# Seeking sample panOS XML file

**URL:** <https://forum.ansible.com/t/seeking-sample-panos-xml-file/10455>\
**Category:** Get Help\
**Tags:** network\
**Created:** [October 22, 2024, 4:06pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/seeking-sample-panos-xml-file/10455 "2024-10-22T16:06:03Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![acozine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecccb3/32.png) [@acozine](https://forum.ansible.com/u/acozine)\
**Post date:** [October 22, 2024, 4:06pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/seeking-sample-panos-xml-file/10455/1 "2024-10-22T16:06:03Z")

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We have made some progress on automating our PanOS firewall devices. I am working toward a system where the source of truth about the firewall is an XML file in a git repository. Each time we make a change, we make it as a pull request, then we load the entire XML file of the configuration into the devices.

I’m working in a test device with a minimal set of configuration. I exported the configuration, made some changes, and am trying to load the changed config back into the firewall device. I’ve tried loading the entire file with a `panos_loadcfg` task. I’ve tried using two tasks, one with `panos_import` and one with `panos_loadcfg`. I’ve tried using `panos_op` with a partial config file and an XML command.

The `panos_import` task succeeds, but the `panos_loadcfg` and `panos_op` tasks fail with the error `load -> config -> from is invalid ` or `load -> config -> partial -> from is invalid`. I’m not sure what this is telling me. Is the task not finding the file? (My repository has the XML files in the root directory and a playbook in a sub-directory called `playbooks`. The playbook refers to the files as `../filename.xml`.) Or does it find the file but the XML is malformed in some way, and therefore invalid?

I’m sure I’m missing something simple. I’d like to compare my XML file with a valid example of PanOS configuration.

I’m looking for a working example of an XML file (with fake data - full config or partial config) and a task the successfully loads it. I’ve found some sample tasks, but none with matching sample XML files.

All help/pointers/ideas gratefully received!

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![acozine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecccb3/32.png) [@acozine](https://forum.ansible.com/u/acozine)\
**Post date:** [October 22, 2024, 8:00pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/seeking-sample-panos-xml-file/10455/2 "2024-10-22T20:00:44Z")

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Okay, I’m still not sure how to load a partial config file (if I specify the x-path, do I still include those fields in the XML?), but I did manage to get a working upload of a complete config file.

Here’s how I did it:

- logged into the PanOS device
- went to `https://my-panos-device.org/api`
- selected `Export` and then `configuration`
- clicked on the URL
- copied the contents of the resulting XML file, which is formatted the way PanOS expects (no whitespace - I think indentation may have been the issue with my file before) into a file in my `playbooks/` directory
- made some changes to the XML so I could confirm that something had changed (this is in a TEST firewall, the rules aren’t being used at all)
- updated my playbook to have three tasks: a `panos_loadcfg` one first, with `ignore_errors: true` set on it, then a `panos_import` task with `register: result` set on it, then another `panos_loadcfg` task using the registered variable.

The first `loadcfg` task failed, but the second one worked.