In this recipe, you will complete these following basic administrative tasks to get a newly installed FortiGate ready for use:
- Register your FortiGate with a Fortinet Support account.
- Set the system time.
- Create a new administrator and edit the default account.
- Restrict administrative access to a trusted host (optional).
This recipe is in the Basic FortiGate network collection. You can also use it as a standalone recipe.
Find this recipe for other FortiOS versions
5.2 | 5.4 | 6.0
1. Registering your FortiGate |
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You must register your FortiGate to receive firmware upgrades, FortiGuard updates, and access to Fortinet Support. Before you register your FortiGate, it must be connected to the Internet. |
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Connect to your FortiGate. A message appears that states that FortiCare registration is required. Select Register Now. |
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If you have a Fortinet Support account, set Action to Login. If you need to create an account, set Action to Create Account. To allow Fortinet Support to keep a complete list of your devices, you should use one account to register all of your Fortinet products. |
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Go to System > FortiGuard. In License Information, FortiCare Support appears as Registered. Your other FortiGuard licenses now show as licensed. There may be a delay before all of them appear as licensed. |
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2. Setting the system time |
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Go to System > Settings. Under System Time, select your Time Zone and either set the time manually or select Synchronize with NTP Server. |
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Current system time displays the correct time. |
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3. Creating a new administrator and editing the default account |
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Go to System > Administrators and create a new account. Set User Name and Password. Set Administrator Profile to super_admin. This profile allows the administrator full access to configure the FortiGate. |
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| Log out of the FortiGate and log in using your new account. |  |
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To secure your FortiGate, it’s recommended that you change the name and password of the default admin account. Go to System > Administrators and edit the default account. Change the User Name. |
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Select Change Password to add a password to this account. |
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4. Results |
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Attempt to log in using the original credentials for the default account. Access is denied. |
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Log in using the new credentials for the default account. Access is granted. |
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Go to Log & Report > System Events. You can see the successful and failed login attempts in the events list. |
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5. Restricting administrative access to a trusted host (optional) |
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You can configure an administrative account to be accessible only to someone who is using a trusted host. You can set a specific IP address for the trusted host or use a subnet. |
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Go to System > Administrators and edit the default admin account. Enable Restrict login to trusted hosts. Set Trusted Host 1 to the static IP address of the computer you use to administer the FortiGate. If required, set additional trusted hosts. |
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For further reading, check out Basic Administration in the FortiOS 6.0 Online Help.
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