Activate Advanced URL Filtering License
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Advanced URL Filtering

Activate Advanced URL Filtering License

Table of Contents

Activate Advanced URL Filtering License

Follow these steps to purchase and activate your Advanced URL Filtering license.
Where can I use this?What do I need?
  • Prisma Access (Managed by Strata Cloud Manager)
  • Prisma Access (Managed by Panorama)
  • NGFW (Managed by Strata Cloud Manager)
  • NGFW (Managed by PAN-OS or Panorama)
Notes:
  • Legacy URL filtering licenses are discontinued, but active legacy licenses are still supported.
  • Prisma Access licenses include Advanced URL Filtering capabilities.
The Advanced URL Filtering subscription provides real-time URL analysis and malware prevention. In addition to access to PAN-DB, the Palo Alto Networks-developed URL filtering database for high-performance URL lookups, it also offers coverage against malicious URLs and IP addresses.
Advanced URL Filtering features are available on next-generation firewalls (virtual and on-premises), Strata Cloud Manager, Prisma Access (Managed by Panorama), Cloud NGFW for AWS, and Cloud NGFW for Azure. However, next-generation firewalls and Cloud NGFW for Azure require an Advanced URL Filtering subscription, while all Prisma Access and Cloud NGFW for AWS licenses include Advanced URL Filtering capabilities.
To check the compatibility of Advanced URL Filtering features with each Palo Alto Networks platform that supports URL Filtering, review URL Filtering Support.

Activate Advanced URL Filtering License (Strata Cloud Manager)

If you’re using Panorama to manage Prisma Access:
Toggle over to the PAN-OS & Panorama tab and follow the guidance there for license activation.
If you’re using Strata Cloud Manager:

Activate Advanced URL Filtering License (PAN-OS & Panorama)

  1. Obtain and install an Advanced URL Filtering license.
    The Advanced URL Filtering license includes access to PAN-DB; if the license expires, the firewall ceases to perform all URL filtering functions, URL category enforcement, and URL cloud lookups. Additionally, all other cloud based updates will not function until you install a valid license.
    1. Select DeviceLicenses and, in the License Management section, select the license installation method:
      • Retrieve license keys from license server
      • Activate feature using authorization code
    2. Confirm that the Advanced URL Filtering section, Date Expires field, displays a valid date.
      When you activate the Advanced URL Filtering license, your license entitlements for PAN-DB and Advanced URL Filtering might not display correctly on the firewall — this is a display anomaly, not a licensing issue, and does not affect access to the services. You can update the licenses on the firewall to rectify the display issue by using the following CLI command: request license fetch.
  2. Download and install the latest PAN-OS content release. PAN-OS Applications and Threats content release 8390-6607 and later allows firewalls operating PAN-OS 9.x and later to identify URLs that have been categorized using the real-time-detection category introduced withx Advanced URL Filtering. For more information about the update, refer to the Applications and Threat Content Release Notes. You can also review Content Release Notes for apps and threats on the Palo Alto Networks Support Portal or directly in the firewall web interface: select DeviceDynamic Updates and open the Release Note for a specific content release version.
    Follow the Best Practices for Applications and Threats Content Updates when updating to the latest content release version.
  3. Schedule the firewall to download dynamic updates for Applications and Threats.
    A Threat Prevention license is required to receive content updates, which covers Antivirus and Applications and Threats.
    1. Select DeviceDynamic Updates.
    2. In the Schedule field in the Applications and Threats section, click the None link to schedule periodic updates.
      You can only schedule dynamic updates if the firewall has direct Internet access. If updates are already scheduled in a section, the link text displays the schedule settings.
      The Applications and Threats updates sometimes contain updates for URL filtering related to Safe Search Enforcement.
Next Steps:
  1. Configure a URL Filtering profile to define your organization’s web usage policies.