Fortinet · FortiGate Virtual Firewall

FortiGate VM02V vs FortiGate VM04V

Of the 22 specifications Fortinet publishes across these two models, 16 differ. The differences are listed first, then what the step up actually buys and which model fits which site, then every row side by side.

The two models

FortiGate VM02V virtual firewall

FortiGate VM02V

Two vCPUs, 15 Gbps of firewall throughput and up to 25 VDOMs — the first step up where one core has run out of headroom.

Model
FG-VM02V
Orderable part numbers
20
Full specs and SKUs
FortiGate VM04V virtual firewall

FortiGate VM04V

Four vCPUs and 28 Gbps of firewall throughput, with up to 50 VDOMs and 8,000 registered endpoints for a busy virtual segment.

Model
FG-VM04V
Orderable part numbers
20
Full specs and SKUs

Key differences

The rows most buyers check first. All 16 differences are in the full table below.

  • Virtual Domains (Default / Maximum)

    FortiGate VM02V10 / 25

    FortiGate VM04V10 / 50

  • Maximum Number of FortiTokens

    FortiGate VM02V1,000

    FortiGate VM04V5,000

  • Maximum Number of Registered Endpoints

    FortiGate VM02V2,000

    FortiGate VM04V8,000

  • Firewall Throughput (UDP Packets, SR-IOV Enabled)

    FortiGate VM02V15 Gbps

    FortiGate VM04V28 Gbps

  • Concurrent Sessions (TCP)

    FortiGate VM02V2.6 Million

    FortiGate VM04V4.3 Million

  • New Sessions / Second (TCP)

    FortiGate VM02V100,000

    FortiGate VM04V125,000

Which one fits

Stepping up from the FortiGate VM02V to the FortiGate VM04V moves threat-protection throughput from 1.2 Gbps to 2.0 Gbps (1.7×), IPS throughput from 5.5 Gbps / 1.5 Gbps to 8.0 Gbps / 3.0 Gbps (+45%) and NGFW throughput from 1.5 Gbps to 2.5 Gbps (1.7×). Neither choice moves the site-to-site tunnel count (both 2,000) or the controlled-AP limit (both 256 / 512), so a site held back by how many branches terminate on it gains nothing from the FG-VM04V.

Choose the FortiGate VM02V if

  • Threat-protection throughput is already enough at 1.2 Gbps: the FG-VM04V adds 1.7× you will not use.
  • Your limit is how many branches terminate on it, which the step up does not move: 2,000 against 2,000.

Choose the FortiGate VM04V if

  • Threat-protection throughput has to go past 1.2 Gbps: the FG-VM04V publishes 2.0 Gbps.
  • IPS throughput has to go past 5.5 Gbps / 1.5 Gbps: the FG-VM04V publishes 8.0 Gbps / 3.0 Gbps.
  • NGFW throughput has to go past 1.5 Gbps: the FG-VM04V publishes 2.5 Gbps.
  • The concurrent session table has to go past 2.6 Million: the FG-VM04V publishes 4.3 Million.

6 of the 22 published rows are identical — Network Interface Support at 1 / 10, Storage Support at 32 GB / 2 TB, Firewall Policies at 50,000 / 100,000 and Unlimited User License at Yes among them — so the choice does not touch any of those.

Full specification comparison

Every published row for both models, grouped the way Fortinet groups them. A dash means the figure is not published for that model.

Full specification comparison of the FortiGate VM02V and the FortiGate VM04V
Specification FortiGate VM02V FortiGate VM04V
Technical Specifications
vCPU Support (Minimum / Maximum)1 / 21 / 4
Network Interface Support (Minimum / Maximum)1 / 101 / 10
Memory Support (Minimum / Maximum)1 GB / 4 GB1 GB / 6 GB
Storage Support (Minimum / Maximum)32 GB / 2 TB32 GB / 2 TB
Wireless Access Points Controlled (Tunnel / Global)256 / 512256 / 512
Firewall Policies (VDOM / System)50,000 / 100,00050,000 / 100,000
Unlimited User LicenseYesYes
System Performance and Capacity
Virtual Domains (Default / Maximum)10 / 2510 / 50
System Performance
Maximum Number of FortiTokens1,0005,000
Maximum Number of Registered Endpoints2,0008,000
Firewall Throughput (UDP Packets, SR-IOV Enabled)15 Gbps28 Gbps
Concurrent Sessions (TCP)2.6 Million4.3 Million
New Sessions / Second (TCP)100,000125,000
IPsec VPN Throughput (AES256+SHA1, 512 Byte)1.5 Gbps3.0 Gbps
Gateway-to-Gateway IPsec VPN Tunnels2,0002,000
Client-to-Gateway IPsec VPN Tunnels12,00020,000
SSL-VPN Throughput830 Mbps2 Gbps
Concurrent SSL-VPN Users (Recommended Maximum)2,0004,500
IPS Throughput (HTTP / Enterprise Mix)5.5 Gbps / 1.5 Gbps8.0 Gbps / 3.0 Gbps
Application Control Throughput2.6 Gbps4.5 Gbps
System Performance - Enterprise Traffic Mix
NGFW Throughput1.5 Gbps2.5 Gbps
Threat Protection Throughput1.2 Gbps2.0 Gbps

Other comparisons in this range

Each step of the FortiGate Virtual Firewall ladder, set against the model above it.

All Fortinet comparisons

Not sure which one fits?

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