By default, FortiGate automatically logs out an administrator after a period of inactivity. The idle timeout can normally be configured from 1 to 480 minutes under the system settings.

For troubleshooting or monitoring purposes, you may need an administrator account that stays logged in without being automatically disconnected.

Configure the Admin Profile

  1. Log in to the FortiGate GUI.
  2. Go to System → Admin Profiles.
  3. Create a new Admin Profile, or edit an existing profile.
  4. Configure the required permissions for the profile.
  5. Enable Override Idle Timeout.
  6. Select Never Timeout.
  7. Save the Admin Profile.

Assign the Profile to an Administrator

  1. Go to System → Administrators.
  2. Create a new administrator account or edit an existing account.
  3. Under Administrator Profile, select the profile created earlier.
  4. Save the changes.

The administrator account will now remain active without being disconnected due to the idle timeout.



Configure Using CLI

The same configuration can also be applied through the FortiGate CLI:

config
system accprofile
    edit "new"
        set admintimeout-override enable
        set admintimeout 0
    next
end

Setting admintimeout to 0 means the administrator session will never time out.