FortiGate VM (7.4.12) Trial License Activation Fails with “Curl Forticare failed, 28”

Hi everyone,

I'm running a FortiGate VM in GNS3 and trying to activate the trial license using my FortiCare account.

When I attempt the activation, I get the following error:

Curl Forticare failed, 28

So far I have verified:

• The VM has Internet access.
• ping 8.8.8.8 works.
• ping google.com works.
• DNS is configured to use:
  • 8.8.8.8
  • 1.1.1.1
• I can successfully connect to support.fortinet.com on port 443 from the FortiGate CLI using telnet.

Since connectivity, DNS, and HTTPS access appear to be working, I'm not sure what is causing the activation to fail.

Has anyone encountered this issue before? Could it be related to the FortiCare account, trial license limitations, or a FortiGate VM/GNS3-specific problem?

Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks!