Free FortiGate Install and Configuration | Create Fortigate LAB for Training
1. Downloading Free FortiGate VM
Fortinet offers a free version of FortiGate VM for various hypervisors including VMware, Hyper-V, KVM, and more. Follow these steps to download it:
- Visit the Fortinet Support Portal:
- Go to Fortinet Support.
- Log in or create a new account if you don’t have one.
- Download the FortiGate VM:
- Navigate to the “Download” section.
- Select “VM Images” and choose the appropriate hypervisor (e.g., VMware ESXi, Microsoft Hyper-V, etc.).
- Download the FortiGate VM package.
2. Deploying FortiGate VM on Your Hypervisor
The deployment process may vary slightly depending on your hypervisor. Below are steps for VMware ESXi:
- Deploy OVF Template:
- Open your VMware vSphere Client.
- Right-click on your desired host or cluster and select “Deploy OVF Template.”
- Follow the wizard, selecting the downloaded FortiGate VM OVF file.
- Configure the VM settings (name, datastore, network mapping, etc.).
- Finish the deployment process.
- Power On the VM:
- Once the deployment is complete, power on the FortiGate VM.
3. Initial Configuration
- Access the FortiGate Console:
- Use the vSphere Client to open the console of the FortiGate VM.
- The initial login credentials are usually
admin
for the username and a blank password.
- Set the Password:
- You will be prompted to set a new password for the admin user.
- Configure the Management Interface:
- Assign an IP address to the management interface.
- Example commands:
config system interface
edit port1
set ip 192.168.1.99/24
set allowaccess http https ping ssh
next
end
- Access the Web Interface:
- Open a web browser and navigate to
https://<management-ip>
. - Log in with the admin credentials.
- Open a web browser and navigate to
4. Basic Setup via Web Interface
- System Settings:
- Navigate to
System > Settings
. - Set the hostname, time zone, and DNS servers.
- Navigate to
- Network Configuration:
- Configure additional interfaces if needed under
Network > Interfaces
. - Create VLANs, set up DHCP, etc.
- Configure additional interfaces if needed under
- Security Policies:
- Define security policies to control traffic flow under
Policy & Objects > IPv4 Policy
. - Set source and destination interfaces, addresses, and services.
- Define security policies to control traffic flow under
- Enable Features:
- Enable and configure additional features like IPS, Antivirus, Web Filtering, etc., under
Security Profiles
.
- Enable and configure additional features like IPS, Antivirus, Web Filtering, etc., under
5. Connecting to the Internet
- WAN Interface Configuration:
- Configure the WAN interface with the appropriate settings (static IP, DHCP, PPPoE, etc.).
- Routing:
- Set up a default route under
Network > Static Routes
pointing to the WAN gateway.
- Set up a default route under
- NAT Configuration:
- Configure NAT settings under
Policy & Objects > NAT
.
- Configure NAT settings under
6. Licensing
- The free version of FortiGate VM comes with limited features. For full functionality, you may need to purchase a license and activate it under
System > FortiGuard
.