Distribution points

With the introduction of the SmartDeploy web console, SmartDeploy supports distribution points, which are local or cloud locations where admins can store deployment assets such as images and Platform Packs in logical groupings, e.g. by geographical location, and deploy to devices using a distribution point which is closest and most accessible to that specific endpoint.

SmartDeploy supports two types of distribution points:

Local distribution points: A local installation of the SmartDeploy web tools, along with a set of files to be used for endpoints which can most easily access that distribution point.
Cloud distribution points: Your cloud storage account with a supported provider, containing all of the files to be used for deployments to endpoints which can most easily access a cloud storage account (e.g. home/remote users, or users at branch offices which lack a local distribution point).

The SmartDeploy central server (where all of these files are created and managed) is also a local distribution point, and if you do not create any additional distribution points, all deployments will download deployment assets from the SmartDeploy central server, which will be selected by default.

Example architecture:

John installs the SmartDeploy console on a computer at company headquarters in Salt Lake City.
All IT personnel create, manage, and update deployment assets on that central server.

This company prefers to see all of their endpoints in the same web console, so when they generate the SmartDeploy client installer, they all point to company HQ in Salt Lake City.
[See section: Where should I point my clients if I'm using multiple distribution points?]

Sunita, another sysadmin, launches the web console from her laptop and interfaces with the central server installation of SmartDeploy to create and edit assets on the central server, and initiate, monitor, and cancel deployments.

The central server is itself also the Salt Lake City distribution point.

Alexandru, a sysadmin at the Seattle office, installs the SmartDeploy web tools onto a computer at the Seattle location, and manually copies over the deployment assets he intends to use for deployments at that office into the SmartDeploy directory (C:\SmartDeploy by default).
This is the Seattle distribution point.

Back in Salt Lake City, John also creates a Cloud distribution point by connecting to his cloud storage provider (see below).

Any of the SmartDeploy users in this organization may connect to the central server (while logged into that computer directly, or using a web console on the same machine, or any other machine which can connect to it over the local network on port 8080). From that web console, any of these users can view the status of all devices connected to their organization and initiate deployments to any of those endpoints using any distribution point connected to their organization, assuming that there is a persistent network connection available between the central server and all distribution points, such as over a VPN or WAN connection between offices.

Example deployments:

All Salt Lake City devices exist in an SLC office group in Computer Management.
When initiating a deployment to an endpoint in SLC, select the SLC distribution point.
All Seattle devices exist in a Seattle office group in Computer Management.
When initiating a deployment to an endpoint in Seattle, select the Seattle distribution point.
All remote workers (at various locations) work from home. Their computers have the SmartDeploy agent installed, and they all exist in a Remote workers group in Computer Management.
When initiating a deployment to a remote worker, select the cloud distribution point.

A distribution point can only be used for deployments if the files you want to use exist at that location.

For example, if you update your image on the central server, you could immediately use deploy it to endpoints at the Salt Lake City office using that distribution point.
To deploy the updated image to a Seattle endpoint, you would first have to manually copy the image file to the Seattle distribution point.
To deploy the updated image to a home/remote user with a Cloud connection type, you would have to upload it to OneDrive.

View all distribution points

To view all distribution points connected to your organization, open the web console and click Distribution Points in the left pane.

View all content that exists on each distribution point

From the web console, you can switch the view to see all content that exists on each specific distribution point. To switch the view to a different distribution point, click the Distribution Point icon in the top right corner of the web console, next to the bell icon.

Click to select a different distribution point.
You can then click on any of the other console libraries (Reference Machines, Images, Platform Packs, etc.) to view the assets of those types that exist on that distribution point.

Add a cloud distribution point

From the Distribution Points listing in the web console, click the Add Cloud button.
The SmartDeploy web tools will launch, and the Connect to a Cloud Provider dialog box will appear.

Give the cloud distribution point a name, and select the cloud storage provider you wish to use. And then click OK.

A new browser tab will open, and you can proceed through authentication for your cloud storage provider.

After Authentication is complete, the cloud distribution point will appear in the Distribution Points list.

Select a distribution point for deployment

When you initiate a deployment, you can then select the appropriate distribution point which is closest or most accessible to the target endpoint.