Configuring Serial Port Network Connections with SSH

Products

• VMware vSphere ESX 8.x

Issue/Introduction

SSH is not a supported protocol for direct serial port backing in VMware vSphere ESXi.

 

Environment

VMware vSphere ESX 8.x 

Cause

When configuring a virtual machine serial port for network connections in VMware vSphere ESXi, SSH is not a supported protocol for direct serial port backing. 

Resolution

While Telnet is commonly used telnet://<SERVER>:23 there are more secure alternatives include Telnet over SSL and URI authentication parameters. See Authentication Parameters for Virtual Serial Port Network Connections  for more details.