Firmware Update directly to 6.0.12

[mwkirk]

We have a Fortigate 60D that we found that has been ignored for a long time.  It is on like 5.0.x code.  Calculating it out it would end up being like an 11 step upgrade.

Would there be any issues just doing a factory default on that firewall then load 6.0.12 (latest firmware it supports) then just build the configuration from scratch?  It is a really simple configuration and even with the short drive to get physical access to the firewall I think it would be  a lot faster than going through 11 steps.

TIA

[Toshi_Esumi]

Upgrade paths are for when you don't want to configure it from scratch. There is no reason if you don't mind re-create the config manually after loading a new version, which is better because you can reformat the entire boot drives.

[ede_pfau]

Excellent idea t. o rebuild from scratch! all the old stuff will be washed away.

And BTW, v6.0.12 is my favorite version for D series FGTs, stable and not too demanding.

[Yurisk]

As others already said - yes, it is possible. The multi-step process of upgrading is mainly required by Fortigate to upgrade/translate configuration statements between different versions in a reliable way. Each time you upgrade Fortigate firmware it also, behind the scene, translates existing configuration to the new firmware compatible one. But in your case of wiping all configuration, it is not an issue.