6.5.1

Change the Password of the Root User
To prevent unauthorized access to the vCenter Server Appliance Direct Console User Interface, you can
change the password of the root user.
The default root password for the vCenter Server Appliance is the password you enter during deployment
of the virtual appliance.
I The password for the root account of the vCenter Server Appliance expires after 365 days. You
can change the expiry time for an account by logging as root to the vCenter Server Appliance Bash shell, and
running chage -M number_of_days -W warning_until_expiration user_name. To increase the expiration
time of the root password to innity, run the chage -M -1 -E -1 root command.
Procedure
1 Browse to the vCenter Server Appliance in the vSphere Web Client or the VMware Host Client
inventory.
2 Open the vCenter Server Appliance console.
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From the vSphere Web Client, on the Summary tab, click Launch Console.
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From the VMware Host Client, click Console and select an option from the drop-down menu.
3 Click inside the console window and press F2 to customize the system.
4 To log in to the Direct Console User Interface, type the current password of the root user and press
Enter.
5 Select  Root Password and press Enter.
6 Type the old password of the root user, and press Enter.
7 Set up the new password and press Enter.
8 Press Esc until you return to the main menu of the Direct Console User Interface.
You changed the password of the root user of the appliance.
Configure the Management Network of the vCenter Server Appliance
The vCenter Server Appliance can obtain networking seings from a DHCP server, or use static IP
addresses. You can change the networking seings of the vCenter Server Appliance from the Direct Console
User Interface. You can change the IPv4, IPv6, and DNS conguration.
Prerequisites
To change the IP address of the appliance, verify that the system name of the appliance is an FQDN. If,
during the deployment of the appliance, you set an IP address as a system name, you cannot change the IP
address after the deployment. The system name is always used as a primary network identier.
Procedure
1 Log in to the Direct Console User Interface of the vCenter Server Appliance.
2 Select  Management Network and press Enter.
vCenter Server Appliance Configuration
58 VMware, Inc.