Virtula IPs and Virtula server in FortiGate Firewall

In Fortigate firewalls, virtual IPs and virtual servers are used to map external IP addresses or services to internal network resources, such as servers or applications. This allows external users to access internal network resources without exposing the internal IP addresses or services to the internet.

A virtual IP (VIP) is a public IP address that is associated with one or more internal network resources. When traffic is sent to the VIP, the Fortigate firewall routes the traffic to the appropriate internal network resource based on the configured port forwarding or NAT rules. This allows external users to access internal resources using a single public IP address.

A virtual server is a combination of a VIP and a port forwarding or NAT rule that maps an external service to an internal network resource. For example, a virtual server could be configured to forward incoming HTTP traffic to an internal web server using a public IP address and port number. This allows external users to access the web server using a URL, such as http://www.example.com, without exposing the internal IP address of the web server to the internet.

To create a virtual IP in Fortigate firewall, the following steps can be followed:

1. Access the Fortigate firewall's web interface and go to the Policy & Objects section.

2. Click on the Virtual IPs option to view the list of configured virtual IPs.

3. Click on the Add button to create a new virtual IP.

4. In the Add Virtual IP window, enter the name, type, and external IP address for the virtual IP.

5. Configure the port forwarding or NAT rules to map the virtual IP to one or more internal network resources.

6. Click on OK to save the virtual IP configuration.

To create a virtual server in Fortigate firewall, the following steps can be followed:

1. Access the Fortigate firewall's web interface and go to the Policy & Objects section.

2. Click on the Virtual Servers option to view the list of configured virtual servers.

3. Click on the Add button to create a new virtual server.

4. In the Add Virtual Server window, enter the name, type, and external IP address and port number for the virtual server.

5. Configure the port forwarding or NAT rules to map the virtual server to an internal network resource.

6. Click on OK to save the virtual server configuration.

Overall, virtual IPs and virtual servers are useful features in Fortigate firewalls that allow external users to access internal network resources without exposing the internal IP addresses or services to the internet. They can be used to simplify network configurations and improve network security.