Creating a new user on an ESXi 5.x or 6.0 host fails with the error: User name or password has an invalid format
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Article ID: 344647
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Updated On:
Products
VMware vCenter ServerVMware vSphere ESXi
Issue/Introduction
Symptoms:
Creating a new user on an ESXi host fails with the error
User name or password has an invalid format
In the %AppData%/Local/VMware/vpx\viclient-x.log file, you see entries similar to:
[viclient:Error :M: 6] YYYY-MM-DD <time> RMI Error Vmomi.Host.LocalAccountManager.CreateUser - 81443 </time><Error type="Vmomi.Fault.SystemError"> <Message>A general system error occurred: Weak password: too short.</Message> <FaultMessage> <item type="Vmomi.LocalizableMessage"> <Key>com.vmware.vim.host.LocalAccountManager.weakPassword</Key> <Arg> <item type="Vmomi.KeyAnyValue"> <Key>reason</Key> <Value>short</Value> </item> </Arg> <Message>Weak password: too short.</Message> </item> </FaultMessage> <DetailedMessage>A general system error occurred: Weak password: too short. </DetailedMessage> <Reason>Weak password: too short.</Reason> </Error> [ :ShowErr :M: 6] YYYY-MM-DD <time></time> Create User: User name or password has an invalid format
Environment
VMware vSphere ESXi 6.0 VMware vCenter Server 5.5.x VMware vSphere ESXi 5.5 VMware vCenter Server 5.0.x VMware vSphere ESXi 5.1 VMware vCenter Server 5.1.x VMware vCenter Server 6.0.x VMware vSphere ESXi 5.0
Cause
This issue is caused by one of these issues:
Special characters in the login name in the Add New User window.
The password has an invalid format or password complexity.
Resolution
To resolve this issue, view the vSphere Client log message and correct the reported error.
The most common reasons include:
Weak password: not enough different characters or classes.
Weak password: too short.
Weak password: based on a dictionary word and not a passphrase.
User name or password has an invalid format
Notes:
The user name can be invalid if it contains a special character.
The password can be invalid if it does not contain a letter, a number, and a special character.