How to work with overlapping subnets

A site-to-site VPN configuration sometimes has the problem that the private subnet addresses at each end are the same. You can resolve this problem by remapping the private addresses using virtual IP addresses (VIP).

VIPs allow computers on those overlapping private subnets to each have another set of IP addresses that can be used without confusion. The FortiGate unit maps the VIP addresses to the original addresses. This means if PC1 starts a session with PC2 at 10.31.101.10, FortiGate_2 directs that session to 10.11.101.10 — the actual IP address of PC2.The figure below demonstrates this — Finance network VIP is 10.21.101.0/24 and the HR network is 10.31.101.0/24.

Overlapped subnets example

Solution for route-based VPN

You need to:

  • Configure IPsec Phase 1 and Phase 2 as you usually would for a route-based VPN. In this example, the resulting IPsec interface is named FGT1_to_FGT2.
  • Configure virtual IP (VIP) mapping:
  • the 10.21.101.0/24 network mapped to the 10.11.101.0/24 network on FortiGate_1
  • the 10.31.101.0/24 network mapped to the 10.11.101.0/24 network on FortiGate_2
  • Configure an outgoing security policy with ordinary source NAT on both FortiGates.
  • Configure an incoming security policy with the VIP as the destination on both FortiGates.
  • Configure a route to the remote private network over the IPsec interface on both FortiGates.
To configure VIP mapping on both FortiGates
  1. Go to Policy & Objects > Virtual IPs and create a new Virtual IP.
  2. Enter the following information, and select OK:
Name Enter a name, for example, my_vip.
External Interface Select FGT1_to_FGT2. The IPsec interface.
VIP Type

Depending on both FortiGates, select one of the following options:

  • IPv4: If both FortiGates use IPv4 (Static NAT).
  • IPv6: If both FortiGates use IPv6 (Static NAT).
  • NAT46: Maps the IPv4 address into an IPv6 prefix.
  • NAT64: Maps the IPv6 address into an IPv4 prefix.
External IP Address/Range For the External IP Address field enter:

10.21.101.1 when configuring FortiGate_1, or
10.31.101.1 when configuring FortiGate_2.
Mapped IP Address/Range For the Mapped IP Address enter 10.11.101.1.

For the Range enter 10.11.101.254.
Port Forwarding Disable
  1. Repeat this procedure on both FortiGate_1 and FortiGate_2.
To configure the outbound security policy on both FortiGates
  1. Go to Policy & Objects > IPv4 Policy and select Create New.
  2. Enter the following information, and select OK:
Incoming Interface Select Port 1.
Outgoing Interface Select FGT1_to_FGT2.

The IPsec interface.
Source Select all.
Destination Address Select all.
Action Select ACCEPT
NAT Enable NAT.
  1. Repeat this procedure on both FortiGate_1 and FortiGate_2.
To configure the inbound security policy on both FortiGates
  1. Go to Policy & Objects > IPv4 Policy and select Create New.
  2. Enter the following information, and then select OK:
Incoming Interface Select FGT1_to_FGT2.
Outgoing Interface Select Port 1.

The IPsec interface.
Source Select all.
Destination Address Select my-vip.
Action Select ACCEPT
NAT Disable NAT.
  1. Repeat this procedure on both FortiGate_1 and FortiGate_2.
To configure the static route for both FortiGates
  1. Go to Network > Static Routes and create a new Route (or IPv6 Route as necessary).
  2. Enter the following information, and then select OK:
Destination Enter a subnet of 10.31.101.0/24 when configuring FortiGate_1.

Enter a subnet of 10.21.101.0/24 when configuring FortiGate_2.
Device Select FGT1_to_FGT2.
Gateway Leave as default: 0.0.0.0.
Administrative Distance Leave at default (10).

If you have advanced routing on your network, you may have to change this value.
Advanced Options If you have advanced routing on your network, enable Advanced Options and enter a Priority.

Solution for policy-based VPN

As with the route-based solution, users contact hosts at the other end of the VPN using an alternate subnet address. PC1 communicates with PC2 using IP address 10.31.101.10, and PC2 communicates with PC1 using IP address 10.21.101.10.

In this solution however, outbound NAT is used to translate the source address of packets from the 10.11.101.0/24 network to the alternate subnet address that hosts at the other end of the VPN use to reply. Inbound packets from the remote end have their destination addresses translated back to the 10.11.101.0/24 network.

For example, PC1 uses the destination address 10.31.101.10 to contact PC2. Outbound NAT on FortiGate_1 translates the PC1 source address to 10.21.101.10. At the FortiGate_2 end of the tunnel, the outbound NAT configuration translates the destination address to the actual PC2 address of 10.11.101.10. Similarly, PC2 replies to PC1 using destination address 10.21.101.10, with the PC2 source address translated to 10.31.101.10. PC1 and PC2 can communicate over the VPN even though they both have the same IP address.

You need to:

  • Configure IPsec Phase 1 as you usually would for a policy-based VPN.
  • Configure IPsec Phase 2 with the use-natip disable CLI option.
  • Define a firewall address for the local private network, 10.11.101.0/24.
  • Define a firewall address for the remote private network:
  • Define a firewall address for 10.31.101.0/24 on FortiGate_1
  • Define a firewall address for 10.21.101.0/24 on FortiGate_2
  • Configure an outgoing IPsec security policy with outbound NAT to map 10.11.101.0/24 source addresses:
  • To the 10.21.101.0/24 network on FortiGate_1
  • To the 10.31.101.0/24 network on FortiGate_2
To configure IPsec Phase 2 - CLI

config vpn ipsec phase2

edit "FGT1_FGT2_p2"

set keepalive enable

set pfs enable

set phase1name FGT1_to_FGT2

set proposal 3des-sha1 3des-md5

set replay enable

set use-natip disable

end

 

In this example, your Phase 1 definition is named FGT1_to_FGT2. use‑natip is set to disable, so you can specify the source selector using the src‑addr‑type, src-start-ip / src-end-ip or src-subnet keywords. This example leaves these keywords at their default values, which specify the subnet 0.0.0.0/0.

The pfs keyword ensures that perfect forward secrecy (PFS) is used. This ensures that each Phase 2 key created is unrelated to any other keys in use.

To define the local private network firewall address
  1. Go to Policy & Objects > Addresses and create a new Address.
  2. Enter the following information and select OK.
Category Set to Address.
Name Enter vpn-local. A meaningful name for the local private network.
Type Set to IP/Netmask.
Subnet / IP Range 10.11.101.0 255.255.255.0
Interface Set to any.
To define the remote private network firewall address
  1. Go to Policy & Objects > Addresses and create a new Address.
  2. Enter the following information, and select OK:
Category Set to Address.
Name Enter vpn-remote. A meaningful name for the remote private network.
Type Set to IP/Netmask.
Subnet / IP Range 10.31.101.0 255.255.255.0 on FortiGate_1.

10.21.101.0 255.255.255.0 on FortiGate_2.
Interface Any
To configure the IPsec security policy

In the CLI on FortiGate_1, enter the commands:

config firewall policy

edit 1

set srcintf "port1"

set dstintf "port2"

set srcaddr "vpn-local"

set dstaddr "vpn-remote"

set action ipsec

set schedule "always"

set service "ALL"

set inbound enable

set outbound enable

set vpntunnel "FGT1_to_FGT2"

set natoutbound enable

set natip 10.31.101.0 255.255.255.0

end

 

Optionally, you can set everything except natip in the web-based manager and then use the CLI to set natip.

Enter the same commands on FortiGate_2, but set natip be 10.21.101.0 255.255.255.0.