VM-Series Deployment Guide
    : Create the init-cfg.txt File
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    VM-Series Deployment Guide

    Create the init-cfg.txt File

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    Create the init-cfg.txt File

    Learn how create the init-cfg.txt file.
    The init-cfg.txt file is required to bootstrap the VM-Series firewall. It provides the basic information the firewall needs to connect to your network.
    Complete the following procedure to create the init-cfg.txt file.
    1. Create a new text file.
      Use a text editor such as Notepad, EditPad, or other plain-text editors to create a text file.
    2. Add the basic network configuration for the management interface on the firewall.
      If any of the required parameters are missing in the file, the firewall exits the bootstrap process and boots up using the default IP address, 192.168.1.1. You can view the system log on the firewall to detect the reason for the bootstrap failure. For errors, see Licensing API.
      There are no spaces between the key and value in each field. Do not add spaces as they could cause failures during parsing on the mgmtsrvr side.
      • To configure the management interface with a static IP address, you must specify the IP address, type of address, default gateway, and netmask. An IPv4 address is required, IPv6 address is optional. For syntax, see Sample init-cfg.txt File.
      • To configure the management interface as a DHCP client, you must specify only the type of address. If you enable the DHCP client on the management interface, the firewall ignores the IP address, default gateway, netmask, IPv6 address, and IPv6 default gateway values defined in the file. For syntax, see Sample init-cfg.txt File.
      When you enable DHCP on the management interface, the firewall takes the DHCP assigned IP address and is accessible over the network. You can view the DHCP assigned IP address on the General Information widget on the Dashboard or with the CLI command show system info. However, the default static management IP address 192.168.1.1 is retained in the running configuration (show config running) on the firewall. This static IP address ensures that you can always restore connectivity to your firewall, in the event you lose DHCP access to the firewall.
    3. Add the VM auth key to register a VM-Series firewall with Panorama.
      To add a VM-Series firewall on Panorama, you must add the VM auth key that you generated on Panorama to the basic configuration (init-cfg.txt) file. For details on generating a key, see Generate the VM Auth Key on Panorama.
    4. Add details for accessing Panorama.
      • Add IP addresses for the primary and secondary Panorama servers.
      • A firewall hostname.
      • Specify the template and the device group to which you want to assign the firewall.
      • To specify Strata Cloud Manager for your Panorama host, use set panorama-server=cloud to initiate a TLS connection with the cloud management service edge.
      When you include Panorama connectivity parameters in your init-cfg.txt, Panorama attempts to push configuration to the VM-Series firewall upon first connection. The connection to Panorama fails if hostname, template stack, or device group values are missing from the init-cfg.txt file.
    5. (Recommended) Add the VM-Series registration pin and value for installing the device certificate.
      If you want to install the device certificate on the VM-Series firewall at launch, you must generate the VM-Series registration pin ID and value on the CSP and include it in the init-cfg.txt file. This pin and value also applies any site licenses that use the PAYG license.
    6. Optional Include additional parameters for the firewall.

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