Next-Generation Fortinet Network Firewall SNMP-based discovery

  • Release version: Zurich
  • Updated March 12, 2026
  • 3 minutes to read
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    Summary of Next-Generation Fortinet Network Firewall SNMP-based discovery

    The Next Generation Fortinet Network Firewall SNMP-based discovery pattern, available in the Discovery and Service Mapping Patterns application, enables ServiceNow customers to detect Fortinet firewall devices using SNMP calls. This pattern supports horizontal discovery to populate the Configuration Management Database (CMDB) with detailed Fortinet firewall information. Note that SNMP-based discovery does not detect FortiGate Virtual Domains (VDOMs); for this, the REST-based discovery method must be used.

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    Key Features

    • SNMP-based Discovery: Uses SNMP calls to find Fortinet firewall devices and clusters.
    • CMDB Integration: Introduces specific CI classes for Fortinet Firewall Clusters and Devices, extending existing firewall classes.
    • Data Collection: Gathers essential information such as hostname, IP address, manufacturer, model, operating system details, firmware version, serial number, and operational status.
    • CI Relationships: Establishes relationships between Fortinet firewall devices, clusters, IP addresses, network adapters, and router interfaces to represent network topology accurately.
    • Prerequisites: Requires up-to-date Discovery and Service Mapping Patterns application, SNMP access configured on Fortinet devices, configured SNMP credentials in ServiceNow, and addition of Fortinet SNMP system OID records in ServiceNow.

    Practical Use for ServiceNow Customers

    ServiceNow customers can leverage this SNMP-based discovery pattern to automate the identification and mapping of Fortinet firewall devices within their network environment. This improves visibility and management of firewall assets by:

    • Automatically populating detailed firewall device and cluster records into the CMDB.
    • Establishing accurate relationships among devices, IP addresses, and network adapters to support impact analysis and service mapping.
    • Facilitating compliance, security posture assessment, and operational monitoring by maintaining current and comprehensive firewall data.

    To enable this discovery, ensure SNMP credentials and system OID records for Fortinet devices are configured in your ServiceNow instance, and run horizontal discovery jobs accordingly.

    Additional Notes

    • For discovering FortiGate VDOMs, use the REST-based Fortinet firewall discovery method instead of SNMP-based discovery.
    • Keep the Discovery and Service Mapping Patterns application updated via the ServiceNow Store to access the latest features and supported devices.
    • Refer to the detailed CMDB classes and their fields for understanding the data structure and for any customization needs.

    The Discovery and Service Mapping Patterns application uses the Next Generation Fortinet Network Firewall pattern to find Fortinet firewalls through a series of SNMP calls. Discovering some of these resources may require updating to the latest version of the Discovery and Service Mapping Patterns application from the ServiceNow Store.

    The Next Generation Fortinet Network Firewall pattern uses a set of SNMP calls to find the Fortinet firewalls. Discovery uses the pattern to run horizontal discovery.

    Note:
    Only the REST-based Fortinet firewall discovery method finds FortiGate VDOMs. The SNMP-based Fortinet firewall discovery method doesn't discover them. For information on REST-based Fortinet firewall and FortiGate Virtual Domains (VDOMs) discovery, see Fortinet firewall and FortiGate VDOM REST-based discovery.

    Request apps on the Store

    Visit the ServiceNow Store website to view all the available apps and for information about submitting requests to the store. For cumulative release notes information for all released apps, see the ServiceNow Store version history release notes.

    To learn about Fortinet firewalls and their versions that you can discover, refer to Detailed information on products discovered by ITOM Visibility.

    Fortinet Firewall data model

    The Next Generation Fortinet Network Firewall pattern introduces the following CI classes that extend an existing CMDB class.

    Table 1. CI classes introduced by this pattern
    CI class Extends from
    Fortinet Firewall Cluster [cmdb_ci_firewall_cluster_fortinet] Firewall Cluster [cmdb_ci_firewall_cluster]
    Fortinet Firewall Device [cmdb_ci_firewall_device_fortinet] Firewall Device [cmdb_ci_firewall_device]

    Prerequisites

    Verify the applications are up to date
    • Discovery and Service Mapping Patterns
    • CMDB CI Class Models
    Ensure SNMP access
    Ensure that your Fortinet firewall device has SNMP access.
    Configure SNMP credentials
    On the ServiceNow instance, configure SNMP credentials. For more information, see SNMP credentials.
    Add SNMP system OID record to ServiceNow instance
    Add the SNMP system OID record for the Fortinet device to the ServiceNow instance. Update the following:
    • Classifier: Fortinet Firewall
    • Class: Fortinet Firewall Device
    Run a horizontal discovery
    For more information, see Running discoveries in your network.

    Data collected by Discovery during horizontal discovery

    Discovery populates the data in the CMDB when running the Next Generation Fortinet Network Firewall Pattern.

    Table 2. Fortinet Firewall Cluster [cmdb_ci_firewall_cluster_fortinet]
    Field Description
    Name [name] Hostname.
    Fully qualified domain name [fqdn] Fully qualified domain name.
    IP address [ip_address] IP address.
    Manufacturer [manufacturer] Device manufacturer.
    Description [short_description] Short description of the Fortinet firewall cluster.
    Model Number [model_number] Device model number.
    Hardware Operating System [hardware_os] OS running on the hardware.
    Hardware OS Version [hardware_os_version] OS version running on the hardware.
    Table 3. Fortinet Firewall Device [cmdb_ci_firewall_device_fortinet]
    Field Description
    Name [name] Hostname.
    Serial Number [serial_number] Serial number of the device.
    Fully qualified domain name [fqdn] Fully qualified domain name.
    Operational Status [operational_status] Indicates if the device is in active state.
    IP address [ip_address] IP address.
    Manufacturer [manufacturer] Device manufacturer.
    Description [short_description] Short description of the device.
    Model Number [model_number] Device model number.
    Firmware [firmware_version] Firmware version.
    Hardware Operating System [hardware_os] OS running on the hardware.
    Hardware OS Version [hardware_os_version] OS version running on the hardware.
    Table 4. IP Address [cmdb_ci_ip_address]
    Field Description
    IP Address [ip_address] IP address of the Fortinet firewall.
    Netmask [netmask] Netmask of the Fortinet firewall.
    Nic [nic] References the Network Adapter [cmdb_ci_network_adapter] table.
    Table 5. Network Adapter [cmdb_ci_network_adapter]
    Field Description
    IP Address [ip_address] IP address of the network adapter.
    Netmask [netmask] Netmask of the network adapter.
    Alias [alias] User-assigned name for the network adapter.
    MAC Address [mac_address] MAC address of the network adapter.
    Name [name] Name of the network adapter.
    Configuration Item [cmdb_ci] References the Fortinet Firewall Device [cmdb_ci_firewall_device_fortinet] table.
    Table 6. DNS Name [cmdb_ci_dns_name]
    Field Description
    Name [name] Name of the Domain Name System (DNS).
    IP Address [ip_address] IP address of the DNS.
    This Dependency Views map on the Fortinet Firewall Device CI shows the Fortinet Firewall Cluster to which it belongs.
    CIs and connections on a Dependency Views map

    CI relationships

    The Next Generation Fortinet Network Firewall pattern creates the following relationships and references to support Fortinet firewall discovery. References link to records in other tables and don't appear in the CI Relationship [cmdb_rel_ci] table.

    Table 7. CI relationships
    CI Relationship CI
    Fortinet Firewall Cluster [cmdb_ci_firewall_cluster_fortinet] Hosted on::Hosts Fortinet Firewall Device [cmdb_ci_firewall_device_fortinet]
    Fortinet Firewall Device [cmdb_ci_firewall_device_fortinet] Owns::Owned by IP Address [cmdb_ci_ip_address]
    Fortinet Firewall Device [cmdb_ci_firewall_device_fortinet] Owns::Owned by Network Adapter [cmdb_ci_network_adapter]
    Fortinet Firewall Device [cmdb_ci_firewall_device_fortinet] Uses::Used by Router Interface [dscy_router_interface]
    Network Adapter [cmdb_ci_network_adapter] Owns::Owned by IP Address [cmdb_ci_ip_address]
    Table 8. CI references
    CI Field Referenced CI
    Serial Number [cmdb_serial_number] Configuration item [configuration_item] Fortinet Firewall Device [cmdb_ci_firewall_device_fortinet]
    Network Adapter [cmdb_ci_network_adapter] Configuration Item [cmdb_ci] Fortinet Firewall Device [cmdb_ci_firewall_device_fortinet]
    Router Interface [dscy_router_interface] Configuration Item [cmdb_ci] Fortinet Firewall Device [cmdb_ci_firewall_device_fortinet]
    IP Address [cmdb_ci_ip_address] Nic [nic] Network Adapter [cmdb_ci_network_adapter]