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Technical Tip: FortiWiFi-8xF-2R aplink1 member design change after upgrade to FortiOS 7.6.5

Forum|Forum|2 months ago
March 21, 2026
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Description

This article explains the default configuration change related to the aplink1 interface on FortiWiFi‑8xF‑2R devices starting with FortiOS version 7.6.5 and later.

Scope

FortiWiFi-8xF-2R; FortiOS 7.6.5 and above

Solution

The aplink1 interface is a management interface unique to FortiWiFi-8xF-2R models. It is used as an internal trunk link between the built‑in FortiAP and the FortiGate.

Prior to FortiOS 7.6.5 (e.g., 7.6.4) the aplink1 interface was a member of the “aplink” aggregate interface, which served as the internal bridge for Wi-Fi management and backhaul communication.

Starting with FortiOS 7.6.5, the aplink1 interface is now included in the existing internal hardware switch rather than in the separate aplink aggregate interface. Consequently, the aplink aggregate interface is removed from the default configuration.

Below is the snapshot taken from the FortiOS 7.6.4 default configuration, where the aplink1 interface is a member of the aplink aggregate interface.

Image4-7.6.4.jpg

In FortiOS 7.6.5, the aplink1 interface membership has been moved to the internal hardware switch instead of the aplink aggregate interface. This change applies only to devices using the factory‑default configuration in these versions.

When upgrading from a previous release such as FortiOS 7.6.4, where aplink1 was already part of the aplink aggregate interface, the existing configuration is preserved and migrated as is—meaning aplink1 remains a member of the aplink aggregate interface.

Image3-7.6.5.jpg