VMware ESXi License Expiration

After installing ESXi and connecting to it with VI client, a message is displayed: your license will expire in 180 days. Getting rid of this message entails entering the license key you received from VMware (when downloading ESXi) into the server. Since I learned of this from ESXi Managment, I thought it appropriate to quote the exact words I learned from: Using your vSphere Client, connect to your ESXi installation -> visit Inventory -> select your ESxi server from the left hand side -> Configuration -> Licensed Features -> click “Edit…” in the upper right -> Select “Assign a new license key to this host” -> Click “Enter Key” -> type in the license key that you got from VMware. This way you can renew license for ESXi.

How to Enable SSH in ESXi – VMware

By default you cannot SSH in VMware ESXi. Follow the steps below to enable SSH on ESXi

1. On ESXi server’s administration window where you see <F2> Configure and <F12> Shutdown/Restart options, prese ALT+F1 to enter into CLI mode

2. type  unsupported then enter.

3. on password type unsupported (if you haven’t set any password otherwise use the one which you have set) hit enter

4. Now on CLI prompt go to directory /etc

# cd /etc

5. Open config file called inetd.conf and go to the line where it show #SSH, remove # then save this file and exit

# vi inetd.conf

6. Run following command

# ps -a | grep inetd

7. which shows process id 1234 (this process id would be different for each server)

8. Kill that process

# kill 1234

9. Run inetd command

#inetd

Open SSH and login to your ESXi server.

Cheers

Sh

Reference

Enable SSH for ESXi