Comprehensive and Detailed In-Depth Step-by-Step Explanation :

Automating the deployment of VM-Series firewalls in public cloud service provider (CSP) environments

like AWS, Azure, and GCP requires tools that support Infrastructure-as-Code (IaC) and integration with

cloud APIs. The Palo Alto Networks Systems Engineer Professional - Software Firewall documentation

outlines tools for automation, focusing on scalability and integration with DevOps workflows.

Terraform Automated Config agent (Option B): Terraform is an IaC tool that automates the provisioning

and configuration of infrastructure, including VM-Series firewalls in public clouds. The “Terraform

Automated Config agent” refers to using Terraform scripts or modules (available in the Palo Alto

Networks GitHub repository) to deploy VM-Series firewalls, configure networking, apply policies, and

integrate with cloud-native services (e.g., AWS VPC, Azure VNet, GCP VPC). The documentation

highlights Terraform as a primary tool for automating VM-Series deployments, enabling repeatable and

scalable deployments across CSPs, aligning with modern DevOps practices. Options A (Panorama), C

(Public Cloud Manager [PCM] tenant), and D (Docker Swarm) are incorrect. Panorama (Option A) is a

management platform, not an automation tool for initial deployment; it manages configurations and

policies post-deployment but does not automate the provisioning of VMs in public clouds. Public Cloud

Manager (PCM) is not a recognized Palo Alto Networks tool in this context; Strata Cloud Manager

(SCM) or Panorama are used, but PCM is not referenced for VM-Series automation. Docker Swarm

(Option D) is a container orchestration platform, not suited for deploying VM-Series firewalls, which are

virtual machines, not containers (CN-Series uses Kubernetes, not Docker Swarm, for containerized

deployments).

Reference: Palo Alto Networks Systems Engineer Professional - Software Firewall, Section: VM-Series

Deployment Automation, Terraform Integration Documentation, GitHub Repository for Palo Alto

Networks.