🛠️ Palo Alto Networks: Service Routes & Multi-VSYS
Palo Alto Networks firewalls allow administrators to control the source interface and address for management services
(e.g., DNS, Syslog, NTP) using
Service Routes
. This is especially critical in multi-VSYS environments
to ensure tenant isolation and network compliance.
🔍 What are Service Routes?
A
Service Route
determines which firewall interface (and associated IP) is used to reach external services
for tasks such as updates, authentication, or logging. By default, the management interface is used for all services.
🎯 Why Use Custom Service Routes?
-
Route traffic through data-plane interfaces instead of the management plane.
-
Segment service communication in a multi-tenant setup using virtual systems (VSYS).
-
Meet network compliance by specifying traffic egress points.
📌 Configuration Overview
-
Navigate to
Device > Setup > Services
.
-
Select the
Virtual Systems
tab.
-
Choose the target VSYS from the "Location" dropdown.
-
Click
Service Route Configuration
.
-
Click
Customize
to specify per-service routing interfaces.
Example: Syslog traffic routed via dataplane interface.
💡 Key Considerations (PCNSE Focus)
-
If a VSYS does not have a customized route, it inherits the
global
route settings.
-
IPv6 support
includes most services, but excludes SNMP traps.
-
Destination-based routes (e.g., DNS to specific address)
cannot
be VSYS-specific — only global.
-
In multi-tenant firewalls, each tenant (VSYS) can have unique service routes for isolation.
-
Not all services support VSYS-specific routing—refer to the UI for available options.
🔧 Troubleshooting Tips
-
Use
show system setting service
to view current service route settings.
-
Validate interface IPs used for services with
show network interface
.
-
Check logs to ensure Syslog/DNS/NTP traffic is reaching the correct destination from the expected interface.
🔁 Mermaid Flow Diagram: Customizing Service Route Per VSYS
flowchart TD
A[Admin selects VSYS] --> B{Customize service routes?}
B -- Yes --> C[Select services to override]
C --> D[Assign dataplane interface/IP per service]
B -- No --> E[Use Global service route config]
D --> F[Commit changes]
E --> F
📚 Additional Resources