Customizing the installer using an MSI editor
Custom Installer Packages
FortiClient Endpoint Security Version 4.0 MR1 Administration Guide
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Customizing the installer using an MSI editor
Use an MSI editor to create a custom FortiClient installation package. For example, you
can use the MSI property LICENSE to include your license key. You can create and set
this property in the property table, or you can specify it on the command line using the
following command:
msiexec /i FortiClient.msi LICENSE=1234567890abc
Note that the installation will not abort if you specify an invalid license key. For a complete
list of installer public properties that can be specified when installing FortiClient, see
“Appendix A: Installer Public Properties”
for more information. The installer public
properties can also be embedded into the MSI by using an MSI editing tool to make
changes to the MSI’s property table.
It is recommended that you use this method only if you are familiar with the MSI editor and
you only want to customize a few specific items. Do not edit the MSI file directly. Create a
transform file that contains the configuration changes you require. The transform file is
applied to the original MSI file at run time by the msiexec.exe executable file. Creating a
transform file takes a bit more time than editing the MSI file directly, however it will save
you time in the long run as you can apply the same transform file to future FortiClient
releases.
If possible, avoid modifying any other components. FortiClient sub-features do not support
“Advertised” installations.
The following rules MUST be followed:
• never delete a feature you do not need. If you do not need a feature, set the install level
to 0.
• never delete a component you do not need.
• never move a component from one feature to another.
• never modify the installation UI or installation execution order.
• never rename ANY existing component or feature.
• never change the component code of ANY existing component.
• never change the PRODUCTCODE.
• never change the UPGRADECODE.
• never add new features to the root of the feature tree. If you really need to add a
feature, add it as a sub-feature of an existing FortiClient feature. However, before you
add a feature, question why you are adding a feature and what you are trying to
accomplish.
Caution:
If you are using FortiClient version 4.0 or lower, the .mst files from those versions
are incompatible with FortiClient v4.0 MR1 and above. Therefore, you cannot use the
FCRepackager -t FortiClient.mst -m FortiClient.msi
command.
Note:
An MSI installation package can upgrade an existing installation only if it has the
same name as the original installation package. If necessary, rename the upgrade
installation package to match the file name of the previous customized FortiClient
installation package you provided to your users.
Caution:
You must follow the editing rules described in this section. Ignoring these rules
may result in a custom installation that cannot be upgraded or patched by future releases of
FortiClient.
