Introduction and Initial Configuration
Register the device, learn the FortiOS fundamentals, secure administrative access, enable the built-in network services, and manage configuration backups.
Every FortiGate must be registered to a FortiCloud account (support.fortinet.com) before it can activate its warranty, open support tickets, and — most importantly — download FortiGuard signature updates. FortiGuard is the subscription service that feeds the antivirus, IPS, web-filtering, application-control, and anti-spam databases. Without an active license and successful registration, those security profiles fall back to stale or empty databases and cannot protect traffic.
After registration, confirm the device is reaching FortiGuard servers over UDP/53 or UDP/8888:
get system fortiguard
diagnose debug rating
The rating output lists each FortiGuard server, its round-trip time, and flags (D = this is the server currently in use). If no server is reachable, check DNS resolution, the default route, and that the service contract is valid.
What must you do to activate FortiGuard security services on a new FortiGate?
Which command shows the reachability and round-trip time of FortiGuard servers?