Mapping Fortinet CIs and relationships

The Service Graph Connector (SGC) for Fortinet SD-WAN maps discovered physical and logical network resources to telecom-aligned configuration item (CI) classes in the Configuration Management Database (CMDB). Service Graph Connectors support consistent service modeling, provide visibility into chassis-level components, and automate the creation of logical and physical relationships.

The connector uses the Robust Transform Engine (RTE) and Identification and Reconciliation Engine (IRE) to confirm accurate CI classification and insertion.

The connector classifies and relates discovered CIs using telecom-specific models based on device type, function, and chassis structure. This organization helps maintain a clean and normalized CMDB across vendors. Discovered model names from Fortinet are automatically transformed into ServiceNow AI Platform standard model identifiers and categories for slot and subslot components.

CI mapping and relationships

The following table lists the CI object types in the CMDB that can be discovered, along with their representations in the CMDB and how they relate to one another.

Table 1. CMDB CI Mapping and Relationships (Physical Layer)

CMDB CI Class	CMDB CI Table	CMDB Hierarchy	Object types/models	Description and Relationships
Network site	cmdb_ci_ni_site	CI → Site →Network Site	Organization network	Represents the physical location of IP routers by longitude, latitude, and address. Network site contains IP routers and network interfaces. Network site is a member of a group.
IP router	cmdb_ci_ip_router	CI → HW →NG → IP router	SD-WAN Edge/ network or service router is represented by the IP router	Represents the FortiGate device. Contains network interface CIs. Contained by network sites and network service instances. IP router is a member of a group.
Slot	cmdb_ci_container_slot	HW → Equipment → holder → Slot	Slot	Slot is the main device in the network hierarchy. Contains slots for IP routers, IP switches, power supply units, and fans.
Subslot	cmdb_ci_container_subslot	HW → Equipment → holder → Slot	Subslot	Network card is the main device in the network hierarchy. Contains IP router, IP switch sublots (small form-factor pluggable or child cards).
Network Interface CI	cmdb_ci_ni_interface	Port → Network Port → Network interface	The list of support port models is defined in the vendor-specific network physical information.	IP router, IP switch, or wireless access point is the main device in the network hierarchy. Network card within the IP router or IP switch is the primary component. Represents the physical ports contained within the device (IP router).
Network service instance	cmdb_ci_network_service_instance	CI → Service instance → Network service instance	Network service instance	Network service instance includes IP routers and network interfaces. Network site is a member of a group.
Group	cmdb_ci_group	CI → Group	Represents organization	Network sites and network service instance are members.
IP Address CI	cmdb_ci_ip_address	CI → IP address	Represents discovered IP addresses for CIs.	Owned by the corresponding CI.

Discovered logical interfaces

In addition to physical ports, the SGC discovers logical interfaces, such as tunnel and VPN interfaces (for example, Hub1-inetVPN, inetVPN, and mplsVPN), from the Fortinet inventory. Each logical interface is created as a network interface CI (cmdb_ci_ni_interface) and related to its parent device (IP router) CI.

A CMDB CI exists for each logical interface. Metrics that report against a logical interface name are mapped to the corresponding logical interface CI rather than to the parent device CI. This mapping enables interface-level metric correlation and reporting for tunnel and VPN interfaces.

Firmware version calculation

When the SGC discovers an IP router, it sets the firmware version on the cmdb_ci_ip_router CI by joining the device os_ver, mr, and patch fields from the Fortinet inventory with periods. For example, a device with os_ver=7, mr=4, and patch=11 resolves to 7.4.11. This matches the value shown in the Fortinet GUI. If any of these fields is missing, the firmware version is left empty. The firmware value is also left empty if the major version is not a whole number.

Override the default with the sn_sgc_fortinet.FortinetCustomizedFirmwareVersion extension point to calculate the firmware version differently. Create an implementation that defines a formatFirmwareVersion() handler, where device is the Fortinet device object returned by the API. Return your own version string from the handler. A custom firmware handler's return value is used exactly as returned, including an empty result; the built-in calculation is used only when no custom handler is active.