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dnsmigrator

Google Cloud DNS FortiGate DNS

Migrate DNS from Cloud DNS to FortiGate.

4 record types move as they are. 4 things work differently at FortiGate, and the preview shows exactly which of your records they affect.

Free preview. Read-only. Nothing changes until you apply.

What works differently

Generated from the same provider capability data the migration engine uses.

Moves as-is

  • A
  • AAAA
  • CNAME
  • MX

Routing policies are flattened

FortiGate has no routing policies. Weighted, geo and latency sets collapse into one set of answers, and failover keeps only the primary. Each one is flagged for review.

TTLs below 1s are raised

FortiGate's minimum TTL is 1 seconds. Shorter TTLs are raised to 1s and shown as translated.

FortiGate rewrites the whole host list

Every write to FortiGate's API replaces all records. We read, merge and write once, so records outside the migration survive.

A typical Cloud DNS zone at FortiGate

Example records for example.com. Open any flagged row to read why it changed.

Cloud DNS FortiGate

  • ExactA@

    192.0.2.40

  • ExactMX@

    10 mx1.mail.example.net. +1

  • UnsupportedTXT@

    Not migrated

    FortiGate doesn't support TXT records through its API.

  • UnsupportedCAA@

    Not migrated

    FortiGate doesn't support CAA records through its API.

  • UnsupportedTXT_dmarc

    Not migrated

    FortiGate doesn't support TXT records through its API.

  • UnsupportedSRV_sip._tls

    Not migrated

    FortiGate doesn't support SRV records through its API.

  • ReviewAeu

    192.0.2.41 +1

    Geo routing isn't available at the destination. All 2 answers are served together as simple round-robin.

  • ExactCNAMEwww

    example.com.

How the move works

  1. 1

    Connect Cloud DNS

    Connect Cloud DNS with read-only access (Service account key (JSON)).

  2. 2

    Connect FortiGate

    Connect FortiGate (Management URL + REST API admin token (Bearer) + VDOM). Write access is only used when you apply.

  3. 3

    Review the preview

    Check every record marked Review or Unsupported. Each one explains what changes and why.

  4. 4

    Apply to FortiGate

    We snapshot the FortiGate zone, write in batches, and leave Cloud DNS untouched.

  5. 5

    Verify

    We query FortiGate's own nameservers for every record and compare the answers before you switch.

  6. 6

    Switch nameservers

    Lower TTLs a day or two ahead, remove any DS record if DNSSEC is on, then point the domain at the new nameservers at your registrar.

Good to know about Cloud DNS

  • Routing policies (weighted round robin, geolocation, failover) don't carry over to most providers.
  • Apex CNAMEs are not allowed.

Access we need: roles/dns.reader for the preview, roles/dns.admin to apply.

Good to know about FortiGate

  • FortiGates usually sit on private networks: we only connect if the admin HTTPS interface is exposed on a public address with a valid certificate, because private and internal addresses are refused by design.
  • Only A, AAAA and CNAME records plus MX at the zone apex are supported; wildcards, TXT, SRV and CAA are not, and disabled entries are left untouched.
  • Every change rewrites the zone's whole dns-entry table; we read and merge first so records outside the plan survive, but concurrent edits in the GUI can be overwritten.

Access we need: Admin profile with System → Configuration read for the preview, read/write to apply; restrict the REST API admin with trusted hosts.

Questions

Will there be downtime moving from Cloud DNS to FortiGate?

Not if both providers serve the same answers during the switch. The records are copied to FortiGate and verified before you change nameservers, so resolvers get the same answer from either side while caches expire.

Do I have to delete anything at Cloud DNS?

No. We never write to Cloud DNS. Keep the old zone for a week after cutover so you can switch back instantly if anything looks wrong.

What about DNSSEC?

If DNSSEC is on, remove the DS record at your registrar and wait for it to expire before switching nameservers. Then enable DNSSEC at FortiGate and publish its new DS record. The cutover plan walks you through each step.

Related migrations

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