Hardware reference guide

48 GlobalProtect Administrator’s Guide
Deploy the GlobalProtect Client Software Set Up the GlobalProtect Infrastructure
Deploy the GlobalProtect Client Software
In order to connect to GlobalProtect, an end host must be running GlobalProtect client software. The software
deployment method depends on the type of client as follows:
 Mac OS and Microsoft Windows hosts—Require the GlobalProtect agent software, which is distributed
by the GlobalProtect portal. To enable the software for distribution, you must download the version you
want the hosts in your network to use to the firewall hosting your GlobalProtect portal and then activate the
software for download. For instructions on download and activating the agent software on the firewall, see
Deploy the GlobalProtect Agent Software.
 iOS and Android devices—Require the GlobalProtect app. As with other mobile device apps, the end user
must download the GlobalProtect app either from the Apple AppStore (iOS devices) or from Google Play
(Android devices). Download and Install the GlobalProtect Mobile App.
For more details, see What Client OS Version are Supported with GlobalProtect?
Deploy the GlobalProtect Agent Software
There are several ways to deploy the GlobalProtect agent software:
 Directly from the portal—Download the agent software to the firewall hosting the portal and activate it
so that end users can install the updates when they connect to the portal. This option provides flexibility in
that it allows you to control how and when end users receive updates based on the client configuration
settings you define for each user, group, and/or operating system. However, if you have a large number of
agents that require updates, it could put extra load on your portal. See Host Agent Updates on the Portal for
instructions.
 From a web server—If you have a large number of hosts that will need to upgrade the agent simultaneously,
consider hosting the agent updates on a web server to reduce the load on the firewall. See Host Agent
Updates on a Web Server for instructions.
 Transparently from the command line—For Windows clients, you can automatically deploy agent
settings in the Windows Installer (MSIEXEC). However, to upgrade to a later agent version using
MSIEXEC, you must first uninstall the existing agent. In addition, MSIEXEC allows for deployment of
agent settings directly on the client systems by setting values in the Windows registry or Mac plist. See
Deploy Agent Settings Transparently.
 Using group policy rules—In Active Directory environments, the GlobalProtect Agent can also be
distributed to end users, using active directory group policy. AD Group policies allow modification of
Windows host computer settings and software automatically. Refer to the article at
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/816102 for more information on how to use Group Policy to
automatically distribute programs to host computers or users.