Configure an Appliance to Display the GRUB Menu at Boot Time

You must configure an NSX appliance to display the GRUB menu at boot time if you want to reset the root password of the appliance.

Important: If the configuration is not performed after deploying the appliance and you forget the root password, resetting it is not possible.

Procedure

1. Log in to the VM as root.
2. In the /etc/default/grub file, set the GRUB_TIMEOUT_STYLE to menu or countdown.
   • If this option set to menu, then GRUB will display the menu and then wait for the timeout set by GRUB_TIMEOUT to expire before booting the default entry. Pressing a key interrupts the timeout.
   • If this option is set to countdown, then before displaying the menu, GRUB will wait for the timeout set by GRUB_TIMEOUT to expire. If ESC or F4 are pressed, or SHIFT is held down during that time, it will display the menu and wait for input. It will show a one-line indication of the remaining time.
3. In the /etc/default/grub file, change the value for the parameter GRUB_TIMEOUT.
   GRUB_TIMEOUT=4
4. (Optional) Generate a new password by running the following command:
   grub-mkpasswd-pbkdf2
5. (Optional) In the /etc/grub.d/40_custom file, replace the existing GRUB password.
   The default password is NSX@VM!WaR10.
6. Update the GRUB configuration.
   update-grub