The ESXi root password does not persist across reboots when modified by directly editing the /etc/shadow file.

Products

• VMware vSphere ESXi

Issue/Introduction

• When the /etc/shadow file is manually edited or modified via scripts to change the ESXi root password, the changes do not persist.
• Upon the next reboot, the root password reverts to its previous value, and the /etc/shadow file is restored to its earlier state.

Environment

VMware vSphere ESXi 7.x
VMware vSphere ESXi 8.x

Resolution

Modifying the ESXi root password by manually editing the /etc/shadow file is not a supported method.

To change the ESXi root password, please use one of the supported approaches listed below:

1. Through the Direct Console User Interface (DCUI)

2. Using the passwd command via SSH

3. Via the ESXi Host Client

Additional Information

Changing the ESXi host root password