How to upgrade SmartDeploy from V2 to V3

SmartDeploy V2 reached End-of-Life on July 31, 2022. 
We recommend upgrading to V3 as soon as possible, as the V2 console may stop working at any time.

First: Before you install V3, get the latest version of V2. 
Before you install V3, make sure you're on the latest version of V2, which is version 2.0.3090.12085.

If you install this version before installing V3, then you will be able to use a handy Upgrade to Version 3 option to upgrade your clients to V3 using the existing V2 console. If you do not install this version first, then you will not have this option, and you will need to upgrade your clients manually, via GPO, while reimaging your endpoints, or using some third-party method.

If you are on an older version or happen to be using a custom build previously provided by SmartDeploy Support, perform these steps:
1) Uninstall your V2 console, and reboot the console host.
2) Download and install this version of SmartDeploy:

Now you're ready to upgrade.

How to: Upgrade to SmartDeploy 3.0
Upgrading from SmartDeploy V2 to V3 is easy and involves three steps: install the V3 console, upgrade your existing V2 clients, and uninstall the V2 console. It's important to note that V3 is a completely separate application. It will be installed alongside V2, and both versions can be open at the same time. Your existing V2 console Start Menu shortcuts will be renamed SmartDeploy V2.

Watch the video of the upgrade process end-to-end, or read below to see step-by-step instructions for the upgrade process.

Install SmartDeploy V3

1. If open, close your existing SmartDeploy (V2) console. 
2. Download the latest version of SmartDeploy.
3. Double-click the installer to begin the installation. 
4. Click Install to install the required prerequisites.
5. Once the prerequisites are installed, click Next on the SmartDeploy Installation welcome page.
6. Select the radio button to accept the EULA, and then click Next.
7. Click Install to start the installation. 
8. Leave the Launch SmartDeploy check box selected, and click Finish to complete the installation.
9. Log in to the console by using your SmartDeploy credentials.
10. (recommended) Click Yes when you are prompted to add exclusions for SmartDeploy in Windows Defender.
11. Rebuild your SmartDeploy console libraries by switching to the specific library, clicking the green + icon and selecting the  Rebuild [e.g. Images, Platform Packs] Library option.

Upgrade your SmartDeploy V2 clients to the V3 client

1. Click Start, search for SmartDeploy V2, and click the tile to open it. 
2. Log in to the console by using your SmartDeploy credentials.
3. Switch to the Computer Management workspace.
4. Click to select one or more of the clients that you want to migrate to V3.
   Note: We recommend doing clients in groups of 10-20 to make any potential troubleshooting easier, at least when you are first starting or migrating clients as the need to perform a deployment arises.
5. In the Actions pane, click Upgrade to Version 3, and then click OK.
   Note: Clients that appear gray or in faded text have not checked in with the V2 console recently and will not receive the upgrade message until the SmartDeploy client service starts and reaches the console. 
6. Allow approximately 5 to 10 minutes for the upgrade process to complete and for the target clients to appear in the V3 console. 
7. As your clients appear in the V3 console, re-select the clients in the V2 console, click Delete in the Actions pane, and then click Yes to confirm.
   Note: It's important to delete the successfully upgraded clients right away so that they're not confused with clients that were offline or otherwise couldn't reach the console. 
8. Repeat these steps for your remaining clients.

Update any existing answer files and media

All existing SmartDeploy media, including USB or WDS boot media, will still have the V2 version of SmartDeploy included with their boot images. If you checked the box in the answer file to install the SmartDeploy Client, they will still be installing the V2 version of the Client, which will only be capable of reporting into the V2 console.

After you have tested and confirmed that your V3 clients are able to report into the V3 console successfully in your environment, you should update all existing answer files as needed, and recreate all existing media.

(Alternate method) Install the SmartDeploy 3.0 client manually 
If you don't want to use the V2 console to migrate your clients or if you are installing the V3 console onto a different console host, you can create your V3 installation package and install the V3 client manually or via scripting or other third-party tools. The SmartDeploy V3 client installation package will automatically uninstall the existing V2 client before installing.

The process is the same as in SmartDeploy 2.0.3090, and the steps are available in the following KB articles:

1. Create a SmartDeploy Client Installation Package
2. Manually install the SmartDeploy Client from a Network Share

(Optional) Uninstall the SmartDeploy V2 console and prerequisites

After you finish upgrading all of your V2 clients to the V3 console and they are reliably reporting into that console, uninstall the V2 console when it is convenient to do so.

Here is the recommended order of uninstallation.
Note: Please confirm that there are no other applications relying on the SQL Server Compact and Express LocalDB components before uninstalling. 

1. SmartDeploy 2.0.3090 (or lower)
2. Microsoft SQL Server Compact 4.0 SP1 x64 ENU
3. Microsoft SQL Server 2014 Express LocalDB