Technical Tip: Setting the system time

[Rathan_FTNT]

Description

This article describes how to change the system time.

Scope

FortiGate.

Solution

To configure the date and time from GUI.

1. Go to System -> Settings.
2. In the system time section, configure the following settings to either manually set the time or use an NTP server:
   
   

Time Zone	Select a time zone from the list. This is the time zone that the FortiGate is in.
Set Time	Select to either Synchronize with an NTP Server, or use Manual settings.
Synchronize with a NTP server	To use a NTP server other than FortiGuard, the CLI has to be used. In the Sync interval field, enter how often, in minutes, that the unit synchronizes its time with the NTP server.
Manual settings	Manually enter the date, hour (in 24-hour format), minute, and second in the fields.
Setup unit as local NTP server	Enable to configure the FortiGate as a local NTP server. In the Listen on interfaces field, set the interface or interfaces that the FortiGate will listen for NTP requests on.

3. Select 'Apply'.
   
   
   

To configure the date and time from the CLI:

1. Configure the timezone and daylight savings time.

config system global
    set timezone <integer>
    set dst {enable | disable}
end

Note:

DST (Daylight Saving Time), is a regional time adjustment that shifts the clock forward by one hour during certain months of the year. By default, FortiGate enables DST automatically.

UTC (Coordinated Universal Time), is the global time standard used for synchronizing the clocks across systems and networks. It remains constant throughout the year, it does not include any seasonal adjustments.

2. Either manually configure the date and time, or configure an NTP server.

Manual:

execute date <yyyy-mm-dd>
execute time <hh:mm:ss>NTP server.
config system ntp
    set ntpsync enable
    set type {fortiguard | custom}
    set syncinterval <integer>
    set source-ip <ip_address>
    set source-ip6 <ip6_address>  
    set server-mode {enable | disable}
    set interface <interface>
    set authentication {enable | disable}
    set key-type {MD5 | SHA1}
    set key <password>
    set key-id <integer>

config ntpserver

edit <server_id>

set server <ip_address or hostname>

set ntpv3 {enable | disable}

set authentication {enable | disable}

set key <password>

set key-id <integer>

next

end

end

The following article provides a technical guide on troubleshooting NTP synchronization issues on FortiGates . It includes diagnostic and configuration steps to ensure proper system clock synchronization: Troubleshoot NTP synchronization issue 

Related document:
Config system NTP - FortiGate CLI reference.