Starting from now
Fortinet makes available "Candidate Release" builds of
FortiOS software via support FTP site. If you are running Candidate Release you will
immediately notice big "Candidate Release" banner on top
of WebUI.
Warning: please be careful before installing Candidate releases in a production environment, these builds are targeted to a lab environment. Please read "Who should use these build" section below before installing it!
What is a Candidate Release?
A part of
Fortinet's Release Management Process is to make available builds of product firmware (
FortiOS,
FortiAnalyzer,
FortiManager, etc.) specifically for evaluation and feedback. Obtaining comments on how the firmware functions in a variety of environments is crucial to improving the quality. To that end,
Fortinet releases preliminary builds, called "Candidate Releases", to its customers (external and internal) for the purpose of gaining insight on the
quaility of the firmware. This is done at various stages of the maintenance release test cycle. Starting with
FortiOS v3.00 MR3, the Release Management Process has included adding a label at the top of the Web
UI - "
MRx Candidate y" - PD builds will have the label removed. B0388 has been qualified to the point where
QA has approved it for release as CR and thus the label reads "MR3 Candidate 1".
Who should use these builds?
Fortinet encourages customers who need a certain bug fix or wish to test the latest software to load the build, verify its functionality, and provide us with feedback. However,
Fortinet does not guarantee uninterrupted or error-free operation of the
firmware therefore, if your network is considered mission-critical and can not tolerate any risk, then MR3 Candidate1 is not recommended. You should wait for the official release of the firmware.