VxRail: Reset the Root Password in vCenter Server Appliance Without Reboot

Summary: This article explains how to reset a lost root password without rebooting in VMware vCenter Server Appliance (VCSA) 6.7 U1, 7.x, and 8.x.

This article applies to This article does not apply to This article is not tied to any specific product. Not all product versions are identified in this article.
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Instructions

In VMware vCenter Server Appliance (VCSA) 6.7 U1, SSO users in SystemConfiguration.BashShellAdministrator can access Bash and run sudo without a password, bridging the gap to root. By default, users log in to the appliance shell and must enable the shell to access Bash.

Select group
 
Edit group to Add user

Process to Reset the Root Password in VCSA:

  1. To connect to the VCSA over SSH, log in using administrator@vsphere.local, where vsphere.local is your default SSO domain. ​​​​​
    • If SSH is disabled, enable SSH using the VAMI (https://<vcenter_fqdn>:5480).
    • You can authenticate as administrator@vsphere.local or any other member of the SSO administrators group.
    • Enable or Disable SSH and Bash Shell Access.This hyperlink is taking you to a website outside of Dell Technologies.
  2. If this is your first time logging in, first enable the shell, then type shell to access it.
shell.set --enable true
shell 
 
enable shell
 
access shell login  
  1. Once inside the shell as the sso-user, run the following command to switch to the root shell.  
sudo -i
  1. If the root account is locked due to multiple failed login attempts, unlock it using the following command.  
pam_tally2 --user=root --reset
 
reset 

For 8.0 U2 onwards: 
/usr/sbin/faillock --user root --reset
 
Note: pam_tally2 is deprecated in Photon 4, use faillock instead.
 
  1. Once in the root shell, run passwd to change the root password.
passwd

Alternately, use the command:  
sudo passwd root
 
reset for new password
  1. After updating the password, verify access to the vCenter Server Appliance with the new credentials.
  2. To prevent this issue in the future, set the root password to never expire by running the following command.
chage -I -1 -m 0 -M 99999 -E -1 root  or at the VAMI  ( https://<vcenter_fqdn>:5480)

Additional Information

For more information, see Broadcom article Reset the root password in vCenter Server Appliance without reboot/6.7u1/7.x/8.x (321369)This hyperlink is taking you to a website outside of Dell Technologies.

Article Properties
Article Number: 000302492
Article Type: How To
Last Modified: 06 Apr 2026
Version:  3
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