How to Reset Forgotten Root Password on Standalone ESXi Hosts

Without utilising vCenter, we walk you through the process of changing the root password on standalone ESXi hosts in this tutorial. VMware advises reinstalling the server OS in order to retrieve passwords; however, we'll demonstrate a more effective and engaging technique that lets you change the password right on the node. However, since this method necessitates launching from a live CD, be ready to shut down each virtual machine first.

🔍 What You'll Learn:
1. Prerequisites: What you need before starting the process.
2. Booting ESXi Host with Live CD: How to boot your ESXi host using a live CD, such as Ubuntu GNOME.
3. Editing the "shadow" File: Step-by-step instructions for locating and editing the critical "shadow" file that stores password information.
4. Chasing the "shadow": What to do after modifying the shadow file.
5. Accessing the Host Without a Password: How to regain access to your ESXi host without the root password after rebooting.
6. Configuring a New Password: How to set a new root password after regaining access.

⚙️ Tools & Resources:
* Rufus Tool: Tool for writing the boot CD image to a flash drive.

📺 Watch Next:
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#ESXiPasswordReset #VMware #RootPassword #ESXiSecurity #ServerManagement #ITSupport

[vuucchinh]

After vi shadow, how to edit this file, i can’t delete anything, what buttons, pls help me

[louisngounou]

It does not match with me. After unpack the stage.tgz, I get local.tgz.ve. When I use File to know the type of the file, I get that is a data file.