After you install features from UI ..

When you install the features using the WSO2 management console it will copy the relevant jars to repository/components/plugins directory and will update the bundles.info file which is located in CARBON_HOME/repository/components/configuration/org.eclipse.equinox.simpleconfigurator/. There will not be changes to database with regard to this.

How to read properties file from custom UserStoreManager

Scenario : 

You have developed a XUserStoreManager extending an inbuilt userstoremanager implemetation (i.e. ActiveDirectoryUserStoreManager).

You need to read some configuration files from a property file, which you do not want embed in the XUserStoreManager.jar which is deployed in <IS_HOME>/repository/components/dropins

What is the best approach:

1. You can put your custom properties in <IS_HOME>/repository/conf/user-mgt.xml inside your <CustomUserStoreManager> section as below.

<Property name="customProperty">customValue</Property>

2. Put properties withing your CustomUserStoreManager configuration section. Then you can access your properties as below as in [1]

i.e.

String patterns = realmConfig.getUserStoreProperty(LDAPConstants.USER_DN_PATTERN); 

Applicable : WSO2IS-4.6.0

[1] - https://svn.wso2.org/repos/wso2/carbon/kernel/branches/4.0.0/core/org.wso2.carbon.user.core/4.0.2/src/main/java/org/wso2/carbon/user/core/ldap/ReadOnlyLDAPUserStoreManager.java