How does a FortiGate unit typically categorize incoming traffic?

A FortiGate unit categorizes incoming traffic through session tracking and configured rules, which is fundamental to its operation as a next-generation firewall (NGFW). Session tracking allows the FortiGate to monitor active sessions and manage traffics based on the established context alongside various parameters such as source, destination, and protocols.

Configured rules are essential as they define how the FortiGate should handle different types of traffic. These rules can include policies for traffic inspection, security actions, and routing decisions that determine whether traffic should be permitted or denied based on predefined criteria. When a packet is received, the FortiGate evaluates it against the configured policies to correctly categorize and manage the traffic throughout its network.

This capability to use session tracking in conjunction with rules enables the FortiGate to effectively apply security measures, optimize performance, and provide visibility into the network traffic, ensuring that incoming data is correctly identified and processed according to the network's security posture.

While user authentication, predefined service categories, and source/destination IP addresses play a role in traffic management, they are all aspects of the broader session tracking and rules configuration mechanism that the FortiGate employs to categorize incoming traffic accurately.