NSE5_FNC_AD_7.6 Exam Dumps - Fortinet NSE 5 - FortiNAC-F 7.6 Administrator

In FortiNAC-F, theNetwork Sessionsview provides a real-time and historical log of traffic flows, including source/destination IP addresses, ports, and protocols. This data is essential for buildingDevice Profiling Rulesthat rely on "Traffic Patterns" or "Network Footprints" to identify devices (e.g., an IP camera communicating with its specific NVR). If the network session view is empty, the system is not receiving the necessary flow or session data from the network infrastructure.

According to theFortiNAC-F Administration Guide, there are two primary methods to populate this view:

NetFlow/sFlow/IPFIX (C):FortiNAC-F can act as a flow collector. By enablingNetFlowsettings on the FortiNAC-F service interface (port2/eth1) and configuring your switches or routers to export flow data to the FortiNAC IP, the system can parse these packets and record sessions.

Firewall Session Polling (B):For environments with FortiGate firewalls, FortiNAC-F can proactively poll the FortiGate via theREST APIto retrieve its current session table. This is particularly useful as it provides session visibility without requiring the overhead of configuring NetFlow on every access layer switch.

Settings likeLayer 3 Polling(D) only provide ARP table mappings (IP to MAC correlation) and do not provide the detailed flow information required for the session view.

"TheNetwork Sessionsview displays information regarding active and inactive network traffic sessions... To populate this view, FortiNAC must receive data through one of the following methods: •NetFlow/sFlow Support: Configure network devices to send flow data to the FortiNAC service interface. •Firewall Session Polling: Enable session polling on modeled FortiGate devices to retrieve session information via API. These records are then used by the Device Profiler to match rules based on traffic patterns." —FortiNAC-F Administration Guide: Network Sessions and Flow Data Collection.

In a1+1 High Availability (HA)deployment, FortiNAC-F supports two primary methods for management access: individual IP addresses or aShared IP Address(also known as a Virtual IP or VIP). The Shared IP option is part of aLayer 2 HAdesign, which simplifies administration by providing a single URL or IP that always points to whichever appliance is currently in the "Active" or "In Control" state.

For a Shared IP configuration to function correctly, thePrimary and Secondary administrative interfaces (port1) must be on the same subnet. This requirement exists because the Shared IP is a logical address that is dynamically assigned to the physical interface of the active unit. Since only one unit can own the IP at a time, both units must reside on the same broadcast domain (Layer 2) to ensure that ARP requests for the Shared IP are correctly answered and that the gateway remains reachable regardless of which unit is active. If the appliances were on different subnets (a Layer 3 HA design), a shared IP could not be used because it cannot "float" across different network segments; instead, administrators would need to manage each unit via its unique physical IP or use a FortiNAC Manager.

"For L2 HA configurations, click theUse Shared IP Addresscheckbox and enter the Shared IP Address information...If your Primary and Secondary Servers are not in the same subnet, do not use a shared IP address.The shared IP address moves between appliances during a failover and recovery and requires both units to reside on the same network." —FortiNAC-F High Availability Reference Manual: Shared IP Configuration.

TheFortiNAC-F Manager (FortiNAC-M)is designed as a centralized management platform for large-scale distributed environments where multiple FortiNAC-F Control and Application (CA) appliances are deployed across different sites. According to theFortiNAC-F Manager Administration Guide, the deployment of a Manager simplifies administrative overhead in three specific ways:

First, it providesGlobal Version Control (B). The Manager serves as a central repository for firmware and software updates, allowing administrators to push specific versions to all managed CAs simultaneously, ensuring consistency across the entire fabric. Second, it enablesPooled Licenses (D). Instead of purchasing and managing individual licenses for every CA, licenses are centralized on the Manager. The Manager then distributes these licenses to the CAs as needed based on their host counts. This "floating" license model optimizes cost and prevents individual sites from running out of capacity while others have excess. Third, it offersGlobal Visibility (E). The Manager aggregates host and device data from every managed CA into a single console. This "single pane of glass" allows an administrator to search for a specific MAC address or user across the entire global organization without logging into individual servers.

While the Manager can assist with configuration templates, authentication security policies (C) and infrastructure modeling (A) are still predominantly managed at the local CA level to ensure site-specific logic and performance.

"The FortiNAC Manager provides a central management console for multiple FortiNAC-F servers (CAs). Key benefits include: •License Management: Licenses are pooled on the Manager and allocated to managed CAs as needed. •Software Management: Firmware updates can be centrally managed and pushed to all CAs from the Manager. •Centralized Monitoring: Provides a global view of all hosts, adapters, and events across the entire managed environment." —FortiNAC-F Manager Administration Guide: Overview and Benefits.

TheFortiNAC-F Manageris designed to centralize the management of multiple Control and Application (CA) appliances, ensuring consistent security posture across a distributed enterprise. To achieve this, the Manager allows administrators to define and distribute specific types of policies globally rather than configuring them on each individual CA.

According to theFortiNAC Manager Guide, the two primary policy types that are managed globally are:

Network Access Policies (D):These policies define the "If-Then" logic for network entry. By managing these at the global level, an administrator can ensure that a "Contractor" receives the same restricted access regardless of which branch office or campus they connect to.

Endpoint Compliance Policies (B):Global management of compliance policies—which consist of scans and configurations—allows for a unified security baseline. For example, a global policy can mandate that all Windows devices across the entire organization must have a specific antivirus version installed and active before gaining access to the production network.

While the Manager provides visibility into authentication events and can synchronize directory data, the specificAuthentication(A) configurations (like local RADIUS secrets or specific LDAP server links) are often localized to the CA to account for site-specific infrastructure.Supplicant EasyConnect(C) is a feature set for onboarding, but the structural "Global Policy" engine focuses primarily on the Access and Compliance frameworks.

"The FortiNAC Manager enablesGlobal Policy Management, allowing for the creation and distribution of policies across all managed CA appliances. This includesNetwork Access Policies, which control VLAN and ACL assignment, andEndpoint Compliance Policies, which define the security requirements for hosts. Centralizing these policies ensures that security standards are enforced uniformly across the global network fabric." —FortiNAC Manager Administration Guide: Global Policy Management Overview.

When troubleshooting network access in FortiNAC-F, it is often necessary to verify exactly why a host has been granted a specific level of access. Since FortiNAC-F evaluates policies from the top down and assigns access based on the first match, an administrator needs a clear way to see the results of this evaluation for a specific live endpoint.

ThePolicy Details (C)view is the designated tool for this purpose. By navigating to theHosts > Hosts(or Adapter View) in the Administration UI, an administrator can search for the specific MAC address or IP of the host in question. Right-clicking on the host record reveals a context menu from whichPolicy Detailscan be selected. This view provides a real-time "look" into the policy engine's decision for that specific host, showing theNetwork Access Policythat was matched, theUser/Host Profilethat triggered the match, and the resultingNetwork Access Configuration(VLAN/ACL) currently applied.

WhilePolicy Logs (A)provide a historical record of all policy transitions across the system, they are often too high-volume to efficiently find a single host's current state. TheConnections view (B)shows the physical port and basic status but lacks the granular policy logic breakdown. ThePort Properties (D)view shows the configuration of the switch interface itself, which is only one component of the final access determination.

"To identify which policy is currently applied to a specific endpoint, use thePolicy Detailsview. Navigate toHosts > Hosts, select the host, right-click and choosePolicy Details. This window displays the specificNetwork Access Policy, User/Host Profile, and Network Access Configuration currently in effect for that host record." —FortiNAC-F Administration Guide: Policy Details and Troubleshooting.