Help Im in Fortiswitch hell. FAP will not communicate with FG-60 via forti-link

[Cartoondog]

Hello all,

I am puzzled or lack the core concepts of fort-link implementation.  My specific problem is that the FAP E connected to any remote switch cannot communicate with the router.  All FAPs are in bridge mode so that they can be serviced by the DHCP on the routers hardware switch.  Unfortunately FAP-E could not be wired directly to the router or this point would be somewhat moot.

All the switches are connected via fortilink.  No additional VLANs/Trunks have been implemented. I feel that the answer is some sort of VLAN soft switch arrangement or possibly adding a non-fortilink trunk to each switch.  I really don't know or understand  

Below is a picture of a network setup.  This network needs wireless access for clients and Sonos speakers as well as wired clients/speakers/cameras.  Sonos adds complexity because by design it does not expect anything other than a flat network (there seem to be ways around this).

Thanks for any help you can give!

[Toshi_Esumi]

The base concept for Fortilink-managed FortiSwitches(FWSs) is all VLANs on the FSWs need to be confitured ON the FortiLink. Even if you created the same VLAN subinterfaces (same VLAN IDs) on both the hard-switch and FortiLink sides, they're separated and not on the same broadcast domain. 
If you want to use the same DHCP servers on both sides, you need to put them togather in soft-switches then set the IPs there.

Toshi

[ebilcari]

Are you saying that you have trouble adding FAP E to be managed by the FGT? If this the case you just need to use/create a VLAN, enable DHCP and enable Security Fabric Connection. Set this VLAN as "Native VLAN" on the switchport where this AP is connected. FAP will be auto discovered by FGT.

If you want to span the same VLAN for user traffic from the FortiLink to the FGT interfaces where the APs are connected you will need to create a Software switch.