Configure Interfaces for SD-WAN

Configuring physical Ethernet interfaces is essential for enabling SD-WAN functionality on your Palo Alto Networks firewall. The physical interfaces serve as the connection points for your WAN links, such as internet, MPLS, or LTE connections. When you configure these interfaces for SD-WAN, you're defining the characteristics of each ISP connection, including link type, speed, and monitoring parameters. This allows the firewall to accurately assess the performance and availability of each link.

Physical interfaces are configured as Layer 3 interfaces and are essential components of the SD-WAN setup. You configure these physical interfaces with IP addresses, add them to virtual routers or logical routers (SD-WAN plugin 3.1.0 and later versions), and associate them with SD-WAN interface profiles to enable SD-WAN functionality. Physical interfaces form the foundation for establishing connections to different ISP links and play a crucial role in implementing the SD-WAN architecture for optimizing traffic routing across multiple WAN connections.

By setting up Layer 3 interfaces and associating them with SD-WAN interface profiles, you're providing the firewall with the necessary information to make intelligent routing decisions. The SD-WAN interface profile defines crucial parameters like Link Tag, which is used for grouping interfaces into link bundles, and path monitoring settings that determine how quickly the firewall can detect and respond to link degradation or failure.

These configured physical interfaces become the foundation upon which you build your SD-WAN policy rules, allowing you to optimize traffic flow, implement failover strategies, and ensure that your critical applications always have the best possible path to their destination.