IKE Gateway Configuration Object

Table of Contents

1. Overview
2. Core Methods
3. IKE Gateway Model Attributes
4. Exceptions
5. Basic Configuration
6. Usage Examples
   • Creating IKE Gateway Objects
   • Retrieving IKE Gateways
   • Updating IKE Gateways
   • Listing IKE Gateways
   • Filtering Responses
   • Controlling Pagination with max_limit
   • Deleting IKE Gateways
7. Managing Configuration Changes
   • Performing Commits
   • Monitoring Jobs
8. Error Handling
9. Best Practices
10. Related Models

Overview

The IKEGateway class provides functionality to manage Internet Key Exchange (IKE) gateway objects in Palo Alto Networks' Strata Cloud Manager. This class inherits from BaseObject and provides methods for creating, retrieving, updating, and deleting IKE gateway configurations used for establishing VPN tunnels.

Core Methods

Method	Description	Parameters	Return Type
create()	Creates a new IKE gateway	data: Dict[str, Any]	IKEGatewayResponseModel
get()	Retrieves an IKE gateway by ID	object_id: str	IKEGatewayResponseModel
update()	Updates an existing IKE gateway	gateway: IKEGatewayUpdateModel	IKEGatewayResponseModel
delete()	Deletes an IKE gateway	object_id: str	None
list()	Lists IKE gateways with filtering	folder: str, **filters	List[IKEGatewayResponseModel]
fetch()	Gets IKE gateway by name and container	name: str, folder: str	IKEGatewayResponseModel

IKE Gateway Model Attributes

Attribute	Type	Required	Default	Description
name	str	Yes	None	Name of IKE gateway. Max 63 chars. Pattern: ^[0-9a-zA-Z._\-]+$
id	UUID	Yes*	None	Unique identifier (*response/update only)
authentication	Authentication	Yes	None	Authentication configuration (pre-shared key or certificate)
peer_id	PeerId	No	None	Peer identification information
local_id	LocalId	No	None	Local identification information
protocol	Protocol	Yes	None	IKE protocol configuration
protocol_common	ProtocolCommon	No	None	Common protocol settings (NAT traversal, fragmentation)
peer_address	PeerAddress	Yes	None	Peer address configuration (IP, FQDN, or dynamic)
folder	str	No**	None	Folder location. Max 64 chars
snippet	str	No**	None	Snippet location. Max 64 chars
device	str	No**	None	Device location. Max 64 chars

* Only required for update and response models ** Exactly one container (folder/snippet/device) must be provided for create operations

Exceptions

Exception	HTTP Code	Description
InvalidObjectError	400	Invalid IKE gateway data or format
MissingQueryParameterError	400	Missing required parameters
NameNotUniqueError	409	IKE gateway name already exists
ObjectNotPresentError	404	IKE gateway not found
ReferenceNotZeroError	409	IKE gateway still referenced
AuthenticationError	401	Authentication failed
ServerError	500	Internal server error

Basic Configuration

The IKE Gateway service can be accessed using either the unified client interface (recommended) or the traditional service instantiation.

Unified Client Interface (Recommended)

from scm.client import ScmClient

# Initialize client
client = ScmClient(
    client_id="your_client_id",
    client_secret="your_client_secret",
    tsg_id="your_tsg_id"
)

# Access the IKE Gateway service directly through the client
# No need to create a separate IKEGateway instance
ike_gateways = client.ike_gateway

Traditional Service Instantiation (Legacy)

from scm.client import Scm
from scm.config.network import IKEGateway

# Initialize client
client = Scm(
    client_id="your_client_id",
    client_secret="your_client_secret",
    tsg_id="your_tsg_id"
)

# Initialize IKEGateway object explicitly
ike_gateways = IKEGateway(client)

Note

While both approaches work, the unified client interface is recommended for new development as it provides a more streamlined developer experience and ensures proper token refresh handling across all services.

Usage Examples

Creating IKE Gateway Objects

from scm.client import ScmClient

# Initialize client
client = ScmClient(
   client_id="your_client_id",
   client_secret="your_client_secret",
   tsg_id="your_tsg_id"
)

# Prepare IKE Gateway configuration with pre-shared key
psk_config = {
   "name": "site-a-gateway",
   "authentication": {
       "pre_shared_key": {
           "key": "your-secure-key"
       }
   },
   "peer_id": {
       "type": "ipaddr",
       "id": "203.0.113.1"
   },
   "protocol": {
       "version": "ikev2",
       "ikev2": {
           "ike_crypto_profile": "default",
           "dpd": {
               "enable": True
           }
       }
   },
   "peer_address": {
       "ip": "203.0.113.1"
   },
   "folder": "VPN"
}

# Create the IKE gateway object
psk_gateway = client.ike_gateway.create(psk_config)

# Prepare IKE Gateway with certificate authentication
cert_config = {
   "name": "site-b-gateway",
   "authentication": {
       "certificate": {
           "certificate_profile": "default-profile",
           "local_certificate": {
               "local_certificate_name": "cert-name"
           }
       }
   },
   "protocol": {
       "version": "ikev2-preferred",
       "ikev1": {
           "ike_crypto_profile": "default"
       },
       "ikev2": {
           "ike_crypto_profile": "default"
       }
   },
   "peer_address": {
       "fqdn": "vpn.example.com"
   },
   "folder": "VPN"
}

# Create the certificate-based IKE gateway
cert_gateway = client.ike_gateway.create(cert_config)

Retrieving IKE Gateways

# Fetch by name and folder
gateway = client.ike_gateway.fetch(name="site-a-gateway", folder="VPN")
print(f"Found gateway: {gateway.name}")

# Get by ID
gateway_by_id = client.ike_gateway.get(gateway.id)
print(f"Retrieved gateway: {gateway_by_id.name}")

Updating IKE Gateways

# Fetch existing IKE gateway
existing = client.ike_gateway.fetch(name="site-a-gateway", folder="VPN")

# Modify attributes using dot notation
existing.peer_id = {
    "type": "ipaddr",
    "id": "203.0.113.2"  # Updated peer ID
}
existing.protocol_common = {
    "nat_traversal": {
        "enable": True
    }
}

# Perform update
updated_gateway = client.ike_gateway.update(existing)
print(f"Updated gateway: {updated_gateway.name}")

Listing IKE Gateways

# List all IKE gateways in a folder
gateways = client.ike_gateway.list(folder="VPN")

# Process results
for gateway in gateways:
   print(f"Name: {gateway.name}, Peer Address: {gateway.peer_address.ip if hasattr(gateway.peer_address, 'ip') else gateway.peer_address.fqdn if hasattr(gateway.peer_address, 'fqdn') else 'dynamic'}")

# Exclude inherited gateways (only show gateways defined directly in the folder)
direct_gateways = client.ike_gateway.list(
    folder="VPN",
    exact_match=True
)

print(f"Found {len(direct_gateways)} gateways defined directly in VPN folder")

Filtering Responses

The list() method supports additional parameters to refine your query results even further. You can leverage the exact_match, exclude_folders, exclude_snippets, and exclude_devices parameters to control which objects are included or excluded after the initial API response is fetched.

Parameters:

• exact_match (bool): When True, only objects defined exactly in the specified container (folder, snippet, or device) are returned. Inherited or propagated objects are filtered out.
• exclude_folders (List[str]): Provide a list of folder names that you do not want included in the results.
• exclude_snippets (List[str]): Provide a list of snippet values to exclude from the results.
• exclude_devices (List[str]): Provide a list of device values to exclude from the results.

Examples:

# Only return IKE gateways defined exactly in 'VPN'
exact_gateways = client.ike_gateway.list(
   folder='VPN',
   exact_match=True
)

for gateway in exact_gateways:
   print(f"Exact match: {gateway.name} in {gateway.folder}")

# Exclude all IKE gateways from the 'Shared' folder
no_shared_gateways = client.ike_gateway.list(
   folder='VPN',
   exclude_folders=['Shared']
)

for gateway in no_shared_gateways:
   assert gateway.folder != 'Shared'
   print(f"Filtered out 'Shared': {gateway.name}")

# Exclude gateways that come from 'default' snippet
no_default_snippet = client.ike_gateway.list(
   folder='VPN',
   exclude_snippets=['default']
)

for gateway in no_default_snippet:
   assert gateway.snippet != 'default'
   print(f"Filtered out 'default' snippet: {gateway.name}")

# Exclude gateways associated with 'DeviceA'
no_deviceA = client.ike_gateway.list(
   folder='VPN',
   exclude_devices=['DeviceA']
)

for gateway in no_deviceA:
   assert gateway.device != 'DeviceA'
   print(f"Filtered out 'DeviceA': {gateway.name}")

Controlling Pagination with max_limit

The SDK supports pagination through the max_limit parameter, which defines how many objects are retrieved per API call. By default, max_limit is set to 2500. The API itself imposes a maximum allowed value of 5000. If you set max_limit higher than 5000, it will be capped to the API's maximum. The list() method will continue to iterate through all objects until all results have been retrieved. Adjusting max_limit can help manage retrieval performance and memory usage when working with large datasets.

Example:

from scm.client import ScmClient

# Initialize client
client = ScmClient(
   client_id="your_client_id",
   client_secret="your_client_secret",
   tsg_id="your_tsg_id"
)

# Configure max_limit using the property setter
client.ike_gateway.max_limit = 4000

# List all IKE gateways - auto-paginates through results
all_gateways = client.ike_gateway.list(folder='VPN')

# The gateways are fetched in chunks according to the max_limit setting.

Deleting IKE Gateways

# Delete by ID
gateway_id = "123e4567-e89b-12d3-a456-426655440000"
client.ike_gateway.delete(gateway_id)

Managing Configuration Changes

Performing Commits

# Prepare commit parameters
commit_params = {
   "folders": ["VPN"],
   "description": "Added new IKE gateway configurations",
   "sync": True,
   "timeout": 300  # 5 minute timeout
}

# Commit the changes
result = client.commit(**commit_params)

print(f"Commit job ID: {result.job_id}")

Monitoring Jobs

# Get status of specific job directly from the client
job_status = client.get_job_status(result.job_id)
print(f"Job status: {job_status.data[0].status_str}")

# List recent jobs directly from the client
recent_jobs = client.list_jobs(limit=10)
for job in recent_jobs.data:
     print(f"Job {job.id}: {job.type_str} - {job.status_str}")

Error Handling

from scm.client import ScmClient
from scm.exceptions import (
   InvalidObjectError,
   MissingQueryParameterError,
   NameNotUniqueError,
   ObjectNotPresentError
)

# Initialize client
client = ScmClient(
   client_id="your_client_id",
   client_secret="your_client_secret",
   tsg_id="your_tsg_id"
)

try:
   # Create IKE gateway configuration
   gateway_config = {
      "name": "test-gateway",
      "authentication": {
          "pre_shared_key": {
              "key": "secure-key"
          }
      },
      "protocol": {
          "version": "ikev2",
          "ikev2": {
              "ike_crypto_profile": "default"
          }
      },
      "peer_address": {
          "ip": "203.0.113.1"
      },
      "folder": "VPN"
   }

   # Create the IKE gateway using the unified client interface
   new_gateway = client.ike_gateway.create(gateway_config)

   # Commit changes directly from the client
   result = client.commit(
      folders=["VPN"],
      description="Added test gateway",
      sync=True
   )

   # Check job status directly from the client
   status = client.get_job_status(result.job_id)

except InvalidObjectError as e:
   print(f"Invalid gateway data: {e.message}")
except NameNotUniqueError as e:
   print(f"Gateway name already exists: {e.message}")
except ObjectNotPresentError as e:
   print(f"Gateway not found: {e.message}")
except MissingQueryParameterError as e:
   print(f"Missing parameter: {e.message}")

Best Practices

1. Client Usage

   • Use the unified client interface (client.ike_gateway) for streamlined code
   • Create a single client instance and reuse it across your application
   • Perform commit operations directly on the client object (client.commit())
   • For custom max_limit settings, create a dedicated service instance if needed

2. Container Management

   • Always specify exactly one container (folder, snippet, or device)
   • Use consistent container names across operations
   • Validate container existence before operations

3. Error Handling

   • Implement comprehensive error handling for all operations
   • Check job status after commits
   • Handle specific exceptions before generic ones
   • Log error details for troubleshooting

4. Authentication Configuration

   • Specify exactly one authentication method (pre-shared key or certificate)
   • Use strong pre-shared keys if using PSK authentication
   • Validate certificate existence when using certificate authentication
   • Consider security implications when storing authentication information

5. Protocol Configuration

   • Ensure protocol version matches supported IKE crypto profiles
   • Consider IKEv2 for newer deployments for better security
   • Properly configure dead peer detection (DPD) for tunnel health monitoring
   • Verify NAT traversal settings match your network environment

6. Performance

   • Reuse client instances
   • Use appropriate pagination for list operations
   • Implement proper retry mechanisms
   • Cache frequently accessed objects

7. Security

   • Follow the least privilege principle
   • Validate input data
   • Use secure connection settings
   • Implement proper authentication handling
   • Never hardcode pre-shared keys in scripts

Related Models

• IKEGatewayBaseModel
• IKEGatewayCreateModel
• IKEGatewayUpdateModel
• IKEGatewayResponseModel
• Authentication
• PreSharedKey
• CertificateAuth
• PeerId
• LocalId
• Protocol
• IKEv1
• IKEv2
• ProtocolCommon
• PeerAddress
• PeerIdType
• LocalIdType
• ProtocolVersion
• IKE Crypto Profile - Related configuration for IKE crypto profiles