Creating a non-root account with Administrator capabilities on ESXi

Products

• VMware vSphere ESXi

Issue/Introduction

This article provides information to create a non-root account that has Administrator level privileges on ESXi.

Environment

vSphere ESXi 7.0
vSphere ESXi 8.0

Resolution

As per the ESXi Server Configuration Guide:

1. To add a user to the Users Table.
   1. Log in to the Host Client, using the root user.
   2. Click Manage
   3. Click the Security & users tab and click Users.
   4. Click Add user.
   5. Enter a user name, and a password.
   6. Click ADD.
      
      
2. Assign Permissions to a User Created for an ESXi Host.
   To perform specific activities on an ESXi host, a user must have permissions that are associated with a particular role. In the VMware Host Client, you can assign roles to users and give the users the permissions necessary to perform various tasks on the host.
   1. Right-click Host in the Host Client inventory and click Permissions.
   2. Click Add user.
   3. Click the arrow next to the Select a user text box and select the user that you want to assign a role to.
   4. Click the arrow next to the Select a role text box and select a role from the list.
   5. Select Propagate to all children or Add as group.
   6. Click Add user and click Close.

Note: System administrators and managers are strongly encouraged to review the Basic System Administration, ESXi Server Administration Guide, and Knowledge Base articles that discuss the implications of granting Administrator level access.

Additional Information