Installing and Updating

Installing and Updating

This manual covers vSMR 2.0 installation and upgrades. Download links and update eligibility must be checked against the actual published package, not inferred from source version metadata. See release preparation and validation and GitHub Releases.

The current wiki describes the 2.0.2 stable feed and next-airac pack. A wiki or source push alone does not install a new runtime; verify the version and contents of the package you actually install.

Requirements

• Windows and 32-bit EuroScope.
• Microsoft Visual C++ x86 Redistributable.
• Microsoft Edge WebView2 Evergreen Runtime, with support for the 32-bit host.
• A complete matching release: vSMR.dll and vSMR_Data\.

Optional CDM, Ramp Agent and vSID features require separately loaded bridge-enabled providers and EuroScope Plugin Bridge. See Integrations. Hoppie and TrackAudio have their own requirements.

EuroScope 3.2.3.2 is the user-reported working version. Runtime compatibility with 3.2.9 and 3.2.13 has not been validated; this guide does not claim those versions are supported or crash-free.

Install or upgrade

1. Close all EuroScope sessions.
2. Back up the full existing installation, external Profiles/AVISO files and ASRs.
3. Choose a complete published package at GitHub Releases. A draft or source checkout is not an installable release.
4. For a fresh installation, extract into an empty plug-in folder with vSMR.dll beside vSMR_Data\. For an upgrade, extract to a separate temporary folder and run that package's vSMR_Data\Tools\install_vsmr.ps1 -DestinationDirectory "<existing plug-in folder>". The installer preserves user configuration and creates a rollback backup. Do not extract over edited legacy profiles.
5. Start EuroScope and load vSMR.dll through Other Settings → Plug-ins.
6. Open an SMR radar display, enter .smr, and verify airport, paths, profile, palette, EuroScope runway assignments, alerts and any providers.

Do not use GitHub's Source code ZIP as a ready-to-load package. Do not mix a loader from one package with the runtime/data from another.

Updates and custom data

Settings selects Stable or Beta, startup checks, verified downloads and activation before runtime load. User-customization protection is always enabled. Check / repair files schedules a comparison of application files against the channel manifest on the next startup.

The per-file updater reads stable/version.json or beta/version.json from the repository's update-feed branch. It downloads missing or changed managed files from an immutable Git commit, checks their size and SHA-256, and stages them separately before installation. A push to dev/main or publication of a GitHub release alone does not publish an update.

Signing is optional unless explicitly required by the installed package's policy. Hashes verify bytes against the manifest; HTTPS and control of the fixed GitHub repository remain the trust boundary, not an independent publisher signature. Do not bypass a failed verification.

Per-file updates require loader 1.3.0, the matching runtime, defaults and apply helper together. Older ZIP/.update.json loaders need the complete bridge package; replacing only a DLL is not sufficient. Loader replacements can be completed by the helper after EuroScope exits.

The current source bundles 160 maps. Removal from the source bundle alone does not guarantee removal of an old installed map: installed-data migration follows the package's update policy and modified-map protection. Preserve custom maps before upgrading.

Application-owned default.json is replaceable. User-owned config.json holds sparse overrides, including custom runway-group visibility rules, and is excluded from the managed update feed. Objects merge recursively; arrays replace default arrays. Keep user edits there rather than changing defaults. Map style/group customizations are stored separately by stable IDs; unknown legacy edits are preserved conservatively. External sources remain user-owned. Keep backups and review the resulting profile/map after an update; preservation does not replace validation.

Backup, rollback and verification

The updater keeps a transaction journal and backups, and writes the installed vSMR_Data/version.json last. If an update is pending or interrupted, retain its staging/recovery data and allow recovery to finish. Do not delete .update piecemeal: the complete-package installer and backup restoration refuse an unfinished transaction.

Restore a complete known-good installation backup with EuroScope closed if a package-level update fails and no updater transaction remains unfinished. Avoid mixing individual DLLs. External Profiles/AVISO sources and ASRs need their own backups if stored elsewhere.

The Control Center's Revert reloads saved configuration; it is not a release rollback. Bundled defaults is configuration recovery, not recovery of custom edits. Legacy profile .bak restoration and Undo/Redo controls are no longer available.

After installation or rollback, run .smr diagnostics and verify representative displays and alerts away from live traffic.