The VM-Series firewall now supports virtual systems only with flexible license and with one virtual system by default. Virtual systems are separate, logical firewall instances within a single physical Palo Alto Networks firewall. Rather than using multiple firewalls, managed service providers and enterprises can use a single pair of firewalls (for high availability) and enable virtual systems on them. The virtual systems are easier to manage coexisting within a firewall. The additional benefits of virtual systems include improved scalability, segmented administration, and reduced capital and operational expenses. For more information, see Benefits of Virtual Systems and Virtual System Components and Segmentation.

The virtual system support on the VM-Series firewall is available on PAN-OS version 11.1.3 and later. You must have a virtual system license to support multiple virtual systems on the VM-Series firewall. Purchase additional licenses based on your requirement up to a maximum number supported on a particular Tier.

Use a flexible VM-Series firewall license and Tier 3 or Tier 4 instances supporting a minimum of 16 vCPUs or more. The VM-Series firewall in Tier 3 instance supports a maximum of 25 virtual systems. The VM-Series firewall in Tier 4 instance, supports a maximum of 100 virtual systems.