Creating fabric connectors for AWS

You can use FortiManager to create SDN fabric connectors for Amazon Web Services (AWS), and then install the fabric connectors to FortiGates.

The fabric connectors in FortiManager define the type of connector and include information for FortiGate to communicate with and authenticate with the products. In some cases FortiGate units must communicate with products through the Fortinet SDN Connector, and in other cases FortiGate units communicate directly with the products.

FortiGate works without Fortinet SDN Connector to communicate directly with Amazon Web Services (AWS).

Following is an overview of how to create fabric connectors for AWS by using FortiManager:

1. Create a fabric connector object for AWS. See Creating fabric connector objects for AWS.
2. Import address names from AWS to the fabric connector object. See Importing address names to fabric connectors.

   The address names are imported and converted to firewall address objects. The objects do not yet include IP addresses. The objects are displayed on the Firewall Objects > Addresses pane.

3. In the policy package in which you will be creating the new policy, create an IPv4 policy and include the firewall address objects for AWS. See Creating IP policies.
4. Install the policy package to FortiGate. See Installing policy packages.

   FortiGate communicates with AWS to dynamically populate the firewall address objects with IP addresses.

If the filter names change in AWS after you import them to FortiManager, you must modify the filter again.