Setting the system time

You can either manually set the FortiOS system time, or configure the device to automatically keep its system time correct by synchronizing with a Network Time Protocol (NTP) or Precision Time Protocol (PTP) server.

For many features to work, including scheduling, logging, and SSL-dependent features, the FortiOS system time must be accurate.

To configure the date and time in the GUI:

1. Go to System > Settings.

2. In the System Time section, configure the following settings to either manually set the time or use an NTP server:

   Time Zone		Select a time zone from the list. This should be the time zone that the FortiGate is in.
   Set Time		Select either NTP, PTP, or Manual settings.
   	NTP	To use an NTP server other than FortiGuard, the CLI must be used. In the Sync interval field, enter how often, in minutes, that the device synchronizes its time with the NTP server.
   	PTP	Set the Mode to Multicast or Hybrid. Select the Delay mechanism: E2E or P2P. Set the Request interval, in seconds. Select the Interface.
   	Manual settings	Manually enter the Date, and Time.
   Setup device as local NTP server		Enable to configure the FortiGate as a local NTP server. This option is not available if Set Time is PTP. In the Listen on Interfaces field, set the interface or interfaces that the FortiGate will listen for NTP requests on.

3. Click Apply.

To configure the date and time in the CLI:

1. Configure the timezone:

   config system global
       set timezone <integer>
   end

2. Either manually configure the date and time, or configure an NTP or PTP server:

   • Manual:

     execute date <yyyy-mm-dd>
     execute time <hh:mm:ss>

   • NTP server:

     config system ntp
         set ntpsync enable
         set type {fortiguard | custom}
         set syncinterval <integer>
         set source-ip <ip_address>
         set source-ip6 <ip6_address>   
         set server-mode {enable | disable}
         set interface <interface> 
         set authentication {enable | disable}
         set key-type {MD5 | SHA1}
         set key <password>
         set key-id <integer>
         config ntpserver
             edit <server_id>
                 set server <ip_address or hostname>
                 set ntpv3 {enable | disable}
                 set authentication {enable | disable}
                 set interface-select-method {auto | sdwan | specify}
                 set key <password>
                 set key-id <integer>
             next
         end
     end

   • PTP server:

     config system ptp
         set status enable
         set mode {multicast | hybrid}
         set delay-mechanism {E2E | P2P}
         set request-interval <integer>
         set interface <string>
     end