FortiGate devices are the core of the Security Fabric and can have one of the following roles:

• Root:

  The root FortiGate is the main component in the Security Fabric. It is typically located on the edge of the network and connects the internal devices and networks to the Internet through your ISP. From the root FortiGate, you can see information about the entire Security Fabric on the Physical and Logical Topology pages in the GUI.

• Downstream:

  After a root FortiGate is installed, all other FortiGate devices in the Security Fabric act as Internal Segmentation Firewalls (ISFWs), located at strategic points in your internal network, rather than on the network edge. This allows extra security measures to be taken around key network components, such as servers that contain valuable intellectual property. ISFW FortiGate devices create network visibility by sending traffic and information about the devices that are connected to them to the root FortiGate.

See Configuring the root FortiGate and downstream FortiGates for more information about adding FortiGate devices in the Security Fabric.

FortiGate documentation: https://docs.fortinet.com/product/fortigate

FortiADC devices optimize the availability, user experience, and scalability of enterprise application delivery. They enable fast, secure, and intelligent acceleration and distribution of even the most demanding enterprise applications.

See Additional devices for more information about adding FortiADC devices in the Security Fabric.

FortiADC documentation: https://docs.fortinet.com/product/fortiadc

Add FortiAP devices to extend the Security Fabric to your wireless devices. Devices connected to a FortiAP appear in the Physical and Logical Topology pages in the Security Fabric menu.

See FortiAP and FortiSwitch for more information about adding FortiAP devices in the Security Fabric.

FortiAP documentation: https://docs.fortinet.com/product/fortiap

FortiClient adds endpoint control to devices that are located in the Security Fabric, allowing only traffic from compliant devices to flow through the FortiGate. FortiClient compliance profiles are applied by the first FortiGate that a device’s traffic flows through. Device registration and on-net status information for a device that is running FortiClient appears only on the FortiGate that applies the FortiClient profile to that device.

FortiClient documentation: https://docs.fortinet.com/product/forticlient

FortiClient EMS is used in the Security Fabric to provide visibility across your network, securely share information, and assign security profiles to endpoints.

See FortiClient EMS for more information about adding FortiClient EMS devices in the Security Fabric.

FortiClient EMS documentation: https://docs.fortinet.com/product/forticlient

FortiDDoS is a Network Behavior Anomaly (NBA) prevention system that detects and blocks attacks that intend to disrupt network service by overutilizing server resources.

See Additional devices for more information about adding FortiDDoS devices in the Security Fabric.

FortiDDoS documentation: https://docs.fortinet.com/product/fortiddos

FortiMail antispam processing helps offload from other devices in the Security Fabric that would typically carry out this process.

See Additional devices for more information about adding FortiMail devices in the Security Fabric.

FortiMail documentation: https://docs.fortinet.com/product/fortimail

Add FortiManager to simplify the network management of devices in the Security Fabric by centralizing management access in a single device. This allows you to easily control the deployment of security policies, FortiGuard content security updates, firmware revisions, and individual configurations for devices in the Security Fabric.

See FortiManager for more information about adding FortiManager devices in the Security Fabric.

FortiManager documentation: https://docs.fortinet.com/product/fortimanager

Add FortiSandbox to your Security Fabric to improve security with sandbox inspection. Sandbox integration allows FortiGate devices in the Security Fabric to automatically receive signature updates from FortiSandbox and add the originating URL of any malicious file to a blocked URL list.

See FortiSandbox for more information about adding FortiSandbox devices in the Security Fabric.

FortiSandbox documentation: https://docs.fortinet.com/product/fortisandbox

A FortiSwitch can be added to the Security Fabric when it is managed by a FortiGate that is in the Security Fabric with the FortiLink protocol, and connected to an interface with Security Fabric Connection enabled. FortiSwitch ports to become logical extensions of the FortiGate.

Devices connected to the FortiSwitch appear in the Physical and Logical Topology pages in the Security Fabric menu, and security features, such as FortiClient compliance profiles, are applied to them.

See FortiAP and FortiSwitch for more information about adding FortiSwitch devices in the Security Fabric.

FortiSwitch documentation: https://docs.fortinet.com/product/fortiswitch

Add FortiWeb to defend the application attack surface from attacks that target application exploits. You can also configure FortiWeb to apply web application firewall features, virus scanning, and web filtering to HTTP traffic to help offload from other devices in the Security Fabric that would typically carry out these processes.

See Additional devices for more information about adding FortiWeb devices in the Security Fabric.

FortiWeb documentation: https://docs.fortinet.com/product/fortiweb

Many other Fortinet products can be added to the Security Fabric, including FortiAuthenticator, FortiToken, FortiCache, and FortiSIEM.

Documentation: https://docs.fortinet.com/