Technical Tip: Download firmware for FortiGate-VM
Description
This article describes how to download firmware for FortiGate-VM.
Scope
FortiGate.
Solution
Go to https://support.fortinet.com and Support -> VM Images.
Select the product and select the platform.
Older Firmware versions, for example, v7.0.x or below are available under ' Firmware Images', go under Support -> Firmware Download and choose the required version:
FortiGate Virtual Machine firmware is distributed in multiple formats, divided into two architectures.
- Pattern for architecture x86_64: 'FGT_VM64[_PLATFORM]-<firmware_version>.out'.
- Pattern for architecture ARM64: 'FGT_ARM64[_PLATFORM]-<firmware_version>.out'.
The platform may vary depending on the type of deployment.
Determine the platform.
The most common platforms are divided into private cloud and public cloud.
- Private Cloud: Hypervisors as VMware ESXi, Hyper-V, KVM, among others.
- Public Cloud: Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud.
The deployment environment defines the required firmware file. See the Public/Private Cloud document for more information.
Match the firmware file to the platform.
| Deployment Platform | Correct Firmware Firmware Filename Example |
| On-premise hypervisors (Private Cloud). | FGT_VM64-v7.x.x.buildxxxx-FORTINET.out. |
| Amazon Web Services. | FGT_VM64_AWS-v7.x.x.buildxxxx-FORTINET.out. |
| Microsoft Azure. | FGT_VM64_AZURE-v7.x.x.buildxxxx-FORTINET.out. |
If there is no access to 'Firmware Images' and the image needed is unavailable at 'VM Images' or 'Firmware Images', open a TAC ticket to request the required firmware image.
Note:
- File type .ovf is used for initial VM deployment. For firmware upgrades, use the .out file type.
- Before performing an upgrade in a virtual machine (VM) environment, it is advised to stop the VM instance and take a snapshot or clone it. If there are problems with the upgrade, revert back to the previous VM snapshot or clone.
- Only the general-purpose firmware (FG_VM64-...out) should be used for on-premise hypervisors. The cloud-specific builds contain necessary optimizations for that environment.
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