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Bill_Lynch
Community Manager
Bill_Lynch
Community Manager
December 8, 2025

Technical Tip: FortiGate registration before device configuration

  • December 8, 2025
  • 1 reply
  • 2037 views
Description

This article describes a new enhancement that was added to enforce FortiCare registration.

 

Starting in FortiOS v7.2.11, a new enhancement was added to enforce FortiCare registration after a new GUI
login. When logging in to the FortiOS GUI for the first time on a new FortiGate installation, the user is directed
to the FortiCare registration dialog box to register the device with FortiCare. Register the
FortiGate to FortiCare to access the GUI for further device configuration. 
Scope FortiOS v7.2.11 and v7.4.8:
  • FortiCare registration requirement is added to FortiGate models 200G, 900G, and variants.
  • See Enforce FortiCare registration after new GUI login.

 

FortiOS v7.4.9: FortiCare registration requirement is added to 700G and all SOC5 (SP5) models, including 50G, 70G, 90G, 120G, and variants.
Solution

      1 reply

      hkjackmail
      hkjackmail
      New Member
      May 29, 2026

      As a user since FortiOS 2.8, I am writing to express my strong dissatisfaction with the mandatory FortiCare registration enforcement. In my twenty-plus years of experience with your products, this is the single worst design decision I have encountered.

      Locking basic interface and DHCP configurations on unregistered units creates an impossible "Catch-22" for remote deployments, as it prevents the very connectivity needed to complete registration. This design directly contradicts the philosophy that made FortiGate an industry standard and is in stark conflict with the reasons for FortiGate’s historical success.

      Currently, this restriction is so counterproductive that it forces engineers to resort to BIOS-level workarounds just to begin a basic setup.

      To resolve this, please implement a "provisioning mode".  A simple "Disable Enforcement" option on the initial screen would allow us to configure essential settings via CLI/Console immediately, restoring the operational agility that professional users rely on.

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