Technical Tip: How to upgrade FortiClient EMS on Linux configured in high availability (HA) with a remote database

Important: Before starting the upgrade, perform the following checks:

• Review the release notes for the target version.
• Ensure the EMS compatibility matrix with other Fortinet products has been verified.
• Confirm there is enough disk space on the server.
• Create snapshots of the servers and the database.
• If skipping versions, consult the documentation for the required upgrade path.
• When EMS is part of a high availability cluster, manually upgrading the nodes is recommended instead of using the auto upgrade feature. This information can be confirmed in the following documentation: Automatically upgrading EMS to latest patch release.

FortiClient EMS Linux HA upgrade.

Upgrade steps:

1. Download the upgrade binary from the Fortinet support portal.
2. On the primary server, run the following command (as admin):

./forticlientems_7.4.X.XXXX.XXX64.bin

No additional parameters are needed: the installer will detect the current environment settings (remote database, ports, etc.).

3. After upgrading the primary EMS, run the following command on the secondary server (as admin):

./forticlientems_7.4.X.XXXX.XXX64.bin -- --skip_db_deploy

In this step, it is important to include the parameter '--skip_db_deploy' to skip the database installation.

4. Once completed, both EMS servers should be updated to the desired version.