Installing Checkpoint SecureClient on Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard

I recently upgraded my Mac OS 10.5 (Leopard) to 10.6 (Snow Leopard). Since I am a heavy Checkpoint SecureClient user, the first I did after the installation of the new OS was to try to install Checkpoint SecureClient. My first surprise was that when I went to Checkpoint website, I found out that there was no SecureClient for Snow Leopard (only for 10.5). I however went ahead and downloaded the 10.5 version but when I tried to run it: "BANG" -- I received I message saying that the application cannot be installed on this computer. I did not know what to do but I quickly found a way around. Thanks to Sysadmins-World

There are few steps to follow in the process of getting SecureClient works on Mac OS 10.6. Please, make sure you follow all the steps described here.

STEP 1: DOWNLOAD, EDIT AND INSTALL SECURECLIENT FOR MAC OS 10.5

A - Download the SecureClient

1. Go to Checkpoint website and download SecureClient for Mac OS 10.5
2. Extract (unzip) the Package and try to run it. You will get an error message. But do nor worry! Go to point (B) below

B - Edit and Install SecureClient Package

When to try to install secureclient, the installer checks up for the Darwin Kernel version 9. but in Snow Leopard we have version 10. So two files need to be edit within the installer package.

1. Just right click on the installer and select Show Package Contents. This opens finder within the package.
2. Go to Contents/Resources.
3. Open TextEdit, use vi in a shell or whatever you prefer to edit a simple file
4. On file “InstallationCheck” change the number 9 in line 8 to number 10: if [ "$MAJOR" != "10" ]; then
5. Same on file “postinstall “ change the number 9 in line 84 to number 10

That’s it. Now go ahead and install SecureClient and reboot your system. Changes need to make afterwards in order to have it starting.

STEP 2: GETTING SECURECLIENT TO START

After rebooting your system, when you try to open secureclient, you will get the error message below.

A - SecureClient fails to start

Now this gets just a bit more tricky. Apple has moved some options of kextload to kextutil in 10.6. Checkpoint hardcoded such an option -s in two binary files. This option is to create the symbol files in the Checkpoint directory. It does not exist anymore in kextload, and is now provided in kextutil. But creating the symbol files is only needed for debug reasons, so not really necessary. Therefore I only replaced the option -s with option -r to fill up the space, because the binary file should not change in size. Two binary files have to be changed with an hexeditor.

Preparation:

• Download and install a hexeditor. 0xED is one of it.
• After inserting the first command, it will ask you for your local user password (User needs Administrator permission)

Note: Please note that in Leopard and Snow Leopard, all the download files are stored by default in the Download folder in your home drive. To proceed with the step described below, MAKE SURE YOU COPY THE 0XED FILE TO YOUR DESKTOP AND EXTRACT IT THERE.

1. Open the terminal application from Utilities folder and type:.
   sudo cp /opt/CPsrsc-50/bin/StartupItemsMgr $HOME/Desktop
   sudo cp /opt/CPsrsc-50/boot/SecureClient/SecureClientStarter /$HOME/Desktop
   sudo chown $USER /$HOME/Desktop/StartupItemsMgr
   sudo chown $USER /$HOME/Desktop/SecureClientStarter

2. Now run 0xED and choose File/Open Files from the Menu to load the StartupItemsMgr andSecureClientStarterfrom your Desktop in it.
3. From Menu Edit choose Find/Find or just press Apple-F and type in to find: “kextload -s” and type in replace “kextload -r”
   Click on Replace All
   
   Save and close …
4. Now once you succeeded editing copy those back by typing in the terminal window:
   sudo cp $HOME/Desktop/StartupItemsMgr /opt/CPsrsc-50/bin/
   sudo cp $HOME/Desktop/SecureClientStarter /opt/CPsrsc-50/boot/SecureClient/
   rm $HOME/Desktop/StartupItemsMgr
   rm $HOME/Desktop/SecureClientStarter
5. Reboot and you should have SecureClient starting …

I also succeeded by doing all the changes on the installer package. Probably only interesting if you have a few Macs to install. As soon as I have a bit more time I could write it down here.

Please let me know if this did help!

Again, the credit of this post goes to Sysadmins-World for their wonderful Article on this issue.