Direct root access is restricted in VCF Automation

Products

• VCF Operations/Automation (formerly VMware Aria Suite)

Issue/Introduction

When attempting to log in to the VCF Automation appliance or console directly as the root user, the connection is denied or the login fails. You may observe the following symptoms:

• Receiving "Access Denied" or "Authentication Failed" errors when using SSH for root.

Environment

 VCF Automation 9.x

Cause

Direct root access via SSH is disabled by default to align with security best practices and hardening standards. This prevents unauthorized users from gaining full administrative control through a single set of credentials and ensures an audit trail for user actions.

Resolution

To access the system with root privileges, you must first log in as a System user and then elevate your permissions. Follow these steps:

1. Log in to the appliance using SSH with the account: vmware-system-user
2. Once logged in, use the su or sudo command to elevate to root:  sudo su -
3. Enter the root password when prompted.