Mastering Palo Alto Networks
Mastering Palo Alto Networks is a practical guide for configuring, managing, and securing networks with Palo Alto firewalls. Covering everything from basic setu...
Mastering Palo Alto Networks is a practical guide for configuring, managing, and securing networks with Palo Alto firewalls. Covering everything from basic setu...
Mastering Palo Alto Networks is the definitive guide for IT professionals and security practitioners aiming to gain expert-level skills in configuring and managing Palo Alto firewalls. Authored by a seasoned security consultant with over 25 years of hands-on experience, this book offers a clear, step-by-step approach to mastering both foundational and advanced firewall concepts.
Whether you're struggling with firewall policy management, VPN configuration, or cloud security integration, this guide provides real-world solutions and best practices. You'll start with the basics and progress through advanced topics—including traffic control, threat prevention, and secure remote access—while exploring on-premise setups and cloud integration with Prisma Access.
Packed with practical examples, troubleshooting insights, and expert tips, each chapter is designed to help you deploy, optimize, and secure network environments confidently. By the end, you’ll be equipped with the skills needed to manage complex security infrastructures using Palo Alto Networks technologies.
- Introduction
- Prerequisites
- Zone-Based Firewall Fundamentals
- How Destination Zones Are Determined
- Exploring App-ID and Content-ID
- Understanding Firewall Planes: Management, Control, and Data
- User Identification and Access Control with User-ID
- Summary
- Lesson 1: Wrap-up
0:20:0- Mini‑Project: Zone‑Based Firewall Misconfiguration Incident
- Introduction
- Prerequisites
- Quality of Service (QoS)
- DSCP and ToS headers
- Creating QoS profiles
- QoS Profiles
- Creating QoS Policies
- Leveraging SSL Decryption to Look Inside Encrypted Sessions
- SSL Inbound Inspection
- Forwarding Sessions to an External Device
- Redirecting sessions over different paths using policy-based forwarding
- Load Balancing
- Summary
- Lesson 4: Wrap-up
0:20:0- Mini‑Project: When Malware Hides in Encrypted Traffic — A Real-World Enterprise Risk
- Mini-Project: Optimizing Network Traffic with QoS, SSL Decryption, and Policy-Based Forwarding
- Introduction
- Prerequisites
- Applying a DHCP client and DHCP server
- Configuring a DNS Proxy
- Setting up high availability
- Setting up Active/Passive mode
- Setting up Active/Active mode
- HA1 encryption
- Enabling Virtual Systems
- Administrators in a multi-VSYS environment
- Creating a Shared Gateway
- Managing Certificates
- Summary
- Lesson 5: Wrap-up
0:20:0- Mini-Project: Deploying High Availability and Core Services for an Enterprise Network
- Introduction
- Prerequisites
- User-ID Basics
- Setting up a User-ID Agent
- Setting up a Terminal Server Agent
- Agentless User-ID
- Configuring Group Mapping
- The Cloud Identity Engine
- Configuring Entra ID (Azure) Enterprise Applications
- Setting up a Captive Portal
- Configuring the Authentication Portal
- Using APIs for User-ID
- User Credential Phishing Prevention
- Summary
- Lesson 6: Wrap-up
0:20:0- Mini-Project: Implementing User Identification and Access Control for a Multi-Domain Enterprise
- Introduction
- Prerequisites
- Setting up Panorama
- Initial Panorama Configuration
- Panorama Logging
- Device Groups
- Preparing Device Groups
- Important things to know when creating objects in device groups
- Setting up templates and template stacks
- Panorama Management
- Tips and Tricks
- Summary
- Lesson 7: Wrap-up
0:20:0- Mini-Project: Centralized Firewall Management with Panorama
- Introduction
- Setting up Strata Logging Service
- Activating Strata Cloud Manager
- Activating Strata Cloud Manager from the hub
- Configuring Strata Cloud Manager
- Security Rules
- Security profiles
- Associating devices to Strata Cloud Manager
- Managing devices and device configuration through Workflows
- Summary
- Lesson 8: Wrap-up
0:20:0- Mini-Project: Cloud-Based Firewall Management Using Strata Cloud Manager
- Introduction
- Prerequisite
- Documenting Key Aspects
- Preparing for the Upgrade
- The Upgrade Process
- Upgrading a single firewall
- The Downgrade Procedure
- Special Case for Upgrading Older Hardware
- Summary
- Lesson 9: Wrap-up
0:20:0- Mini-Project: Planning and Executing a Firewall & Panorama Upgrade
Networking fundamentals: TCP/IP, VLANs, routing, and basic ACLs
Firewall basics: Familiarity with stateful inspection and port filtering
Hardware/software: Any modern PC or laptop with broadband internet
Browser: Latest Chrome, Firefox, or Edge for LMS and lab access
Virtual lab access: Provided PAN‑OS virtual firewall images and Panorama trial license
Time commitment: Recommend ~5–7 hours per week to complete in 8–12 weeks
Deploy and configure NGFWs in virtualized and cloud environments without instructor assistance
Design and implement security policies leveraging App‑ID, User‑ID, Content‑ID, and URL Filtering
Configure VPNs: Establish IPsec tunnels and GlobalProtect SSL‑VPN for remote access
Manage centrally with Panorama: automated device registration, template stacks, and aggregated logging
Optimize and troubleshoot network flows using dynamic/static routing, NAT rules, and high‑availability clusters without supervision
Prepare for certification: Gain the skills needed to confidently attempt the Palo Alto Networks PCNSA exam on your own schedule
IT, Cybersecurity, DevOps, Cloud computing, Artificial Intelligence, AI
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Last Updated
Aug 26, 2025
Students
99+
language
English
Duration
10h++Level
beginner
Expiry period
Lifetime
Certificate
Yes
English
Certificate Course
99+ Students
10h++