Configure Time and NTP¶

Accurate time is critical: log timestamps, cert validity, schedule-based policies (time conditions, MFA windows), and HA all depend on correct system time. Always sync to NTP; never rely on manually-set time.

Steps¶

Set the time zone¶

System → Settings.
System Time:
- Time Zone — pick your zone (e.g. (GMT-5:00) Eastern Time).
Apply.

📸 Screenshot needed

System → Settings → System Time section, showing timezone dropdown and NTP server config.

Configure NTP¶

Same page, scroll to NTP.
Setup Method:
- Synchronize with NTP server (preferred).
- Custom — define your own servers.
Server — pool.ntp.org (default) or your internal NTP server. Multiple OK.
Sync interval — minutes between syncs. Default 60.
Apply.

CLI Equivalent¶

config system global
    set timezone 04   # numeric code per FortiOS docs
end

config system ntp
    set ntpsync enable
    set server-mode disable
    set source-ip 0.0.0.0
    config ntpserver
        edit 1
            set server "pool.ntp.org"
        next
        edit 2
            set server "time.nist.gov"
        next
    end
end

Verify¶

get system status | grep "System time"
diagnose sys ntp status

Should show: - Current time matching wall clock. - synchronized = yes. - Offset close to 0.

FortiGate as an NTP Server (for downstream)¶

To let LAN devices use FortiGate as their NTP source:

config system ntp
    set server-mode enable
    set interface "internal"
end

Then on the interface, allow NTP:

config system interface
edit "internal"
    append allowaccess ntp
next
end

Common Issues¶

Time wrong by hours. Timezone wrong. Fix in System → Settings → Time Zone.
Time wrong by minutes. NTP not actually syncing. Test: execute ping pool.ntp.org first; if fails, fix DNS/routing.
DST not handled. FortiOS handles DST automatically when the right timezone is picked. Don't manually offset.
Schedule-based policies misfiring. Almost always a timezone/NTP issue. Verify with get system status.