System

This topic contains information about FortiGate administration and system configuration that you can do after installing the FortiGate in your network.

Basic system settings

Administrators

By default, FortiGate has an administrator account with the username admin and no password. See Administrators for more information.

Administrator profiles

An administrator profile defines what the administrator can see and do on the FortiGate. See Administrator profiles for more information.

Password policy

Set up a password policy to enforce password criteria and change frequency. See Password policy for more information.

Interfaces

Physical and virtual interface allow traffic to flow between internal networks, and between the internet and internal networks. See Interfaces for more information.

Advanced system settings

SNMP

The simple network management protocol (SNMP) allows you to monitor hardware on your network. See SNMP for more information.

DHCP server

You can configure one or more DHCP servers on any FortiGate interface. See DHCP server for more information.

VDOM

You can use virtual domains (VDOMs) to divide a FortiGate into multiple virtual devices that function independently. See Virtual Domains for more information.

High availability

You can configure multiple FortiGate devices, including private and public cloud VMs, in HA mode. See High Availability for more information.

Certificates

You can manage certificates on the FortiGate. See Certificates for more information.

Operating modes

A FortiGate or VDOM (in multi-vdom mode) can operate in either NAT/Route mode or Transparent mode.

NAT/Route mode

The FortiGate or VDOM is installed as a gateway between two networks, such as a private network and the internet. This allows the FortiGate to hide the IP addresses on the private network using NAT. NAT/Route mode can also be used when several ISPs are used for redundant internet connections.

By default, new VDOMs are set to NAT/Route operation mode.

See NAT mode for more information.

Transparent mode

The FortiGate or VDOM is installed between the internal network and the router. The FortiGate does not changes any IP addresses, and only applies security scanning to traffic. When you add a FortiGate that is in transparent mode to a network, it only needs to be provided with a management IP address.

Transparent mode is primarily used when increased network protection is needed without changing the network configuration.

See NAT and transparent mode for more information.

To change the operating mode of a FortiGate or VDOM:

config system settings
    set opmode {nat | transparent}
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