Adding a DNS server to your FortiGate firewall is an essential step in ensuring proper network functionality and security. By configuring a DNS server on your FortiGate device, you can easily resolve domain names to IP addresses, speeding up network communication and enabling web filtering capabilities. In this tutorial, we will walk you through the process of adding a DNS server to your FortiGate firewall.
Step 1: Accessing the FortiGate Web Interface
To begin, open your preferred web browser and enter the IP address of your FortiGate firewall in the address bar. Press Enter, and you will be directed to the login page of the FortiGate web interface.
Step 2: Logging In to the FortiGate Web Interface
Enter your administrator credentials (username and password) on the login page, then click on the “Login” button to access the FortiGate web interface.
Step 3: Navigating to the DNS Configuration Page
Once logged in, navigate to the “System” menu at the top of the web interface. From there, click on “Network” followed by “DNS”. This will take you to the DNS configuration page.
Step 4: Adding a Primary DNS Server
On the DNS configuration page, locate the “Primary DNS Server” section. In this section, enter the IP address of your primary DNS server in the provided field.
If you want to enable secure communication with your primary DNS server using Transport Layer Security (TLS), checkmark the “Enable TLS” option. This ensures that all communication between your FortiGate firewall and primary DNS server is encrypted.
Note:
If you do not have a primary DNS server, you can use a public DNS server like Google DNS (8.8.8) or Cloudflare DNS (1.1.1).
Step 5: Adding a Secondary DNS Server
If you have a secondary DNS server, locate the “Secondary DNS Server” section on the DNS configuration page. Enter the IP address of your secondary DNS server in the provided field.
Similar to the primary DNS server, you can also enable TLS for secure communication with your secondary DNS server by checking the “Enable TLS” option.
Note:
Having a secondary DNS server provides redundancy and ensures uninterrupted network services in case the primary DNS server becomes unavailable.
Step 6: Saving and Applying Changes
After adding both the primary and secondary DNS servers, click on the “Apply” button at the bottom of the page to save your changes and apply them to your FortiGate firewall.
Your FortiGate firewall will now use the specified DNS servers for domain name resolution and other related functions.
Conclusion
In this tutorial, we have learned how to add a primary and secondary DNS server to a FortiGate firewall. By configuring these servers, you enhance network performance, enable web filtering capabilities, and ensure uninterrupted network services in case of primary server failure. Remember to save your changes after adding or modifying any DNS settings on your FortiGate device.