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willy007
Explorer
June 9, 2026
Question

New FortiGate Deployment - Questions About FortiCare Registration and License Activation

  • June 9, 2026
  • 2 replies
  • 111 views

Hello everyone,

I am preparing to deploy a brand-new FortiGate appliance for a customer and I have a couple of questions regarding the initial setup process.

When I connected to the management interface for the first time, I was presented with a screen requiring FortiCare registration before proceeding.

My questions are:

  1. Should the FortiCare registration be performed using the customer's FortiCare account, or is it acceptable to use our company's FortiCare account as the implementation partner? What is considered best practice?
  2. Does the FortiGate license/support contract need to be activated before performing any configuration changes, or can the firewall be fully configured first and the license activated later?
  3. What is the recommended procedure for license activation on a new appliance?
    • Where can the license be downloaded or claimed?
    • Is there an official Fortinet process or best-practice guide for onboarding a new FortiGate?

I would appreciate any recommendations based on real-world deployment experience.

Thank you in advance.

2 replies

Toshi_Esumi
SuperUser
Toshi_Esumi
SuperUser
June 9, 2026

Try console into the FGT, then change the default global setting to like below. Then I think you shouldn’t get the warning.

config system global
    set gui-forticare-registration-setup-warning disable
end

Toshi

W
willy007Author
Explorer
June 10, 2026

Sir how license works? with .lic? or any other step?

Toshi_Esumi
SuperUser
Toshi_Esumi
SuperUser
June 10, 2026

So it’s “Off-Network” license file that can be used when the FGT doesn’t have internet connection then. I didn’t know it was available. Seem to be that you can apply it like below. But if you have internet access, you won’t need it.
 


Toshi

sjoshi
Staff
sjoshi
Staff
June 9, 2026

Hi ​@willy007 

 

What is the device model you are using.

Enforcement Introduction:

  • In v7.4.8, only FortiGate-20XG and 90XG models had the prompt, and it was possible to configure the devices using CLI before registration.
  • In v7.4.9 and later, most G series models have the FortiCare registration check, and some CLI configuration is restricted.

Refer:

 

If it is not G series then you can try below cmd.

  • Run the commands below:

 

config system global

    set gui-forticare-registration-setup-warning <enable/disable> <----- enable: Display the feature from the GUI, disable: Do not display the feature from the GUI.
end

To purchase the license you can reach out to fortinet reseller or sales team

Thanks, Salon
Toshi_Esumi
SuperUser
Toshi_Esumi
SuperUser
June 10, 2026

​@sjoshi Do you think routing protocol config commands like “config router ospf” or “config router bgp” would work if it’s above 7.4.9 on G-series? If not, that’s a big problem for us to deploy new FGTs to our datacenter environment. Because without the routing protocol working, the device can’t get to the internet to reach FortiGuard to confirm it has valid FortiCare support.
I should probably open a new thread for this question instead of stealing this thread. Sorry.

Toshi

    sjoshi
    Staff
    sjoshi
    Staff
    June 10, 2026

    Hi ​@Toshi_Esumi 

    FGT will allow config router static command before the registration not the bgp or ospf command
    Refer:
    https://docs.fortinet.com/document/fortigate/8.0.0/administration-guide/893081/registering-fortigate

    You can refer Seven-day setup period for GUI and CLI configuration 7.4.10 which can be helpful in your case
    https://docs.fortinet.com/document/fortigate/7.4.0/new-features/509319/seven-day-setup-period-for-gui-and-cli-configuration-7-4-10
     

    Thanks, Salon
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