How to change from "management-only" mode to "panorama" mode on a Panorama deployed on ESXi

• Panorama deployed in ESXi.
• Objective is too change mode from management to Panorama mode.

• Panorama deployed in ESXi
• Supported PAN-OS
• Panorama mode

1. This step is needed for panorama in 8.1.x, please move to step 2 if panorama was booted in 9.0.x.
First Change the mode from Legacy to management-only.

admin@Panorama> request system system-mode management-only 

Executing this command will change the system to management-only mode, logs will be removed. This will restart the system. Are you sure you want to continue? (y or n) y

Make sure the mode is changed to management-only.

admin@Panorama> show system info | match mode
model: Panorama
cloud-mode: non-cloud
vm-mode: VMWare ESXi
system-mode: management-only
operational-mode: normal

2. Turn off the VM from VMware console. >> This step is very important otherwise the disk will not be detected.

3. Attach 2 TB Disk Volume
Right Click on VM > Edit Settings > New device > New Hard Disk >> Add


3. Change size to 2 TB and click OK


4. Login to Panorama-VM via CLI
5. Run command "show system disk details" to verify if the disk has been detected by the VM.
If the disk is not detected, then there must be an error to follow first 7 steps. please perform the instructions again.

admin@Panorama> show system disk details 
Name   : sdb
State  : Present
Size   : 2048 MB 
Status : Unavailable
Reason : Admin disabled

6. Please run command "request system system-mode panorama" to change mode from management-only to panorama.
admin@Panorama> request system system-mode panorama
Broadcast message from root (Fri Dec 27 09:36:35 2019):
Initializing the log buffer disk; please wait...

7. panorama-VM would boot after couple of minutes with panorama mode.

admin@Panorama> show system info | match mode
model: Panorama
cloud-mode: non-cloud
vm-mode: VMWare ESXi
system-mode: panorama
operational-mode: normal

8. One can add more disks to Panorama-VM, please repeat steps 2 and 3.
 

Note:

• With PAN-OS 11.0.x the VM must have 16 cores and 64 GB RAM to change the mode.
• Panorama on PAN-OS <=8.1.x will boot into Legacy mode.
• Panorama on PAN-OS >= 9.0.x will boot into Panorama mode.
• There is no legacy mode for 9.0.x.