: You can use a template file ( .gns3a ) to automate the import, provided the md5sum of your downloaded file matches the template requirements.
At first glance, the filename tells us a lot: pa-vm-kvm-8.0.1.qcow2
: Official base images should be obtained directly from the Palo Alto Networks Customer Support Portal under Updates > Software Update . Installation : : You can use a template file (
PAN-OS 8.0.x was released in 2017 . As of 2025/2026, this version is ancient , end-of-life (EOL), and contains numerous unpatched critical CVEs (e.g., CVE-2020-2021, CVE-2020-2030, plus the infamous cveman issues). As of 2025/2026, this version is ancient ,
| Attribute | Value | |-----------|-------| | Format | QEMU Copy-On-Write v2/3 | | Compression | Likely gzip'd (raw .qcow2 inside) | | Default Disk Size | ~8-10 GB (expands to ~80 GB on first boot) | | vCPU Required | 1, 2, 4, or 8 (license dependent) | | RAM Required | 4 GB (min), 8-16 GB (recommended for threat prevention) | | Interfaces | eth0 (management), eth1/eth2 (dataplane) |
If you have a valid support contract, you should download a supported version (such as 9.x, 10.x, or 11.x) from the official Palo Alto Networks Support Portal. Using an outdated version like 8.0.1 is not recommended for production environments.
Palo Alto’s official KVM guide for 8.0.x is still available but archived. Expect broken download links for the bootstrap.xml examples.