Technical Tip: Automation Backup using FTP does not work

To troubleshoot the automation backup issue, the following steps can be done:

1. Check if the command works without automation stitch while taking a PCAP on a separate SSH session.

SSH 1 :

diagnose sniffer packet any "host <ftp server>" 6 0 l

Press 'Ctrl+C' (Windows or Linux) or 'CMD+C' to stop the capture.

Alternatively, use the packet capture tools as described in Troubleshooting Tip: Packet Capture on FortiOS GUI.

SSH 2:

execute backup config ftp <filename> <ftp server>[:ftp port] <username> <password>

If the backup fails, on FortiGate, the failed backup returns this error:

Connect to ftp server 10.xx.xx.xx:21 ...
Please wait...
Send config file to ftp server via vdom root failed.
Command fail. Return code 12

On Wireshark, it is possible to view the error for a failed backup config transfer:

Here are some common reasons for failed FTP backup:

• Wrong credentials:
                   

• Wrong path:

2. After resolving the command issue, it is possible to use the command in automation stitch.