19/1/22 14:28 How to Reset a FortiGate Firewall to Factory Default Settings – Tech Encyclopedia

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Techencyclopedia in FortiGate Firewall  July 24, 2017October 9, 2020

 353 Words

How to Reset a FortiGate Firewall to Factory

Default Settings

Credits: GoPro

KEEP IN MIND

In this tutorial, a FortiGate Firewall is reset to Factory Default Settings.

Do note that the device used in this tutorial is not connected to the production environment.
PuTTY, open source terminal emulation program is used to connect to the device. From that you
can manage or configure a device from the PC.
Windows 8 operating system is used for the PC.

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TUTORIALS

Connect the cables

Firstly, connect the cables properly between the Console port in the device and PC. Refer this video
tutorial available in YouTube. (Although, it is a Cisco device the configuration is same)

Connect to Cisco console port

Following images show the cables that are used to connect to the console port and PC

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Find the COM port first (this is the device manager in Win8.1)

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In my case, I had to install the drivers for usb2.0-ser. [Download Drivers at:
http://www.winchiphead.com/download/CH341/CH341SER.ZIP
(http://www.winchiphead.com/download/CH341/CH341SER.ZIP)]

Configure the Fortigate Firewall from PuTTY

[Download PuTTY at: http://www.putty.org/ (http://www.putty.org/)]

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Press Enter

If needed, reboot the device (sometimes needed). Just give a power reset.

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Enter maintainer as the username. For the password bcpb + the serial number of the firewall (letters
of the serial number are in UPPERCASE format)

enter exec factoryreset and press Y

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CONGRATULATIONS…!!  FortiGate Firewall is restored to the factory

defaults configurations. Now you can login through preferred medium. In
this case, web browser is used.

Connect to the Fortigate Firewall via web browser

Use following IP address to connect

192.168.1.99

Enter the default configurations

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Name: admin

password: (keep blank)

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Best regards,

Author Tech Encyclopedia 

One thought on “How to Reset a FortiGate Firewall to

Factory Default Settings”

ADAM says:
October 11, 2019 at 1:24 pm
ITS WORTH NOTING THAT YOU ONLY GET 14 SECONDS TO ENTER THE USERNAME AND
bc

BCPB PASSWORD.. SO HAVE THE INFO READY!

 Reply

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