Panorama CloudConnector Plugin
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Strata Cloud Manager

Panorama CloudConnector Plugin

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Panorama CloudConnector Plugin

Use the Panorama CloudConnector plugin to analyze Panorama configurations in Strata Cloud Manager Policy Optimizer, Config Cleanup, and Policy Analyzer.
Where Can I Use This?What Do I Need?
  • AIOps for NGFW Premium or Strata Cloud Manager Pro for premium features such as Policy Optimizer and Policy Analyzer
  • Panorama running PAN-OS 10.2.3 or a later release
  • Panorama onboarded to Strata Cloud Manager and associated with a tenant service group (TSG)
  • Strata Logging Service enabled for your firewalls, with the correct region and product usage configuration, for Policy Optimizer, Config Cleanup, and Zero Trust Posture Center
If you manage your firewalls with Panorama, you don't need to move them to Strata Cloud Manager to use Strata Cloud Manager security posture features. The Panorama CloudConnector plugin connects your Panorama to Strata Cloud Manager so that you can analyze and improve your Panorama configuration from the cloud while you continue to manage your firewalls from Panorama.
With Panorama CloudConnector plugin 3.0.0 or later, Panorama sends its configuration to Strata Cloud Manager every time you commit, so Strata Cloud Manager always analyzes your current configuration. When you accept a recommendation, Strata Cloud Manager sends the change to the candidate configuration on Panorama—it never changes your firewalls directly. You review and commit the change in Panorama, and then push it to your firewalls.
  • No inbound connectivity—Strata Cloud Manager sends changes through an asynchronous communication framework, so you don't need direct network connectivity from the cloud to your on-premises Panorama. Panorama records the changes under the administrator name __cloudconnector.
  • Status tracking—Strata Cloud Manager tracks every create, update, delete, and multi-configure operation with a status such as Pending Review, Updated to Candidate Config, or Error, so that you can see what changed, when it was applied, and whether it succeeded.
  • High availability (HA) pairs—Strata Cloud Manager treats each Panorama or firewall HA pair as a single logical unit, so you don't see duplicate results, and the results remain available after a failover.
The following table lists the Strata Cloud Manager features that you can use with Panorama-managed firewalls and the plugin version that each feature requires.
Strata Cloud Manager Features for Panorama-Managed Firewalls
FeatureWhat You Can DoMinimum Plugin Version
Policy Optimizer
Replace overly permissive Security policy rules with specific rules that allow only the applications and users in use on your network, based on your traffic logs. Policy Optimizer considers both Cloud Identity Engine users and the users defined locally in your Panorama templates.
The original rule stays in your policy below the optimized rules so that you can monitor it and remove it when its traffic hits reach zero.
3.0.0
Config CleanupFind unused objects, zero hit objects, and zero hit policy rules in your Panorama configuration, and then delete the objects or enable, disable, or delete the rules you no longer need.3.0.0
Zero Trust Posture Center and Compliance CenterGet posture and compliance insights from the configuration that Panorama sends at each commit, instead of the once-a-day configuration that device telemetry sends.3.0.0
Strata Cloud Manager-Panorama Configuration SyncSynchronize local and published snippets from Strata Cloud Manager to Panorama device groups and templates, so that your cloud-managed and on-premises policies stay consistent.3.0.2
Policy AnalyzerCheck that a new Security policy rule meets your intent before you commit it, and find shadows, redundancies, generalizations, correlations, and consolidations in your existing rulebase.1.1.0
Cloud NGFW for AWSWrite policies for device groups in Panorama and push them to Cloud NGFW for AWS resources. Requires the Panorama AWS plugin 5.0.0 or later.2.0.0
Complete the following steps to connect your Panorama to Strata Cloud Manager.
  1. Enable device telemetry on Panorama.
  2. Create a Security policy rule that allows Panorama to communicate with the FQDN for your Strata Logging Service region.
    RegionFQDN
    Americas (americas)https://prod.us.secure-policy.cloudmgmt.paloaltonetworks.com/
    Australia (au)https://prod.au.secure-policy.cloudmgmt.paloaltonetworks.com/
    Canada (ca)https://prod.ca.secure-policy.cloudmgmt.paloaltonetworks.com/
    Europe (europe)https://prod.eu.secure-policy.cloudmgmt.paloaltonetworks.com/
    FedRAMP (gov)https://prod.gov.secure-policy.cloudmgmt.paloaltonetworks.com/
    Germany (de)https://prod.de.secure-policy.cloudmgmt.paloaltonetworks.com/
    India (in)https://prod.in.secure-policy.cloudmgmt.paloaltonetworks.com/
    Japan (jp)https://prod.jp.secure-policy.cloudmgmt.paloaltonetworks.com/
    Singapore (sg)https://prod.sg.secure-policy.cloudmgmt.paloaltonetworks.com/
    United Kingdom (uk)https://prod.uk.secure-policy.cloudmgmt.paloaltonetworks.com/
  3. Install the Panorama CloudConnector plugin.
    Depending on your PAN-OS release, the plugin might already be installed. Otherwise, download it from the Customer Support Portal or from PanoramaPlugins.
    Panorama PAN-OS ReleasePanorama CloudConnector Plugin 3.x
    10.2.3 and later 10.2 releasesDownload the latest plugin version.
    All 11.x releasesDownload the latest plugin version.
    12.1.4Plugin 3.0.0 is preinstalled.
    12.1.7Plugin 3.0.1 is preinstalled.
    12.1.9Plugin 3.0.2 is preinstalled.
    12.1.10 and laterPlugin 3.0.3 is preinstalled.
    PAN-OS releases earlier than 12.1.4, such as PAN-OS 12.1.2, can include a preinstalled plugin version earlier than 3.0.0. To use Policy Optimizer, Config Cleanup, and the other 3.x features, download the latest plugin version or upgrade to PAN-OS 12.1.4 or a later release. If your Panorama has an earlier plugin version installed alongside the Panorama CloudConnector plugin, remove the earlier version.
  4. Enable the plugin.
    > request plugins cloudconnector enable basic
    If you use a proxy, Panorama CloudConnector plugin 2.1.0 and later releases use the proxy settings that you configure on Panorama. When you add or remove proxy settings, the plugin applies the change after the commit that includes it completes, not during that commit.
  5. Enable configuration sync so that Panorama sends its configuration to Strata Cloud Manager at every commit.
    Configuration sync requires Panorama CloudConnector plugin 3.0.0 or later and is required for Policy Optimizer and Config Cleanup.
    > request plugins cloudconnector sync enable
    To stop sending your configuration to Strata Cloud Manager later, use the request plugins cloudconnector sync disable command.
  6. (Optional) Enable Strata Cloud Manager-Panorama Configuration Sync to synchronize snippets from Strata Cloud Manager to Panorama.
    Configuration Sync requires Panorama CloudConnector plugin 3.0.2 or later. If your Panorama runs PAN-OS 12.1, upgrade to PAN-OS 12.1.9 or a later release.
    1. Prepare your Panorama by configuring the Strata Cloud Manager Service URL and fetching the Thermite device certificate. Panorama and Strata Cloud Manager use this certificate to authenticate all Configuration Sync traffic.
    2. Enable Configuration Sync:
      > request plugins cloudconnector scm-panorama-config-sync enable yes
    After each synchronization, move the new device group to its location in your device group hierarchy, assign the template to your template stack, commit the changes to Panorama, and push them to your firewalls.
    You can't sync predefined snippets. For synchronization to work, the PAN-OS version that Strata Cloud Manager uses must be the same as or later than the PAN-OS version on your Panorama.
  7. Commit your configuration on Panorama, and verify that the commit succeeds.
    Strata Cloud Manager starts analyzing your configuration after the commit succeeds. To view the results, select your Panorama instance in Policy Optimizer or Config Cleanup.
    If Policy Optimizer or Config Cleanup doesn't show results for your Panorama, commit your changes again and verify that the commit succeeds. If the issue continues, collect a tech support file from Panorama and send it to Palo Alto Networks support.

Remove an Earlier Plugin Version

Uninstall an earlier plugin version so that only the latest Panorama CloudConnector plugin is installed on Panorama.
Panorama CloudConnector plugin versions earlier than 2.0.0 are listed as aiops in PanoramaPlugins. If you installed one of these versions on PAN-OS 10.2.3 and then upgraded to PAN-OS 11.0.1 or later, the upgrade installs a default version of the Panorama CloudConnector plugin, and both plugins are present on Panorama. Similarly, if you upgrade to PAN-OS 11.0 or 11.1 without the plugin installed, you can receive an incorrect plugin version by default. Keep only one plugin installed: the latest version of the Panorama CloudConnector plugin.
  1. Select PanoramaPlugins and Uninstall the earlier plugin version (aiops) or the incorrect plugin version.
  2. If the latest Panorama CloudConnector plugin isn't installed, download and install it.
  3. Enable the Panorama CloudConnector plugin.
    > request plugins cloudconnector enable basic