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Upgrading SmarterTrack

This information is not applicable to those using Hosted SmarterTrack.

Upgrading SmarterTrack is extremely easy to do. Since all of the files needed are contained with the installation files, the basic steps are to back up your current installation, uninstall the old version, then run the installer that was downloaded from our website. That's really all you need to do to upgrade to the most current version. However, we've listed the actual steps to follow below based on whether you use our automated installer (.exe) or the manual installer (.msi), which is generally used in situations where installations and upgrades are automated. (Note: If you have customized the web.config file, you can copy it to another location, then replace the default file with your modified version after upgrading.)

Using the Automated Installer (.exe)

Follow these steps to upgrade to the latest version of SmarterTrack using the automated installation package:

  1. Back up your SmarterTrack installation and database. The upgrade process should work just fine, but it's a best practice to always back up systems prior to upgrading them.
  2. If you are running SmarterTrack as an IIS site, stop the site and app pool in IIS prior to starting the upgrade process.
  3. Uninstall your current version of SmarterTrack using the Add/Remove Programs option in Windows. This will only uninstall system files - your users, employees, KB articles, etc. will remain intact and will be available after you re-install as long as you reconnect to the database you were using for your previous installation.
  4. Download and run the latest automated installer from the SmarterTrack Download page.
    • The following steps are ONLY required if upgrading to a current Build from SmarterTrack 9.x or earlier. If not, Skip to Step 5
    • Back up your installation, then upgrade to SmarterTrack 10.x. (You will need to contact sales@smartertools.com to get installers for legacy versions of SmarterTrack.)
    • Verify that the upgrade to 10.x went well by checking logins, tickets, events, etc.
    • Back up your newly-upgraded 10.x installation.
    • Proceed with these steps to upgrade to the most recent release. This is due to some back end and database changes made in SmarterTrack 10.x. Stair-stepping the installation this way speeds up the upgrade process and ensures a successful upgrade to the most recent release of SmarterTrack. 
  5. Verify the installation path is the same as before. (The default installation location is C:\Program Files (x86)\SmarterTools\SmarterTrack.)
  6. Change IIS Application Pool to run as .NET 4.7+
  7. Restart the SmarterTrack site in IIS and the associated application pool.

Using the Manual Installer (.msi)

The steps for upgrading to the latest version of SmarterTrack using the manual installation package vary depending on whether you have access to IIS.

NOTE: If you're making a major version upgrade, it may be best to follow the instructions for using the automated installer to ensure any legacy files and/or folders are not cluttering up your installation and possibly causing issues.

Upgrading with Access to IIS

In general, if you are running SmarterTrack on a dedicated server or through VPS hosting, you will have access to IIS. If you have access to IIS on the server, follow these steps:

  1. Back up your SmarterTrack installation and database. If you made changes to the web.config file, copy it to an alternate location.
  2. Download the latest manual installer from the SmarterTrack Download page. (NOTE: If upgrading from SmarterTrack 9.x or earlier, you will want to upgrade to SmarterTrack 10.x FIRST, then upgrade to the latest release. Please contact sales@smartertools.com for the MSI installers.)
  3. Extract the contents of the package to a temporary directory.
  4. Stop IIS or the Web application pool running SmarterTrack.
  5. In your current SmarterTrack site, delete all files and folders EXCEPT for App_Data or any other custom folders.
  6. Copy the files (including APP_DATA) from the SmarterTrack folder of the installation package into the site's location.
  7. If you made customizations to the web.config file in your previous installation, you can now replace the default web.config with our modified version.
  8. Change SmarterTracks Application pool to run on .NET 4.7+
  9. Restart IIS or the Web application pool running SmarterTrack.

Upgrading without Access to IIS

In general, if you are running SmarterTrack through shared hosting, you will not have access to IIS. If you do not have access to IIS on the server, follow these steps:

  1. Back up your SmarterTrack installation and database. If you made changes to the web.config file, copy it to an alternate location.
  2. Download the latest manual installation package from the SmarterTrack Download page. NOTE: The manual installation package is the files for shared hosting download.
  3. Extract the contents of the package to a temporary directory.
  4. In your current SmarterTrack site, delete all files and folders EXCEPT for App_Data or any other custom folders.
  5. Copy all of the files (including APP_DATA) from the SmarterTrack folder of the installation package into the site's location.
  6. If you made customizations to the web.config file in your previous installation, you can now replace the default web.config with our modified version. NOTE: If you have not made any customizations to the web.config file, you will need to reset the IIS site by renaming the web.config file to web.config1, and then renaming it back to web.config.
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