Error: Invalid username/password (KB323617)

 

Error: Invalid username/password

• 🗂️ Article ID : 323617
• 📅 Update On :  2025-02-13

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Products

VMware vSphere ESXi

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Issue/Introduction

Logging into the ESXi host CLI as 'root' fails with the message `invalid username/password`

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Environment

• 7.x
• 8.x

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Resolution

1. Login to the vCenter UI
2. Go to `Home` > `Policies and Profile` > `Host Profiles`
3. Click `Extract profile from a host`
4. In the `Extract Host Profile` wizard select the affected host
5. Name the Host Profile and click `Next` > `Finish`
6. Right click the new Host Profile and click `Edit Host Profile`
7. In the `Edit Host Profile` wizard uncheck all boxes
8. Using the search filter, search for `root`
9. Check the box for `root`
10. In the `Password` drop-down, choose `Fixed password configuration`
11. Enter the new password and click `Save`
12. Highlight the new Host Profile and from the `Actions` drop-down menu choose `Attrach Detach Hosts and Clusters` and then select the host in the wizard
13. From the Action Menu, select `Check Host Profile Compliance`
14. From the Action Menu, select `Remediate`
15. To confirm success, from the Action Menu, select `Check Host Profile Compliance`

Note : There are no tools or methods to recover the original root password of ESXi host.

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