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    Activate the License for the VM-Series Firewall (Standalone Version)
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    VM-Series

    Activate the License for the VM-Series Firewall (Standalone Version)

    Table of Contents

    Activate the License for the VM-Series Firewall (Standalone Version)

    Activate a Software NGFW license for VM-Series firewall.
    Where Can I Use This?What Do I Need?
    • VM-Series deployment
    • VM-Series 10.x or above
    • Panorama running PAN-OS 10.1.x or above versions
    • Customer Support Portal (CSP) account with one of the following user roles:
      • Super User, Standard User, Limited User, Threat Researcher, AutoFocus Trial Role, Group Super User, Group Standard User, Group Limited User, Group Threat Researcher, Authorized Support Center (ASC) User, and ASC Full Service User.
      • Superuser access to the VM-Series firewall
    If you have not elected to use the bootstrapping workflow using a subscription bundle, you must deploy the VM-Series firewall and complete initial configuration before you can activate the license on your VM-Series firewall.
    • Direct internet access
      To activate the license, the firewall must be configured with an IP address, netmask, default gateway, and DNS server IP address.
      The firewall must have a valid DNS configuration and have network connectivity to access the Palo Alto Networks licensing server.
      1. Select DeviceLicenses and select the Retrieve license keys from license server link.
      2. The firewall will connect to the update server (updates.paloaltonetworks.com), and download the license and reboot automatically.
      3. Log back in to the web interface and confirm that the Dashboard displays a valid serial number. If the term Unknown displays, it means the device isn’t licensed.
      4. On DeviceLicenses, verify that PA-VM license is added to the device.
        If you see an error message, check Troubleshoot License Activation Issues.
    • No internet access
      1. Select DeviceLicenses and click the Activate Feature using Auth Code link.
      2. Click Download Authorization File, and download the authorizationfile.txt on the client machine.
      3. Copy the authorizationfile.txt to a computer that has access to the internet and log in to the Customer Support Portal. Click the My VM-Series Auth-Codes link and select the applicable auth code from the list and click the Register VM link.
      4. On the Register Virtual Machine tab upload the authorization file. Select the PAN-OS version and the hypervisor on which you have deployed the firewall, to complete the registration process. The serial number of your VM-Series firewall will be attached to your account records.
      5. Navigate to ProductsAssetsNGFWs and search for the VM-Series device registered and click the PA-VM link. This will download the VM-Series license key to the client machine.
      6. Copy the license key to the machine that can access the web interface of the VM-Series firewall and navigate to DeviceLicenses.
        License keys must be installed through the web interface. The firewall does not support license key installation through SCP or FTP.
      7. Click Manually Upload License link and enter the license key. When the capacity license is activated on the firewall, a reboot occurs.
      8. Log in to the device and confirm that the Dashboard displays a valid serial number and that the PA-VM license displays in the DeviceLicenses tab.

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