager.isEnabled(location);
 	}
 
-	public static IMetadataRepository loadMetadataRepository(URL location, IProgressMonitor monitor) throws ProvisionException {
+	public static IMetadataRepository loadMetadataRepository(URI location, IProgressMonitor monitor) throws ProvisionException {
 		IMetadataRepositoryManager manager = (IMetadataRepositoryManager) ServiceHelper.getService(ProvUIActivator.getContext(), IMetadataRepositoryManager.class.getName());
 		if (manager == null)
 			throw new ProvisionException(ProvUIMessages.ProvisioningUtil_NoRepositoryManager);
 		return manager.loadRepository(location, monitor);
 	}
 
-	public static IStatus validateMetadataRepositoryLocation(URL location, IProgressMonitor monitor) {
+	public static IStatus validateMetadataRepositoryLocation(URI location, IProgressMonitor monitor) {
 		IMetadataRepositoryManager manager = (IMetadataRepositoryManager) ServiceHelper.getService(ProvUIActivator.getContext(), IMetadataRepositoryManager.class.getName());
 		if (manager == null)
 			return new Status(IStatus.ERROR, ProvUIActivator.PLUGIN_ID, ProvUIMessages.ProvisioningUtil_NoRepositoryManager);
 		return manager.validateRepositoryLocation(location, monitor);
 	}
 
-	public static URL getRollbackRepositoryURL() throws ProvisionException {
+	public static URI getRollbackRepositoryURL() throws ProvisionException {
 		IDirector director = getDirector();
 		IMetadataRepositoryManager manager = (IMetadataRepositoryManager) ServiceHelper.getService(ProvUIActivator.getContext(), IMetadataRepositoryManager.class.getName());
 		if (manager == null)
@@ -86,7 +86,7 @@ public class ProvisioningUtil {
 		return director.getRollbackRepositoryLocation();
 	}
 
-	public static void removeMetadataRepository(URL location, IProgressMonitor monitor) throws ProvisionException {
+	public static void removeMetadataRepository(URI location, IProgressMonitor monitor) throws ProvisionException {
 		IMetadataRepositoryManager manager = (IMetadataRepositoryManager) ServiceHelper.getService(ProvUIActivator.getContext(), IMetadataRepositoryManager.class.getName());
 		if (manager == null) {
 			throw new ProvisionException(ProvUIMessages.ProvisioningUtil_NoRepositoryManager);
@@ -94,7 +94,7 @@ public class ProvisioningUtil {
 		manager.removeRepository(location);
 	}
 
-	public static void addArtifactRepository(URL location) throws ProvisionException {
+	public static void addArtifactRepository(URI location) throws ProvisionException {
 		IArtifactRepositoryManager manager = (IArtifactRepositoryManager) ServiceHelper.getService(ProvUIActivator.getContext(), IArtifactRepositoryManager.class.getName());
 		if (manager == null) {
 			throw new ProvisionException(ProvUIMessages.ProvisioningUtil_NoRepositoryManager);
@@ -102,7 +102,7 @@ public class ProvisioningUtil {
 		manager.addRepository(location);
 	}
 
-	public static String getArtifactRepositoryProperty(URL location, String key) throws ProvisionException {
+	public static String getArtifactRepositoryProperty(URI location, String key) throws ProvisionException {
 		IArtifactRepositoryManager manager = (IArtifactRepositoryManager) ServiceHelper.getService(ProvUIActivator.getContext(), IArtifactRepositoryManager.class.getName());
 		if (manager == null) {
 			throw new ProvisionException(ProvUIMessages.ProvisioningUtil_NoRepositoryManager);
@@ -110,18 +110,18 @@ public class ProvisioningUtil {
 		return manager.getRepositoryProperty(location, key);
 	}
 
-	public static IArtifactRepository loadArtifactRepository(URL location, IProgressMonitor monitor) throws ProvisionException {
+	public static IArtifactRepository loadArtifactRepository(URI location, IProgressMonitor monitor) throws ProvisionException {
 		IArtifactRepositoryManager manager = (IArtifactRepositoryManager) ServiceHelper.getService(ProvUIActivator.getContext(), IArtifactRepositoryManager.class.getName());
 		if (manager == null)
 			throw new ProvisionException(ProvUIMessages.ProvisioningUtil_NoRepositoryManager);
 		IArtifactRepository repo = manager.loadRepository(location, monitor);
 		if (repo == null) {
-			throw new ProvisionException(NLS.bind(ProvUIMessages.ProvisioningUtil_LoadRepositoryFailure, location.toExternalForm()));
+			throw new ProvisionException(NLS.bind(ProvUIMessages.ProvisioningUtil_LoadRepositoryFailure, location));
 		}
 		return repo;
 	}
 
-	public static void removeArtifactRepository(URL location, IProgressMonitor monitor) throws ProvisionException {
+	public static void removeArtifactRepository(URI location, IProgressMonitor monitor) throws ProvisionException {
 		IArtifactRepositoryManager manager = (IArtifactRepositoryManager) ServiceHelper.getService(ProvUIActivator.getContext(), IArtifactRepositoryManager.class.getName());
 		if (manager == null) {
 			throw new ProvisionException(ProvUIMessages.ProvisioningUtil_NoRepositoryManager);
@@ -161,7 +161,7 @@ public class ProvisioningUtil {
 		return profileRegistry.getProfile(id);
 	}
 
-	public static URL[] getMetadataRepositories(int flags) throws ProvisionException {
+	public static URI[] getMetadataRepositories(int flags) throws ProvisionException {
 		IMetadataRepositoryManager manager = (IMetadataRepositoryManager) ServiceHelper.getService(ProvUIActivator.getContext(), IMetadataRepositoryManager.class.getName());
 		if (manager == null) {
 			throw new ProvisionException(ProvUIMessages.ProvisioningUtil_NoRepositoryManager);
@@ -169,7 +169,7 @@ public class ProvisioningUtil {
 		return manager.getKnownRepositories(flags);
 	}
 
-	public static void refreshMetadataRepositories(URL[] urls, IProgressMonitor monitor) throws ProvisionException {
+	public static void refreshMetadataRepositories(URI[] urls, IProgressMonitor monitor) throws ProvisionException {
 		IMetadataRepositoryManager manager = (IMetadataRepositoryManager) ServiceHelper.getService(ProvUIActivator.getContext(), IMetadataRepositoryManager.class.getName());
 		if (manager == null) {
 			throw new ProvisionException(ProvUIMessages.ProvisioningUtil_NoRepositoryManager);
@@ -184,7 +184,7 @@ public class ProvisioningUtil {
 		}
 	}
 
-	public static URL[] getArtifactRepositories(int flags) throws ProvisionException {
+	public static URI[] getArtifactRepositories(int flags) throws ProvisionException {
 		IArtifactRepositoryManager manager = (IArtifactRepositoryManager) ServiceHelper.getService(ProvUIActivator.getContext(), IArtifactRepositoryManager.class.getName());
 		if (manager == null) {
 			throw new ProvisionException(ProvUIMessages.ProvisioningUtil_NoRepositoryManager);
@@ -192,7 +192,7 @@ public class ProvisioningUtil {
 		return manager.getKnownRepositories(flags);
 	}
 
-	public static void refreshArtifactRepositories(URL[] urls, IProgressMonitor monitor) throws ProvisionException {
+	public static void refreshArtifactRepositories(URI[] urls, IProgressMonitor monitor) throws ProvisionException {
 		IArtifactRepositoryManager manager = (IArtifactRepositoryManager) ServiceHelper.getService(ProvUIActivator.getContext(), IArtifactRepositoryManager.class.getName());
 		if (manager == null) {
 			throw new ProvisionException(ProvUIMessages.ProvisioningUtil_NoRepositoryManager);
@@ -294,7 +294,7 @@ public class ProvisioningUtil {
 		return director;
 	}
 
-	public static void setColocatedRepositoryEnablement(URL location, boolean enabled) {
+	public static void setColocatedRepositoryEnablement(URI location, boolean enabled) {
 		IMetadataRepositoryManager metaManager = (IMetadataRepositoryManager) ServiceHelper.getService(ProvUIActivator.getContext(), IMetadataRepositoryManager.class.getName());
 		if (metaManager != null)
 			metaManager.setEnabled(location, enabled);
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/ui/operations/RefreshArtifactRepositoriesOperation.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/ui/operations/RefreshArtifactRepositoriesOperation.java
index 761e810fb..684ad6d7b 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/ui/operations/RefreshArtifactRepositoriesOperation.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/ui/operations/RefreshArtifactRepositoriesOperation.java
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@
 
 package org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.ui.operations;
 
-import java.net.URL;
+import java.net.URI;
 import org.eclipse.core.runtime.*;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.core.ProvisionException;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.ui.ProvUI;
@@ -25,16 +25,16 @@ public class RefreshArtifactRepositoriesOperation extends RepositoryOperation {
 
 	/**
 	 * @param label
-	 * @param urls
+	 * @param locations
 	 */
-	public RefreshArtifactRepositoriesOperation(String label, URL[] urls) {
-		super(label, urls);
+	public RefreshArtifactRepositoriesOperation(String label, URI[] locations) {
+		super(label, locations);
 	}
 
 	public RefreshArtifactRepositoriesOperation(String label, int flags) {
-		super(label, new URL[0]);
+		super(label, new URI[0]);
 		try {
-			this.urls = ProvisioningUtil.getArtifactRepositories(flags);
+			this.locations = ProvisioningUtil.getArtifactRepositories(flags);
 		} catch (ProvisionException e) {
 			ProvUI.handleException(e, null, StatusManager.LOG);
 		}
@@ -45,7 +45,7 @@ public class RefreshArtifactRepositoriesOperation extends RepositoryOperation {
 	 * @see org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.ui.operations.RepositoryOperation#doBatchedExecute(org.eclipse.core.runtime.IProgressMonitor, org.eclipse.core.runtime.IAdaptable)
 	 */
 	protected IStatus doBatchedExecute(IProgressMonitor monitor, IAdaptable uiInfo) throws ProvisionException {
-		ProvisioningUtil.refreshArtifactRepositories(urls, monitor);
+		ProvisioningUtil.refreshArtifactRepositories(locations, monitor);
 		return Status.OK_STATUS;
 	}
 
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/ui/operations/RefreshColocatedRepositoriesOperation.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/ui/operations/RefreshColocatedRepositoriesOperation.java
index 09a56bee9..402bc4654 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/ui/operations/RefreshColocatedRepositoriesOperation.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/ui/operations/RefreshColocatedRepositoriesOperation.java
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@
 
 package org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.ui.operations;
 
-import java.net.URL;
+import java.net.URI;
 import org.eclipse.core.runtime.*;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.core.ProvisionException;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.ui.ProvUI;
@@ -24,19 +24,19 @@ public class RefreshColocatedRepositoriesOperation extends RepositoryOperation {
 
 	/**
 	 * @param label
-	 * @param urls
+	 * @param locations
 	 */
-	public RefreshColocatedRepositoriesOperation(String label, URL[] urls) {
-		super(label, urls);
+	public RefreshColocatedRepositoriesOperation(String label, URI[] locations) {
+		super(label, locations);
 	}
 
 	public RefreshColocatedRepositoriesOperation(String label, int flags) {
-		super(label, new URL[0]);
+		super(label, new URI[0]);
 		try {
 			// We use the list of metadata repositories since this is what drives
 			// what the user sees, but we will refresh both the artifact and metadata
 			// repositories.
-			this.urls = ProvisioningUtil.getMetadataRepositories(flags);
+			this.locations = ProvisioningUtil.getMetadataRepositories(flags);
 		} catch (ProvisionException e) {
 			ProvUI.handleException(e, null, StatusManager.LOG);
 		}
@@ -45,8 +45,8 @@ public class RefreshColocatedRepositoriesOperation extends RepositoryOperation {
 	protected IStatus doBatchedExecute(IProgressMonitor monitor, IAdaptable uiInfo) throws ProvisionException {
 		// Clear the not found cache so that repos not found are reported again.
 		ProvUI.clearRepositoriesNotFound();
-		ProvisioningUtil.refreshMetadataRepositories(urls, monitor);
-		ProvisioningUtil.refreshArtifactRepositories(urls, monitor);
+		ProvisioningUtil.refreshMetadataRepositories(locations, monitor);
+		ProvisioningUtil.refreshArtifactRepositories(locations, monitor);
 		return Status.OK_STATUS;
 	}
 
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/ui/operations/RefreshMetadataRepositoriesOperation.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/ui/operations/RefreshMetadataRepositoriesOperation.java
index 15af09cf2..6de1cabd7 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/ui/operations/RefreshMetadataRepositoriesOperation.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/ui/operations/RefreshMetadataRepositoriesOperation.java
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@
 
 package org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.ui.operations;
 
-import java.net.URL;
+import java.net.URI;
 import org.eclipse.core.runtime.*;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.core.ProvisionException;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.ui.ProvUI;
@@ -25,16 +25,16 @@ public class RefreshMetadataRepositoriesOperation extends RepositoryOperation {
 
 	/**
 	 * @param label
-	 * @param urls
+	 * @param locations
 	 */
-	public RefreshMetadataRepositoriesOperation(String label, URL[] urls) {
-		super(label, urls);
+	public RefreshMetadataRepositoriesOperation(String label, URI[] locations) {
+		super(label, locations);
 	}
 
 	public RefreshMetadataRepositoriesOperation(String label, int flags) {
-		super(label, new URL[0]);
+		super(label, new URI[0]);
 		try {
-			this.urls = ProvisioningUtil.getMetadataRepositories(flags);
+			this.locations = ProvisioningUtil.getMetadataRepositories(flags);
 		} catch (ProvisionException e) {
 			ProvUI.handleException(e, null, StatusManager.LOG);
 		}
@@ -43,7 +43,7 @@ public class RefreshMetadataRepositoriesOperation extends RepositoryOperation {
 	protected IStatus doBatchedExecute(IProgressMonitor monitor, IAdaptable uiInfo) throws ProvisionException {
 		// Clear the not found cache so that repos not found are reported again.
 		ProvUI.clearRepositoriesNotFound();
-		ProvisioningUtil.refreshMetadataRepositories(urls, monitor);
+		ProvisioningUtil.refreshMetadataRepositories(locations, monitor);
 		return Status.OK_STATUS;
 	}
 
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/ui/operations/RemoveArtifactRepositoryOperation.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/ui/operations/RemoveArtifactRepositoryOperation.java
index 3bfc30a16..758a0cd80 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/ui/operations/RemoveArtifactRepositoryOperation.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/ui/operations/RemoveArtifactRepositoryOperation.java
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@
  *******************************************************************************/
 package org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.ui.operations;
 
-import java.net.URL;
+import java.net.URI;
 import org.eclipse.core.runtime.*;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.core.ProvisionException;
 
@@ -23,13 +23,13 @@ public class RemoveArtifactRepositoryOperation extends RepositoryOperation {
 
 	private boolean removed = false;
 
-	public RemoveArtifactRepositoryOperation(String label, URL[] repoURLs) {
-		super(label, repoURLs);
+	public RemoveArtifactRepositoryOperation(String label, URI[] repoLocations) {
+		super(label, repoLocations);
 	}
 
 	protected IStatus doBatchedExecute(IProgressMonitor monitor, IAdaptable uiInfo) throws ProvisionException {
-		for (int i = 0; i < urls.length; i++) {
-			ProvisioningUtil.removeArtifactRepository(urls[i], monitor);
+		for (int i = 0; i < locations.length; i++) {
+			ProvisioningUtil.removeArtifactRepository(locations[i], monitor);
 		}
 		removed = true;
 		return okStatus();
@@ -54,8 +54,8 @@ public class RemoveArtifactRepositoryOperation extends RepositoryOperation {
 	}
 
 	protected IStatus doBatchedUndo(IProgressMonitor monitor, IAdaptable uiInfo) throws ProvisionException {
-		for (int i = 0; i < urls.length; i++) {
-			ProvisioningUtil.addArtifactRepository(urls[i]);
+		for (int i = 0; i < locations.length; i++) {
+			ProvisioningUtil.addArtifactRepository(locations[i]);
 		}
 		removed = false;
 		return okStatus();
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/ui/operations/RemoveColocatedRepositoryOperation.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/ui/operations/RemoveColocatedRepositoryOperation.java
index 120239df0..69ee76100 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/ui/operations/RemoveColocatedRepositoryOperation.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/ui/operations/RemoveColocatedRepositoryOperation.java
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@
  *******************************************************************************/
 package org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.ui.operations;
 
-import java.net.URL;
+import java.net.URI;
 import org.eclipse.core.runtime.*;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.core.ProvisionException;
 
@@ -23,14 +23,14 @@ public class RemoveColocatedRepositoryOperation extends RepositoryOperation {
 
 	private boolean removed = false;
 
-	public RemoveColocatedRepositoryOperation(String label, URL[] repoURLs) {
-		super(label, repoURLs);
+	public RemoveColocatedRepositoryOperation(String label, URI[] repoLocations) {
+		super(label, repoLocations);
 	}
 
 	protected IStatus doBatchedExecute(IProgressMonitor monitor, IAdaptable uiInfo) throws ProvisionException {
-		for (int i = 0; i < urls.length; i++) {
-			ProvisioningUtil.removeMetadataRepository(urls[i], monitor);
-			ProvisioningUtil.removeArtifactRepository(urls[i], monitor);
+		for (int i = 0; i < locations.length; i++) {
+			ProvisioningUtil.removeMetadataRepository(locations[i], monitor);
+			ProvisioningUtil.removeArtifactRepository(locations[i], monitor);
 		}
 		removed = true;
 		return okStatus();
@@ -55,9 +55,9 @@ public class RemoveColocatedRepositoryOperation extends RepositoryOperation {
 	}
 
 	protected IStatus doBatchedUndo(IProgressMonitor monitor, IAdaptable uiInfo) throws ProvisionException {
-		for (int i = 0; i < urls.length; i++) {
-			ProvisioningUtil.addMetadataRepository(urls[i]);
-			ProvisioningUtil.addArtifactRepository(urls[i]);
+		for (int i = 0; i < locations.length; i++) {
+			ProvisioningUtil.addMetadataRepository(locations[i]);
+			ProvisioningUtil.addArtifactRepository(locations[i]);
 		}
 		removed = false;
 		return okStatus();
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/ui/operations/RemoveMetadataRepositoryOperation.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/ui/operations/RemoveMetadataRepositoryOperation.java
index 70faa52ea..095625ac3 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/ui/operations/RemoveMetadataRepositoryOperation.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/ui/operations/RemoveMetadataRepositoryOperation.java
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@
  *******************************************************************************/
 package org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.ui.operations;
 
-import java.net.URL;
+import java.net.URI;
 import org.eclipse.core.runtime.*;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.core.ProvisionException;
 
@@ -23,13 +23,13 @@ public class RemoveMetadataRepositoryOperation extends RepositoryOperation {
 
 	private boolean removed = false;
 
-	public RemoveMetadataRepositoryOperation(String label, URL[] repoURLs) {
-		super(label, repoURLs);
+	public RemoveMetadataRepositoryOperation(String label, URI[] repoLocations) {
+		super(label, repoLocations);
 	}
 
 	protected IStatus doBatchedExecute(IProgressMonitor monitor, IAdaptable uiInfo) throws ProvisionException {
-		for (int i = 0; i < urls.length; i++) {
-			ProvisioningUtil.removeMetadataRepository(urls[i], monitor);
+		for (int i = 0; i < locations.length; i++) {
+			ProvisioningUtil.removeMetadataRepository(locations[i], monitor);
 		}
 		removed = true;
 		return okStatus();
@@ -54,8 +54,8 @@ public class RemoveMetadataRepositoryOperation extends RepositoryOperation {
 	}
 
 	protected IStatus doBatchedUndo(IProgressMonitor monitor, IAdaptable uiInfo) throws ProvisionException {
-		for (int i = 0; i < urls.length; i++) {
-			ProvisioningUtil.addMetadataRepository(urls[i]);
+		for (int i = 0; i < locations.length; i++) {
+			ProvisioningUtil.addMetadataRepository(locations[i]);
 		}
 		removed = false;
 		return okStatus();
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/ui/operations/RepositoryOperation.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/ui/operations/RepositoryOperation.java
index 2451a5fee..5a4be6670 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/ui/operations/RepositoryOperation.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/ui/operations/RepositoryOperation.java
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@
  *******************************************************************************/
 package org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.ui.operations;
 
-import java.net.URL;
+import java.net.URI;
 import org.eclipse.core.runtime.*;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.core.ProvisionException;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.ui.ProvUI;
@@ -22,19 +22,19 @@ import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.ui.ProvUI;
  */
 abstract class RepositoryOperation extends UndoableProvisioningOperation {
 
-	URL[] urls;
+	URI[] locations;
 
-	RepositoryOperation(String label, URL[] urls) {
+	RepositoryOperation(String label, URI[] urls) {
 		super(label);
-		this.urls = urls;
+		this.locations = urls;
 	}
 
 	public boolean canExecute() {
-		return urls != null;
+		return locations != null;
 	}
 
 	public boolean canUndo() {
-		return urls != null;
+		return locations != null;
 	}
 
 	/*
@@ -43,7 +43,7 @@ abstract class RepositoryOperation extends UndoableProvisioningOperation {
 	 * @see org.eclipse.core.commands.operations.IAdvancedUndoableOperation#getAffectedObjects()
 	 */
 	public Object[] getAffectedObjects() {
-		return urls;
+		return locations;
 	}
 
 	/*
@@ -56,7 +56,7 @@ abstract class RepositoryOperation extends UndoableProvisioningOperation {
 
 	protected IStatus doExecute(IProgressMonitor monitor, IAdaptable uiInfo) throws ProvisionException {
 		boolean batched = false;
-		if (urls != null && urls.length > 1) {
+		if (locations != null && locations.length > 1) {
 			ProvUI.startBatchOperation();
 			batched = true;
 		}
@@ -68,7 +68,7 @@ abstract class RepositoryOperation extends UndoableProvisioningOperation {
 
 	protected IStatus doUndo(IProgressMonitor monitor, IAdaptable uiInfo) throws ProvisionException {
 		boolean batched = false;
-		if (urls != null && urls.length > 1) {
+		if (locations != null && locations.length > 1) {
 			ProvUI.startBatchOperation();
 			batched = true;
 		}
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/ui/policy/URLValidator.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/ui/policy/RepositoryLocationValidator.java
index 139ff8b75..9f1fddced 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/ui/policy/URLValidator.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/ui/policy/RepositoryLocationValidator.java
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@
 
 package org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.ui.policy;
 
-import java.net.URL;
+import java.net.URI;
 import org.eclipse.core.runtime.*;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.ui.ProvUIActivator;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.ui.ProvUIMessages;
@@ -19,14 +19,14 @@ import org.eclipse.osgi.util.NLS;
 
 /**
  * 
- * URLValidator can be used to validate a repository URL.  Validation may
+ * RepositoryLocationValidator can be used to validate a repository URL.  Validation may
  * involve rules known by the validator itself or contact with a repository
  * manager.
  * 
  * @since 3.4
  *
  */
-public abstract class URLValidator {
+public abstract class RepositoryLocationValidator {
 	public static final String FILE_PROTOCOL = "file"; //$NON-NLS-1$
 	public static final String FILE_PROTOCOL_PREFIX = "file:"; //$NON-NLS-1$
 	public static final String JAR_PATH_PREFIX = "jar:";//$NON-NLS-1$
@@ -41,8 +41,8 @@ public abstract class URLValidator {
 		return new Status(IStatus.ERROR, ProvUIActivator.PLUGIN_ID, LOCAL_VALIDATION_ERROR, NLS.bind(ProvUIMessages.URLValidator_UnrecognizedURL, urlText), null);
 	}
 
-	public static boolean isFileURL(URL url) {
-		return url.getProtocol().equals(FILE_PROTOCOL);
+	public static boolean isFileURL(URI url) {
+		return url.getScheme().equals(FILE_PROTOCOL);
 	}
 
 	public static String makeJarURLString(String path) {
@@ -62,5 +62,5 @@ public abstract class URLValidator {
 		return result.toString();
 	}
 
-	public abstract IStatus validateRepositoryURL(URL url, boolean contactRepositories, IProgressMonitor monitor);
+	public abstract IStatus validateRepositoryLocation(URI url, boolean contactRepositories, IProgressMonitor monitor);
 }
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/ui/policy/RepositoryManipulator.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/ui/policy/RepositoryManipulator.java
index 66c05ef93..bf88ac6c6 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/ui/policy/RepositoryManipulator.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/ui/policy/RepositoryManipulator.java
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@
  *******************************************************************************/
 package org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.ui.policy;
 
-import java.net.URL;
+import java.net.URI;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.ui.operations.ProvisioningOperation;
 import org.eclipse.swt.widgets.Shell;
 
@@ -40,13 +40,13 @@ public abstract class RepositoryManipulator {
 	/**
 	 * Return an array of URLs containing the repositories already known.
 	 */
-	public abstract URL[] getKnownRepositories();
+	public abstract URI[] getKnownRepositories();
 
 	/**
 	 * Return an operation that could be used to add the specified URL as
 	 * a repository.
 	 */
-	public abstract ProvisioningOperation getAddOperation(URL repoURL);
+	public abstract ProvisioningOperation getAddOperation(URI repoLocation);
 
 	/**
 	 * Return a String describing a possible add operation.  This is used 
@@ -58,7 +58,7 @@ public abstract class RepositoryManipulator {
 	 * Return an operation that could be used to remove the specified URL as
 	 * a repositories.
 	 */
-	public abstract ProvisioningOperation getRemoveOperation(URL[] repoURLs);
+	public abstract ProvisioningOperation getRemoveOperation(URI[] repoLocations);
 
 	/**
 	 * Return a String describing a possible remove operation.  This is used 
@@ -74,5 +74,5 @@ public abstract class RepositoryManipulator {
 	 * @return the validator to be used.
 	 */
 
-	public abstract URLValidator getURLValidator(Shell shell);
+	public abstract RepositoryLocationValidator getRepositoryLocationValidator(Shell shell);
 }
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/ui/viewers/ProvElementComparer.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/ui/viewers/ProvElementComparer.java
index 4e7fa492b..3f4c11c96 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/ui/viewers/ProvElementComparer.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/ui/viewers/ProvElementComparer.java
@@ -10,15 +10,13 @@
  *******************************************************************************/
 package org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.ui.viewers;
 
-import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.ui.model.ProfileElement;
-
-import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.ui.model.IRepositoryElement;
-
-import java.net.URL;
-import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.ui.model.*;
+import java.net.URI;
+import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.ui.model.CategoryElement;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.engine.IProfile;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.metadata.IInstallableUnit;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.ui.ProvUI;
+import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.ui.model.IRepositoryElement;
+import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.ui.model.ProfileElement;
 import org.eclipse.jface.viewers.IElementComparer;
 
 public class ProvElementComparer implements IElementComparer {
@@ -37,10 +35,10 @@ public class ProvElementComparer implements IElementComparer {
 		String p2 = getProfileId(b);
 		if (p1 != null && p2 != null)
 			return p1.equals(p2);
-		URL r1 = getRepositoryLocation(a);
-		URL r2 = getRepositoryLocation(b);
+		URI r1 = getRepositoryLocation(a);
+		URI r2 = getRepositoryLocation(b);
 		if (r1 != null && r2 != null)
-			return r1.toExternalForm().equals(r2.toExternalForm());
+			return r1.equals(r2);
 		return a.equals(b);
 	}
 
@@ -53,9 +51,9 @@ public class ProvElementComparer implements IElementComparer {
 		String profileId = getProfileId(element);
 		if (profileId != null)
 			return profileId.hashCode();
-		URL url = getRepositoryLocation(element);
-		if (url != null)
-			return url.toExternalForm().hashCode();
+		URI location = getRepositoryLocation(element);
+		if (location != null)
+			return location.hashCode();
 		return element.hashCode();
 	}
 
@@ -72,7 +70,7 @@ public class ProvElementComparer implements IElementComparer {
 		return profile.getProfileId();
 	}
 
-	private URL getRepositoryLocation(Object obj) {
+	private URI getRepositoryLocation(Object obj) {
 		if (obj instanceof IRepositoryElement)
 			return ((IRepositoryElement) obj).getLocation();
 		return null;
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/ui/viewers/ProvElementLabelProvider.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/ui/viewers/ProvElementLabelProvider.java
index e9cba07e7..b9909ce3a 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/ui/viewers/ProvElementLabelProvider.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.ui/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/provisional/p2/ui/viewers/ProvElementLabelProvider.java
@@ -11,10 +11,7 @@
 
 package org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.ui.viewers;
 
-import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.ui.model.IRepositoryElement;
-
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.ui.model.IUElement;
-
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.ui.model.ProvElement;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.artifact.repository.IArtifactRepository;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.artifact.repository.processing.ProcessingStepDescriptor;
@@ -24,6 +21,7 @@ import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.metadata.*;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.metadata.repository.IMetadataRepository;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.ui.ProvUI;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.ui.ProvUIImages;
+import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.ui.model.IRepositoryElement;
 import org.eclipse.jface.viewers.ITableLabelProvider;
 import org.eclipse.jface.viewers.LabelProvider;
 import org.eclipse.swt.graphics.Image;
@@ -56,14 +54,14 @@ public class ProvElementLabelProvider extends LabelProvider implements ITableLab
 			if (name != null && name.length() > 0) {
 				return name;
 			}
-			return ((IRepository) obj).getLocation().toExternalForm();
+			return ((IRepository) obj).getLocation().toString();
 		}
 		if (obj instanceof IRepositoryElement) {
 			String name = ((IRepositoryElement) obj).getName();
 			if (name != null && name.length() > 0) {
 				return name;
 			}
-			return ((IRepositoryElement) obj).getLocation().toExternalForm();
+			return ((IRepositoryElement) obj).getLocation().toString();
 		}
 		if (obj instanceof IArtifactKey) {
 			IArtifactKey key = (IArtifactKey) obj;
@@ -129,10 +127,10 @@ public class ProvElementLabelProvider extends LabelProvider implements ITableLab
 					return iu.getVersion().toString();
 				}
 				if (element instanceof IRepository) {
-					return ((IRepository) element).getLocation().toExternalForm();
+					return ((IRepository) element).getLocation().toString();
 				}
 				if (element instanceof IRepositoryElement) {
-					return ((IRepositoryElement) element).getLocation().toExternalForm();
+					return ((IRepositoryElement) element).getLocation().toString();
 				}
 				if (element instanceof IArtifactKey) {
 					IArtifactKey key = (IArtifactKey) element;
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.updatechecker/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/updatechecker/UpdateChecker.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.updatechecker/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/updatechecker/UpdateChecker.java
index 761126214..4aac49489 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.updatechecker/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/updatechecker/UpdateChecker.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.updatechecker/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/updatechecker/UpdateChecker.java
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@
  *******************************************************************************/
 package org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.updatechecker;
 
-import java.net.URL;
+import java.net.URI;
 import java.text.SimpleDateFormat;
 import java.util.*;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.core.helpers.ServiceHelper;
@@ -134,9 +134,9 @@ public class UpdateChecker implements IUpdateChecker {
 	/**
 	 * Returns the list of metadata repositories that are currently available.
 	 */
-	private URL[] getAvailableRepositories() {
+	private URI[] getAvailableRepositories() {
 		IMetadataRepositoryManager repoMgr = (IMetadataRepositoryManager) ServiceHelper.getService(Activator.getContext(), IMetadataRepositoryManager.class.getName());
-		URL[] repositories = repoMgr.getKnownRepositories(IMetadataRepositoryManager.REPOSITORIES_ALL);
+		URI[] repositories = repoMgr.getKnownRepositories(IMetadataRepositoryManager.REPOSITORIES_ALL);
 		ArrayList available = new ArrayList();
 		for (int i = 0; i < repositories.length; i++) {
 			try {
@@ -146,7 +146,7 @@ public class UpdateChecker implements IUpdateChecker {
 				//ignore unavailable repository
 			}
 		}
-		return (URL[]) available.toArray(new URL[available.size()]);
+		return (URI[]) available.toArray(new URI[available.size()]);
 	}
 
 	void log(String string, Throwable e) {
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.updatesite/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/updatesite/DefaultSiteParser.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.updatesite/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/updatesite/DefaultSiteParser.java
index dac965cdb..268e7ffe1 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.updatesite/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/updatesite/DefaultSiteParser.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.updatesite/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/updatesite/DefaultSiteParser.java
@@ -677,7 +677,7 @@ public class DefaultSiteParser extends DefaultHandler {
 			if (!siteURL.endsWith("/") && !siteURL.endsWith(File.separator)) { //$NON-NLS-1$
 				siteURL += "/"; //$NON-NLS-1$
 			}
-			site.setLocationURLString(siteURL);
+			site.setLocationURIString(siteURL);
 		}
 
 		// provide default description URL
@@ -702,7 +702,7 @@ public class DefaultSiteParser extends DefaultHandler {
 
 			//Since we are parsing the site at p2 generation time and the 
 			//mirrors may change, there is no point doing the mirror expansion now
-			site.setMirrorsURLString(mirrorsURL);
+			site.setMirrorsURIString(mirrorsURL);
 		}
 
 		String pack200 = attributes.getValue("pack200"); //$NON-NLS-1$
@@ -712,7 +712,7 @@ public class DefaultSiteParser extends DefaultHandler {
 
 		String digestURL = attributes.getValue("digestURL"); //$NON-NLS-1$
 		if (digestURL != null)
-			site.setDigestURLString(digestURL);
+			site.setDigestURIString(digestURL);
 
 		// TODO: Digest locales
 		//			if ((attributes.getValue("availableLocales") != null) && (!attributes.getValue("availableLocales").trim().equals(""))) { //$NON-NLS-1$//$NON-NLS-2$ //$NON-NLS-3$
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.updatesite/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/updatesite/ECFTransport.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.updatesite/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/updatesite/ECFTransport.java
index 4ba2a6639..ea7d4b170 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.updatesite/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/updatesite/ECFTransport.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.updatesite/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/updatesite/ECFTransport.java
@@ -111,8 +111,8 @@ public class ECFTransport {
 	 * @return A <code>long</code> representing the date. Returns <code>0</code> if the file is not found or an error occurred.
 	 * @exception OperationCanceledException if the request was canceled.
 	 */
-	public long getLastModified(URL location) throws ProvisionException {
-		String locationString = location.toExternalForm();
+	public long getLastModified(URI location) throws ProvisionException {
+		String locationString = location.toString();
 		try {
 			IConnectContext context = getConnectionContext(locationString, false);
 			for (int i = 0; i < LOGIN_RETRIES; i++) {
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.updatesite/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/updatesite/LocalUpdateSiteAction.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.updatesite/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/updatesite/LocalUpdateSiteAction.java
index 11e90f016..a25837683 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.updatesite/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/updatesite/LocalUpdateSiteAction.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.updatesite/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/updatesite/LocalUpdateSiteAction.java
@@ -11,7 +11,6 @@
 package org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.updatesite;
 
 import java.io.File;
-import java.net.MalformedURLException;
 import java.util.ArrayList;
 import org.eclipse.core.runtime.*;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.p2.publisher.*;
@@ -41,7 +40,7 @@ public class LocalUpdateSiteAction implements IPublisherAction {
 
 	public IStatus perform(IPublisherInfo info, IPublisherResult results, IProgressMonitor monitor) {
 		IPublisherAction[] actions = createActions();
-		MultiStatus finalStatus = new MultiStatus(LocalUpdateSiteAction.class.getName(), 0, NLS.bind(Messages.Error_Generation, source != null ? source : (updateSite != null ? updateSite.getLocation().toExternalForm() : "Unknown")), null); //$NON-NLS-1$
+		MultiStatus finalStatus = new MultiStatus(LocalUpdateSiteAction.class.getName(), 0, NLS.bind(Messages.Error_Generation, source != null ? source : (updateSite != null ? updateSite.getLocation().toString() : "Unknown")), null); //$NON-NLS-1$
 		for (int i = 0; i < actions.length; i++) {
 			if (monitor.isCanceled())
 				return Status.CANCEL_STATUS;
@@ -65,14 +64,8 @@ public class LocalUpdateSiteAction implements IPublisherAction {
 	private IPublisherAction createSiteXMLAction() {
 		if (updateSite != null)
 			return new SiteXMLAction(updateSite);
-		if (source != null) {
-			try {
-				return new SiteXMLAction(new File(source, "site.xml").toURL()); //$NON-NLS-1$
-			} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
-				// never happens
-				return null;
-			}
-		}
+		if (source != null)
+			return new SiteXMLAction(new File(source, "site.xml").toURI()); //$NON-NLS-1$
 		return null;
 	}
 
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.updatesite/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/updatesite/RemoteUpdateSiteAction.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.updatesite/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/updatesite/RemoteUpdateSiteAction.java
index d0dd3a12c..62e35dc52 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.updatesite/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/updatesite/RemoteUpdateSiteAction.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.updatesite/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/updatesite/RemoteUpdateSiteAction.java
@@ -10,8 +10,8 @@
  ******************************************************************************/
 package org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.updatesite;
 
-import java.net.MalformedURLException;
-import java.net.URL;
+import java.net.URI;
+import java.net.URISyntaxException;
 import java.util.ArrayList;
 import org.eclipse.core.runtime.*;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.p2.publisher.*;
@@ -36,7 +36,7 @@ public class RemoteUpdateSiteAction implements IPublisherAction {
 
 	public IStatus perform(IPublisherInfo info, IPublisherResult results, IProgressMonitor monitor) {
 		IPublisherAction[] actions = createActions();
-		MultiStatus finalStatus = new MultiStatus(this.getClass().getName(), 0, NLS.bind(Messages.Error_Generation, source != null ? source : (updateSite != null ? updateSite.getLocation().toExternalForm() : "Unknown")), null); //$NON-NLS-1$
+		MultiStatus finalStatus = new MultiStatus(this.getClass().getName(), 0, NLS.bind(Messages.Error_Generation, source != null ? source : (updateSite != null ? updateSite.getLocation().toString() : "Unknown")), null); //$NON-NLS-1$
 		for (int i = 0; i < actions.length; i++) {
 			if (monitor.isCanceled())
 				return Status.CANCEL_STATUS;
@@ -59,8 +59,8 @@ public class RemoteUpdateSiteAction implements IPublisherAction {
 			return new SiteXMLAction(updateSite);
 		if (source != null) {
 			try {
-				return new SiteXMLAction(new URL(source + "/site.xml")); //$NON-NLS-1$
-			} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
+				return new SiteXMLAction(new URI(source + "/site.xml")); //$NON-NLS-1$
+			} catch (URISyntaxException e) {
 				// never happens
 				return null;
 			}
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.updatesite/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/updatesite/SiteModel.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.updatesite/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/updatesite/SiteModel.java
index 1dba49b86..d0bd69475 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.updatesite/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/updatesite/SiteModel.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.updatesite/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/updatesite/SiteModel.java
@@ -10,8 +10,8 @@
  *******************************************************************************/
 package org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.updatesite;
 
-import java.net.MalformedURLException;
-import java.net.URL;
+import java.net.URI;
+import java.net.URISyntaxException;
 import java.util.*;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.p2.publisher.eclipse.URLEntry;
 
@@ -32,13 +32,13 @@ public class SiteModel {
 	 * Map of String (feature id) -> SiteFeature
 	 */
 	private List features;
-	private URL locationURL;
-	private String locationURLString;
-	private String mirrorsURLString;
+	private URI locationURI;
+	private String locationURIString;
+	private String mirrorsURIString;
 	private boolean supportsPack200;
 	private String type;
 	private URLEntry[] associateSites;
-	private String digestURLString;
+	private String digestURIString;
 	private List messageKeys;
 	private Map localizations;
 
@@ -162,28 +162,28 @@ public class SiteModel {
 	}
 
 	/**
-	 * Returns the resolved URL for the site.
+	 * Returns the resolved URI for the site.
 	 * 
 	 * @return url, or <code>null</code>
 	 */
-	public URL getLocationURL() {
-		if (locationURL == null && locationURLString != null) {
+	public URI getLocationURI() {
+		if (locationURI == null && locationURIString != null) {
 			try {
-				locationURL = new URL(locationURLString);
-			} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
+				locationURI = new URI(locationURIString);
+			} catch (URISyntaxException e) {
 				//ignore and return null
 			}
 		}
-		return locationURL;
+		return locationURI;
 	}
 
 	/**
-	 * Returns the unresolved URL string for the site.
+	 * Returns the unresolved URI string for the site.
 	 *
 	 * @return url string, or <code>null</code>
 	 */
-	public String getLocationURLString() {
-		return locationURLString;
+	public String getLocationURIString() {
+		return locationURIString;
 	}
 
 	/**
@@ -197,12 +197,12 @@ public class SiteModel {
 	}
 
 	/**
-	 * Returns the URL from which the list of mirrors of this site can be retrieved.
+	 * Returns the URI from which the list of mirrors of this site can be retrieved.
 	 * 
 	 * @since org.eclipse.equinox.p2.metadata.generator 1.0
 	 */
-	public String getMirrorsURL() {
-		return mirrorsURLString;
+	public String getMirrorsURI() {
+		return mirrorsURIString;
 	}
 
 	/** 
@@ -249,13 +249,13 @@ public class SiteModel {
 	}
 
 	/**
-	 * Sets the unresolved URL for the site.
+	 * Sets the unresolved URI for the site.
 	 * 
-	 * @param locationURLString url for the site (as a string)
+	 * @param locationURIString url for the site (as a string)
 	 * @since 2.0
 	 */
-	public void setLocationURLString(String locationURLString) {
-		this.locationURLString = locationURLString;
+	public void setLocationURIString(String locationURIString) {
+		this.locationURIString = locationURIString;
 	}
 
 	/**
@@ -273,11 +273,11 @@ public class SiteModel {
 	 * This method is complementary to setMirrorsiteEntryModels(), and only one of these 
 	 * methods should be called.
 	 * 
-	 * @param mirrorsURL additional update site mirrors
+	 * @param mirrorsURI additional update site mirrors
 	 * @since 3.1
 	 */
-	public void setMirrorsURLString(String mirrorsURL) {
-		this.mirrorsURLString = mirrorsURL;
+	public void setMirrorsURIString(String mirrorsURI) {
+		this.mirrorsURIString = mirrorsURI;
 	}
 
 	public void setSupportsPack200(boolean value) {
@@ -304,11 +304,11 @@ public class SiteModel {
 		this.associateSites = associateSites;
 	}
 
-	public void setDigestURLString(String digestURLString) {
-		this.digestURLString = digestURLString;
+	public void setDigestURIString(String digestURIString) {
+		this.digestURIString = digestURIString;
 	}
 
-	public String getDigestURLString() {
-		return digestURLString;
+	public String getDigestURIString() {
+		return digestURIString;
 	}
 }
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.updatesite/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/updatesite/SiteXMLAction.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.updatesite/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/updatesite/SiteXMLAction.java
index aaeb89366..5557cb300 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.updatesite/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/updatesite/SiteXMLAction.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.updatesite/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/updatesite/SiteXMLAction.java
@@ -11,11 +11,12 @@
 package org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.updatesite;
 
 import java.io.File;
-import java.net.MalformedURLException;
-import java.net.URL;
+import java.net.URI;
+import java.net.URISyntaxException;
 import java.util.*;
 import org.eclipse.core.runtime.*;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.core.helpers.LogHelper;
+import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.core.helpers.URIUtil;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.core.ProvisionException;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.core.repository.IRepository;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.metadata.*;
@@ -35,13 +36,12 @@ import org.osgi.framework.Version;
  */
 public class SiteXMLAction extends AbstractPublisherAction {
 
-	private static final String PROTOCOL_FILE = "file"; //$NON-NLS-1$
 	private UpdateSite updateSite;
 	private SiteCategory defaultCategory;
 	private HashSet defaultCategorySet;
-	private URL location;
+	private URI location;
 
-	public SiteXMLAction(URL location) {
+	public SiteXMLAction(URI location) {
 		this.location = location;
 	}
 
@@ -127,7 +127,7 @@ public class SiteXMLAction extends AbstractPublisherAction {
 			return mappings;
 
 		//copy mirror information from update site to p2 repositories
-		String mirrors = site.getMirrorsURL();
+		String mirrors = site.getMirrorsURI();
 		if (mirrors != null) {
 			//remove site.xml file reference
 			int index = mirrors.indexOf("site.xml"); //$NON-NLS-1$
@@ -145,19 +145,16 @@ public class SiteXMLAction extends AbstractPublisherAction {
 			for (int i = 0; i < associatedSites.length; i++)
 				generateSiteReference(associatedSites[i].getURL(), null, info.getMetadataRepository());
 
-		if (PROTOCOL_FILE.equals(updateSite.getLocation().getProtocol())) {
-			File siteFile = new File(updateSite.getLocation().getFile());
-			if (siteFile.exists()) {
-				File siteParent = siteFile.getParentFile();
-
-				List messageKeys = site.getMessageKeys();
-				if (siteParent.isDirectory()) {
-					String[] keyStrings = (String[]) messageKeys.toArray(new String[messageKeys.size()]);
-					site.setLocalizations(LocalizationHelper.getDirPropertyLocalizations(siteParent, "site", null, keyStrings)); //$NON-NLS-1$
-				} else if (siteFile.getName().endsWith(".jar")) { //$NON-NLS-1$
-					String[] keyStrings = (String[]) messageKeys.toArray(new String[messageKeys.size()]);
-					site.setLocalizations(LocalizationHelper.getJarPropertyLocalizations(siteParent, "site", null, keyStrings)); //$NON-NLS-1$
-				}
+		File siteFile = URIUtil.toFile(updateSite.getLocation());
+		if (siteFile != null && siteFile.exists()) {
+			File siteParent = siteFile.getParentFile();
+			List messageKeys = site.getMessageKeys();
+			if (siteParent.isDirectory()) {
+				String[] keyStrings = (String[]) messageKeys.toArray(new String[messageKeys.size()]);
+				site.setLocalizations(LocalizationHelper.getDirPropertyLocalizations(siteParent, "site", null, keyStrings)); //$NON-NLS-1$
+			} else if (siteFile.getName().endsWith(".jar")) { //$NON-NLS-1$
+				String[] keyStrings = (String[]) messageKeys.toArray(new String[messageKeys.size()]);
+				site.setLocalizations(LocalizationHelper.getJarPropertyLocalizations(siteParent, "site", null, keyStrings)); //$NON-NLS-1$
 			}
 		}
 
@@ -184,10 +181,10 @@ public class SiteXMLAction extends AbstractPublisherAction {
 	 */
 	private void generateSiteReference(String location, String featureId, IMetadataRepository metadataRepo) {
 		try {
-			URL associateLocation = new URL(location);
+			URI associateLocation = new URI(location);
 			metadataRepo.addReference(associateLocation, IRepository.TYPE_METADATA, IRepository.ENABLED);
 			metadataRepo.addReference(associateLocation, IRepository.TYPE_ARTIFACT, IRepository.ENABLED);
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
+		} catch (URISyntaxException e) {
 			String message = "Invalid site reference: " + location; //$NON-NLS-1$
 			if (featureId != null)
 				message = message + " in feature: " + featureId; //$NON-NLS-1$
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.updatesite/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/updatesite/UpdateSite.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.updatesite/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/updatesite/UpdateSite.java
index e8ce3a9bb..b16bed174 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.updatesite/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/updatesite/UpdateSite.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.updatesite/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/updatesite/UpdateSite.java
@@ -11,14 +11,13 @@
 package org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.updatesite;
 
 import java.io.*;
-import java.net.MalformedURLException;
-import java.net.URL;
+import java.net.*;
 import java.util.HashMap;
 import java.util.Map;
 import java.util.zip.*;
 import org.eclipse.core.runtime.*;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.core.helpers.LogHelper;
-import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.core.helpers.URLUtil;
+import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.core.helpers.URIUtil;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.publisher.eclipse.FeatureParser;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.p2.core.ProvisionException;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.p2.publisher.eclipse.*;
@@ -36,69 +35,58 @@ public class UpdateSite {
 	private static final String PLUGIN_DIR = "plugins/"; //$NON-NLS-1$
 	private static final String FEATURE_TEMP_FILE = "feature"; //$NON-NLS-1$
 	private static final String SITE_FILE = "site.xml"; //$NON-NLS-1$
-	private static final String DIR_SEPARATOR = "/"; //$NON-NLS-1$
 	private static final String PROTOCOL_FILE = "file"; //$NON-NLS-1$
 	private static final int RETRY_COUNT = 2;
 	private static final String DOT_XML = ".xml"; //$NON-NLS-1$
 	private static final String SITE = "site"; //$NON-NLS-1$
 	private String checksum;
-	private URL location;
+	private URI location;
 	private SiteModel site;
 
 	/*
 	 * Some variables for caching.
 	 */
-	// map of String (URL.toExternalForm()) to UpdateSite
+	// map of String (URI.toString()) to UpdateSite
 	private static Map siteCache = new HashMap();
 	// map of String (featureID_featureVersion) to Feature
 	private Map featureCache = new HashMap();
 
 	/*
-	 * Return a new URL for the given file which is based from the specified root.
+	 * Return a new URI for the given file which is based from the specified root.
 	 */
-	public static URL getFileURL(URL root, String fileName) throws MalformedURLException {
-		String path = root.getPath();
-		if (path.endsWith(fileName))
+	public static URI getFileURI(URI root, String fileName) {
+		String segment = URIUtil.lastSegment(root);
+		if (segment != null && segment.endsWith(fileName))
 			return root;
-
-		if (constainsUpdateSiteFileName(path))
-			return new URL(root, fileName);
-
-		if (path.endsWith(DIR_SEPARATOR))
-			return new URL(root.toExternalForm() + fileName);
-		return new URL(root.toExternalForm() + DIR_SEPARATOR + fileName);
+		if (constainsUpdateSiteFileName(segment))
+			return root.resolve(fileName);
+		return URIUtil.append(root, fileName);
 	}
 
 	/*
-	 * Return a URL based on the given URL, which points to a site.xml file.
+	 * Return a URI based on the given URI, which points to a site.xml file.
 	 */
-	private static URL getSiteURL(URL url) throws MalformedURLException {
-		String path = url.getPath();
-		if (constainsUpdateSiteFileName(path))
-			return url;
-
-		if (path.endsWith(DIR_SEPARATOR))
-			return new URL(url.toExternalForm() + SITE_FILE);
-		return new URL(url.toExternalForm() + DIR_SEPARATOR + SITE_FILE);
+	private static URI getSiteURI(URI baseLocation) {
+		String segment = URIUtil.lastSegment(baseLocation);
+		if (constainsUpdateSiteFileName(segment))
+			return baseLocation;
+		return URIUtil.append(baseLocation, SITE_FILE);
 	}
 
-	private static boolean constainsUpdateSiteFileName(String path) {
-		if (path.endsWith(DOT_XML)) {
-			int lastSlash = path.lastIndexOf('/');
-			String lastSegment = lastSlash == -1 ? path : path.substring(lastSlash + 1);
-			if (lastSegment.indexOf(SITE) != -1)
-				return true;
-		}
-		return false;
+	/**
+	 * Be lenient about accepting any location with *site*.xml at the end.
+	 */
+	private static boolean constainsUpdateSiteFileName(String segment) {
+		return segment != null && segment.endsWith(DOT_XML) && segment.indexOf(SITE) != -1;
 	}
 
 	/*
 	 * Load and return an update site object from the given location.
 	 */
-	public static synchronized UpdateSite load(URL location, IProgressMonitor monitor) throws ProvisionException {
+	public static synchronized UpdateSite load(URI location, IProgressMonitor monitor) throws ProvisionException {
 		if (location == null)
 			return null;
-		UpdateSite result = (UpdateSite) siteCache.get(location.toExternalForm());
+		UpdateSite result = (UpdateSite) siteCache.get(location.toString());
 		if (result != null)
 			return result;
 		InputStream input = null;
@@ -109,8 +97,8 @@ public class UpdateSite {
 			input = new CheckedInputStream(new BufferedInputStream(new FileInputStream(siteFile)), checksum);
 			SiteModel siteModel = siteParser.parse(input);
 			String checksumString = Long.toString(checksum.getValue());
-			result = new UpdateSite(siteModel, getSiteURL(location), checksumString);
-			siteCache.put(location.toExternalForm(), result);
+			result = new UpdateSite(siteModel, getSiteURI(location), checksumString);
+			siteCache.put(location.toString(), result);
 			return result;
 		} catch (SAXException e) {
 			String msg = NLS.bind(Messages.ErrorReadingSite, location);
@@ -125,7 +113,7 @@ public class UpdateSite {
 			} catch (IOException e) {
 				// ignore
 			}
-			if (!PROTOCOL_FILE.equals(location.getProtocol()))
+			if (!PROTOCOL_FILE.equals(location.getScheme()))
 				siteFile.delete();
 		}
 	}
@@ -133,15 +121,15 @@ public class UpdateSite {
 	/**
 	 * Returns a local file containing the contents of the update site at the given location.
 	 */
-	private static File loadSiteFile(URL location, IProgressMonitor monitor) throws ProvisionException {
+	private static File loadSiteFile(URI location, IProgressMonitor monitor) throws ProvisionException {
 		Throwable failure;
 		File siteFile = null;
 		IStatus transferResult;
 		boolean deleteSiteFile = false;
 		try {
-			URL actualLocation = getSiteURL(location);
-			if (PROTOCOL_FILE.equals(actualLocation.getProtocol())) {
-				siteFile = new File(actualLocation.getPath());
+			URI actualLocation = getSiteURI(location);
+			if (PROTOCOL_FILE.equals(actualLocation.getScheme())) {
+				siteFile = URIUtil.toFile(actualLocation);
 				if (siteFile.exists())
 					transferResult = Status.OK_STATUS;
 				else {
@@ -153,7 +141,7 @@ public class UpdateSite {
 				deleteSiteFile = true;
 				siteFile = File.createTempFile("site", ".xml"); //$NON-NLS-1$//$NON-NLS-2$
 				OutputStream destination = new BufferedOutputStream(new FileOutputStream(siteFile));
-				transferResult = getTransport().download(actualLocation.toExternalForm(), destination, monitor);
+				transferResult = getTransport().download(actualLocation.toString(), destination, monitor);
 			}
 			if (monitor.isCanceled())
 				throw new OperationCanceledException();
@@ -178,10 +166,10 @@ public class UpdateSite {
 	 * Parse the feature.xml specified by the given input stream and return the feature object.
 	 * In case of failure, the failure is logged and null is returned
 	 */
-	private static Feature parseFeature(FeatureParser featureParser, URL featureURL, IProgressMonitor monitor) {
+	private static Feature parseFeature(FeatureParser featureParser, URI featureURI, IProgressMonitor monitor) {
 		File featureFile = null;
-		if (PROTOCOL_FILE.equals(featureURL.getProtocol())) {
-			featureFile = new File(featureURL.getPath());
+		if (PROTOCOL_FILE.equals(featureURI.getScheme())) {
+			featureFile = URIUtil.toFile(featureURI);
 			return featureParser.parse(featureFile);
 		}
 		try {
@@ -192,7 +180,7 @@ public class UpdateSite {
 				if (monitor.isCanceled())
 					throw new OperationCanceledException();
 				OutputStream destination = new BufferedOutputStream(new FileOutputStream(featureFile));
-				transferResult = getTransport().download(featureURL.toExternalForm(), destination, monitor);
+				transferResult = getTransport().download(featureURI.toString(), destination, monitor);
 				if (transferResult.isOK())
 					break;
 			}
@@ -204,7 +192,7 @@ public class UpdateSite {
 			}
 			return featureParser.parse(featureFile);
 		} catch (IOException e) {
-			LogHelper.log(new Status(IStatus.ERROR, Activator.ID, NLS.bind(Messages.ErrorReadingFeature, featureURL), e));
+			LogHelper.log(new Status(IStatus.ERROR, Activator.ID, NLS.bind(Messages.ErrorReadingFeature, featureURI), e));
 		} finally {
 			if (featureFile != null)
 				featureFile.delete();
@@ -213,26 +201,21 @@ public class UpdateSite {
 	}
 
 	/*
-	 * Throw an exception if the site pointed to by the given URL is not valid.
+	 * Throw an exception if the site pointed to by the given URI is not valid.
 	 */
-	public static void validate(URL url, IProgressMonitor monitor) throws ProvisionException {
-		try {
-			URL siteURL = getSiteURL(url);
-			long lastModified = getTransport().getLastModified(siteURL);
-			if (lastModified == 0) {
-				String msg = NLS.bind(Messages.ErrorReadingSite, url);
-				throw new ProvisionException(new Status(IStatus.ERROR, Activator.ID, ProvisionException.REPOSITORY_FAILED_READ, msg, null));
-			}
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
+	public static void validate(URI url, IProgressMonitor monitor) throws ProvisionException {
+		URI siteURI = getSiteURI(url);
+		long lastModified = getTransport().getLastModified(siteURI);
+		if (lastModified == 0) {
 			String msg = NLS.bind(Messages.ErrorReadingSite, url);
-			throw new ProvisionException(new Status(IStatus.ERROR, Activator.ID, ProvisionException.REPOSITORY_FAILED_READ, msg, e));
+			throw new ProvisionException(new Status(IStatus.ERROR, Activator.ID, ProvisionException.REPOSITORY_FAILED_READ, msg, null));
 		}
 	}
 
 	/*
 	 * Constructor for the class.
 	 */
-	private UpdateSite(SiteModel site, URL location, String checksum) {
+	private UpdateSite(SiteModel site, URI location, String checksum) {
 		super();
 		this.site = site;
 		this.location = location;
@@ -240,15 +223,15 @@ public class UpdateSite {
 	}
 
 	/*
-	 * Iterate over the archive entries in this site and return the matching URL string for
+	 * Iterate over the archive entries in this site and return the matching URI string for
 	 * the given identifier, if there is one.
 	 */
-	private URL getArchiveURL(URL base, String identifier) {
+	private URI getArchiveURI(URI base, String identifier) {
 		URLEntry[] archives = site.getArchives();
 		for (int i = 0; archives != null && i < archives.length; i++) {
 			URLEntry entry = archives[i];
 			if (identifier.equals(entry.getAnnotation()))
-				return internalGetURL(base, entry.getURL());
+				return internalGetURI(base, entry.getURL());
 		}
 		return null;
 	}
@@ -261,53 +244,49 @@ public class UpdateSite {
 	}
 
 	/*
-	 * Return a URL which represents the location of the given feature.
+	 * Return a URI which represents the location of the given feature.
 	 */
-	public URL getSiteFeatureURL(SiteFeature siteFeature) {
+	public URI getSiteFeatureURI(SiteFeature siteFeature) {
 		URL url = siteFeature.getURL();
-		if (url != null)
-			return url;
-
-		URL base = getBaseURL();
-		String featureURLString = siteFeature.getURLString();
-		return internalGetURL(base, featureURLString);
+		try {
+			if (url != null)
+				return URIUtil.toURI(url);
+		} catch (URISyntaxException e) {
+			//fall through and resolve the URI ourselves
+		}
+		URI base = getBaseURI();
+		String featureURIString = siteFeature.getURLString();
+		return internalGetURI(base, featureURIString);
 	}
 
 	/*
-	 * Return a URL which represents the location of the given feature.
+	 * Return a URI which represents the location of the given feature.
 	 */
-	public URL getFeatureURL(String id, String version) {
+	public URI getFeatureURI(String id, String version) {
 		SiteFeature[] entries = site.getFeatures();
 		for (int i = 0; i < entries.length; i++) {
 			if (id.equals(entries[i].getFeatureIdentifier()) && version.equals(entries[i].getFeatureVersion())) {
-				return getSiteFeatureURL(entries[i]);
+				return getSiteFeatureURI(entries[i]);
 			}
 		}
 
-		URL base = getBaseURL();
-		URL url = getArchiveURL(base, FEATURE_DIR + id + VERSION_SEPARATOR + version + JAR_EXTENSION);
+		URI base = getBaseURI();
+		URI url = getArchiveURI(base, FEATURE_DIR + id + VERSION_SEPARATOR + version + JAR_EXTENSION);
 		if (url != null)
 			return url;
-
-		// fall through to default URL
-		try {
-			return getFileURL(base, FEATURE_DIR + id + VERSION_SEPARATOR + version + JAR_EXTENSION);
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
-			// shouldn't happen
-		}
-		return null;
+		return getFileURI(base, FEATURE_DIR + id + VERSION_SEPARATOR + version + JAR_EXTENSION);
 	}
 
 	/*
 	 * Return the location of this site.
 	 */
-	public URL getLocation() {
+	public URI getLocation() {
 		return location;
 	}
 
-	public String getMirrorsURL() {
+	public String getMirrorsURI() {
 		//copy mirror information from update site to p2 repositories
-		String mirrors = site.getMirrorsURL();
+		String mirrors = site.getMirrorsURI();
 		if (mirrors == null)
 			return null;
 		//remove site.xml file reference
@@ -318,29 +297,24 @@ public class UpdateSite {
 	}
 
 	/*
-	 * Return a URL which represents the location of the given plug-in.
+	 * Return a URI which represents the location of the given plug-in.
 	 */
-	public URL getPluginURL(FeatureEntry plugin) {
-		URL base = getBaseURL();
+	public URI getPluginURI(FeatureEntry plugin) {
+		URI base = getBaseURI();
 		String path = PLUGIN_DIR + plugin.getId() + VERSION_SEPARATOR + plugin.getVersion() + JAR_EXTENSION;
-		URL url = getArchiveURL(base, path);
+		URI url = getArchiveURI(base, path);
 		if (url != null)
 			return url;
-		try {
-			return getFileURL(base, path);
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
-			// shouldn't happen
-		}
-		return null;
+		return getFileURI(base, path);
 	}
 
-	private URL getBaseURL() {
-		URL base = null;
-		String siteURLString = site.getLocationURLString();
-		if (siteURLString != null) {
-			if (!siteURLString.endsWith("/")) //$NON-NLS-1$
-				siteURLString += "/"; //$NON-NLS-1$
-			base = internalGetURL(location, siteURLString);
+	private URI getBaseURI() {
+		URI base = null;
+		String siteURIString = site.getLocationURIString();
+		if (siteURIString != null) {
+			if (!siteURIString.endsWith("/")) //$NON-NLS-1$
+				siteURIString += "/"; //$NON-NLS-1$
+			base = internalGetURI(location, siteURIString);
 		}
 		if (base == null)
 			base = location;
@@ -359,19 +333,10 @@ public class UpdateSite {
 	 * then return null. If it is absolute, then create a new url and return it. If it is
 	 * relative, then make it relative to the given base url.
 	 */
-	private URL internalGetURL(URL base, String trailing) {
+	private URI internalGetURI(URI base, String trailing) {
 		if (trailing == null)
 			return null;
-		try {
-			return new URL(trailing);
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
-			try {
-				return new URL(base, trailing);
-			} catch (MalformedURLException e2) {
-				// shouldn't happen
-			}
-		}
-		return null;
+		return base.resolve(trailing);
 	}
 
 	/*
@@ -392,16 +357,16 @@ public class UpdateSite {
 		File digestFile = null;
 		boolean local = false;
 		try {
-			URL digestURL = getDigestURL();
-			if (PROTOCOL_FILE.equals(digestURL.getProtocol())) {
-				digestFile = URLUtil.toFile(digestURL);
+			URI digestURI = getDigestURI();
+			if (PROTOCOL_FILE.equals(digestURI.getScheme())) {
+				digestFile = URIUtil.toFile(digestURI);
 				if (!digestFile.exists())
 					return null;
 				local = true;
 			} else {
 				digestFile = File.createTempFile("digest", ".zip"); //$NON-NLS-1$ //$NON-NLS-2$
 				BufferedOutputStream destination = new BufferedOutputStream(new FileOutputStream(digestFile));
-				IStatus result = getTransport().download(digestURL.toExternalForm(), destination, monitor);
+				IStatus result = getTransport().download(digestURI.toString(), destination, monitor);
 				if (result.getSeverity() == IStatus.CANCEL || monitor.isCanceled())
 					throw new OperationCanceledException();
 				if (!result.isOK())
@@ -420,7 +385,7 @@ public class UpdateSite {
 		} catch (FileNotFoundException fnfe) {
 			// we do not track FNF exceptions as we will fall back to the 
 			// standard feature parsing from the site itself, see bug 225587.
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
+		} catch (URISyntaxException e) {
 			String msg = NLS.bind(Messages.InvalidRepositoryLocation, location);
 			LogHelper.log(new Status(IStatus.ERROR, Activator.ID, ProvisionException.REPOSITORY_INVALID_LOCATION, msg, e));
 		} catch (IOException e) {
@@ -432,16 +397,16 @@ public class UpdateSite {
 		return null;
 	}
 
-	private URL getDigestURL() throws MalformedURLException {
-		URL digestBase = location;
-		String digestURLString = site.getDigestURLString();
-		if (digestURLString != null) {
-			if (!digestURLString.endsWith("/")) //$NON-NLS-1$
-				digestURLString += "/"; //$NON-NLS-1$
-			digestBase = internalGetURL(location, digestURLString);
+	private URI getDigestURI() throws URISyntaxException {
+		URI digestBase = location;
+		String digestURIString = site.getDigestURIString();
+		if (digestURIString != null) {
+			if (!digestURIString.endsWith("/")) //$NON-NLS-1$
+				digestURIString += "/"; //$NON-NLS-1$
+			digestBase = internalGetURI(location, digestURIString);
 		}
 
-		return getFileURL(digestBase, "digest.zip"); //$NON-NLS-1$
+		return getFileURI(digestBase, "digest.zip"); //$NON-NLS-1$
 	}
 
 	/*
@@ -464,10 +429,10 @@ public class UpdateSite {
 				if (tmpFeatureCache.containsKey(key))
 					continue;
 			}
-			URL featureURL = getSiteFeatureURL(siteFeature);
-			Feature feature = parseFeature(featureParser, featureURL, monitor);
+			URI featureURI = getSiteFeatureURI(siteFeature);
+			Feature feature = parseFeature(featureParser, featureURI, null);
 			if (feature == null) {
-				LogHelper.log(new Status(IStatus.ERROR, Activator.ID, NLS.bind(Messages.ErrorReadingFeature, featureURL)));
+				LogHelper.log(new Status(IStatus.ERROR, Activator.ID, NLS.bind(Messages.ErrorReadingFeature, featureURI)));
 			} else {
 				if (key == null) {
 					siteFeature.setFeatureIdentifier(feature.getId());
@@ -497,10 +462,10 @@ public class UpdateSite {
 			if (features.containsKey(key))
 				continue;
 
-			URL includedFeatureURL = getFeatureURL(entry.getId(), entry.getVersion());
-			Feature includedFeature = parseFeature(featureParser, includedFeatureURL, monitor);
+			URI includedFeatureURI = getFeatureURI(entry.getId(), entry.getVersion());
+			Feature includedFeature = parseFeature(featureParser, includedFeatureURI, monitor);
 			if (includedFeature == null) {
-				LogHelper.log(new Status(IStatus.ERROR, Activator.ID, NLS.bind(Messages.ErrorReadingFeature, includedFeatureURL)));
+				LogHelper.log(new Status(IStatus.ERROR, Activator.ID, NLS.bind(Messages.ErrorReadingFeature, includedFeatureURI)));
 			} else {
 				features.put(key, includedFeature);
 				loadIncludedFeatures(includedFeature, featureParser, features, monitor);
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.updatesite/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/updatesite/artifact/UpdateSiteArtifactRepositoryFactory.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.updatesite/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/updatesite/artifact/UpdateSiteArtifactRepositoryFactory.java
index 0f6dab954..98cea3663 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.updatesite/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/updatesite/artifact/UpdateSiteArtifactRepositoryFactory.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.updatesite/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/updatesite/artifact/UpdateSiteArtifactRepositoryFactory.java
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@
  *******************************************************************************/
 package org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.updatesite.artifact;
 
-import java.net.URL;
+import java.net.URI;
 import java.util.*;
 import org.eclipse.core.runtime.IProgressMonitor;
 import org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.updatesite.UpdateSite;
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@ public class UpdateSiteArtifactRepositoryFactory implements IArtifactRepositoryF
 	/* (non-Javadoc)
 	 * @see org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.spi.p2.artifact.repository.IArtifactRepositoryFactory#create(java.net.URL, java.lang.String, java.lang.String, java.util.Map)
 	 */
-	public IArtifactRepository create(URL location, String name, String type, Map properties) {
+	public IArtifactRepository create(URI location, String name, String type, Map properties) {
 		return null;
 	}
 
@@ -42,14 +42,14 @@ public class UpdateSiteArtifactRepositoryFactory implements IArtifactRepositoryF
 	/* (non-Javadoc)
 	 * @see org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.spi.p2.artifact.repository.IArtifactRepositoryFactory#load(java.net.URL, org.eclipse.core.runtime.IProgressMonitor)
 	 */
-	public IArtifactRepository load(URL location, IProgressMonitor monitor) throws ProvisionException {
+	public IArtifactRepository load(URI location, IProgressMonitor monitor) throws ProvisionException {
 		IArtifactRepository repository = loadRepository(location, monitor);
 		initializeRepository(repository, location, monitor);
 		return repository;
 	}
 
-	public IArtifactRepository loadRepository(URL location, IProgressMonitor monitor) throws ProvisionException {
-		URL localRepositoryURL = UpdateSiteMetadataRepositoryFactory.getLocalRepositoryLocation(location);
+	public IArtifactRepository loadRepository(URI location, IProgressMonitor monitor) throws ProvisionException {
+		URI localRepositoryURL = UpdateSiteMetadataRepositoryFactory.getLocalRepositoryLocation(location);
 		SimpleArtifactRepositoryFactory factory = new SimpleArtifactRepositoryFactory();
 		try {
 			IArtifactRepository repository = factory.load(localRepositoryURL, monitor);
@@ -59,19 +59,19 @@ public class UpdateSiteArtifactRepositoryFactory implements IArtifactRepositoryF
 		} catch (ProvisionException e) {
 			//fall through and create a new repository
 		}
-		String repositoryName = "update site: " + location.toExternalForm(); //$NON-NLS-1$
+		String repositoryName = "update site: " + location; //$NON-NLS-1$
 		Properties props = new Properties();
 		props.put(IRepository.PROP_SYSTEM, Boolean.TRUE.toString());
 		return factory.create(localRepositoryURL, repositoryName, null, props);
 	}
 
-	public void initializeRepository(IArtifactRepository repository, URL location, IProgressMonitor monitor) throws ProvisionException {
+	public void initializeRepository(IArtifactRepository repository, URI location, IProgressMonitor monitor) throws ProvisionException {
 		UpdateSite updateSite = UpdateSite.load(location, monitor);
 		String savedChecksum = (String) repository.getProperties().get(PROP_SITE_CHECKSUM);
 		if (savedChecksum != null && savedChecksum.equals(updateSite.getChecksum()))
 			return;
 
-		if (!location.getProtocol().equals(PROTOCOL_FILE))
+		if (!location.getScheme().equals(PROTOCOL_FILE))
 			repository.setProperty(PROP_FORCE_THREADING, "true"); //$NON-NLS-1$
 		repository.setProperty(PROP_SITE_CHECKSUM, updateSite.getChecksum());
 		repository.removeAll();
@@ -85,8 +85,8 @@ public class UpdateSiteArtifactRepositoryFactory implements IArtifactRepositoryF
 			Feature feature = features[i];
 			IArtifactKey featureKey = FeaturesAction.createFeatureArtifactKey(feature.getId(), feature.getVersion());
 			ArtifactDescriptor featureArtifactDescriptor = new ArtifactDescriptor(featureKey);
-			URL featureURL = updateSite.getFeatureURL(feature.getId(), feature.getVersion());
-			featureArtifactDescriptor.setRepositoryProperty(PROP_ARTIFACT_REFERENCE, featureURL.toExternalForm());
+			URI featureURL = updateSite.getFeatureURI(feature.getId(), feature.getVersion());
+			featureArtifactDescriptor.setRepositoryProperty(PROP_ARTIFACT_REFERENCE, featureURL.toString());
 			allSiteArtifacts.add(featureArtifactDescriptor);
 
 			FeatureEntry[] featureEntries = feature.getEntries();
@@ -95,8 +95,8 @@ public class UpdateSiteArtifactRepositoryFactory implements IArtifactRepositoryF
 				if (entry.isPlugin() && !entry.isRequires()) {
 					IArtifactKey key = PublisherHelper.createBundleArtifactKey(entry.getId(), entry.getVersion());
 					ArtifactDescriptor artifactDescriptor = new ArtifactDescriptor(key);
-					URL pluginURL = updateSite.getPluginURL(entry);
-					artifactDescriptor.setRepositoryProperty(PROP_ARTIFACT_REFERENCE, pluginURL.toExternalForm());
+					URI pluginURL = updateSite.getPluginURI(entry);
+					artifactDescriptor.setRepositoryProperty(PROP_ARTIFACT_REFERENCE, pluginURL.toString());
 					allSiteArtifacts.add(artifactDescriptor);
 				}
 			}
diff --git a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.updatesite/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/updatesite/metadata/UpdateSiteMetadataRepositoryFactory.java b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.updatesite/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/updatesite/metadata/UpdateSiteMetadataRepositoryFactory.java
index fa26a439c..1f15faf77 100644
--- a/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.updatesite/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/updatesite/metadata/UpdateSiteMetadataRepositoryFactory.java
+++ b/bundles/org.eclipse.equinox.p2.updatesite/src/org/eclipse/equinox/internal/p2/updatesite/metadata/UpdateSiteMetadataRepositoryFactory.java
@@ -13,8 +13,7 @@
 package org.eclipse.equinox.internal.p2.updatesite.metadata;
 
 import java.io.File;
-import java.net.MalformedURLException;
-import java.net.URL;
+import java.net.URI;
 import java.util.Map;
 import java.util.Properties;
 import org.eclipse.core.runtime.*;
@@ -29,27 +28,21 @@ import org.eclipse.equinox.p2.publisher.*;
 public class UpdateSiteMetadataRepositoryFactory implements IMetadataRepositoryFactory {
 	private static final String PROP_SITE_CHECKSUM = "site.checksum"; //$NON-NLS-1$
 
-	public static URL getLocalRepositoryLocation(URL location) throws ProvisionException {
-		URL localRepositoryURL = null;
-		try {
-			String stateDirName = Integer.toString(location.toExternalForm().hashCode());
-			File bundleData = Activator.getBundleContext().getDataFile(null);
-			File stateDir = new File(bundleData, stateDirName);
-			localRepositoryURL = stateDir.toURL();
-		} catch (MalformedURLException e) {
-			throw new ProvisionException(new Status(IStatus.ERROR, Activator.ID, Messages.ErrorCreatingRepository, e));
-		}
-		return localRepositoryURL;
+	public static URI getLocalRepositoryLocation(URI location) throws ProvisionException {
+		String stateDirName = Integer.toString(location.hashCode());
+		File bundleData = Activator.getBundleContext().getDataFile(null);
+		File stateDir = new File(bundleData, stateDirName);
+		return stateDir.toURI();
 	}
 
 	/* (non-Javadoc)
 	 * @see org.eclipse.equinox.internal.provisional.spi.p2.metadata.repository.IMetadataRepositoryFactory#create(java.net.URL, java.lang.String, java.lang.String, java.util.Map)
 	 */
-	public IMetadataRepository create(URL location, String name, String type, Map properties) {
+	public IMetadataRepository create(URI location, String name, String type, Map properties) {
 		return null;
 	}
 
-	public IStatus validate(URL location, IProgressMonitor monitor) {
+	public IStatus validate(URI location, IProgressMonitor monitor) {
 		try {
 			UpdateSite.validate(location, monitor);
 		} catch (ProvisionException e) {
@@ -58,14 +51,14 @@ public class UpdateSiteMetadataRepositoryFactory implements IMetadataRepositoryF
 		return Status.OK_STATUS;
 	}
 
-	public IMetadataRepository load(URL location, IProgressMonitor monitor) throws ProvisionException {
+	public IMetadataRepository load(URI location, IProgressMonitor monitor) throws ProvisionException {
 		IMetadataRepository repository = loadRepository(location, monitor);
 		initializeRepository(repository, location, monitor);
 		return repository;
 	}
 
-	public IMetadataRepository loadRepository(URL location, IProgressMonitor monitor) throws ProvisionException {
-		URL localRepositoryURL = getLocalRepositoryLocation(location);
+	public IMetadataRepository loadRepository(URI location, IProgressMonitor monitor) throws ProvisionException {
+		URI localRepositoryURL = getLocalRepositoryLocation(location);
 		SimpleMetadataRepositoryFactory factory = new SimpleMetadataRepositoryFactory();
 		try {
 			IMetadataRepository repository = factory.load(localRepositoryURL, monitor);
@@ -75,13 +68,13 @@ public class UpdateSiteMetadataRepositoryFactory implements IMetadataRepositoryF
 		} catch (ProvisionException e) {
 			//fall through and create a new repository
 		}
-		String repositoryName = "update site: " + location.toExternalForm(); //$NON-NLS-1$
+		String repositoryName = "update site: " + location; //$NON-NLS-1$
 		Properties props = new Properties();
 		props.put(IRepository.PROP_SYSTEM, Boolean.TRUE.toString());
 		return factory.create(localRepositoryURL, repositoryName, null, props);
 	}
 
-	public void initializeRepository(IMetadataRepository repository, URL location, IProgressMonitor monitor) throws ProvisionException {
+	public void initializeRepository(IMetadataRepository repository, URI location, IProgressMonitor monitor) throws ProvisionException {
 		UpdateSite updateSite = UpdateSite.load(location, monitor);
 		String savedChecksum = (String) repository.getProperties().get(PROP_SITE_CHECKSUM);
 		if (savedChecksum != null && savedChecksum.equals(updateSite.getChecksum()))