Restoring Firewall Configurations

Imagine your firewall bites the dust and you get a shiny new one from Fortinet. You have backed up the configuration file from your old box and want to restore it to your new unit. There is one thing to watch out for during the process if you backed up your file without password protecting it. Here is the process to backup and restore the configuration without running into snags:

Backup the firewall configuration:
-System -> Maintenance -> Backup
Optionally you can password protect the file which is always a good idea. If you do not enter a password your entire configuration is backed up except for the admin account. To successfully restore your configuration on the new system if you did not password protect the file:

-Change the IP address of the new unit or connect to the default IP on the internal interface at https://192.168.1.99. Login using the default of admin with a blank password. Then
-System -> Admin and change the admin user password.
-System -> Maintenance -> Restore configuration from: Local PC
-Click Browse and select the backup configuration file
-Click Restore

If you do not set the admin password before restoring the config file you will no longer be able to login as admin.