Palo Alto Networks firewalls support three types of Ethernet interfaces that can be configured on the firewall: virtual wire, tap, and layer 31. These interface types determine how the firewall processes traffic and applies security policies. Some of the characteristics of these interface types are:
Virtual Wire: A virtual wire interface allows the firewall to transparently pass traffic between two network segments without modifying the packets or affecting the routing. The firewall can still apply security policies and inspect the traffic based on the source and destination zones of the virtual wire2.
Tap: A tap interface allows the firewall to passively monitor traffic from a network switch or router without affecting the traffic flow. The firewall can only receive traffic from a tap interface and cannot send traffic out of it. The firewall can apply security policies and inspect the traffic based on the source and destination zones of the tap interface3.
Layer 3: A layer 3 interface allows the firewall to act as a router and participate in the network routing. The firewall can send and receive traffic from a layer 3 interface and apply security policies and inspect the traffic based on the source and destination IP addresses and zones of the interface4.