Know to enable SSH to an ESXi 5 Host

To enable the ESXi Shell from the Direct Console

1
Access the direct console of the ESXi host, press F2, and provide credentials when prompted.

2
Scroll to Troubleshooting Options, and press Enter.

3
Select Enable ESXi Shell and press Enter.

On the left, Enable ESXi Shell changes to Disable ESXi Shell. On the right, ESXi Shell is Disabled changes to ESXi Shell is Enabled.

4
(Optional) Configure the time-out for the ESXi Shell

a
Select Modify ESXi Shell timeout and press Enter.

b
Enter the time-out value in minutes and press Enter.

5
Press Esc until you return to the main direct console screen.

You can enable the ESXi Shell from the vSphere Client.

To enable the local or remote ESXi Shell from the vSphere Client

1
Select the host, click the Configuration tab, and click Security Profile in the Software panel.

2
In the Services section, click Properties.

3
Select ESXi Shell and click Options.

4
Change the ESXi Shell options.

To temporarily start or stop the service, click the Start or Stop button.

To enable access permanently, click Start and stop with host. The change will take effect the next time you reboot the host.

5
Click OK.

6
(Optional) Configure the time-out for the ESXi Shell from the vSphere Client.

a
In the Configuration tab’s Software panel, click Advanced Settings.

b
In the left panel, click UserVars.

c
Locate UserVars.ESXiShellTimeOut and enter the timeout value in minutes.

d
Click OK.

After you have enabled the ESXi Shell, you can use it from that monitor or through an out-of-band network connection.

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