FortiClient MacOS configuration restore

[fvazquez]

Hello, everyone.

I've recently installed FortiClient VPN only v7.2.4 in MacOS Sonoma 14 and tried to restore a configuration file extracted from a Windows device generated on a previous version (v7.2.3) but ran into the "Error importing configuration file" message box.

I've noticed some of the xml lines are different from the Windows and MacOS version so I had modified them but as it turns out neither a newly generated backup file from the MacOS installed client seems to be working by restoring it right after being generated. Has anyone of you been in this situation? I've thought about manually creating each VPN but I'm missing most of the PSKs of the IPsec tunnels. 

Is there any known workaround or method to restore configurations?

Thanks!

[SpringTime · Accepted solution]

Using the GUI, I was receiving the same "Error importing configuration file" issue while attempting to restore a config file from my old Mac running Monterey 12.7.5 with FortiClient VPN 7.2.2.0776 to my new Mac running Sonoma 14.5 with FortiClient VPN 7.4.0.1645.

While searching for solutions, I found the following documentation on the CLI utility: Backing up and restoring CLI utility commands and syntax 

Here are the steps I used to successfully transfer my VPN IPSec settings to my new Mac...

In Terminal, Command Line Backup on Old Mac:
cd "/Library/Application Support/Fortinet/FortiClient/bin"
./FCConfig -f /Users/username/Downloads/settings.xml -m all -o export

In Finder, on Old Mac:
Copy settings.xml to iCloud from /Users/username/Downloads/ folder on old Mac

In Finder, on New Mac
Copy settings.xml from iCloud to /Users/username/Downloads/ on new Mac

In Terminal, Command Line Restore on New Mac:
cd "/Library/Application Support/Fortinet/FortiClient/bin"
sudo ./FCConfig -m all -f /Users/username/Downloads/settings.xml -o import

[fvazquez]

Hello! I have done as stated and also another user found that giving the fctservctl2 service full read/write permissions on MacOS settings make the restore backup option on FortiClient work. 

Thanks a lot!