Configure the Broker VM

In Cortex XDR, select
Settings ( )
Configurations
Broker VM
.
Download
and install the broker VM images for your corresponding infrastructure:
Amazon Web Services (AWS)—Use the
VMDK
to Create a Broker VM Amazon Machine Image (AMI).
Google Cloud Platform—Use the
VMDK
image to Set up the Broker VM on Google Cloud Platform (GCP).
Microsoft Hyper-V—Use the
VHD
image.
Microsoft Azure—Use the
VHD (Azure)
image to Create a Broker VM Azure Image.
VMware ESXi—Use the
OVA
image.
Generate Token
and copy to your clipboard.

The token is valid only for 24 hours. A new token is generated each time you select
Generate Token
.
Navigate to
https://<broker_vm_ip_address>/
.
Log in with the default password
!nitialPassw0rd
and then define your own unique password.

The password must contain a minimum of eight characters, contain letters and numbers, and at least one capital letter and one special character.
Configure your broker VM settings:

In the
Network Interface
section, review the pre-configured
Name
,
IP
address, and
MAC Address
, select the
Address Allocation
:
DHCP
(default) or
Static
, and select to either to
Disable
or set as
Admin
the network address as the broker VM web interface.

If you choose

Static

, define the following and

Save

your configurations:

Static
IP
address
Netmask
Default Gateway
DNS Server


(
Requires Broker VM 14.0.42 and later
) (
Optional
)
Internal Network
Specify a network subnet to avoid the broker VM dockers colliding with your internal network. By default, the
Network Subnet
is set to
172.17.0.1/16
.
Internal IP must be:
Formatted as
prefix/mask
, for example
192.0.2.1/24
.
Must be within
/8
to
/24
range.
Cannot be configured to end with a zero.
For Broker VM version 9.0 and lower, Cortex XDR will accept only
172.17.0.0/16
.

(
Optional
) Configure a
Proxy Server
.
Select the proxy
Type
:
HTTP
,
SOCKS4
or
SOCKS5
Enter the proxy
Address
,
Port
and an optional
User
and
Password
. Select the pencil icon to enter the password.
Save
your configurations.

(
Optional
) (
Requires Broker VM 8.0 and later
) Configure your
NTP
servers.
Enter the required server addresses using the FQDN or IP address of the server.

(
Requires Broker VM 8.0 and later
) (
Optional
) In the
SSH Access
section,
Enable
or
Disable
SSH connections to the broker VM. SSH access is authenticated using a public key, provided by the user. Using a public key grants remote access to colleagues and Cortex XDR support who the private key. You must have Instance Administrator role permissions to configure SSH access.
To enable connection, generate an RSA Key Pair, enter the public key in the
SSH Public Key
section. Once one SSH public key is added, you can
+Add Another
. When you are finished,
Save
your configuration.

When using PuTTYgen to create your public and private key pairs, you need to copy the public key generated in the
Public key for pasting into OpenSSH authorized_keys file
box, and paste it in the broker VM
SSH Public Key
section as explained above. This public key is only available when the PuTTYgen console is open after the public key is generated. If you close the PuTTYgen console before pasting the public key, you will need to generate a new public key.

(
Requires Broker VM 10.1.9 and later
) (
Optional
) In the
SSL Certificates
section, upload your signed server certificate and key to establish a validated secure SSL connection between your endpoints and the broker VM. Cortex XDR validates that the certificate and key match, but does not validate the Certificate Authority (CA).

The Palo Alto Networks Broker supports only strong cipher SHA256-based certificates. MD5/SHA1-based certificates are not supported.
In the
Trusted CA Certificate
section, upload your signed Certificate Authority (CA) certificate or Certificate Authority chain file in a PEM format. Configuring a trusted CA certificate is useful when the Broker VM communication with Cortex XDR is inspected by an SSL decrypting device. For example, when configuring Palo Alto Networks NGFW to decrypt SSL using a self-signed certificate. To ensure the broker can validate a self-signed CA, configure
cert_ssl-decrypt.crt
on the broker vm.

(
Requires Broker VM 8.0 and later
) (
Optional
) Collect and
Download Logs
. Your XDR logs will download automatically after approximately 30 seconds.
Register
and enter your unique
Token
, created in Cortex XDR console.

Registration of the Broker VM can take up to 30 seconds.
After a successful registration, Cortex XDR displays a notification.

You are directed in Cortex XDR to
Settings ( )
Configurations
Broker VM
. The
Broker VMs
page displays your broker VM details and allows you to edit the defined configurations.