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Install Palo Alto on VMware Workstation:

The PA VM is a virtual firewall delivered as a VMware OVA. This is a way to package and
distribute virtual machines. This file contains all the files needed to run your file into a virtual
environment. I have a VMware workstation 15.x on Windows 10 64-bit.
Steps for installing and configuring the VM Palo Alto firewall on VMware workstation.

Start VMware Workstation, From the Menu, select File, Open and browse to your location.
Select the ova file you have.

Type a name for your virtual machine whatever you like specify a storage location and click
Import button.

The VM File will start Importing. This process will take some time, so have patience.

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When you import the files into VMware workstation, two cores are reserved, 5 GB of RAM and
three network adapters. You need to add 1 more interface.

The first network adapter is used for management, the second network adapter is used as
ethernet1/1 and the third network adapter is used as ethernet1/2. Additional network adapters
can be added and are used as Ethernet interfaces by the firewall.

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After imported the virtual machine, you can add additional network adapter to your virtual
firewall. In my configuration, I’ve added an additional network adapter.

3 | P a g e Created by Ahmad Ali E-Mail: ahmadalimsc@gmail.com , Mobile: 056 430 3717


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It is important that these network adapters support vmxnet3. The can be verified in the virtual
machine configuration file (.vmx). Before you start the VM Firewall you need to edit the .VMX
Edit .vmx file and change for all Ethernet ethernet”X”.virtualDev = “e1000” to “vmxnet3”
After adding additional network adapters, be sure that these network adapters are configured
using vmxnet3. Browse to the location of your virtual firewall and open the Virtual Machine
Configuration file.

Boot up the Palo Alto VM, once it has loaded successfully you will see the console login.

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Type admin / admin as username and password after Login prompt shows up for 1 minute.

Verify the management interface by default the management interface is configured to


192.168.1.1/24. By default, VM Firewall is getting IP from DHCP server.
Show interface management

Use the computer that connected to management network; then use the web browser to
navigate https://10.111.1.36 (Remember the “s” on https://) Login using admin/admin

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This is the error of local signed cert, just ignore it and proceed with the connection.

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There will be pop-up asking to reset the password to new one as you logged in with default
password. Need not to worry and click on OK.

GUI window for Palo Alto, this is the dashboard.

8 | P a g e Created by Ahmad Ali E-Mail: ahmadalimsc@gmail.com , Mobile: 056 430 3717

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