An ION 3000 device at a remote branch has suffered a critical hardware failure and must be replaced via the RMA process. The administrator has received the replacement unit. What is the correct procedure to transfer the configuration and license from the defective unit to the replacement unit to ensure minimal downtime and retention of historical data?

The "Replace Device" workflow within the Prisma SD-WAN portal is the officially sanctioned and most efficient method for handling a device replacement due to hardware failure (RMA). This procedure is designed to minimize downtime and preserve data integrity. It works by disassociating the failed device's serial number from the site and associating the new device's serial number. The existing site configuration, policies, and circuit information (the "Device Shell") are automatically applied to the new device once it connects to the controller. This retains all historical monitoring and analytics data, which is tied to the site, not the physical hardware.

A. Manual configuration is inefficient, error-prone, and circumvents the purpose of a centralized management platform. The "Replace Device" workflow handles configuration and license association automatically.
C. A critical hardware failure may prevent access to the old device for a backup. Furthermore, Prisma SD-WAN's architecture is based on centralized configuration, not local backup and restore for RMA.
D. Deleting the old device/site would permanently erase all associated historical data and require a complete, time-consuming manual rebuild, directly contradicting the goal of minimal downtime.

1. Palo Alto Networks Prisma SD-WAN Administrator’s Guide: In the "Devices" chapter, the section "Device Replacement (RMA)" details the procedure. It states, "The Replace Device workflow allows you to replace a device with a new device of the same model without having to reconfigure the device. When you replace a device, the new device inherits the configuration of the old device. The new device is associated with the same site as the old device and retains the same name." This confirms the automated transfer of configuration to the new hardware.

2. Palo Alto Networks Prisma SD-WAN Administrator’s Guide: The same "Device Replacement (RMA)" section outlines the steps: "Select the device you want to replace...From the More list, select Replace Device...Enter the serial number of the new device." This confirms that the process is initiated from the portal and requires only the new serial number to re-associate the existing site configuration.