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How To Reset VMware ESX - ESXi Root Password Using Linux ISO Gparted

This document provides steps to reset the root password for a VMware ESX/ESXi host using a Linux ISO Gparted live disk. The key steps are: 1. Boot the ESXi host from the Gparted live disk. 2. Mount the ESXi partitions and navigate to the shadow file. 3. Delete the hashed root password from the shadow file. 4. Reboot the ESXi host and log in as root without a password from the DCUI console.

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282 views

How To Reset VMware ESX - ESXi Root Password Using Linux ISO Gparted

This document provides steps to reset the root password for a VMware ESX/ESXi host using a Linux ISO Gparted live disk. The key steps are: 1. Boot the ESXi host from the Gparted live disk. 2. Mount the ESXi partitions and navigate to the shadow file. 3. Delete the hashed root password from the shadow file. 4. Reboot the ESXi host and log in as root without a password from the DCUI console.

Uploaded by

akram_alqadasiit
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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9/14/21, 3:45 AM How to Reset VMware ESX/ESXi Root Password Using Linux ISO Gparted


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VMWARE

How to Reset VMware ESX/ESXi Root Password Using


Linux ISO Gparted
by
Jamil Parvez
9 months ago  2k Views x
In this blog, I will reset VMware ESX/ESXi 6.7 root password using Linux ISO
Gparted. If you forgot the ESXi host root password, then there is no way to recover
it.VMware does not provide any utility or methods to recover the ESX/ESXi host
root password. Though I have reset the VMware ESXi root password using Linux
ISO Gparted. Before reinstalling ESXi, you can just try this method as a last option
since you are nothing to lose.

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9/14/21, 3:45 AM How to Reset VMware ESX/ESXi Root Password Using Linux ISO Gparted

Please Note: VMware does not officially support this method. VMware says that
the only supported method to reset an “ESXi host password” is by reinstalling the
host. I have tested on ESXi 6.7.

‫ كما قال عن نفسه؟‬,‫كان يسوع المسيح هو هللا‬


everyarabstudent.com

In these steps, I will be using a “Linux ISO Gparted live CD/USB/DVD/HD”, to


change the root password on my ESXi 6.7 host. We will be removing the password
hash is located in 2 partitions in order to create a new password in the DCUI
console.

Download a Live Linux ISO. Download Gparted Live ISO.


x
Burn your Gparted Live ISO to a USB or CD/DVD.

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How to create a Bootable USB/DVD Drive with Rufus. Download Rufus

Reset VMware ESX/ESXi Root Password

1- Put the Gparted Live Media (CD/DVD) to your ESXi host; make sure the ESXi
server is able to boot from CD/DVD or USB. Power on the ESXi server and then
select Gparted Live (default settings) and press enter.

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2- Configuring console-data, press enter.

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3- Press enter to continue.

x
4- Press enter.

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Here you can see 2 partitions sized 249.98MB. The “/dev/sda5 and /dev/sda6” are
what we are after assuming you installed ESXi host on the first available hard
drive/SSD.

5- GParted listing your ESXi partitions found on the primary disk.

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6- Right click on desktop, Select Terminals and then select lxterminal with root
privileges.

7- 1- sudo su

2- mkdir /boot /temp

3- mount /dev/sda5 /boot or mount /dev/sda6 /boot

4- cd /boot

5- cp state.tgz /temp

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6- cd /temp
x
7- tar –xf state.tgz

8- tar –xf local.tgz

9- rm *.tgz

10- cd etc

11- vi shadow

8- Move to the line starting with the root and Use the Delete key to delete the hash
string between the first 2 colons.

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9- After deleting the root password, type :wq and press enter.

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10- Continue by running the following batch of commands.

1- cd ..

2- tar –cf local.tgz etc/

3- tar –cf state.tgz local.tgz

4- mv state.tgz /boot

5- umount /boot

6- reboot

11- Remove the Gparted live media and boot your ESXI host.

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12- After booting ESXi host log on as root from the DCUI console without typing in
a password.

13- Now you can configure a new password.

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This method is not officially supported by VMware; the VMware doesn’t want you
to modify ESXi installation files. it works on various versions of ESXI hosts.

Written by Jamil Parvez


Jamil Pervez works as a Network Administrator, based in Kuwait with a Primary focus on Microsoft
technologies. Microsoft Certified MCSE, MCTP, MCITP, CCNP, CCIP, CCVP with 18 years experience in
administering Windows Servers, Exchange, VMWare, Veeam B&R, Veritas BackupExec.

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