Permanent trial mode for FortiGate-VM

FortiGate-VM has a permanent evaluation VM license. The evaluation VM license applies to all private cloud (VMware ESXi, KVM, and so on) and all bring your own license (BYOL) public cloud instances.

When spinning up a new FortiGate-VM, you choose to log in to FortiCloud to activate the VM trial or upload a new license.

Limitations of the evaluation VM license include the following:

• Maximum of one free evaluation copy per FortiCloud account
• Support for low encryption operation only, except for GUI management access and FortiManager communications
• Maximum of 1 CPU and 2 GB of memory
• Maximum of three interfaces, firewall policies, and routes
• No FortiCare support
• No FortiGuard support
• Support for a maximum of two virtual domains (VDOM). When using multi-VDOM mode, the root VDOM must be an admin type and the other can be a traffic VDOM. See VDOM types.

To obtain the permanent VM trial license from FortiCare using the CLI:

1. A newly deployed FortiGate-VM no longer has a valid evaluation license, even if the instance has only 1 CPU and 2 GB of memory. Run get system status. The following output is expected:

   Version: FortiGate-VM64 v7.4.5,buildXXXX,220715 (interim)

   ...

   Serial-Number: FGVMEVNXFLTGKOBC

   License Status: Invalid

   VM Resources: 1 CPU/1 allowed, 2007 MB RAM/2048 MB allowed

2. Obtain the permanent VM trial license from FortiCare:

   execute vm-license-options account-id xxxx@fortinet.com

   execute vm-license-options account-password xxxxxxx

   execute vm-license
   This VM is using the evaluation license. This license does not expire.
   Limitations of the Evaluation VM license include:
     1.Support for low encryption operation only
     2.Maximum of 1 CPU and 2GiB of memory
     3.Maximum of three interfaces, firewall policies, and routes each
     4.No FortiCare Support
   This operation will reboot the system !
   Do you want to continue? (y/n)y
   
   Connection to 10.6.30.74 closed.

3. You can run the following commands to check that the permanent VM trial license is valid:
   • get system status. The following output is expected:

     Version: FortiGate-VM64 v7.4.5,buildXXXX,220715 (interim)
     ...
     Serial-Number: FGVMEVNXFLTGKOBC
     License Status: Valid
     VM Resources: 1 CPU/1 allowed, 2007 MB RAM/2048 MB allowed

   • diagnose hardware sysinfo vm full. The following output is expected:

     UUID:     4213dbbc94f2520b0d75eeafe1b319c7
     valid:    1
     status:   1
     code:     0
     warn:     0
     copy:     0
     received: 4294939472
     warning:  4294939472
     recv:     202207162014
     dup:

   • diagnose debug vm-print-license. The following output is expected:

     SerialNumber: FGVMEVNXFLTGKOBC
     CreateDate: Sat Jul 16 20:11:15 2022
     UUID: 4213dbbc94f2520b0d75eeafe1b319c7
     Key: yes
     Cert: yes
     Key2: yes
     Cert2: yes
     Model: EVAL (1)
     CPU: 1
     MEM: 2048
     VDOM license:
       permanent: 2
       subscription: 0

To obtain the permanent VM trial license from FortiCloud using the GUI:

1. When unlicensed, the FortiOS GUI allows you to download the permanent VM trial license from FortiCloud with your FortiCloud account credentials. In FortiGate VM License, for How will you license this VM?, select Evaluation License.

   

2. In the Email field, enter your FortiCloud account email address.
3. In the Password field, enter your FortiCloud account password.
4. Click OK. When a permanent VM trial license is applied, the FortiOS, the GUI shows a summary of the license limitations and allows you to upload a paid VM license.

   

To allow FortiManager to apply a license to an unlicensed FortiGate-VM instance:

1. Confirm that the FortiGate is unlicensed by running get system status in the FortiOS CLI. The following shows expected output for this command:

   Version: FortiGate-VM64-AZURE v7.4.5,buildXXXX,220728 (interim)
   ...
   Serial-Number: FGVMEVTN8UP4KIA6
   License Status: Invalid
   VM Resources: 1 CPU/1 allowed, 1945 MB RAM/2048 MB allowed

2. In the FortiOS CLI, configure the FortiManager as central management:

   config system central-management
       set type fortimanager
       set fmg "<FortiManager IP address>"
   end

3. In FortiManager, configure the VM license as Installing VM licenses on managed devices describes.