Learn how install FortiClient VPN silently without others Fortinet's Apps! Learn how install FortiClient VPN silently without others Fortinet's Apps! Skip navigation Sign in. The FortiClient SSL VPN client can be installed during FortiClient installation. Once the SSL VPN client is installed, you can use either FortiClient or the SSL VPN client to create VPN connections. If you are upgrading FortiClient from a previous version and want to install the SSL VPN client, you will have to install the SSL VPN separately.
I thought i'd make this post, as I've spent the morning looking into the best way to deploy the FortiClient as VPN only. There is a standalone SSL VPN installer however I have some staff who use the app on iPads on their mobiles so wanted to keep a consistent interface for them between programs. Outside of the licensing the EMS there doesn't seem to be a simple solution to this.
Most steps online suggested editing the MSI file to disable the unwanted features by reducing their InstallLevel to 0, however that requires installing editing tools like Orca or InstallShield.
When you do open the MSI file in an editing tool, each of the different components have different Install Levels set. You can use these with a the INSTALLLEVEL= flag to choose what features are or are not installed.
Here are the install levels for the features taken from the installer for 5.4.3 FortiClient.
| Feature Name | Install level |
|---|---|
| Feature_Core | 1 |
| Feature_Basic | 1 |
| Feature_AntiVirus | 5 |
| Feature_WebFilter | 5 |
| Feature_VPN | 3 |
| Feature_SSLVPN | 1 |
| Feature_WanAcceleration | 5 |
| Feature_EndPointNAC | 3 |
| Feature_Firewall | 5 |
| Feature_Vulnerability | 5 |
| Feature_SingleSignOnMobility | 3 |
So long as the INSTALLLEVEL flag is equal to or less than the level of the feature. So if you wish to just install the SSL VPN you can use the following command:
The default install level when running msiexec is 100, which means all features are installed.
Information on the INSTALLLEVEL switch can be found on msdn
If you do install software to modify the default install level of the Features in the .MSI file, you could then create custom installers by adjusting the install level of unwanted features above a threshold.
I've tested this on x64 Windows 7 and succesfully installed only the SSLVPN client, which was my original aim. Hopefully this information is helpful for anyone who needs it.