Centralized Management enables you to control the configurations and settings for your Fireboxes from your WatchGuard Management Server. Centralized Management includes two modes: Basic Managed Mode and Fully Managed Mode. Basic Managed Mode is available for all device models that can be managed by your Management Server.
For more information about which Firebox models you can manage with your Management Server, go to Add Managed Devices to the Management Server.
In Basic Managed Mode you can use the Management Server to:
- Monitor your Firebox
- Manage and monitor VPN tunnels
- Synchronize your feature key
- Update your Firebox OS
In Fully Managed Mode you can use the Management Server to:
- Monitor your Firebox
- Manage and monitor VPN tunnels
- Synchronize your feature key
- Update your Firebox OS
- Manage your Firebox configuration with the Management Server
- Schedule configuration updates to your managed devices
- Manage device templates
- Schedule updates to your Device Configuration Templates
- Apply templates to your fully managed devices
When you use WatchGuard System Manager (WSM) to add your device to the Management Server as a managed device, it is automatically in Basic Managed Mode. To change to Fully Managed Mode, use the Device Mode section on the WSM Device page for your device.
When a device is in Basic Managed Mode, you can still connect directly to the device and manage the configuration file locally with Policy Manager. When a device is in Fully Managed Mode, you can only make changes to the configuration from the Management Server. If you connect directly to the Firebox, the connection and configuration are set to read-only, and you cannot make changes to the configuration locally. When you make a change to the configuration of a fully managed device, a new copy of the configuration is saved to the Management Server. The configuration history includes the configuration revision number, time the change was made, the user who made the change, an audit comment, and the OS version used by the device.
For more information about how to apply a template to a device, go to Apply Device Configuration Templates to Managed Devices.
For more information about how to change the management mode, go to Change the Centralized Management Mode.
For more information about how to use WSM to manage your devices, go to About WatchGuard System Manager.
About WatchGuard System Manager
Add Managed Devices to the Management Server