7.0

Results
You can now manage the ESXi host remotely from a console that is connected to the serial port.
Redirect the Direct Console to a Serial Port in a Host Deployed with Auto Deploy
After you redirect the direct console to a serial port, you can make that setting part of the host
profile that persists when you reprovision the host with Auto Deploy.
Prerequisites
The serial port must not already be in use for serial logging and debugging.
Procedure
1 From the , connect to the vCenter Server.
2 Select the host in the inventory.
3 Under System, select Advanced System Settings.
4 Make sure that the VMkernel.Boot.logPort and VMkernel.Boot.gdbPort fields are not set to
use the com port that you want to redirect the direct console to.
5 Set VMkernel.Boot.tty2Port to the serial port to redirect the direct console to: com1 or com2.
6 Click OK.
7 Save the host profile and attach the host to the profile. See the vSphere Host Profiles
documentation.
Results
The setting to redirect the direct console to a serial port is stored by vCenter Server and persists
when you reprovision the host with Auto Deploy.
Enable ESXi Shell and SSH Access with the Direct Console User
Interface
Use the direct console user interface to enable the ESXi Shell.
Procedure
1 From the Direct Console User Interface, press F2 to access the System Customization menu.
2 Select Troubleshooting Options and press Enter.
3 From the Troubleshooting Mode Options menu, select a service to enable.
n Enable ESXi Shell
n Enable SSH
4 Press Enter to enable the service.
VMware ESXi Installation and Setup
VMware, Inc. 216