Configure NTP on FortiClient EMS 7.4.4

[AEK]

Hi EMS admins

On EMS 7.4.3 I was able to configure NTP via OS config files (chrony).

But on 7.4.4 there is no access to sh/bash and I can't find anywhere some command to set it up with emscli.

In emscli cmd ref I just found this command but nothing said about setting time server.

https://docs.fortinet.com/document/forticlient/7.4.4/ems-cli-reference/239339/execute-time

Any useful info would  e appreciated.

[Jean-Philippe_P]

Hello Abdelkrim :) 

Thank you for using the Community Forum. I will seek to get you an answer or help. We will reply to this thread with an update as soon as possible. 

[AEK]

Thanks Jean-Philippe.

Appreciate your support.

[Jean-Philippe_P]

Hello,

We are still looking for an answer to your question.

We will come back to you ASAP.

[Jean-Philippe_P]

Hello again Abdelkrim!

I found this answer, can you tell us if it helps you, please? :)

FortiClient EMS 7.4.4 has removed direct shell access (sh/bash), which previously allowed configuring NTP through OS-level config files like chrony, making that approach unavailable now. The EMS CLI (emscli) in 7.4.4 provides a command execute time, but it only interacts with the host's current time settings and does not include any option to configure NTP servers or synchronization settings directly through emscli.

From the available official documentation and community discussions, there is currently no exposed CLI command or EMS UI option in version 7.4.4 to set or change the NTP server configuration. This change is likely due to increased security and system hardening, restricting direct OS-level access and limiting EMS configuration to predefined CLI commands.

The lack of NTP server configuration options in emscli and the absence of shell access mean that administrators cannot directly set NTP through EMS 7.4.4 interfaces as they did in 7.4.3.

Given this limitation, a few practical suggestions are:

• Check if the EMS appliance or VM hosting FortiClient EMS 7.4.4 has an external NTP configuration option at the hypervisor or host OS level (outside EMS).
• Monitor Fortinet's official release notes and forums for any upcoming feature updates or patches that might restore or add NTP server configuration capabilities.
• Engage with Fortinet support to confirm if any hidden or undocumented method exists or if a future update will address this gap.

In summary, EMS 7.4.4 currently does not provide a built-in way to configure NTP servers via emscli or UI, differing from 7.4.3 where OS-level config was accessible. This is a known limitation tied to EMS hardening and lack of shell access.

[AEK]

Hi Jean

Thanks for the response.

Yes with the new versions I'm afraid that we can't configure NTP.

Hope this will be fixed soon because we know how bad can be such situation.

[Jean-Philippe_P]

I hope so too!