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How to ACTUALLY reset the root VCSA password

Graham1 comment8.U3Reset root passwordRoot user password expired.Root user password expires in 0 days.VCSA

A number of KB articles and posts online proved unsuccessful when I let my vCenter Server Appliance root password expire a few days ago.

This is a frustrating experience, without an operational root VCSA password, you’re unable to upgrade the VCSA and perform some other admin actions.

Here are the steps to reset the root VCSA password in version 8.0 Update 3:

  • SSH to the VCSA
  • Login as administrator@vsphere.local
  • Run: sudo passwd root
  • Enter your new password and confirm
  • To stop the password expiring in the future run: sudo chage -I -1 -m 0 -M 99999 -E -1 root
  • Exit
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Graham
Graham is a seasoned expert in VMware and Microsoft solutions, bringing deep expertise to his role at Dell Technologies. As a Senior Principal Engineer he focuses on cutting-edge virtualization and storage projects. A VMware Certified Implementation Expert, 9x VMware vExpert, and VMware User Moderator on the official VMTN forums, Graham is a trusted community resource. Connect with him on Twitter for insights! @VirtualG.uk
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Tags :8.U3Reset root passwordRoot user password expired.Root user password expires in 0 days.VCSA
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1 Comment

  1. I got stuck with this today. SSH was disabled though.
    I realized I could use the administrator@vsphere.local user to log in to the VAMI and then I was able to reset the root password. Much easier than dealing with anything via CLI.

    Reply

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