Upgrading from an earlier FortiClient EMS version

FortiClient EMS 7.2.3 supports upgrading from previous EMS versions as FortiClient and FortiClient EMS Upgrade Paths outlines.

Before any version upgrade or other maintenance, back up the EMS database. Consider performing a full server backup or taking a VM snapshot if possible.

Legacy licenses

EMS 7.2.3 does not support legacy 158 licenses, which were in use before 2021 and have reached end-of-life (EOL). Following is a list of discontinued SKUs:

• FC1-15-EMS01-158-02-DD
• FC1-15-EMS02-158-02-DD

If you attempt an upgrade to EMS 7.2.3 with the legacy 158 licenses, the EMS installer displays an error message: Legacy license is not supported after upgrade. The EMS upgrade does not proceed.

EMS 7.2.3 may support the legacy Fabric Agent license during upgrade. However, using any EOL/legacy license with EMS 7.2.3 is not recommended, as Fortinet performs limited feature testing on these licenses. Therefore, converting legacy Fabric Agent licenses before upgrading is recommended, but the legacy Fabric Agent license may continue to work after upgrading to 7.2.3.

Upgrading EMS and FortiClient

When EMS manages FortiClient endpoints, you must consider the version compatibilities between EMS and FortiClient before upgrading EMS. Ensure that you follow these instructions when upgrading EMS and FortiClient.

See the EMS Compatibility Chart for EMS and FortiClient compatibility information.

To upgrade EMS and FortiClient:

1. If EMS is already upgraded to the latest version, do the following:
   1. For endpoints where the FortiClient version is compatible with the EMS version, deploy the latest FortiClient version as an upgrade from EMS. EMS can only upgrade FortiClient versions that it is compatible with. See Deploying FortiClient upgrades from FortiClient EMS.
   2. For endpoints where the FortiClient version is incompatible with the EMS version, manually uninstall FortiClient from the endpoint. Then, install the latest FortiClient version on the endpoint. See Uninstalling FortiClient and Installing FortiClient on computers.
2. If EMS is not yet upgraded to the latest version, do one of the following:
   1. Incrementally upgrade EMS and FortiClient to ensure that they remain compatible with each other at every step of the installation process. When following this method, you do not need to restore the EMS configuration at any step. At each step of the incremental process, ensure the following:
      • Run the upgrade as an administrator.
      • Confirm that the upgraded EMS contains all of the configuration prior to the upgrade before proceeding to the next step of your incremental upgrade process.

      For example, if you want to upgrade EMS and FortiClient from 6.2 to 7.2, do the following:

      1. Upgrade EMS from 6.2 to 6.4 as To upgrade EMS from an earlier version: describes.
      2. Deploy FortiClient upgrade from 6.2 to 6.4 from EMS as Deploying FortiClient upgrades from FortiClient EMS describes.
      3. Upgrade EMS from 6.4 to 7.0 as To upgrade EMS from an earlier version: describes.
      4. Deploy FortiClient upgrade from 6.4 to 7.0 from EMS as Deploying FortiClient upgrades from FortiClient EMS describes.
      5. Upgrade EMS from 7.0 to 7.2 as To upgrade EMS from an earlier version: describes.
      6. Deploy FortiClient upgrade from 7.0 to 7.2 from EMS as Deploying FortiClient upgrades from FortiClient EMS describes.
   2. Uninstall FortiClient, then deploy the latest version from EMS:
      1. Uninstall FortiClient by creating an Uninstall deployment configuration to deploy to endpoints. See Creating a deployment configuration.
      2. Upgrade EMS to the latest version as To upgrade EMS from an earlier version: describes.
      3. Deploy the latest FortiClient version to endpoints as Manage Deployment describes.

Upgrading EMS from an earlier version

To upgrade EMS from an earlier version:

1. Close FortiClient EMS.
2. Install FortiClient EMS 7.2.3 using the downloaded installer. You may complete the upgrade using one of the following methods. You can download the installer files from Customer Service & Support.
   1. Fortinet can enable push notifications on FDS for a new EMS GA build. If Fortinet has enabled this, a notification appears on the FortiClient EMS GUI. Click the notification, then review and accept the upgrade message.
   2. Run the full FortiClient EMS installer as an administrator.
   3. Run the light FortiClient EMS installer as an administrator. This installer connects to the FDS to check for, download, and run the latest full FortiClient EMS installer.
   4. Run the full FortiClient EMS installer as an administrator using the CLI. This is necessary for FortiClient EMS installations using a remote SQL database.
3. Monitor FortiClient EMS performance for at least two days, including testing use cases.