: Before Launching the Templates
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Before Launching the Templates

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Before Launching the Templates

Learn what is required to launch a VM-Series firewall behind a GWLB using templates.
Before you launch the templates to integrate a VM-Series firewall auto scaling group with an AWS GWLB, you must complete the following procedure.
  1. Ensure that you have the following before you begin.
    • Obtain the auth code for a bundle that supports the number of firewalls that might be required for your deployment. You must save this auth code in a text file named authcodes (no extensions), and put the authcodes file in the /license folder of the bootstrap package.
    • Download the files required to launch the VM-Series Gateway Load Balancer template from the GitHub repository.
    • Create a Transit Gateway. This transit gateway connects your security and application VPCs.
      • Take note of the transit gateway ID; you will need it later when deploying the template.
      • You must add a 0.0.0.0/0 route to the application attachment route table pointing to the security attachment to protect east-west and outbound traffic.
      • Ensure that Default route table association and Default route table propagation are disabled.
    • The recommended VPC CIDR for the firewall and application templates should be larger than /23.
    The target group of the gateway GWLB cannot use HTTP for health checks because the VM-Series firewall does not allow access with an unsecured protocol. Instead use HTTPS or TCP.
  2. Deploy Panorama running 10.0.2 and configure the following.
    Panorama must allow AWS public IP addresses. The VM-Series firewall accesses Panorama using the external IP address of the NAT gateway created by the template.
  3. Download and install the VM-Series plugin on Panorama.
    1. Select PanoramaPlugins  and use Check Now to look for new plugin packages. The VM-Series plugin name is vm_series.
    2. Consult the plugin release notes to determine which version provides upgrades useful to you.
    3. Select a version of the plugin and select Download in the Action column.
    4. Click Install in the Action column. Panorama alerts you when the installation is complete.
    5. To view the plugin, select Device VM-Series.
  4. Configure the template.
    1. Log in to the Panorama web interface.
    2. Select PanoramaTemplates and click Add.
      1. Enter a descriptive Name.
      2. Click OK.
    3. Configure the virtual router.
      1. Select NetworkVirtual Routers.
      2. Ensure that you have selected the template you create above from the Template drop-down.
      3. Click Add.
      4. Name the virtual router using the following format: VR-<tempstackname>.
      5. Enable ECMP on the virtual router.
      6. Click OK.
    4. Configure the interface and create the zone.
      1. Select NetworkInterfaces and click Add Interface.
      2. Select Slot 1 and then select the Interface name (for example, ethernet 1/1).
      3. Set Interface Type to Layer 3.
      4. On the Config tab, select New Zone from the Security Zone drop-down. In the Zone dialog, define a Name for new zone, for example Internet, and then click OK.
      5. In the Virtual Router drop-down, select virtual router your created above.
      6. Select IPv4 and click DHCP Client.
      7. Click OK.
    5. Create a management profile that allows HTTPS on the interface created above to support Health Checks.
      1. Select NetworkNetwork ProfilesInterface Mgmt and click Add.
      2. Select the protocols that the interface permits for management traffic: Ping, Telnet, SSH, HTTP, HTTP OCSP, HTTPS, or SNMP.
        Don’t enable HTTP or Telnet because those protocols transmit in cleartext and therefore aren’t secure.
    6. Assign the Interface Management profile to an interface.
      1. Select NetworkInterfaces, select the type of interface (Ethernet, VLAN, Loopback, or Tunnel), and select the interface.
      2. Select AdvancedOther info and select the Interface Management Profile you just added.
      3. Click OK.
    7. Configure the DNS server and FQDN refresh time.
      1. Select DeviceSetupServices and click the Edit icon.
      2. Set the Primary DNS Server to 169.254.169.253. This is the AWS DNS address.
      3. Set the Minimum FQDN Refresh Time to 60 seconds.
      4. Click OK.
    8. Commit your changes. This is required before proceeding to the next step.
    9. Create an administrator.
      1. Select DeviceAdministrators.
      2. Enter pandemo as the Name.
      3. Set the Password to demopassword and Confirm.
      4. Click OK.
    10. Commit your changes.
  5. Configure a template stack and add the template to the template stack.
    1. Select PanoramaTemplates and Add Stack.
    2. Enter a unique Name to identify the stack.
    3. Click Add and select the template.
    4. Click OK to save the template stack.
  6. Create the Device Group.
    1. Select PanoramaDevice Groups.
    2. Click Add.
    3. Enter a descriptive Name.
    4. Click OK.
    5. Add an allow all security pre-rule.
      1. Ensure that you have selected the device group you create above from the Device Group drop-down.
      2. Select PoliciesSecurityPre Rules and click Add.
      3. Enter a descriptive Name.
      4. Under Source, User, Destination, Application, and Service/URL Category, select any.
      5. Under Actions, select Allow.
      6. Click OK.
    6. Commit your changes.
  7. Add the license deactivation API key for the firewall to Panorama.
    1. Log in to the Customer Support Portal.
    2. Select ProductsAssetsAPI Key Management.
    3. Copy the API key.
    4. Use the CLI to install the API key copied in the previous step.
      request license api-key set key <key>
  8. After deploying Panorama, you must open the following ports as described below on the Panorama security group in AWS.
    • Port 443 (HTTPS)—Upon initial deployment of the firewall template, leave HTTPS open so Lambda can connect to Panorama.
      When you secure port 443 you specify an IP address range from which you will allow connections, as well as the EIPs assigned to the NAT gateways. The number of NAT gateways in your deployment depends on the number of availability zones you configure. To find NAT gateway EIPs in AWS, go to VPCNAT Gateways. Note the EIP information for the security group for HTTPS.
      Additionally, to allow Panorama to release the firewall license after stack deletion, you must allow traffic from the CIDR range of the region where you deployed the firewall template. You can find the CIDR for your region at this link.
    • Port 3978—Port 3978 must be able to receive traffic from any IP address.