Enable the ESXi Shell from the vSphere Web Client

If you do not have access to the Direct Console Interface, you can enable the ESXi Shell from the vSphere Web Client.

Procedure

1. Select the host, click Manage, and keep Settings selected.
2. Click Security Profile.
3. In the Services section, click Edit.
4. Select ESXi Shell.
   • To temporarily start or stop the service, click the Start or Stop button.
   • To change the Startup policy across reboots, select Start and stop with host and reboot the host.
5. Click OK.

What to do next

After you enable the ESXi Shell, you can use it through a serial port.