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    5. Use Panorama-Based Software Firewall License Management

    Use Panorama-Based Software Firewall License Management

    Learn about how to use the Panorama Software Firewall License plugin to license VM-Series firewalls.
    The Panorama Software Firewall License plugin allows you to automatically license a VM-Series firewall when it connects to Panorama. If your VM-Series firewalls are located in the perimeter of your deployment and do not have connectivity to the Palo Alto Networks licensing server, the Software License plugin simplifies the license activation process by using Panorama to license the VM-Series firewall.
    Pay-as-you-go (PAYG) licenses are not supported for use with this plugin.
    Additionally, the Software Firewall License plugin simplifies the license activation and deactivation of VM-Series firewalls in environments that use auto-scaling and automation to deploy and delete firewalls to address changes in the cloud.
    The Software Firewall License plugin does not support the VM-Series firewall for VMware NSX. The Panorama plugin for VMware NSX automatically licenses VM-Series firewalls deployed in NSX-V or NSX-T
    .
    Additionally, do not this plugin to license firewalls deployed in device groups that include instances of the VM-Series firewall deployed in NSX-V or NSX-T.
    1. Install the Software Firewall License Plugin for Panorama.
      1. Log in to the Panorama web interface.
      2. Select
        Panorama
        Plugins
        .
      3. Click
        Check Now
         to get the list of available plugins.
      4. Search for sw_fw_license to locate the plugin.
      5. Select
        Download
         and
        Install
         the Software Licensing plugin.
      After you successfully install, Panorama refreshes and the Software Licensing plugin displays on the
      Panorama
       tab.
    2. Configure a Bootstrap Definition.
      1. Select
        Panorama
        SW Firewall License
        Bootstrap Definitions
        .
      2. Click
        Add
        .
      3. Enter a descriptive
        Name
         to identify the Bootstrap Definition.
      4. (
        Optional
        ) Enter a
        Description
         of the Bootstrap Definition.
      5. Enter the
        Auth Code
         that Panorama will use to license the VM-Series firewall when it connects to Panorama.
      6. Click
        OK
        .
    3. Configure a License Manager.
      1. Select
        Panorama
        SW Firewall License
        License Managers
        .
      2. Click
        Add
        .
      3. Enter a descriptive
        Name
         to identify the License Manager.
      4. (
        Optional
        ) Enter a
        Description
         of the License Manager.
      5. Select a
        Device Group
         from the drop-down. When a VM-Series firewall bootstrapped using the license manager connects to Panorama, it is placed in the specified device group.
      6. Select a
        Template Stack
         from the drop-down. When a VM-Series firewall bootstrapped using the license manager connects to Panorama, it is placed in the specified template Stack.
      7. In the
        Auto Deactivate
         field, specify the amount of time, in hours, that Panorama waits before deactivating the license of a disconnected VM-Series firewall. When you select
        Never
        , Panorama does not deactivate a disconnected VM-Series firewall. Auto Deactivate is set to Never by default. You can set the deactivation time, in hours, from one to 24.
        When a Auto Deactivate interval, the plugin might deactivate the license of stopped VM-Series firewalls that are managed by the same license manager of firewalls that deactivate as expected.
      8. Select a
        Bootstrap Definition
         from the drop-down. The selected bootstrap definition specifies the auth code used by Panorama to license the VM-Series firewalls associated with the license manager.
      9. Click
        OK
        .
      10. Commit
         your changes.
    4. (
      Optional
      ) Create an init-cfg.txt file for bootstrap the VM-Series firewall. After configuring a license manager, you can copy and paste bootstrap parameters generated by Panorama when deploy your VM-Series firewalls. Depending on your deployment, the parameters displayed might be a subset of those shown in the image below. For example, if your Panorama appliance is deployed in a public cloud, the bootstrap parameters will not include the public IP address for Panorama. In that case, you must manually enter the public IP address in the init-cfg.txt file. Panorama will always generate the auth-key and
      plugin-op-commands=panorama-licensing-mode-on
       for use in your init-cfg.txt file.
      The auth key displayed here is generated by Panorama and used to authenticate the VM-Series firewall connection to Panorama. Additionally, this auth key is used instead of the VM auth key that you might generate on Panorama and add to your init-cfg.txt file.
      If you use the auth key displayed here in your init-cfg.txt file, do not use a manually generated VM auth key.
      1. Select
        Panorama
        SW Firewall License
        License Managers
        .
      2. In the Action column of a given license manager, click
        Show Bootstrap Parameters
        .
      3. Copy the displayed information and paste it into a text editor to create an init-cfg.txt file for bootstrapping.
      4. Click
        Close
         when finished.
    5. (
      Optional
      ) View and deactivate a managed VM-Series firewall. From the
      Show Devices
       dialogue, you can view the devices associated with a given license manager. You can view the name, serial number, management IP address, connection status, and amount of time Panorama waits to deactivate a disconnected firewall. Additionally, you can manually deactivate the license of managed VM-Series firewall.
      1. Select
        Panorama
        SW Firewall License
        License Managers
        .
      2. In the Action column of a given license manager, click
        Show Devices
        .
      3. To manually deactivate a connected or disconnected (but not yet deactivated) managed VM-Series firewall, select a one or more listed VM-Series firewalls and click
        Deactivate
        .
    6. (
      Optional
      ) Verify that Panorama has completed the necessary API calls to license connected firewalls.
      1. Log in to the Panorama command line interface.
      2. Execute the following command.
        show plugins sw_fw_license panorama-api-requests

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