A Guide to Using the Desktop Models

As mentioned in Differences between Models, not all FortiGate models have the same features. This is especially true of the Desktop models, which includes FortiGate/FortiWifi models 20 to 90.

Because of this, if you are using one of these FortiGate models, you may have some difficulties accessing your features. This guide will help make sure you get the most out of your unit.

The following topics are included in this section:

Quick installation using DHCP

Most of the FortiGate desktop models have a default configuration that includes a DHCP server on the lan (or internal) interface and a security policy that securely allows all sessions from the Internal network to reach the Internet. Because of this, you can connect your desktop FortiGate to the Internet in two simple steps.

In order to use this installation method, your ISP must provide connectivity with DHCP and accept DHCP requests without authentication. You must also be using IPv4 to connect your FortiGate to the Internet.

Connect the FortiGate's wan interface to your ISP-supplied equipment, and then connect the internal network to the FortiGate’s default lan or internal interface. Turn on the ISP’s equipment, the FortiGate unit, and the PCs on the internal network.
(Windows Vista/7/8 users) Go to Network and Sharing Center and select Local Area Connections. Select Properties. Select Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4), then select Properties. Select Obtain an IP address automatically and Obtain DNS server address automatically.

(Mac OS X users) Go to Network Preferences and select Ethernet. Set Configure IPv4 to Using DHCP.

From any PC on the internal network, open a web browser and browse to any website. You can successfully connect to the Internet.

Disabling the GUI lite on 30D models

Disabling the GUI lite may affect the performance of your FortiGate unit.

The FortiGate/FortiWifi-30D is designed for lighter use than the more robust Fortinet models. Because of this, the 30D models use the GUI lite, a version of the web-based manager that only has a certain number of features available.

If you require access to features that are not available, you may disable the GUI lite using the following CLI command:

config system global

set gui-lite disable

end

Using CLI-only features

As you can see in the Product/Feature Matrix, the Desktop models have a number of features that are only available using the Command Line Interface (CLI).

You can use FortiExplorer or terminal emulation software to access the CLI. For more information about accessing the CLI, see the System Administration handbook.

The CLI can also be assessed from within the web-based manager, by going to System > Dashboard > Status and using the CLI Console widget. If the console does not appear in the dashboard, select Widget, then select CLI Console.

Once you have access to the CLI, you can find instructions for specific tasks throughout the FortiOS Handbook. You can also refer to the CLI Reference for a list of the available commands.