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> Chapter 22 - SSL VPN > The SSL VPN client

The SSL VPN client

The remote client connects to the SSL VPN tunnel in various ways, depending on the VPN configuration.

  • Web mode requires nothing more than a web browser. Microsoft Internet Explorer, Firefox, and Apple Safari browsers are supported. For detailed information about supported browsers, see Web-only mode .
  • Tunnel mode establishes a connection to the remote protected network that any application can use. If the client computer runs Microsoft Windows, they can download the tunnel mode client from the web portal Tunnel Mode widget. After installing the client, they can start and stop tunnel operation from the Tunnel Mode widget, or open the tunnel mode client as a standalone application. The tunnel mode client is available on the Start menu at All Programs > FortiClient > FortiClient SSL VPN.
    If the client computer runs Linux or Mac OS X, the user needs to download the tunnel mode client application from the Fortinet Support web site. See the Release Notes for your FortiOS firmware for the specific operating system versions that are supported. On Linux and Mac OS X platforms, tunnel mode operation cannot be initiated from the web portal Tunnel Mode widget. The remote user must use the standalone tunnel client application.
  • The virtual desktop application creates a virtual desktop on a user's PC and monitors the data read/write activity of the web browser running inside the virtual desktop. When the application starts, it presents a ‘virtual desktop’ to the user. The user starts the web browser from within the virtual desktop and connects to the SSL VPN web portal. The browser file/directory operation is redirected to a new location, and the data is encrypted before it is written to the local disk. When the virtual desktop application exits normally, all the data written to the disk is removed. If the session terminates abnormally (power loss, system failure, etc.), the data left behind is encrypted and unusable to the user. The next time you start the virtual desktop, the encrypted data is removed.