Troubleshooting

This guide provides solutions to common issues you might encounter when using the SCM Ansible Collection.

Authentication Issues

Symptom: "Authentication Failed" Error

If you receive an authentication error when running playbooks:

1. Verify your credentials:

echo $PAN_SCM_USERNAME
echo $PAN_SCM_TENANT
# Don't echo the password in a shared environment

1. Check for API timeouts - SCM authentication tokens expire after 30 minutes of inactivity

2. Ensure your tenant ID is correct

3. Try with explicit credentials in your playbook (for testing only):

- name: Test connection
  cdot65.scm.address:
    username: "your-username"
    password: "your-password"
    tenant: "your-tenant-id"
    name: "test-connection"
    folder: "SharedFolder"
    ip_netmask: "192.168.1.1/32"
  register: result
  ignore_errors: true

- name: Debug connection result
  debug:
    var: result

Module Execution Issues

Symptom: Module Returns Error About Missing Object

If a module reports a missing object (like a folder or tag that you believe exists):

1. Check the folder path is correct (SCM is case-sensitive)
2. Verify you have permissions to access the object
3. Try running with increased verbosity:

   ansible-playbook your_playbook.yml -vvv
   

Symptom: Changes Not Taking Effect

If your playbook runs successfully but changes aren't reflected in SCM:

1. Remember to commit changes - many modules only stage changes:

- name: Commit changes
  cdot65.scm.commit:
    description: "Changes made by Ansible"

1. Check if the changes are in a candidate configuration not yet pushed:

- name: Push candidate configuration
  cdot65.scm.push_config:
    description: "Push changes to firewall"

Debug Mode

Enable debug mode to get detailed information:

- name: Get address objects with debug
  cdot65.scm.address_info:
    folder: "SharedFolder"
    debug: true
  register: addresses

Common Error Messages

"Error 403: Forbidden"

• You don't have permission to perform this operation
• Check your role assignment in SCM

"Error 404: Not Found"

• The API endpoint or resource doesn't exist
• Check folder paths, object names, and API versions

"Error 400: Bad Request"

• The request data is invalid
• Check required parameters and data formats

SDK Version Mismatch

If you see errors about missing methods or unexpected behavior:

1. Check your SDK version:

pip show pan-scm-sdk

1. Update to the latest version:

pip install --upgrade pan-scm-sdk

Getting Help

If you're still experiencing issues:

1. Check the GitHub Issues for similar problems and solutions
2. Submit a detailed bug report with:
3. Collection version (ansible-galaxy collection list)
4. SDK version (pip show pan-scm-sdk)
5. Python version (python --version)
6. Ansible version (ansible --version)
7. Full error output (with -vvv flag)
8. Steps to reproduce the issue