FortiGate-5140 fabric backplane communication

Fabric 10-gigabit switching within a chassis

Fabric 10-gigabit switching within a chassis

All of the FortiSwitch-5003A fabric front panel interfaces are 10-gigabit interfaces and the FortiSwitch-5003A board supports 10-gigabit communication across the fabric backplane channels. The FortiGate-5001A board also supports 10-gigabit communication on the fabric backplane with the addition of a FortiGate-RTM-XB2 module. You require one FortiGate-RTM-XB2 module for each FortiGate-5001A board. The FortiGate-RTM-XB2 module must be installed in the chassis rear transition module (RTM) slot that corresponds to the front panel slot containing the FortiGate-5001A board. For example, if you install a FortiGate-5001A board in slot 3 you must also install a FortiGateRTM-XB2 module in RTM slot 3. The RTM slots are at the back of the FortiGate-5140 chassis.

One FortiGate-RTM-XB2 module provides 10-gigabit connections to both fabric channels. The FortiGate-RTM-XB2 also provides NP2 packet acceleration for both fabric channels. To effectively use NP2 acceleration, packets must be received by the FortiGate-5001A board on one fabric channel and must exit from the FortiGate-5001A board on the same fabric channel or on the other fabric channel. See the FortiGate-RTM-XB2 System Guide for more information about the FortiGate-RTM-XB2.

Note: A single FortiSwitch-5003A can provide simultaneous 10 Gbps connections to

FortiGate-5001A boards with FortiGate-RTM-XB2 modules, 1 Gbps connections to

FortiGate-5001A boards, and 1 Gbps connections to FortiGate-5005FA2 boards.

Figure 13 shows a FortiGate-5140 chassis containing two FortiSwitch-5003A boards and six FortiGate-5001A boards. Using these components this chassis supplies 10-gigabit connectivity between the external and internal networks. The external network is connected to the F1 10-gigabit front panel interface of the FortiSwitch-5003A board in slot 1, which connects the external network to fabric channel 1. The internal network is connected to the F7 10-gigabit front panel interface of the FortiSwitch-5003A board in slot 2, which connects the internal network to fabric channel 2.

10-gigabit traffic from the external network enters the F1 10-gigabit FortiSwitch-5003A front panel interface, passes through the FortiSwitch-5003A board and through the FortiGate-RTM-XB2 modules to the fabric1 interfaces of the FortiGate-5001A boards. Traffic accepted at the fabric1 interfaces is processed by each FortiGate-5001A board. Traffic destined for the internal network exits the fabric2 interfaces of the FortiGate-5001A boards, passes through the FortiGate-RTM-XB2 modules and through the FortiSwitch-5003A board and exits the F7 10-gigabit FortiSwitch-5003A front panel interface and is received by the internal network.

The configuration shown in Figure 13 requires no configuration changes to the FortiSwitch-5003A boards except to disable communication between the FortiSwitch-5003A boards (if required, see “Fabric channel connections between FortiSwitch-5003A boards” on page 27).

On the FortiGate-5001A boards, to allow traffic to pass between the internal and external networks, the FortiGate-5001A boards would operate in NAT/Route mode and you must configure firewall policies and routing for the fabric1 and fabric2 interfaces. No configuration changes are required to use the FortiGate-RTM-XB2 module. NP2 acceleration is automatically applied to traffic passing between the internal and external networks by the FortiGate-RTM-XB2 module.

FortiSwitch-5003A and 5003 Fabric and Base Backplane Communications Guide

 

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Fortinet 5003A manual Fabric 10-gigabit switching within a chassis

5003, 5003A specifications

Fortinet's FortiGate 5003 and 5003A are high-capacity, next-generation firewalls designed for enterprises that require advanced security solutions with a strong focus on performance and scalability. These models are part of Fortinet's expansive line of FortiGate appliances, which leverage innovative technologies to provide robust protection against a variety of cyber threats while maintaining seamless network operations.

One of the standout features of the FortiGate 5003 and 5003A is their impressive throughput capabilities. With multiple high-speed network interfaces, these firewalls can handle substantial amounts of traffic, ensuring that data flows smoothly without creating bottlenecks. This makes them ideal for organizations that operate large-scale networks or have significant bandwidth demands.

The FortiGate 5003 series is equipped with Fortinet's proprietary FortiOS, an intuitive operating system that integrates firewall, VPN, antivirus, intrusion prevention, web filtering, and application control functionalities. This comprehensive approach to security allows organizations to protect their networks from an array of cyber threats while simplifying management and reducing operational costs.

Another key characteristic of these models is their use of Fortinet's purpose-built security processing units (SPUs). These hardware-accelerated security chips enable accelerated threat detection and prevention, allowing the 5003 and 5003A to deliver high performance even when advanced security features are enabled. The SPUs play a crucial role in ensuring that organizations can enforce security policies without compromising on speed or efficiency.

Furthermore, the FortiGate 5003 and 5003A support advanced networking features, including Virtual Routing and Forwarding (VRF), which allows for better traffic management and segmentation. This capability is essential in multi-tenant environments, enabling organizations to create isolated networks while maintaining centralized security management.

In addition to their performance and feature set, both models support centralized management through Fortinet's FortiManager platform, providing a unified view of network security across multiple devices. This simplifies configuration, updates, and policy compliance, significantly reducing administrative overhead.

Finally, the FortiGate 5003 and 5003A are designed with redundancy and high availability in mind. They include failover capabilities and support for clustering, ensuring that network operations remain uninterrupted even in the event of hardware failure. This level of reliability is vital for mission-critical applications where downtime can lead to significant operational disruption.

In summary, Fortinet's FortiGate 5003 and 5003A are powerful solutions that combine high performance, advanced security technologies, and robust management features to meet the needs of large enterprises. With their focus on scalability and reliability, these firewalls are poised to protect organizations against evolving cyber threats while ensuring optimal network performance.