diff --git a/release/plugin.jelly b/release/plugin.jelly
index 8f1be53b..49174b24 100644
--- a/release/plugin.jelly
+++ b/release/plugin.jelly
@@ -1,6 +1,11 @@
 <?xml version="1.0"?>
 
 <project
+  xmlns:ant="jelly:ant"
+  xmlns:archive="release:archive"
+  xmlns:define="jelly:define"
+  xmlns:deploy="deploy"
+  xmlns:maven="jelly:maven"
   xmlns:j="jelly:core"
   xmlns:i="jelly:interaction"
   xmlns:u="jelly:util"
@@ -36,6 +41,64 @@
    |    of the latest snapshot.
    -->
 
+    <!--
+    | Archive taglib:
+    |	- copy-dependencies: copies dependencies for category groups
+    |            attributes: category, todir
+    |   - gzip: creates tar.gz distribution file
+    |            attributes: dir, name
+    |   - zip: creates zip distribution file 	
+    |            attributes: dir, name
+    -->	
+    <define:taglib uri="release:archive">
+        <define:tag name="copy-dependencies">
+            <j:if test="${projectDescriptor != null}">
+                <maven:pom var="pom" projectDescriptor="${projectDescriptor}"/>
+            </j:if>
+
+            <j:set var="mavenRepoLocal" value='${context.getVariable("maven.repo.local")}'/>
+            <j:forEach var="dependency" items="${pom.dependencies}">
+                <j:if test='${category.equals(dependency.getProperty("category"))}'>
+                    <j:set var="addDependencies" value='true'/>
+                </j:if>
+            </j:forEach>
+
+            <j:if test='${addDependencies == "true" }'>
+                <ant:mkdir dir="${todir}"/>
+                <ant:copy todir="${todir}" flatten="true">
+                    <ant:fileset dir="${mavenRepoLocal}">
+                        <j:forEach var="dependency" items="${pom.dependencies}">
+                            <j:if test='${category.equals(dependency.getProperty("category"))}'>
+                                <ant:include name="${dependency.artifactDirectory}/jars/${dependency.artifact}"/>
+                                <ant:include name="${dependency.artifactDirectory}/licenses/${dependency.artifactId}.license"/>
+                            </j:if>
+                        </j:forEach>
+                    </ant:fileset>
+                </ant:copy>
+            </j:if>
+        </define:tag>
+        <define:tag name="gzip">
+	    <ant:tar longfile="gnu" tarfile="${maven.build.dir}/${name}.tar">
+                <ant:tarfileset dir="${dir}" prefix="${name}"/>
+            </ant:tar>
+    	    <ant:gzip zipfile="${maven.build.dir}/${name}.tar.gz"
+                        src="${maven.build.dir}/${name}.tar"/>
+            <ant:delete file="${maven.build.dir}/${name}.tar"/>
+        </define:tag>
+        <define:tag name="zip">
+            <ant:zip destfile="${maven.build.dir}/${name}.zip">
+                <ant:zipfileset dir="${dir}" prefix="${name}"/>
+    	    </ant:zip>
+        </define:tag>
+        <define:tag name="deploy">
+	    <deploy:artifact
+        	  artifact="${maven.build.dir}/${name}"
+       		  type="distributions"
+	          assureDirectoryCommand="mkdir -p"
+	      	  siteCommand="cd @deployDirectory@; chmod g+w ${name}; chgrp ${maven.remote.group} ${name}"/>
+        </define:tag>
+    </define:taglib>
+
   <!--
    |
    | Convert SNAPSHOT version identifiers to real snapshot versions.
@@ -158,7 +221,75 @@
      | deploy instead of having to build everything all the time.
      |
      -->
+  </goal>
 
+  <!--
+   |
+   | Initialise release variables
+   |
+   -->
+  <goal name="release:init">
+    <j:set var="releaseNameBin" value="${maven.release.name.bin}"/>
+    <j:if test="${empty(releaseNameBin)}">
+      <j:set var="releaseNameBin" value="${pom.artifactId}-${pom.currentVersion}-bin"/>
+    </j:if>
+    <j:set var="releaseNameSrc" value="${maven.release.name.src}"/>
+    <j:if test="${empty(releaseNameSrc)}">
+      <j:set var="releaseNameSrc" value="${pom.artifactId}-${pom.currentVersion}-src"/>
+    </j:if>
+  </goal>
+ 
+ <!--
+   |
+   | Build a binary distribution copying dependencies according to 
+   | category groups.
+   |
+   -->
+  <goal name="release:setup-distribution-bin" prereqs="release:init">
+    <ant:mkdir dir="${maven.build.dir}/${releaseNameBin}"/>
+    <u:tokenize var="categories" delim="," trim="true">${maven.release.distribution.categories}</u:tokenize>
+    <j:forEach var="category" items="${categories}">
+ 	<u:tokenize var="pair" delim=":" trim="true">${category}</u:tokenize>
+  	<j:set var="name" value="${pair.get(0)}"/>
+  	<j:set var="path" value="${pair.get(1)}"/>
+ 	<archive:copy-dependencies category="${name}" todir="${maven.build.dir}/${releaseNameBin}/${path}"/>
+    </j:forEach> 
+  </goal>
+
+  <goal name="release:build-distribution-bin" prereqs="release:setup-distribution-bin">
+    <archive:gzip name="${releaseNameBin}" dir="${maven.build.dir}/${releaseNameBin}"/>
+    <archive:zip name="${releaseNameBin}" dir="${maven.build.dir}/${releaseNameBin}"/>
+  </goal>
+
+  <!--
+   |
+   | Build a source distribution from source repository.
+   | Uses scm plugin to checkout project.
+   |
+   -->
+  <goal name="release:build-distribution-src" prereqs="release:init,scm:checkout-project">
+    <archive:gzip name="${releaseNameSrc}" dir="${maven.scm.checkout.dir}/${maven.scm.cvs.module}"/>
+    <archive:zip name="${releaseNameSrc}" dir="${maven.scm.checkout.dir}/${maven.scm.cvs.module}"/>
+  </goal>
+
+ <!--
+   |
+   | Deploy a binary distribution.
+   |
+   -->
+  <goal name="release:deploy-distribution-bin" prereqs="release:build-distribution-bin">
+    <archive:deploy name="${releaseNameBin}.tar.gz"/>
+    <archive:deploy name="${releaseNameBin}.zip"/>
+  </goal>
+
+ <!--
+   |
+   | Deploy a source distribution.
+   |
+   -->
+  <goal name="release:deploy-distribution-src" prereqs="release:build-distribution-src">
+    <archive:deploy name="${releaseNameSrc}.tar.gz"/>
+    <archive:deploy name="${releaseNameSrc}.zip"/>
   </goal>
 
 </project>
diff --git a/release/xdocs/goals.xml b/release/xdocs/goals.xml
index bd3b314d..bda1e0c7 100644
--- a/release/xdocs/goals.xml
+++ b/release/xdocs/goals.xml
@@ -26,6 +26,33 @@
         <description>
         </description>
       </goal>
+      <goal>
+        <name>release:build-distribution-bin</name>
+        <description>
+            Builds binary distribution.  Uses <code>maven.release.distribution.categories</code> property
+            to separated dependencies in categories and corresponding distribution directories.
+            Users can postGoal <code>release:setup-distribution-bin</code> with custom additional 
+            distribution content.
+        </description>
+      </goal>
+      <goal>
+        <name>release:build-distribution-src</name>
+        <description>
+            Builds source distribution from source control using SCM plugin.
+        </description>
+      </goal>
+      <goal>
+        <name>release:deploy-distribution-bin</name>
+        <description>
+            Deploys binary distribution built via <code>release:build-distribution-bin</code>
+        </description>
+      </goal>
+      <goal>
+        <name>release:deploy-distribution-src</name>
+        <description>
+            Deploys source distribution built via <code>release:build-distribution-src</code>
+        </description>
+      </goal>
       <goal>
         <name>validate-pom-for-release</name>
         <description>
diff --git a/release/xdocs/properties.xml b/release/xdocs/properties.xml
index 2e91a406..1768937c 100644
--- a/release/xdocs/properties.xml
+++ b/release/xdocs/properties.xml
@@ -6,7 +6,52 @@
   </properties>
   <body>
     <section name="Maven Release Plug-in Settings">
-      <p>There are no settings to customize this plugin</p>
+      <table>
+        <tr>
+          <th>Property</th>
+          <th>Optional?</th>
+          <th>Description</th>
+        </tr>
+        <tr>
+          <td>maven.release.name.bin</td>
+          <td>Yes</td>
+          <td>The name of the binary release file.  
+              Defaults to <code>${pom.artifactId}-${pom.currentVersion}-bin</code></td>
+        </tr>        
+        <tr>
+          <td>maven.release.name.src</td>
+          <td>Yes</td>
+          <td>The name of the source release file.
+              Defaults to <code>${pom.artifactId}-${pom.currentVersion}-src</code></td>
+        </tr>        
+        <tr>
+          <td>maven.release.distribution.categories</td>
+          <td>Yes</td>
+          <td>The categories and relative paths of the dependencies to
+          	  be included in the release. A list of category:path
+          	  pairs, eg <code>shared:lib,tools:tools/lib</code>, where the 
+          	  category is set via dependency properties:
+<source><![CDATA[
+   <dependency>
+        <groupId>[groupId]</groupId>
+        <artifactId>[artifactId]</artifactId>
+        <version>[version]</version>
+        <properties>
+            <category>shared</category>
+        </properties>
+    </dependency>
+   <dependency>
+        <groupId>[anotherGroupId]</groupId>
+        <artifactId>[anotherArtifactId]</artifactId>
+        <version>[anotherVersion]</version>
+        <properties>
+            <category>tools</category>
+        </properties>
+    </dependency>
+]]></source>
+          </td>
+        </tr>        
+      </table>
     </section>
   </body>
 </document>
\ No newline at end of file