FortiNAC RADIUS, L2 MAC traps, Syslog

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Hello everyone,

I’ve been reading a few articles about FortiNAC configuration and got a bit confused. Some sources mention that it’s not recommended to configure RADIUS, L2 MAC traps, and syslogs together, and that the preferred option is just L2 MAC traps. But in another article, I read that configuring syslog is recommended.

https://community.fortinet.com/t5/FortiNAC/Technical-Tip-An-example-of-a-simple-network-deployment-of/ta-p/266446

Screenshot 2026-03-03 144337.png

BR,

FortiNAC

AEKAnswer

SuperUser

Hi BH

Yes for FortiLink MAC events you can configure either SNMP traps or Syslog.

In my first integration of FortiLink with FNAC I found that Syslog was simpler because you configure it only on FortiGate, and no need to do anything on the FortiSwitches. That looks so good solution at the beginning, but unfortunately the response time was unacceptably high. The result is that when you connect a computer you have to wait a long time before NAC reacts (I don't remember exactly but probably more than 30s). That's why they said "high response time" in the article you shared.

So I abandoned Syslog and used traps, which are sent instantly and you have a much better user experience.

Edit: With RADIUS you also get the reaction instantly.

AEK