Updates and uninstall

This page is for the administrator who looks after BioTrack versions on a PC, and who removes BioTrack when a PC is retired.

Automatic updates

BioTrack 1.2 and later update themselves on Windows. Nobody needs to open the app or be signed in: the BioTrack Collector service checks for, downloads and installs updates on its own.

Coming from BioTrack 1.1

BioTrack 1.1 does not update itself. Install 1.2 by hand once on each PC, as in Install an update by hand; from then on the PC updates itself.

How an update reaches the PC

1. Check. About 2 minutes after the service starts, then about every 6 hours, the PC asks the BioTrack cloud (sync.biotrack.co.zw) for the newest release on its channel.
2. Download. A newer version is downloaded in the background. A download that is interrupted resumes at the next check.
3. Verify. BioTrack checks the download’s size and checksum, and that it is signed and timestamped with the same certificate as the BioTrack already installed. A file that fails is deleted.
4. Install. Between 02:00 and 04:00 (the PC’s own clock), a Windows scheduled task called BioTrack Updater checks everything again and runs the installer silently. It installs only a newer version, never an older one.

New releases reach PCs within about six hours of being published, and install that night.

Collection pauses for a minute or two

While the installer replaces BioTrack, the collector is stopped for a minute or two. BioTrack does not fetch scans from the terminal afterwards, so a scan made during that time is not collected. That is why updates install at night. An update also closes any open BioTrack window; nothing reopens it.

The PC must be able to reach the BioTrack cloud for updates. See Network and firewall. Updates do not need a cloud subscription.

Settings → About & support

The Updates group shows what is happening:

Item	What it shows
Status	Up to date, Checking for updates…, Downloading version (with progress), version installs at a time tonight, Installing version, or Needs attention with the problem.
Channel	Stable releases or Beta and stable releases.
Last checked	When the PC last asked for updates.
Last update	The last version installed, or the last that failed, with when.

Everyone who signs in sees the status. Administrators can also:

• select Check now to check straight away;
• select Install now when an update is ready, to install it immediately instead of waiting for the night. Confirm with Install now: collection stops for a minute or two and the window closes. Open BioTrack again a few minutes later;
• turn Get beta updates on or off.

Beta and stable channels

Installed build	Get beta updates	Installs
A stable release, such as 1.2.0	off (or never set)	Stable releases only
A pre-release, such as 1.2.0-rc.6	never set	Beta releases, and stable ones when they are newer
Either	on	Beta releases, and stable ones when they are newer
Either	off	Stable releases only

Turning Get beta updates off never goes back to an older version. A PC on 1.2.0-rc.6 with beta off waits for the next stable release that is newer (1.2.0), and stays on stable from then on.

If an update fails

• The PC is never left without a collector. If the new version’s service cannot be installed, BioTrack keeps or restarts a working collector.
• Last update shows the version that failed and why, and the Status may show Needs attention.
• A version that failed is tried again a day later, not at every check. To fix a problem for good, Alcra publishes a newer release; PCs never go back to an older one.

If an update keeps failing, export a support bundle and send it with these files to BioTrack support:

What	Where
The update service’s decisions	%ProgramData%\BioTrack\logs
The updater task’s log	%ProgramData%\BioTrack\updates\updater.log
The last attempt	%ProgramData%\BioTrack\updates\result.json

Stopping updates on one PC

To hold a PC on its current version, a Windows administrator can disable the BioTrack Updater task in Task Scheduler. The service still downloads updates, but nothing installs until the task is enabled again.

Install an update by hand

You need this for the first move from 1.1 to 1.2, and you can use it at any time. You need Windows administrator rights.

The installer for the PC’s architecture comes from Alcra:

• biotrack-<version>-x64-setup.exe for Intel/AMD PCs
• biotrack-<version>-arm64-setup.exe for Windows on Arm PCs

Only install a package whose publisher signature and fingerprint match what your supplier gave you through a separate trusted channel. See Install BioTrack.

1. Create a portable backup in Settings → Backup & recovery and confirm you see Backup created and verified. See Backup and recovery.
2. Close BioTrack in every Windows user session.
3. Run the new signed installer from the Windows account you normally use, and approve the Windows administrator prompt.
4. Wait for setup to report success. If it fails, it shows the reason and the path to its setup log.
5. Open BioTrack. A PC moving from 1.1 shows a reminder to link it to your BioTrack account; see Link this PC.
6. Sign in and check Connection: the collector should be Ready and the terminal Reachable.
7. Make a real scan on the terminal and check it appears on Today.
8. Check Settings → About & support shows the new Installed version.

During an update, setup stops the BioTrack Collector service, installs the new files, and recommissions the service with the settings you already approved: the same Windows user, terminal address and listener port. It verifies the service is running before it reports success. Attendance data, the database key and the collector’s local channel secret are kept, and you do not run the setup wizard again.

If Connection shows The collector service is older than this desktop, the service did not update. Run the installer again.

Uninstall

Before you uninstall a PC for good, ask BioTrack support to release its licence, so it can be used on another PC. See Licences and billing.

Uninstall BioTrack from Windows Settings → Apps → Installed apps. The uninstaller stops and removes the BioTrack Collector service, its firewall rule and the shortcuts.

It keeps everything under %ProgramData%\BioTrack: the encrypted database, its key, the daily backups and the collector’s local channel secret. Reinstalling BioTrack on the same PC picks this data up again. Publisher trust for the BioTrack certificate is also kept, for reinstallation.

To remove the data as well, an administrator must delete %ProgramData%\BioTrack by hand after uninstalling. Take and verify a portable backup first if there is any chance you will need the attendance history. Deleting the folder, including attendance.db.key, makes the database and daily backups permanently unreadable.

Advanced: manual commissioning scripts

The installer runs all service setup for you. For controlled maintenance or recovery only, signed PowerShell scripts are installed under C:\Program Files\Biotrack\resources\commissioning\:

• Install-BioTrackCollectorService.ps1 commissions the service for a named Windows account. It is also the route for deployment tools that run without a signed-in desktop user, and for recommissioning with a new terminal address or listener port.
• Uninstall-BioTrackCollectorService.ps1 removes the service and firewall rule and keeps the data.
• Test-BioTrackWindowsInstallation.ps1 verifies an installation.

These scripts need an elevated PowerShell session, the publisher thumbprint obtained through a trusted channel, and a separately verified WinSW service wrapper. Use them only with guidance from your supplier.

Install BioTrack Run the signed installer and trust the publisher.