Note: Ensure that the security policy on your ESXi vSwitches handling data traffic allows , MAC Address Changes , and Forged Transmits if you plan to use Layer 2 or Virtual Wire deployment modes. Step-by-Step OVA Deployment Guide

configure set deviceconfig system ip-address netmask default-gateway set deviceconfig system dns-setting servers primary commit Use code with caution.

Identify VLANs for Management, Trust, and Untrust interfaces. Step-by-Step Deployment Guide

Once the deployment finishes, power on the VM and access the console to set the initial IP address. 4. Key Security Features (PAN-OS 10.1)

When you deploy this file to an ESXi host, you are not installing software in the traditional sense; you are instantiating a complete virtual firewall that the hypervisor can run immediately. This approach provides the same advanced security features as a physical Palo Alto firewall but with the agility and resource efficiency of a virtualized workload.

Without a license, the firewall will not pass traffic after the trial ends.

For organizations using VMware Workstation for testing or lab environments, the Pa-vm-esx-10.1.0.ova file may be imported; however, VMware Workstation is not an officially supported production platform for VM-Series firewalls.

To prevent ESXi memory ballooning or swapping, set equal to the VM’s configured RAM (e.g., 4GB for VM-100). Right-click VM → Edit Settings → Memory → Reserve all guest memory.

Go to Edit Settings > Resources > CPU and set the Reservation to the full MHz of the assigned cores. This prevents the VM from being throttled.

Map the OVF template networks to the corresponding predefined vSphere destination port groups:

Reboot the appliance if prompted to scale resource capacity allocation dynamically. Dynamic Updates Installation