Technical Tip: How to connect to the FortiGate and FortiAP console port

[Adam_Shortt_FTNT]

Description	This article describes how Fortinet Support may advise monitoring the system at the console under specific circumstances. The process to do so is outlined below.
Scope	FortiGate, FortiAP.
Solution	A few prerequisites are needed: Download a terminal emulator tool such as PuTTY. A listing of emulators that may also work is listed here. If the management device does not have a serial port: Obtain a USB-to-serial adapter. Obtain a rollover cable (Ethernet and crossover will not work). Both the adapter and rollover cable are commonly available from online and physical retailers. Should look similar to this: USB Console Cable, USB to RJ45 Cable. Once the above items are ready, proceed as follows: Connect the Serial to the USB adapter to the PC. Open the Device Manager and under 'Ports', see a COM port associated with the adapter. Make note of the COM port number. If there is no Ports section listed, ensure the proper drivers are installed for the adapter to function. Connect the serial adapter to the rollover cable. Connect the RJ-45 end of the rollover to the FortiGate’s 'Console' port. Launch Putty. Ensure the following settings are set. Session tab: Set 'COM1' to the correct port number noted in step 1. For example, COM3. To check which 'COM' port to select, open Device Manager and check under the 'Ports (COM & LPT)' section: To open Device Manager, Press 'Windows + R' on the keyboard, type 'devmgmt.msc' without the quotes, and press Enter. Device Manager will open. Select the Ports (COM & LPT) to expand them. The COM port that is to be entered in Putty will be seen here:   The COM Port can also be identified from the Windows Command Prompt. Open the Command Prompt by typing 'cmd' at the search bar in Windows. After the Command Prompt Opens, type 'mode' and it will show the status of the active COM Port that can be used. Open Putty and use the appropriate COM port for serial connection. Logging Tab: Select 'All session output', select browse, and save the log file to a location that can be found later. Consider adding a name and date to it. Serial Tab: Set the correct COM port number if it is not present already. Ensure the following settings are set: Possible baud rate settings for a FortiGate are: 9600 <-- default. 19200 38400 57600 115200 Note: baud rate 9600 is correct for most FortiGate devices. If the device's baud rate was previously changed using the device BIOS (see the article Technical Tip: How to change the baud rate of the FortiGate serial), enter the new baud rate in the serial tab. Back on the session tab, save this connection profile for future use: Now that Putty is set up, select 'Open'. Any key needs to be hit for the console to refresh. If all is going well, the login prompt can be seen. Log in with the admin credentials. If the 'Ports (COM & LPT)' section is not visible in Device Manager: In some cases, the 'Ports (COM & LPT)' section may not appear in Device Manager, even after the adapter is connected and drivers are installed. This can prevent proceeding with further steps that rely on identifying the correct COM port. To resolve this issue, follow the instructions below: Press 'Windows + R' on the keyboard, type hdwwiz.cpl, and press Enter to open the Device Manager. In the Device Manager window, Select Action in the top menu and select Add Legacy Hardware. The Add Hardware Wizard will appear. Select Next, select Install the hardware that I manually select from a list (Advanced), and select Next. Scroll down and select Ports (COM & LPT), then select Next. Select the manufacturer and model of the serial port from the list or choose the default Communications Port option, and select Next. Complete the wizard to manually install the port. Once done, the 'Ports (COM & LPT)' section should now appear in Device Manager, and proceed with identifying the correct COM port for the adapter. Now, Ports (COM & LPT) should be visible under Device Manager. Follow any additional instructions from Fortinet Support. There are no official Fortinet drivers. Note: If the console port does not appear under Device Manager despite connecting the USB-to-serial adapter and ensuring the correct drivers are installed, check the user account permissions on the PC. Make sure to log in with an administrator account. Non-admin accounts may not display the connected COM port under Device Manager due to insufficient permissions. After logging in with an administrator account, reopen Device Manager. The COM port associated with the console cable should now be visible. For FortiAP: Set the Speed (baud rate) to 115200 on PuTTY. After setting up the configuration, select Open to start the console session. Once the terminal session is open: Press Enter on the keyboard to initiate the connection. Log in. Use the default credentials unless they have been modified: Username: 'admin'. Password: (Leave this blank if it's a new FortiAP, otherwise enter the custom password). After logging in, the FortiAP command line interface (CLI) will be accessible. Also, FortiAPs communicate with FortiGate via the CAPWAP protocol over UDP ports 5246 (control) and 5247 (data). Make sure these ports are open for proper communication. Steps to Save Logs of a PuTTY Session: In the PuTTY Configuration window, before starting the session, navigate to the Category pane on the left side Expand the Session tree and Select Logging (under Session -> Logging). In the Logging options window, select All session output to log everything from the session (choose other options such as logging only printable output, SSH packets, or SSH packet data). Under the Log file name, specify the path where to save the log file. For example, type C:\logs\putty.log to save the log to a folder named 'logs' on the C: drive. Further, look into the datasheet of a particular FortiAP to check the console port location on the FortiAP.