Configure SAML Authentication for Panorama Administrators

(
Recommended
) Obtain the certificates that the IdP and Panorama will use to sign SAML messages.
If the certificates don’t specify key usage attributes, all usages are allowed by default, including signing messages. In this case, you can obtain certificates by any method.
If the certificates do specify key usage attributes, one of the attributes must be Digital Signature, which is not available on certificates that you generate on Panorama. In this case, you must import the certificates:
Certificate Panorama uses to sign SAML messages
—Import the certificate from your enterprise certificate authority (CA) or a third-party CA.
Certificate the IdP uses to sign SAML messages
—Import a metadata file containing the certificate from the IdP (see the next step). The IdP certificate is limited to the following algorithms:
Public key algorithms
—RSA (1,024 bits or larger) and ECDSA (all sizes).
Signature algorithms
—SHA1, SHA256, SHA384, and SHA512.
Add a SAML IdP server profile.
The server profile registers the IdP with Panorama and defines how they connect.
In this example, you import a SAML metadata file from the IdP so that Panorama can automatically create a server profile and populate the connection, registration, and IdP certificate information.
If the IdP doesn’t provide a metadata file, select
Panorama
Server Profiles
SAML Identity Provider
,
Add
the server profile, and manually enter the information (consult your IdP administrator for the values).
Export the SAML metadata file from the IdP to a client system that Panorama can access.
The certificate specified in the file must meet the requirements listed in the preceding step. Refer to your IdP documentation for instructions on exporting the file.
Select
Panorama
Server Profiles
SAML Identity Provider
and
Import
the metadata file onto Panorama.
Enter a
Profile Name
to identify the server profile.
Browse
to the
Identity Provider Metadata
file.
(
Recommended
) Select
Validate Identity Provider Certificate
(default) to have Panorama validate the
Identity Provider Certificate
.
Validation occurs only after you assign the server profile to an authentication profile and
Commit
. Panorama uses the
Certificate Profile
in the authentication profile to validate the certificate.
Validating the certificate is a best practice for improved security.
Enter the
Maximum Clock Skew
, which is the allowed difference in seconds between the system times of the IdP and Panorama at the moment when Panorama validates IdP messages (default is 60; range is 1 to 900). If the difference exceeds this value, authentication fails.
Click
OK
to save the server profile.
Click the server profile Name to display the profile settings. Verify that the imported information is correct and edit it if necessary.
Configure an authentication profile.
The authentication profile specifies a SAML IdP server profile and defines options for the authentication process, such as SLO.
Select
Panorama
Authentication Profile
and
Add
a profile.
Enter a
Name
to identify the profile.
Set the
Type
to
SAML
.
Select the
IdP Server Profile
you configured.
Select the
Certificate for Signing Requests
.
Panorama uses this certificate to sign messages it sends to the IdP.
(
Optional
)
Enable Single Logout
(disabled by default).
Select the
Certificate Profile
that Panorama will use to validate the
Identity Provider Certificate
.
Enter the
Username Attribute
that IdP messages use to identify users (default
username
).
If you manage administrator authorization through the IdP identity store, specify the
Admin Role Attribute
and
Access Domain Attribute
also.
Select
Advanced
and
Add
the administrators who are allowed to authenticate with this authentication profile.
Click
OK
to save the authentication profile.
Configure Panorama to use the authentication profile for all administrators.
Select
Panorama
Setup
Management
, edit the Authentication Settings, and select the
Authentication Profile
you configured.
Select
Commit
Commit to Panorama
to activate your changes on Panorama and to validate the
Identity Provider Certificate
that you assigned to the SAML IdP server profile.
Create a SAML metadata file to register Panorama on the IdP.
Select
Panorama
Authentication Profile
and, in the Authentication column for the authentication profile you configured, click
Metadata
.
Set the
Management Choice
to
Interface
(default is selected) and select the management (MGT) interface.
Click
OK
and save the metadata file to your client system.
Import the metadata file into the IdP server to register Panorama. Refer to your IdP documentation for instructions.
Verify that administrators can authenticate using SAML SSO.
Go to the URL of the Panorama web interface.
Click
Use Single Sign-On
.
Click
Continue
.
Panorama redirects you to authenticate to the IdP, which displays a login page. For example:

Log in using your SSO username and password.
After you successfully authenticate on the IdP, it redirects you back to Panorama, which displays the web interface.
Use your Panorama administrator account to request access to another SSO application.
Successful access indicates SAML SSO authentication succeeded.