diff --git a/jaxws/build.properties b/jaxws/build.properties
index da9adbf9501..9e5f63306c9 100644
--- a/jaxws/build.properties
+++ b/jaxws/build.properties
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@
 
 # Base locations where bundles are located
 slashjava=/java
-devtools=${slashjava}/devtools
+drops.dir=${slashjava}/devtools/share/jdk7-drops
 
 # This is the JDK used to build and run the bootstrap version of javac.
 # The bootstrap javac is used to compile both boostrap versions of the
@@ -97,6 +97,7 @@ sanity.info= Sanity Settings:${line.separator}\
   build.dir=${build.dir}${line.separator}\
   dist.dir=${dist.dir}${line.separator}\
   drop.dir=${drop.dir}${line.separator}\
+  drops.dir=${drops.dir}${line.separator}\
 ${line.separator}
 
 #------------------------------------------------------------
diff --git a/jaxws/jaxws.properties b/jaxws/jaxws.properties
index b1e3a6f5b1f..1c77d79d21c 100644
--- a/jaxws/jaxws.properties
+++ b/jaxws/jaxws.properties
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@
 # have any questions.
 #
 
-drops.master.copy.base=${devtools}/share/jdk7-drops
+drops.master.copy.base=${drops.dir}
 drops.master.url.base=http://kenai.com/projects/jdk7-drops/downloads/download
 
 jaxws_src.bundle.name=jdk7-jaxws-2009_09_28.zip
diff --git a/jaxws/make/Makefile b/jaxws/make/Makefile
index 34e2822cf4a..071a434a358 100644
--- a/jaxws/make/Makefile
+++ b/jaxws/make/Makefile
@@ -86,15 +86,22 @@ else
   endif
 endif
 
-# Where is /java/devtools in case we need it
-ifdef ALT_JDK_DEVTOOLS_DIR
-  _DEVTOOLS = $(ALT_JDK_DEVTOOLS_DIR)
+# Do we have the drops already downloaded?
+# Check ALT_DROPS_DIR for a full path first,
+# before trying to use the devtools path,
+# either via ALT_JDK_DEVTOOLS_DIR or /java/devtools.
+ifdef ALT_DROPS_DIR
+  DROPS_DIR = $(ALT_DROPS_DIR)
 else
-  _DEVTOOLS = $(_SLASHJAVA)/devtools
+  ifdef ALT_JDK_DEVTOOLS_DIR
+    DROPS_DIR = $(ALT_JDK_DEVTOOLS_DIR)/share/jdk7-drops
+  else
+    DROPS_DIR = $(_SLASHJAVA)/devtools/share/jdk7-drops
+  endif
 endif
 
-# Add in path to devtools
-ANT_OPTIONS += -Ddevtools=$(_DEVTOOLS)
+# Add in path to drops already downloaded
+ANT_OPTIONS += -Ddrops.dir=$(DROPS_DIR)
 
 ifdef ALT_OUTPUTDIR
   OUTPUTDIR = $(ALT_OUTPUTDIR)