Technical Tip: Renaming the 'hostname'

Description

This article describes how to rename the FortiGate 'hostname'.

Scope

FortiGate.

Solution

By default, the name (Host Name) of a FortiGate unit is the model number of the unit or the serial number.
Change the name to something easier to identify if the user has multiple FortiGate units.

From the GUI.
Go to System -> Settings -> Host name, select 'Change' for the hostname and 'Apply'.

 

From CLI.
To change the hostname of the firewall, it is possible to enter the following command:

config sys global
    set hostname <Hostname>                                   <-----  Specify the hostname.
end

Once the hostname is changed, the information on the Dashboard is visible:

Note: There is no general impact of changing the hostname of the FortiGate on FortiManager, as FortiGate is identified by its unique serial number and management IP address, not hostname.