Installation on VMware

This chapter assumes some familiarity with the VMware vSphere Client terminology.

All VM instances run on VMware ESXi Server versions 6.0, 6.5, 6.7, and 7.0.

Before deploying FortiPortal on VMware, install the VMware vSphere Client on the management computer.

For KVM, see Installation on KVM.

FortiPortal also supports installation on Nutanix AHV with KVM image.

Downloading virtual machine image files

To download the VM files:

1. Go to FortiCloud and log in to your account.
2. Go to Support > Downloads > Firmware Download.
3. Select FortiPortal.
4. Click the Download tab.
5. Navigate to the appropriate directory.
6. Download and extract the OVA package to a local folder on the management computer.

Installing FortiPortal VMs

To install FortiPortal:

1. Deploy a VM instance. See Deploying a VM instance.
2. Configure VM hardware settings. See Configuring VM hardware settings.
3. Power on the VM. See Starting the VM.
4. Configure the portal parameters. See Basic setup.

The first time you start the portal, you will have access only through the console window of your VM server environment. After you configure the initial parameters, you can access FortiPortal through the web-based portal.

Deploying a VM instance

To deploy a VM instance:

1. Launch the VMware vSphere client.
2. Enter the IP address or host name of your VMware server.
3. In the Inventory menu, select the physical server where you will install the VM.
4. Select File > Deploy OVF Template to launch the OVF Template wizard. The wizard will guide you through a series of deployment steps.
5. Source: Use the Browse function to locate the OVF file that you downloaded.
6. OVF Template Details: This page displays the following information: FortiPortal version, size of the download, and application size on disk.

   Click Next.

7. End-user License Agreement: Accept the end-user license agreement and click Next.
8. Name and Location: Enter a name for this virtual machine, select a location from the location inventory, and click Next.
9. Storage: Select the destination storage for the virtual machine files and click Next.
10. Disk Format: This page displays the storage device that you selected in the previous step, along with available space. Select Thin Provision and click Next.
11. Network Mapping: Select the destination network to map to the source network in your OVF and click Next.
12. Ready to Complete: Review the deployment settings. Select Back to make any changes. When ready, click Finish.

Configuring VM hardware settings

To configure the VM settings:

1. Select the newly created VM in the inventory list and go to Getting started > Edit virtual machine settings.

2. Adjust the CPU, memory, and storage settings and click Save.

   The following are the minimum requirements:

   • CPU: 4
   • Memory: 16 GB
   • Hard drive: 12 GB

See Sizing recommendations for more information.

FortiPortal interacts with FortiManager. To avoid the portal becoming a bottleneck, adjust the maximum CPU and memory sizes so that they equal the values for the FortiManager devices.

Starting the VM

To start the virtual machine:

1. In the inventory list, right-click the FortiPortal VM that you just deployed and click Power On.

2. Right-click on the instance and click Open Console to see the login prompt.