: Install Panorama on an ESXi Server
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Install Panorama on an ESXi Server

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Install Panorama on an ESXi Server

Use these instructions to install a new Panorama virtual appliance on a VMware ESXi server. For upgrades to an existing Panorama virtual appliance, skip to Install Content and Software Updates for Panorama.
  1. Download the Panorama 10.0 base image Open Virtual Appliance (OVA) file.
    1. Go to the Palo Alto Networks software downloads site. (If you can’t log in, go to the Palo Alto Networks Customer Support web site for assistance.)
    2. In the Download column in the Panorama Base Images section, download the latest version of the Panorama release OVA file (
      Panorama-ESX-10.0.0.ova
      ).
  2. Install Panorama.
    1. Launch the VMware vSphere Client and connect to the VMware server.
    2. Select
      File
      Deploy OVF Template
      .
    3. Browse
      to select the Panorama OVA file and click
      Next
      .
    4. Confirm that the product name and description match the downloaded version, and click
      Next
      .
    5. Enter a descriptive name for the Panorama virtual appliance, and click
      Next
      .
    6. Select a datastore location (system disk) on which to install the Panorama image. See the Setup Prerequisites for the Panorama Virtual Appliance for the supported system disk sizes. After selecting the datastore, click
      Next
      .
    7. Select
      Thick Provision Lazy Zeroed
      as the disk format, and click
      Next
      .
    8. Specify which networks in the inventory to use for the Panorama virtual appliance, and click
      Next
      .
    9. Confirm the selected options, click
      Finish
      to start the installation process, and click
      Close
      when it finishes. Do not power on the Panorama virtual appliance yet.
  3. Configure resources on the Panorama virtual appliance.
    1. Right-click the Panorama virtual appliance and
      Edit Settings
      .
    2. In the
      Hardware
      settings, allocate the CPUs and memory as necessary.
      The virtual appliance boots up in Panorama mode if you allocate sufficient
      CPUs
      and
      Memory
      and add a virtual logging disk (later in this procedure). Otherwise, the appliance boots up in Management Only mode. For details on the modes, see Panorama Models.
    3. Set the
      SCSI Controller
      to
      LSI Logic Parallel
      .
    4. (
      Optional
      ) Add a virtual logging disk.
      This step is required in the following scenarios:
      • In Panorama mode to store logs on a dedicated logging disk.
      • Manage your SD-WAN deployment in Management Only mode.
      1. Add
        a disk, select
        Hard Disk
        as the hardware type, and click
        Next
        .
      2. Create a new virtual disk
        and click
        Next
        .
      3. Set the
        Disk Size
        to exactly 2TB.
        In Panorama mode, you can later add additional logging disks (for a total of 12) with 2TB of storage each. Expanding the size of a logging disk that is already added to Panorama is not supported.
      4. Select your preferred
        Disk Provisioning
        disk format.
        Consider your business needs when selecting the disk provisioning format. For more information regarding the disk provisioning performance considerations, refer to the VMware Thick vs Thin Disks and All Flash Arrays document, or additional VMware documentation.
        When adding multiple logging disks, it is a best practice to select the same
        Disk Provisioning
        format for all disks to avoid any unexpected performance issues that may arise.
      5. Select
        Specify a datastore or datastore structure
        as the location,
        Browse
        to a datastore that has sufficient storage, click
        OK
        , and click
        Next
        .
      6. Select a SCSI
        Virtual Device Node
        (you can use the default selection) and click
        Next
        .
        Panorama will fail to boot if you select a format other than SCSI.
      7. Verify that the settings are correct and click
        Finish
        .
    5. Click
      OK
      to save your changes.
  4. Power on the Panorama virtual appliance.
    1. In the vSphere Client, right-click the Panorama virtual appliance and select
      Power
      Power On
      . Wait for Panorama to boot up before continuing.
    2. Verify that the virtual appliance is running in the correct mode:
      1. Right-click the Panorama virtual appliance and select
        Open Console
        .
      2. Enter your username and password to log in (default is
        admin
        for both).
  5. Configure a new administrative password for the Panorama virtual appliance.
    You must configure a unique administrative password before you can access the web interface or CLI of the Panorama virtual appliance. The new password must be a minimum of eight characters and include a minimum of one lowercase character, one uppercase character, and one number or special character.
    When you first log in to the Panorama CLI, you are prompted to enter the
    Old Password
    and the
    New Password
    for the
    admin
    user before you can continue.
  6. Verify the Panorama is running the correct system mode.
    admin
    >
    show system info
    In the output, the
    system-mode
    indicates either
    panorama
    or
    management-only
    mode.
  7. Register the Panorama virtual appliance and activate the device management license and support licenses.
    1. When leveraging VM Flex licensing, this step is required to generate the Panorama virtual appliance serial number needed to register the Panorama virtual appliance with the Palo Alto Networks Customer Support Portal (CSP).
    2. You must register the Panorama virtual appliance using the serial number provided by Palo Alto Networks in the order fulfillment email.
      This step is not required when leveraging VM Flex licensing as the serial number is automatically registered with the CSP when generated.
  8. Increase the System Disk for Panorama on an ESXi Server if you intend to use the Panorama virtual appliance for the following:
    • Manage your SD-WAN deployment in Panorama mode.
    • Requires additional storage space for dynamic updates when managing large-scale firewall deployments.
  9. Complete configuring the Panorama virtual appliance for your deployment needs.

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