Technical Tip: Best practices to migrate a FortiClient EMS Server from v7.2 to v7.4

Description

This article describes the best practices to smoothly migrate FortiClient EMS from v7.2 to v7.4.

Scope

FortiClient EMS 7.2+, v7.4+.

Solution

The steps below show the actions needed to be taken to migrate FortiClient EMS v7.2+ to v7.4+.

1. Migrating EMS to the Main FortiCloud Account.
   Once registered, the trial EMS in a different FortiCloud account, it will be necessary to transfer it to the main account. This process typically involves:

• Contact Customer Service: Reach out to Fortinet FortiCare Technical Support to assist with transferring the EMS registration from the trial account to the main account. This may involve verifying account ownership and providing necessary details about both accounts.
  

2. Migrating the license: To migrate the license from one account to another, follow these steps:

• Contact Customer Service: Call Fortinet Customer Service at 1-866-648-4638 to request a license transfer. It will be necessary to provide details about both accounts and the FortiClient EMS instance.

• Update Hardware ID: Once the license is transferred, update the Hardware ID on the new server. This can be found under Administration -> Upgrade License in the EMS interface.

• Re-login to the Support Site: After the license update, log out and back into the support site to ensure the changes are reflected.

3. Ensuring manageability after license removal: When the license is migrated, the original FortiClient EMS will become unlicensed. However, it should remain manageable for a limited time to allow for device migration and configuration management.
   

The following information is important to consider:

• Grace period: Typically, there is a grace period during which the FortiClient EMS can be managed to perform necessary migrations.

• Backup Configuration: Make sure to have a backup of all configurations and device registrations before initiating the license transfer.

Step-by-step migration guide:

1. Backup the FortiClient EMS database: Create a backup of the EMS database. This will generate a '.ENC' file that can only be restored to a FortiClient EMS of the same version. This step is only important if migration happens between the same two EMS versions, and otherwise can be skipped.

2. Install FortiClient EMS on the new server: Install the new FortiClient EMS on the new server and apply the trial license.

3. Transfer license: Follow the steps outlined above to transfer the license to the new server.

4. Migrate users: Follow the steps here to migrate the users: Technical Tip: How to manually migrate users to FortiClient EMS 7.4 onwards and check in Linux environment.

5. Cut over to new FortiClient EMS: Ensure the old FortiClient EMS is no longer reachable and that clients register to the new FortiClient EMS transparently.

6. Verify configuration and device registration: Check that all configurations and device registrations are intact on the new FortiClient EMS.
   

Note: Until it can be ascertained that all endpoints have connected to the new FortiClient EMS, maintain the old server. After operations have succeeded as expected for a few days, the old VM server can be deleted.