Fortigate
Running Fortigate on Virtualbox

Here’s the reworded and integrated procedural manual:

Running a FortiGate VM on VirtualBox: A Step-by-Step Guide

This guide outlines the steps required to set up and run a FortiGate VM on VirtualBox, starting from a QCOW2 disk image. Follow these instructions to ensure proper configuration and functionality.

1. Convert QCOW2 to VDI

To use the QCOW2 image in VirtualBox, it must be converted to a compatible format:

  1. Install the qemu-img tool (if not already installed):

    • On Ubuntu/Debian: 
      sudo apt install qemu-utils
    • On CentOS/Red Hat: 
      sudo yum install qemu-img

  2. Convert the QCOW2 image to VDI format:

    qemu-img convert -f qcow2 -O vdi fortios.qcow2 fortios.vdi

2. Set Up the Virtual Machine in VirtualBox

  1. Open VirtualBox and click New to create a new virtual machine.

  2. Configure the VM settings:

    • Name: Enter a descriptive name (e.g., FortiGateVM).
    • Type: Select Linux.
    • Version: Choose Other Linux (64-bit) or Other/Unknown.
    • Memory (RAM): Allocate at least 512 MB to 1 GB.
    • Processor: Allocate 1 CPU or more based on your system's capacity.

  3. Adjust the Storage Controller:

    • Change the default storage controller to AHCI (PIIX4) for compatibility:
      • Go to Settings > Storage.
      • Remove the existing controller, then add a new SATA controller with the attributes AHCI - PIIX4.

  4. Add the converted VDI disk:

    • Under the new storage controller, click the disk icon and select Choose Existing Disk.
    • Browse to your converted fortios.vdi file and attach it.

3. Configure Networking

By default, the VM may boot without any network cards attached. To resolve this:

  1. Go to Settings > Network in VirtualBox.
  2. Configure the network adapter(s):
    • Adapter 1: Set the type to Intel PRO/1000 MT Desktop (compatible with FortiOS).
    • Attached to: Choose Bridged Adapter or NAT based on your network setup.

4. Boot the VM

  1. Start the VM.
  2. Verify that the FortiOS CLI appears on boot.
  3. Perform initial configuration (e.g., set up IP addresses, admin credentials, and routing).
Change Terminal to MobaxtermTcp