This guide will show you how to establish a physical console connection to a FortiGate firewall. Console access is critical for initial setup, troubleshooting when the network is down, or recovering a lost password.
To connect, you need to identify the correct ports and have the specific cable required.
On most FortiGate models (like the 60E used here), the console port is an RJ45 connector. It looks exactly like an Ethernet port but is specifically labeled "Console." Do not confuse this with the WAN or LAN ports.
The standard cable included with most FortiGate firewalls is a **USB-A to RJ45** rollover cable.
[Image of USB to RJ45 console cable]If you are missing this cable, you can purchase one from the Fortinet online store or find a standard Cisco-style console cable on Amazon, which works identically.
Once you have the hardware, you need to connect it and identify how your computer recognizes the cable.
Plug the RJ45 end of the cable into the **Console** port on the firewall. Plug the USB end into your laptop or PC.
Windows assigns a specific COM port number to the USB connection. You must find this number to configure your terminal software.
We will use PuTTY, a free terminal emulator, to access the firewall's command line interface (CLI).
Open PuTTY and configure the session with the following settings:
Click **Open**. A black terminal window will appear. If you do not see text immediately, press **Enter** on your keyboard a few times.
You should see the login prompt. Enter your credentials (default username is usually `admin`) to access the system.