Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)


TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Modules For Policy Package.

Unlike other modules, There are three modules in FortiManager Ansible collection as the result of seperate API backends:

  • fmgr_pm_pkg - update or delete a package, no matter whether it is adom specific or global.

  • fmgr_pm_pkg_adom - create or update a adom specific package.

  • fmgr_pm_pkg_global - create or update a global package.

Create/Update An ADOM-specific Policy Package

- name: create a package in a adom
  fmgr_pm_pkg_adom:
     adom: 'root'
     pm_pkg_adom:
         name: 'adom.root.package0'
         type: 'pkg'

Note: you are not allowed to modify the name of the package with module fmgr_pm_pkg_adom.

Create/Update A Global Policy Package

- name: create a package in a adom
  fmgr_pm_pkg_global:
     pm_pkg_global:
         name: 'global.package0'
         type: 'pkg'

Note: you are not allowed to modify the name of the package with module fmgr_pm_pkg_global.

Rename A Policy Package

- name: policy package
  fmgr_pm_pkg:
     adom: "root"
     pkg_path: 'adom.root.package0'
     state: 'present'
     pm_pkg:
         name: 'adom.root.package1'

- name: policy package
  fmgr_pm_pkg:
     adom: "global"
     pkg_path: 'global.package0'
     state: 'present'
     pm_pkg:
         name: 'global.package1'

Remove A Policy Package

- name: policy package
  fmgr_pm_pkg:
     adom: "root"
     pkg_path: 'adom.root.package0'
     state: 'absent'
     pm_pkg:
         name: 'adom.root.package0'

- name: policy package
  fmgr_pm_pkg:
     adom: "global"
     pkg_path: 'global.package0'
     state: 'absent'
     pm_pkg:
         name: 'global.package0'

What You Need To Know About Logging.

FortiManager Ansible has requests and intermediate data stored in a log file /tmp/fortimanager.ansible.log to ease troubleshooting.

Prior to 2.0.3, the log file is always created under that path; since 2.0.3, logging is only enabled by setting enable_log option for a task, it means you will no longer see the log file by default since 2.0.3 unless you turn it on explicitly.

What Is Workspace Locking?

FortiManager supports multi-workspace mode, workspace guarantees you that you are operating in an administrative domain explusively so that no other users will not preempt you as long as you lock the workspace in advance.

To enable workspace locking on FortiManager 6.0.x, you usually also enable multi-adom status. Here are cli commands:

FMG-VM64 # config system global
(global)# set adom-status enable
(global)# set workspace-mode normal
(global)# end
FMG-VM64 #

also you are able to enable workspace mode via module fmgr_system_global:

- name: Enable Workspace Mode
  fmgr_system_global:
     system_global:
         adom-status: enable
         workspace-mode: normal

After workspace mode is enabled, you must assign the adom to workspace_locking_adom and a time value to workspace_locking_timeout optionally to complete a successful task.

  • workspace_locking_adom - The adom you are going to access and lock, either global or a custom adom.

  • workspace_locking_timeout - the ansible task will poll and wait for the adom to be unlocked if it was locked by other users, the parameter is the maximum seconds to wait before reporting failure, default value is 300 seconds.

here is an example to put the locking directives in tasks:

- name: create a package in a adom
  fmgr_pm_pkg_adom:
     workspace_locking_adom: 'root'
     workspace_locking_timeout: 300
     adom: 'root'
     pm_pkg_adom:
         name: 'adom.root.package0'
         type: 'pkg'

Note: as ansible tasks terminates normally, the lock will be released automatically.

Caveat: if any tasks are interrupted, e.g. inputing a CTRL + ^C, you will no longer be able to use Ansible to access FMG anymore unless the previous session expires, in case of immediate access, you have to disable workspace mode via CLI console.

How To Deal With Task Result?

See Error Handling for more.

When to Use Parameter bypass_validation?

You are not encouraged to use bypass_validation except that you are sure something is wrong with the parameter definition and you want to fix them on you own immediately. by setting bypass_validation to True, the content of parameters is not examined, thus enabling you to send any parameters to FortiManager backend server.

To use this parameter, you are likely to look up the defnition for an API on fortiapi spec page.

How To Monitor FortiManager Task?

There are lots of FortiManager APIs which return a task identifier. the task itself is running in the remote FortiManager server. you must poll the task periodically to see whether the task terminates or goes wrong.

an example is to add a fortigate device to fortimanager, the task may last for minutes, you can find the full playbook on Search Playbooks page . the snippet is very straightforward:

- name: poll the task
  fmgr_fact:
    facts:
        selector: 'task_task'
        params:
            task: '{{installing_task.meta.response_data.taskid}}'
  register: taskinfo
  until: taskinfo.meta.response_data.percent == 100
  retries: 30
  delay: 5
  failed_when: taskinfo.meta.response_data.state == 'error' and 'devsnexist' not in taskinfo.meta.response_data.line[0].detail

  • until - the condition to quit polling, this is the condition to quit normally

  • retries - how many times you want to try to check the status of running task.

  • delay - checking frequency: 1/delay.

  • failed_when - failing condition in which you regard the task a failure, this is the condition to quit abnormally

How To Use FortiManager Ansible without Providing Username and Password?

FortiManager Ansible collection supports three different ways to login.

  • Providing ansible_user and ansible_password.

  • Using access token.

  • Using the Forticloud access token (only for the FortiManager managed by Forticloud).

If you use multiple login methods at the same time, the program will first consider the access token, then consider the FortiCloud access token, and finally consider the ansible_user and ansible_password.

To avoid unexpected behavior, it is suggested to only use one login method at a time.

If you want to use the access token to login FortiManager Ansible, please go to the CLI interface of FortiManager and enter the following command:

config system admin user
  edit api_user_example_name
    set profileid Super_User
    set user_type api
    set rpc-permit read-write
  next
end

Then, use execute api-user generate-key api_user_example_name and you will get an API key.

FMG-VM64 # execute api-user generate-key api_user_example_name
New API key: XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

You can use this API key in your playbook, and you don’t need to provide ansible_user and ansible_password anymore.

Here is an example of how to use access token:

- hosts: fortimanagers
  connection: httpapi
  collections:
    - fortinet.fortimanager
  vars:
    ansible_httpapi_use_ssl: yes
    ansible_httpapi_validate_certs: no
    ansible_httpapi_port: 443
  tasks:
    - name: get fact
      fmgr_fact:
        access_token: <your access_token>
        enable_log: true
        facts:
          selector: "sys_status"
      register: result
    - name: Display response
      debug:
        var: result

How To Use FortiManager Ansible With FortiManager Cloud?

FortiManager can be managed by forticloud. Example of a fortimanager cloud host: 1234567.us-west-1.fortimanager.forticloud.com.

It’s possible to authenticate Ansible client with forticloud API access token. forticloud_access_token is the module option to enable forticloud access token based authentication.

To obtain access token, it’s required to register an API user in https://support.fortinet.com/iam/#/api-user and download the crendentials which contains needed API user ID and password. it’s strongly recommended that you keep it safe!

below is an example to obtain access token:

- hosts: fortimanager00
  collections:
    - fortinet.fortimanager
  connection: httpapi
  vars:
    ansible_httpapi_use_ssl: True
    ansible_httpapi_validate_certs: False
    ansible_httpapi_port: 443
    FORTICLOUD_APIID: "3EE835AF-F9F8-48........"
    FORTICLOUD_PASSWD: "36b25667c61b2.........."
  tasks:
    - name: Generate Access Token From FortiCloud Auth Server.
      uri:
        url: https://customerapiauth.fortinet.com/api/v1/oauth/token/
        method: POST
        body_format: json
        return_content: true
        headers:
          Content-Type: application/json
        body: '{"username": "{{ FORTICLOUD_APIID }}", "password": "{{ FORTICLOUD_PASSWD }}", "client_id": "FortiManager", "grant_type": "password"}'
      register: tokeninfo

then in subsequent tasks, we can reference returned token:

- name: Configure IPv4 addresses.
  fmgr_firewall_address:
     adom: root
     state: present
     enable_log: true
     forticloud_access_token: '{{ tokeninfo.json.access_token }}'
     firewall_address:
       name: Win11
       comment: from Ansible.
       organization: Fortinet
       start-ip: 192.168.1.5
       end-ip: 192.168.1.11
       type: iprange
       associated-interface: any

Access token usually expires in hours, you should always renew one in case of failure.