In Aria Operations for Logs, logging into the node through the vSphere Web Console using the root user, the system instantly redirects back to the blue login page

Products

• VCF Operations/Automation (formerly VMware Aria Suite)

Issue/Introduction

• When attempting to log in to the Aria Operations for Logs node through the vSphere Web Console using the root user, the system immediately redirects back to the blue login screen. However, entering incorrect credentials prompts an 'incorrect password' message
  
  
• Additionally, SSH access to the Aria Operations for logs appliance fails with an 'Access denied' error

Environment

VMware Aria Operations for Logs 8.18.x

Cause

• This issue occurs due to an incorrect shell path assigned to the root user in the /etc/passwd file. Specifically, the file shows:
  
  root:x:0:0:706/F/*/ Builtin account:/root:/bin/appliancesh
  
  
• Photon OS (the underlying OS of Aria Operations for Logs) requires a valid shell path for the root user. If this shell path is set incorrectly or is missing (as in the case above, where /bin/appliancesh is used), login attempts will silently fail or return to the login screen

Resolution

To resolve this issue, follow these steps:

1. Take a snapshot of the Aria Operations for Logs appliance
2. Boot into single-user mode:
    
   • In the vSphere Client, open the console of the desired node
   • Restart the virtual machine
   • When the GRUB loader menu appears, immediately press the 'e' key to enter edit mode
   • Add a space at the end of the line (after elevator=noop), then type rw init=/bin/bash to add another option to the line
   • Press F10 to start the virtual appliance in single-user mode.
     
     
3. Edit the /etc/passwd file:
   • Use vi /etc/passwd to edit the file
   • Update the root shell path to root:x:0:0:root:/root:/bin/bash
   • Save the configurations.
     
     
4. Reboot the appliance:
   • Type reboot -f to reboot the appliance
   • Try to log in using root to ensure the issue is resolved