ESXi hosts in the same vSphere cluster can use different root passwords

Products

• VMware vSAN

Issue/Introduction

Administrators often ask whether all ESXi hosts in the same vSphere cluster must share the same root password for proper management by vCenter Server.

This article clarifies that each ESXi host can have an independent root password without impacting vCenter Server management or vSAN cluster operations.

Environment

 

• VMware vSphere 7.x / 8.x / 9.x

• vCenter Server managing multiple ESXi hosts in a cluster (HA/DRS/vSAN enabled or disabled)

• ESXi hosts joined to the same cluster

 

Resolution

Different root passwords on ESXi hosts within the same Cluster are fully supported and do not impact vCenter management or vSAN functionality. The key requirement is to manage and safeguard each host’s credentials to ensure secure and efficient maintenance operations.