Registering lets you take full advantage of the community, enabling you to:

• Post new messages and reply to other members' posts
• Receive email when someone responds to a specific post or topic
• Exchange private messages with other members
• Personalize your community experience
• Post comments on blogs that don't allow anonymous comments
• Post ideas, vote on the ideas you like best, and post comments

If you don't register, you can only browse, search for information, and read posts. You won't be able to give Likes, vote on ideas, interact with other community members, or set customization preferences.

When joining please note that usernames containing the word Forti, or any word such as Administrator, or that implies management of the Community is not allowed. This is to ensure you have the best Community experience and that other users are not confused about who to contact for help.

After you've registered and confirmed your registration, you can sign in and start participating.

To sign in:

• Click Sign In at the top of any page.
• Enter your Login name and Password.
• Tip: If you're the only one who uses this computer, click Keep me signed in to sign in automatically next time you visit.
• Click Sign In.

To get help with your password:

• Click Forgot Password on the login page.
• Enter your username or email to receive an email with password reset instructions.
• Check your email for the password reset link.
• Click the link and follow the instructions to reset your password.

For the best Fortinet Community experience please be advised that Chrome, Firefox, Safari and Edge are the supported browsers, other browsers may not work as efficiently.

Changing your avatar is an easy way to personalize your community identity. You can change your avatar as often as you like. Your current avatar appears in your profile.

To change your avatar:

• Sign in to your community account.
• Click on your profile icon in the top right corner and select Settings.
• Update your avatar by following these steps:
  • Under the Profile section, click Edit.
  • Upload your image to set it as your avatar.
  • Save your changes to update your avatar.

To create your personal signature:

1. Sign in to your community account.
2. Click on your profile icon in the top right corner and go to Settings.
3. Under the Profile section, enter your text in the Forum Signature field.
   Some communities may allow limited formatting. Check with a moderator if you have questions.
4. Click Save.

You can tell other community members as much or as little about yourself as you want. You can enter a short biography, your location, your interests, or anything else (within community guidelines, of course).

To tell other community members about yourself:

1. Sign in to your community account.
2. Click on your profile icon in the top right corner and go to Settings.
3. Under the Profile section, enter information in the A bit about yourself field. You can also enter your name, location, company info, and any other information you want to share.
4. Click Save.

By default, all community users can see this information.

Your profile card displays information about yourself and your community achievements. It includes details such as topics replied, solved count, your name, rank, badges, and your “About” section.

To create a profile card:

1. Sign in to your community account.
2. Your profile card is automatically created based on your profile information and activity.
3. It displays your topics replied, solved count, name, rank, badges, and about section.
4. You can update your name and About information from your Profile Settings.
5. Any changes made will automatically reflect on your profile card.

The Followers and Following feature lets you stay connected with other community members.

When you follow someone, you can easily keep track of their activity and contributions in the community.

To follow a member:

1. Sign in to the community.
2. Click on a user’s name to visit their profile.
3. Click Follow to start following the member.

To view your followers and following list:

1. Click on your profile icon in the top right corner and select Profile.
2. Navigate to the Followers and Following sections to see your connections.

To set your viewing preferences:

1. Sign in to the community.
2. Click on your profile icon in the top right corner and select Settings.
3. Go to the General tab.
4. Update your preferences such as displaying badges, reputation, user title, subscription settings, and private message options.
5. Click Save changes.

• boards where you can post questions and answers
• blogs where you can read and comment on articles
• idea exchanges where you can suggest ways to improve products and vote for ideas that other community members have posted
• and more...

Guests (unregistered visitors) can browse or search the community for information. Members (registered users) can post messages or comments, track discussions, and get email notifications on posting activity and other community actions.

To search the Community, enter your search in the search field and click Search. A page of search results is displayed. Browse the search results in the same manner you would a message board.

To perform a more in-depth search, click the Advanced Search box next to the Search button. Here, you can limit your query specific words or phrases. You can also use the filter option to narrow your search down by source, board or label.

Auto-suggest accelerates your search by displaying results as you type search terms. When you see the post or user you're looking for, just click it.

To turn auto-suggest off, click Turn off suggestions in the auto-suggest list.

To turn auto-suggest on, click Turn on suggestions below the search entry area.

Want to limit your search results to accepted solutions? Click the Solved check box under the Metadata filter. Want only the most recent results? Use one for the date filters to see results for a day or a week ago.

Most search filters work together to narrow the possible results. For example, you can search for accepted solutions in the last month. However, the filters for the type of post work a little differently. If you choose Forums and Blogs, you see results from either forums or blogs (not results that are both forum and blog posts).

Active filters appear at the top of the results list. To turn off a filter, click the X to the right of the filter.

You can search for posts and knowledge base articles at any level of the community. When you type a search term, the system automatically searches at the current level. For example, if you're on the community front page, the system searches the entire community. If you're looking at a forum or blog page, the system searches that forum (and the associated knowledge base, if any) or blog.

Tip: Searches for posts always include relevant knowledge bases. However, you can also search just in knowledge bases.

To search for posts:

1. Choose the scope of the search in the drop-down list to the left of the Search button.
   You can search at the current level and above in the community.
2. Start typing the search term.
   Auto-suggest shows the topics that match the term you're typing.
   Tip: You can enter the full search term, or use an asterisk as a wildcard in your search.
3. If you don't see the term you're looking for in the auto-suggest list, click Search to see the full search results.

When you get your search results, use the filters on the left side of the page to refine your results.

To post a message:

1. Click on Create Topic.
2. You will be redirected to the Create New Topic page.
3. Select the category where you want to create the topic.
4. Enter the title and description of your topic.
5. Add any supporting attachments if required.
6. Click Create to post your topic.

Open the topic you want to reply to.

Within the topic, you will find a reply box where you can type your response.

• Enter your reply in the message box provided.
• Add any relevant details or attachments if needed.

Click Send to post your reply to the conversation.

Subscriptions allow you to receive email updates when new content is posted in areas you are interested in. You can subscribe to categories such as the Support Forum, Blogs to stay updated on new topics.

To subscribe to content:

1. Go to the Support Forum, Blogs from the navigation menu.
2. On the Blogs page, click the Subscribe button located on the right side under the banner.
3. Once subscribed, you will receive email notifications whenever a new topic is created in that category.

To manage your subscription:

1. You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the Unsubscribe button in the same location.

A knowledge base (also called a tribal knowledge base) is a collection of articles that captures and organizes helpful community information. Knowledge bases are great community resources for several reasons:

• You can search for knowledge base articles or use special navigation links that let you browse through the community's knowledge bases.
• After you find an article, you can add your comments and maybe even edit the article (if you have the right permission). If the article's publisher incorporates your comment into a later version of the article, you'll get credit as a contributor.
• Articles can contain some of the same rich media as other posts, including images and attachments.
• Each article contains lists of contributors and related links.

Contributors could be community members whose posts or comments are used in the article, authors who put the article together, or editors who reviewed or refined it. Related links take you to posts that were used in the article or other posts that the authors thought you might find helpful or interesting, including forum messages, blog articles, and ideas

You can view a knowledge base article in a number of ways.

To go to the knowledge base for a board or forum, click the book icon next to the forum name on the community page. Then, you can browse the list of articles and choose one to read.

To search for a knowledge base article, enter a search keyword and choose Knowledge Base in the list to the left of the Search button. Then, you can use search results filters to zero in on the article you want.

To go to an article related to a post, click the Knowledge Base links at the top of the article. You might find links to articles based on the post, links to articles related to the post, or both

You can contribute to knowledge bases by:

• Writing good answers to questions posted in the community.
• Accepting good solutions to your questions (this automatically nominates the post to the knowledge base).
• Reviewing or editing articles (if you have the right permission)
• Commenting on published articles. Every time you contribute to an article (by adding more information, providing clarification, or just helping to keep published articles up to date), you receive credit for your contributions.

To edit a knowledge base article:

1. Click Edit on the article page.
   
   Note: You only see the Edit button if you have permission to edit the article.
   
2. Click in the section you want to edit and make your changes.
   You can edit text, add text, or drag content from the clipping area on the right side of the Editor.
3. To search for additional material, enter a search term and click Search.
4. To find tagged material, click the Tags tab and click a related tag.
5. Format text, spell check the content, and add contributors or related links as needed.
6. Add a revision note that explains your changes.
7. Click a save option: Save, Save & Request Review, or Save & Request Publication.

An Accepted Solutions is a way for you to choose the reply that best answers a question that you've posted. When you accept a solution, both the question and the solution get special icons and links that take you directly from the question to the answer.

An Accepted Solutions icon also appears on boards and in search results so you can see which messages have solutions.

You can mark a solution as accepted only for questions that you've posted (you started the thread). Community moderators can also mark one of the replies to a message as an accepted solution

To mark a message as a solution, click Best Answer on the reply.

If you change your mind or if another reply provides an even better answer, you can revoke the first selection and accept the second reply.

To revoke an accepted solution, click Unmark Answer on the same reply.

You can choose another solution or leave the question unsolved.

Likes is a content rating system that lets you vote for the messages you think are the most useful or important.

When you give Likes to a message, you are giving a thumbs-up for good content and a pat on the back to its author. Your Likes help to boost the value of certain messages and enhance the reputation of their authors.

Giving Likes is as easy as a single click, but the impact of Likes ripples across the community.

You can give Likes to any posts in the community except your own.

To give Likes to a message and its author, click Likes on the message.

If you change your mind about the quality of the message, you can revoke your Likes.

To revoke Likes you've given, click the Likes button again.

You can see who liked a message directly from the topic view.

To see who liked a message:

1. Go to the message or topic.
2. Near the Like count, hover over the user icons displayed.
   A list will appear showing the community members who liked the message.
3. Scroll within the list if there are more users.

There are a few reasons why you might not be able to give Likes to a post.

• You've already given Likes to this message (you can only give them once).
• Your community manager wants you to give Likes only to a message that starts a thread and not to replies.
• Your community manager has turned Likes off for a message or a forum.
• Your community manager has frozen Likes for this message. You can still see how many Likes the message has received, but you can't Like it any more.

Private Messenger enables you to send private notes to other community members. Private Messenger has two big advantages over email:

• You don't have to know the other member's email address to send the note. (Also, you don't have to reveal yours.)
• You can read and send private messages without leaving the community, making it easy to a quick conversation with another community member.

To use the Private Messenger, you must be registered and signed in. You'll see a Private Message icon at the top of your page. If you have any new messages, you'll see the number of unread messages next to the envelope icon.

Click the profile icon to the top right and select Private Messages to go to your Private Messages Inbox.

To send a private message:

1. Sign in to the community.
2. Go to the recipient’s profile by clicking on their user name.
3. Click Send Message to start a private conversation.
4. Type your message in the message box.
5. Click Send to send your message.
6. You can view your conversations anytime by clicking the profile icon in the top right and selecting Private Messages.

To read a private message:

1. Sign in to the community.
   If you have any new messages, you will be notified in the notifications section in the navigation.
2. Click the profile icon in the top right and select Private Messages to go to your inbox, or access it directly from the notifications.
3. To read a message, click on the Show conversation.

To reply to a private message:

1. Sign in to the community.
   If you have any new messages, you will be notified in the notifications section in the navigation.
2. Click the profile icon in the top right and select Private Messages to go to your inbox, or access it directly from the notifications.
3. Click on the Show conversation.
4. To reply to a message, type your reply and click Send.

You can delete messages one at a time as you read them.

To delete a private message:

1. Sign in to the community.
2. Click the profile icon in the top right and select Private Messages to go to your inbox, or access it directly from the notifications.
3. To delete a single message, click the show conversation and then go to three dot options and select Delete.