External Dynamic Lists Models

Overview

The External Dynamic Lists models provide a structured way to manage external dynamic lists in Palo Alto Networks' Strata Cloud Manager. These models support various types of dynamic lists including IP, domain, URL, IMSI, and IMEI lists, with configurable update intervals and authentication options.

Attributes

Attribute	Type	Required	Default	Description
name	str	Yes	None	Name of the list. Max length: 63 chars. Must match pattern: ^[ a-zA-Z\d.-_]+$
type	TypeUnion	Yes*	None	Type of dynamic list (predefined_ip, predefined_url, ip, domain, url, imsi, imei)
folder	str	No**	None	Folder where list is defined. Max length: 64 chars
snippet	str	No**	None	Snippet where list is defined. Max length: 64 chars
device	str	No**	None	Device where list is defined. Max length: 64 chars
id	UUID	Yes***	None	UUID of the list (response only)
description	str	No	None	Description of the list. Max length: 255 chars
url	str	Yes	"http://"	URL for fetching list content
exception_list	List[str]	No	None	List of exceptions
certificate_profile	str	No	None	Client certificate profile name
auth	AuthModel	No	None	Username/password authentication
recurring	RecurringUnion	Yes	None	Update interval configuration
expand_domain	bool	No	False	Enable domain expansion (domain type only)

* Required for non-predefined lists * Exactly one container type (folder/snippet/device) must be provided for create operations ** Required for response model when snippet is not "predefined"

Exceptions

The External Dynamic Lists models can raise the following exceptions during validation:

• ValueError: Raised in several scenarios:
  • When no container type or multiple container types are specified for create operations
  • When ID is missing for non-predefined response models
  • When type is missing for non-predefined response models
  • When invalid recurring interval configuration is provided
  • When invalid URL format is provided
  • When name pattern validation fails

Model Validators

Container Type Validation

For create operations, exactly one container type must be specified:

from scm.models.objects import ExternalDynamicListsCreateModel

# This will raise a validation error
try:
    edl = ExternalDynamicListsCreateModel(
        name="blocked-ips",
        folder="Shared",
        device="fw01",  # Can't specify both folder and device
        type={"ip": {
            "url": "http://example.com/blocked.txt",
            "recurring": {"hourly": {}}
        }}
    )
except ValueError as e:
    print(e)  # "Exactly one of 'folder', 'snippet', or 'device' must be provided."

Recurring Interval Validation

The models support various recurring update intervals:

# Five minute interval
edl = ExternalDynamicListsCreateModel(
    name="blocked-ips",
    folder="Shared",
    type={"ip": {
        "url": "http://example.com/blocked.txt",
        "recurring": {"five_minute": {}}
    }}
)

# Daily at specific hour
edl = ExternalDynamicListsCreateModel(
    name="blocked-ips",
    folder="Shared",
    type={"ip": {
        "url": "http://example.com/blocked.txt",
        "recurring": {"daily": {"at": "23"}}
    }}
)

# Weekly on specific day and time
edl = ExternalDynamicListsCreateModel(
    name="blocked-ips",
    folder="Shared",
    type={"ip": {
        "url": "http://example.com/blocked.txt",
        "recurring": {"weekly": {"day_of_week": "monday", "at": "12"}}
    }}
)

Usage Examples

Creating an IP List

from scm.config.objects import ExternalDynamicLists

# Using dictionary
ip_list = {
    "name": "blocked-ips",
    "folder": "Shared",
    "type": {
        "ip": {
            "description": "Blocked IP addresses",
            "url": "http://example.com/blocked.txt",
            "auth": {
                "username": "user1",
                "password": "pass123"
            },
            "recurring": {"hourly": {}}
        }
    }
}

edl = ExternalDynamicLists(api_client)
response = edl.create(ip_list)

Creating a Domain List

# Using model directly
from scm.models.objects import (
    ExternalDynamicListsCreateModel,
    DomainType,
    DomainModel,
    AuthModel,
    HourlyRecurringModel
)

domain_list = ExternalDynamicListsCreateModel(
    name="blocked-domains",
    folder="Shared",
    type=DomainType(
        domain=DomainModel(
            description="Blocked domains",
            url="http://example.com/domains.txt",
            auth=AuthModel(
                username="user1",
                password="pass123"
            ),
            recurring=HourlyRecurringModel(hourly={}),
            expand_domain=True
        )
    )
)

payload = domain_list.model_dump(exclude_unset=True)
response = edl.create(payload)

Updating a List

# Using dictionary
update_dict = {
    "id": "123e4567-e89b-12d3-a456-426655440000",
    "name": "blocked-ips-updated",
    "type": {
        "ip": {
            "description": "Updated blocked IPs",
            "url": "http://example.com/blocked-new.txt",
            "recurring": {"daily": {"at": "12"}}
        }
    }
}

response = edl.update(update_dict)

Best Practices

1. List Management

   • Use descriptive names for lists
   • Document list purposes in descriptions
   • Configure appropriate update intervals
   • Monitor list update status
   • Review exception lists regularly

2. Security

   • Use HTTPS URLs when possible
   • Implement proper authentication
   • Use client certificates when available
   • Regularly rotate credentials
   • Monitor list content changes

3. Performance

   • Choose appropriate update intervals
   • Monitor bandwidth usage
   • Use exception lists efficiently
   • Consider list size impacts
   • Monitor update job status

Related Models

• AuthModel
• RecurringModels
• TypeModels

These related models are defined within the same file and described in the Attributes section above.