Technical Tip: FortiSwitch Auto-Discovery and Authorization

1. FortiSwitch sends FortiLink discovery frames.
2. FortiGate adds FortiSwitch configuration to FortiOS (FortiSwitch status is Unauthorized).

3. The administrator authorizes the switch on the FortiGate GUI (FortiSwitch status changes to Offline).

    

4. FortiGate sends a FortiLink frame to the switch to notify the authorization.

    

5. FortiSwitch saves the standalone configuration and changes it to the default FortiLink configuration.
                                            

   

    

    

6. FortiSwitch changes to FortiLink mode and:

   1. Creates a FortiLink trunk using auto-ISL.

   2. Starts exchanging FortiLink heartbeats with FortiGate (health check).

       

7. FortiSwitch obtains network parameters through DHCP.

    

8. FortiGate adds an A record to its DNS database for the switch.

    

   

    

    

9. FortiSwitch uses NTP to sync its time with FortiGate.

    

10. FortiSwitch brings up the CAPWAP tunnel (FortiSwitch status changes to Online).

     

11. FortiGate pushes the configuration to FortiSwitch using FortiSwitch REST API (HTTPS).

     

Related documents:

Technical Tip: Management Protocols for FortiSwitch discovery on FortiGate

Technical Tip: FortiLinkd process on FortiSwitch

Technical Tip: Managed FortiSwitch Capwap discovery process

Technical Tip: Managed FortiSwitch default configuration of inter switch link fortilink trunk, mclag-icl fortilink trunk and FortiGate Fortilink trunk

FortiSwitch management