Description
This article describes how to work with the technical assistance center (TAC).
Scope
FortiGate.
Solution
Interacting with Fortinet support Engineers requires a baseline of TCP/IP knowledge and an intimate understanding of the network environment used.
Technical Support's focus is not only on break/fix support, but also on explaining the features and the expected behavior of the unit in certain situations (either through documentation, or RFCs) - a process done sometimes with the assistance of the Engineering team.
See 'Service Description - FortiCare Technical Support .pdf - Ticket Handling' in the Fortinet Support document list for more information.
Offering assistance with initial configurations, migrations, new implementations, deep network analysis and improving the performance of configurations in the network, is the scope of local Fortinet Sales Engineer or premium TAM support (Professional Services), where the compatibility issues are discussed and addressed before the initial configuration are performed.
For example, setting up an IPSec VPN for the first time requires knowledge of the available documentation to attempt the relevant configuration.
If the information is available and the available guide has been already followed, but the configuration still does not function, TAC can step in and assist, as long as an issue in the functionality of the configuration is evident and not an expected behavior where the objective is to improve the configurations, RCA (Root Cause Analysis) or increase the network performance without having to do with the issue, in this case Fortinet Sales Engineer or premium TAM support (Professional Services) will attend.
For effective support, knowledge of hardware configuration and environment used is required. When a new case is open, have the following information available, preferably attached to the case for the assigned engineer to quickly get an overview of the problem:
- Network topology of the environment used.
- FortiGate and/or other device configuration file(s).
- Specific details for the issue, including any URLs, email headers, packet captures, or screenshots of the errors/problem/warnings, as appropriate.
Back up the FortiGate configuration file is possible using the web-based manager by going to User name -> Configuration -> Backup.
Another file that provides useful information is the debug log file that can be downloaded from the GUI: go to System -> Advanced and select Download Debug Logs:
As of v6.2.3 and up, debug logs can be downloaded under System -> Settings (the 'Advanced' menu was removed):
Note:
Starting from v7.4.0, 'Debug logs' has been changed to 'FortiCare Debug Report'.
Alternatively, it is possible to run 'exe tac report' in the CLI, save the outputs, and attach the file to the ticket. Those outputs are the same as in the debug logs.
