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PAN-OS Upgrade Guide

Upgrade a WildFire Cluster from Panorama

Table of Contents

Upgrade a WildFire Cluster from Panorama

Upgrade all WildFire appliances in a cluster managed by Panorama to a new PAN-OS software version.

[CERES REVIEW] New topic — tab parent for WildFire cluster upgrade with version-based tabs.

Where Can I Use This?	What Do I Need?
Panorama	WildFire License Panorama managing one or more WildFire clusters

You can use Panorama to upgrade WildFire appliances enrolled in a cluster. The upgrade process varies depending on the PAN-OS version running on the cluster nodes.

For clusters running PAN-OS 12.2.2 and later, Panorama provides an automated upgrade workflow that enforces the correct node upgrade sequence and performs pre-checks before proceeding. For clusters running PAN-OS 12.1 and earlier, you manually initiate the software download and installation from Panorama.

All nodes in a cluster must run the same version of the operating system.
Do not submit samples or commit and push configurations during an upgrade.
Panorama can manage WildFire appliances running the same or earlier PAN-OS software version.

PAN-OS 12.2.2 and Later

Upgrade a WildFire cluster using the automated Panorama upgrade workflow available in PAN-OS 12.2.2 and later.

[CERES REVIEW] New topic — automated Panorama upgrade workflow for PAN-OS 12.2.2 and later.

For clusters running PAN-OS 12.2.2 and later, Panorama provides an automated upgrade workflow that manages the upgrade sequence node by node, including uploading software, installing, rebooting, and validating each node before proceeding to the next.

The upgrade is all-or-nothing: you must select all nodes in the cluster for the upgrade. Panorama does not allow partial cluster deployments. If you select only some nodes from a cluster, Panorama displays the following error:

Cannot perform partial cluster deployment. Please select all devices from cluster 'cluster-name' or none.

Before you begin, ensure that:

All cluster nodes are running PAN-OS 12.2.2 or later.
Frontend and backend sample queues on all target nodes are empty.
No active sample submissions are in progress on the cluster.
All nodes in the cluster are connected to Panorama and in a healthy state.

Do not submit samples or commit and push configurations during a cluster upgrade. The workflow engine automatically blocks commits during the upgrade process, but you should verify that sample queues are drained before initiating the upgrade.

Log in to the Panorama web interface.
Select PanoramaManaged WildFire Clusters.
Select the target cluster to upgrade.
Initiate the software upgrade workflow by selecting the target software version for the cluster nodes.
Panorama performs automatic pre-checks before proceeding with the upgrade. If any pre-check fails, Panorama reports the failure and does not begin the upgrade. After all pre-checks pass, the rolling upgrade begins with the active controller node first, then the passive controller node, then the worker nodes.
Monitor the per-node upgrade progress.
The upgrade workflow processes nodes in the following order, with each node progressing through a series of stages:
1. Initialization—Workflow engine prepares the upgrade job.
2. Prerequisites—Panorama validates the following:
  - Panorama connectivity
  - Panorama config status sync check
  - WildFire upgrade support in current version
  - Target version support
  - Node health check
  - Local queues empty check
  - Global queues empty check
3. Active: Services Precheck—Validates services on the active controller before upgrade.
4. Active: Upgrading—Software is uploaded and installed on the active controller.
5. Active: Wait for Reboot—Active controller is rebooting after installation.
6. Active: Verify Upgrade—Confirms the active controller upgraded successfully.
7. Active: Auto-Commit—Configuration is committed on the active controller.
8. Active: Services Up—Validates that services are running on the active controller.
9. Active: Post-Upgrade Checks—Final health validation on the active controller.
10. Passive: Services Precheck through Post-Upgrade Checks—Same sequence repeats for the passive controller node.
11. Workers: Upgrading—All worker nodes are upgraded.
12. Workers: Bring Up—Worker nodes rejoin the cluster after upgrade.
13. Completed—Upgrade completed successfully for all nodes.
To view upgrade progress details in the Panorama web interface:
1. Select PanoramaTasks.
2. Select the task with Type WildFire Upgrade to open the Job Status dialog.
3. Click View Details in the Job Details column to open the WildFire Upgrade - Details dialog, which displays each stage with a SUCCESS or FAIL status indicator.
WildFire Upgrade - Details Dialog
After all nodes report Complete status, verify the cluster is healthy by checking the cluster health state.
A successful upgrade returns the cluster to a Green health state with all services operational.

All nodes in the cluster are upgraded to the target software version. The cluster resumes normal sample analysis operations automatically after the upgrade completes.

If the upgrade workflow reports a FAIL status for any node, click View Status Details in the WildFire Upgrade - Details dialog to identify the failure point.

Common causes of upgrade failure include network connectivity loss during image upload, insufficient disk space, or power interruption during reboot.

Upgrade a WildFire Cluster from Panorama with an Internet Connection

WildFire appliances in a cluster can be upgraded in parallel when they are managed by Panorama. If Panorama has a direct connection to the internet, you can check and download new releases directly from Panorama.

Panorama can manage WildFire appliances and appliance clusters running the same or earlier PAN-OS software version.

Upgrade Panorama to an equal or later release than the target software release you want to install on the WildFire cluster.
For information on upgrading Panorama, refer to Install Content and Software Updates for Panorama.
Temporarily suspend sample analysis.
1. Stop firewalls from forwarding any new samples to the WildFire appliance.
  Log in to the firewall web interface.
  Select Device > Setup > WildFire and edit General Settings.
  Clear the WildFire Private Cloud field.
  Click OK and Commit.
2. Confirm that analysis for samples the firewalls already submitted to the appliance is complete:
  Log in to the Panorama web interface.
  Select Panorama > Managed WildFire Clusters and View the cluster analysis environment Utilization.
  Verify that the Virtual Machine Usage does not show any sample analysis in progress.
  
  If you do not want to wait for the WildFire appliance to finish analyzing recently-submitted samples, you can continue to the next step. However, consider that the WildFire appliance then drops pending samples from the analysis queue.
Install the latest WildFire appliance content update.
These updates equip the appliance with the latest threat information to accurately detect malware.

You must install content updates before installing software upgrades. Refer to the Release Notes for the minimum content release version you must install for a Panorama release.
1. Download the WildFire content update:
  1. Select Panorama > Device Deployment > Dynamic Updates.
  2. Select a WildFire content update release package and click Download.
2. Click Install.
3. Select the WildFire cluster(s) or individual appliances that you want to upgrade.
4. Click OK to start the installation.
Download the PAN-OS software version to the WildFire appliance.
You cannot skip any major release version when upgrading the WildFire appliance. For example, if you want to upgrade from PAN-OS 9.1 to PAN-OS 11.0, you must first download and install PAN-OS 10.0, PAN-OS 10.1, and PAN-OS 10.2.
1. Download the WildFire software upgrade:
  Select Panorama > Device Deployment > Software.
  Click Check Now to retrieve an updated list of releases.
  Select the WildFire release that you wish to install and click Download.
  Click Close to exit the Download Software window
2. Click Install.
3. Select the WildFire cluster(s) that you want to upgrade.
4. Select Reboot device after install:
5. Click OK to start the installation.
6. (Optional) Monitor installation progress on Panorama.
(Optional) View the status of the reboot tasks on the WildFire controller node.
On the WildFire cluster controller, run the following command and look for the job type Install and Status FIN:
```
admin@WF-500(active-controller)> show cluster task pending
```
Check that the WildFire appliance is ready to resume sample analysis.
1. Verify that the sw-version field shows 11.0.0:
  admin@WF-500(passive-controller)> show system info | match sw-version
2. Confirm that all processes are running:
  admin@WF-500(passive-controller)> show system software status
3. Confirm that the auto-commit (AutoCom) job is complete:
  admin@WF-500(passive-controller)> show jobs all

Upgrade a WildFire Cluster from Panorama without an Internet Connection

WildFire appliances in a cluster can be upgraded in parallel when they are managed by Panorama. If Panorama does not have a direct connection to the internet, you must download the software content and updates from the Palo Alto Networks Support site and host them on an internal server before they can be distributed by Panorama.

Panorama can manage WildFire appliances and appliance clusters running the same or earlier PAN-OS software version.

Upgrade Panorama to an equal or later release than the target software release you want to install on the WildFire cluster.
For information on upgrading Panorama, refer to Install Content and Software Updates for Panorama.
Temporarily suspend sample analysis.
1. Stop firewalls from forwarding any new samples to the WildFire appliance.
  Log in to the firewall web interface.
  Select Device > Setup > WildFire and edit General Settings.
  Clear the WildFire Private Cloud field.
  Click OK and Commit.
2. Confirm that analysis for samples the firewalls already submitted to the appliance is complete:
  Log in to the Panorama web interface.
  Select Panorama > Managed WildFire Clusters and View the cluster analysis environment Utilization.
  Verify that the Virtual Machine Usage does not show any sample analysis in progress.
  
  If you do not want to wait for the WildFire appliance to finish analyzing recently-submitted samples, you can continue to the next step. However, consider that the WildFire appliance then drops pending samples from the analysis queue.
Download the WildFire content and software updates to a host that has internet access. Panorama must have access to the host.
1. Use a host with internet access to log in to the Palo Alto Networks Customer Support web site
2. Download content updates:
  Click Dynamic Updates in the Tools section.
  Download the desired content update and save the file to the host. Perform this step for each content type you will update.
3. Download software updates:
  Return to the main page of the Palo Alto Networks Customer Support web site and click Software Updates in the Tools section.
  Review the Download column to determine the version to install. The filename of the update package indicates the model and release of the upgrade: WildFire_<release>.
  Click the filename and save the file to the host.
Install the latest WildFire appliance content update.
These updates equip the appliance with the latest threat information to accurately detect malware.

You must install content updates before installing software upgrades. Refer to the Release Notes for the minimum content release version you must install for a Panorama release.
1. Download the WildFire content update:
  1. Select Panorama > Device Deployment > Dynamic Updates.
  2. Click Upload, select the content Type, Browse to the WildFire content update file, and click OK.
  3. Click Install From File, select the package Type, the File Name, and the WildFire appliances in the cluster that you want to upgrade, then click OK.
2. Click OK to start the installation.
Download the PAN-OS software version to the WildFire appliance.
You cannot skip any major release version when upgrading the WildFire appliance. For example, if you want to upgrade from PAN-OS 9.1 to PAN-OS 11.0, you must first download and install PAN-OS 10.0, PAN-OS 10.1, and PAN-OS 10.2.
1. Download the WildFire software upgrade:
  Select Panorama > Device Deployment > Software.
  Click Check Now to retrieve an updated list of releases.
  Select the WildFire release that you wish to install and click Download.
  Click Close to exit the Download Software window
2. Click Install.
3. Select the WildFire cluster(s) that you want to upgrade.
4. Select Reboot device after install:
5. Click OK to start the installation.
6. (Optional) Monitor installation progress on Panorama.
(Optional) View the status of the reboot tasks on the WildFire controller node.
On the WildFire cluster controller, run the following command and look for the job type Install and Status FIN:
```
admin@WF-500(active-controller)> show cluster task pending
```
Check that the WildFire appliance is ready to resume sample analysis.
1. Verify that the sw-version field shows 11.0.0:
  admin@WF-500(passive-controller)> show system info | match sw-version
2. Confirm that all processes are running:
  admin@WF-500(passive-controller)> show system software status
3. Confirm that the auto-commit (AutoCom) job is complete:
  admin@WF-500(passive-controller)> show jobs all

Upgrade Log Collectors When Panorama Is Not Internet-Connected

PAN-OS 12.2.2 and Later