FG-100F Fortinet Next general Firewalls Middle range 100E Series

FG-100F: network appliance without onboard log storage

FG-100F is the non-storage member of the FortiGate 100F pair. Fortinet lists the same 22 GE RJ45, four SFP and two 10 GE SFP+ FortiLink interface arrangement as FG-101F, but reserves 480 GB onboard storage for the 101F. Do not copy a 101F local-retention design into this order.

External logging decision

Define where traffic, event, security and audit records will be retained before deployment. Record the FortiAnalyzer, FortiGate Cloud or approved syslog destination, transport protection, retention target, time synchronization and behavior during collector outage. A successful policy test does not prove that evidence will survive without an external logging path.

Shared-media port acceptance

Interfaces 17 through 20 are shared between copper and SFP media; only one physical member of each shared pair can be connected. Preserve the chosen medium, transceiver, switch port and FortiOS interface mapping. Also verify the X1 and X2 10 GE FortiLink interfaces against the intended topology.

Acceleration and HA baseline

Fortinet documents SoC4 with NP6XLite and CP9XLite acceleration for both 100F models. Capture the real hardware generation, FortiOS build, offload state, dual-power feeds, HA links and a controlled failover. Do not infer memory generation from the model name; verify the individual unit with hardware status.

FG-100F procurement gate

Accept the appliance only when the design explicitly tolerates no onboard 480 GB disk and the remote-log outage procedure is documented. Retain serial, power-supply status, interface map, HA result and external logging receipt as the replacement baseline.

Related storage comparison

FG-101F with 480 GB onboard storage is the other hardware identity; confirm the logging design before substitution.

Official evidence: FortiGate 100F Series data sheet; Fortinet fast-path architecture; and Fortinet quick-start guide.