Troubleshooting Tip: Recovering access to FortiManager/FortiAnalyzer VM on Microsoft Hyper‑V when the admin password is lost

Preparation and important notes.

• Any action taken upon the information in this article is strictly at personal risk.

• This procedure is intended for environments without VM snapshots to avoid data corruption.
• Always back up existing VHD/VHDX files before making changes.
• Use the same firmware version as currently running on the VM to prevent compatibility issues.

System disk replacement procedure.

1. Prepare the Replacement system disk.

1. Go to the Fortinet Support Portal: Support portal.
2. Download the Hyper-V firmware package matching the current version:
   • FortiAnalyzer: FAZ_VM64_HV-v<version>-build<build#>-FORTINET.out.hyperv.zip.
   • FortiManager: FMG_VM64_HV-v<version>-build<build#>-FORTINET.out.hyperv.zip.
3. Extract the downloaded file.
4. Locate the system disk file:
   • FAZ.vhd or FMG.vhd.
5. Rename the file to either of the following:
   • faz2.vhd or fmg2.vhd.

2. Replace the System Disk in Hyper-V.

1. Shut down the VM in Hyper-V Manager.
2. Open VM Settings.
3. Navigate to IDE Controller (Primary).
4. Identify the system disk (faz.vhd or fmg.vhd).
5. Remove the system disk attachment.
   Do not delete the actual file from storage.
6. Attach the new disk:
   • Select Add Hard Drive.
   • Choose Use existing virtual hard disk.
   • Select faz2.vhd or fmg2.vhd.
7. Ensure:
   •  The data disk (DATADRIVE.vhd) remains attached.
   •  No changes are made to the data disk.
8. Apply settings and start the VM.

3. System reconfiguration after boot.

After the VM starts:

1. Access the console via Hyper-V: 'Right-click' the VM and Connect.
2. Log in:
   • Username: Admin.
   • Password: (Leave blank).
3. Reconfigure:
   • Network settings (IP, Gateway, DNS).
   • Hostname and interfaces.
4. Reapply: VM license.
5. Verify:
   • GUI access.
   • Logs and ADOMs are intact.

4. Error handling.

Error: 'There is no Operating System.'

This indicates a disk or boot order issue.

Resolution:

• Ensure the new disk is attached as the primary system disk (IDE 0:0).
• If unresolved: Deploy a new VM using the correct Hyper-V image.
• Attach the original data disk as secondary.

5. Optional: Configuration migration.

If a configuration backup exists, use the following command:

Before running the migration:

• Enable workflow mode (if previously used).
• Enable ADOMs (if multiple were configured).

This ensures configuration is restored without affecting log data.

Final validation:

After successful recovery:

1. Verify login via console and GUI.
2. Confirm:
   • Log data integrity.
   • ADOM structure.
   • Device information.
3. Validate:
   • License status.
   • Reporting functionality.
4. Create and store a new configuration backup.