Ansible interacts with PAN-OS through its API.
Why C is correct: Ansible uses the PAN-OS XML API to manage configurations. This allows for programmatic interaction and automation.
Why A, B, and D are incorrect:
A . Ansible can only be used to automate configuration changes on physical firewalls but not virtual firewalls: Ansible can manage both physical (PA-Series) and virtual (VM-Series, CN-Series) firewalls.
B . Ansible requires direct access to the firewall's CLI to make changes: Ansible does not require direct CLI access. It uses the API, which is more structured and secure.
D . Ansible requires the use of Python to create playbooks: While Ansible playbooks are written in YAML, you don't need to write Python code directly. Ansible modules handle the underlying API interactions. The pan-os-python SDK is a separate tool that can be used for more complex automation tasks, but it's not required for basic Ansible playbooks.
Palo Alto Networks Reference:
Ansible Collections for Palo Alto Networks: These collections, available on Ansible Galaxy, provide modules for interacting with PAN-OS via the API.
Palo Alto Networks Documentation on API Integration: The API documentation describes how to use the XML API for configuration management.
Palo Alto Networks GitHub Repositories: Palo Alto Networks provides examples and resources on using Ansible with PAN-OS.