Technical Tip: Major FortiOS behavior change requiring FortiCare registration on FortiGate G series models

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Description	This article describes a major change to FortiOS behavior: Fortinet devices need to be registered on FortiCloud before receiving technical support. Starting from FortiOS versions 7.2.11, 7.4.8, 7.6.5 and 8.0.0: the registration is becoming required to access the GUI on FortiGate G series models. If one of the following error or warning is displayed on the console, preventing configuration changes on the FortiGate, apply one of the solutions described below. “The device is not registered with FortiCare. Any configuration change is not allowed.”
Scope	FortiOS versions 7.2.11, 7.4.8, 7.6.5, 8.0.0 and above, FortiGate G series models.
Solution	The following articles describe the challenges that can be faced in new installation or upgrade situations: Technical Tip: Common issues when registering devices to FortiCloud using FortiOS GUI (FortiGate, Fo... Technical Tip: Enforcing FortiCare Registration Starting From v7.2.11, v7.4.8, v7.6.5, v8.0.0 Technical Tip: How to disable 'Register with FortiCare. This step is required to activate threat pro... These articles also describe how to reset the FortiCare Registration flag in BIOS as a last resort option. Technical Tip: Disable FortiCare Registration warning/notification focuses on how to disable the 'Register with FortiCare' warning/notification. When performing a first-time installation, always ensure the FortiGate has the correct networking configuration to reach the Internet, such as receiving IP and gateway addresses from DHCP. See Configuring basic settings for an example. Connect the external/wan interface to the Internet Service Provider access and check Internet connectivity: If the Internet Service Provider (ISP) reserved a fixed IP address for the device: config system interface edit <wan_interface> set mode static set ip <reserved_address> <netmask> next end config router static edit 0 set gateway <ISP gateway> set device <wan_interface> next end If the Internet Service Provider (ISP) provides an IP address to the device by DHCP: config system interface edit <wan_interface> set mode dhcp set defaultgw enable next end When an IP address is set on the WAN interface, check Internet and FortiGuard connectivity: exec ping 8.8.8.8 exec ping update.fortiguard.net get sys fortiguard-service status If all else fails and the device cannot be registered to FortiCare, the administrator can reset the FortiCare Registration flag in BIOS to bypass the registration process. This process requires physical connectivity using a console cable. Related articles: Registration before device configuration FAQ Troubleshooting Tip: Unable to connect to FortiGuard servers Troubleshooting Tip: FortiGate is not using the configured DNS server