FortiClient VPN - Fedora Installation Guide

Overview

This guide covers installing FortiClient on Fedora and using openfortivpn for SSL-VPN connections.

Note: FortiClient 8 on Linux has issues with policy-based IPsec. Use openfortivpn instead - it creates a proper tunnel interface and works reliably.

Quick Start (Recommended)

1. Install openfortivpn

sudo dnf install openfortivpn

2. Create VPN Config

sudo tee /etc/openfortivpn/config.conf << 'EOF'
[vpn]
host = login.remaxhallmark.com
port = 443
username = ryan
trusted-cert = eb9b9f563cac07ca36246089ab837fa66d37b96e44ef79ee75911238060ae9a9
EOF

3. Connect

sudo openfortivpn

You'll be prompted for your password. That's it!

4. Disconnect

# Press Ctrl+C or run:
sudo killall openfortivpn

Create a Connect Script (Optional)

For easier connection, create a script:

sudo tee /usr/local/bin/vpn-connect << 'EOF'
#!/bin/bash
echo "Connecting to VPN..."
sudo openfortivpn -c /etc/openfortivpn/config.conf
EOF

sudo chmod +x /usr/local/bin/vpn-connect

Now you can connect with:

sudo vpn-connect

Verify Connection

After connecting, check:

# Check tunnel interface
ip addr show ppp0

# Test internal access
ping -c 3 10.100.100.1

# Check your public IP
curl ifconfig.me

Configuration File Reference

Edit /etc/openfortivpn/config.conf:

[vpn]
host = login.remaxhallmark.com    # Your SSL-VPN gateway
port = 443                         # SSL port
username = ryan                    # Your username
trusted-cert = eb9b9f563cac07ca36246089ab837fa66d37b96e44ef79ee75911238060ae9a9  # Server cert hash

FortiClient 8 (Alternative)

If you need FortiClient 8 instead of openfortivpn:

Installation

# Add repository
sudo dnf config-manager addrepo --from-repofile=https://repo.fortinet.com/repo/forticlient/8.0/el/os/x86_64/fortinet.repo

# Install
sudo dnf install forticlient

# Or manual install
sudo rpm -ivh --nodigest --nofiledigest --nodeps forticlient_8.0.x86_64.rpm

Known Issues

• FortiClient 8 uses policy-based IPsec without tunnel interface
• May not route traffic correctly (ESP packets sent but no response)
• Use openfortivpn if you experience connectivity issues

Uninstallation

openfortivpn

sudo dnf remove openfortivpn
sudo rm /etc/openfortivpn/config.conf

FortiClient

sudo rpm -e forticlient

Resources

• openfortivpn GitHub
• FortiClient Documentation

License

This guide is provided as-is for educational purposes.