If running commands remotely is disabled on an ESXi host, you cannot log in to the host by using a remote shell. You can enable running command remotely from the direct console or from the vSphere Client.

Procedure

  1. In the vSphere Client, select the host
  2. On the Configure tab, select System > Services.
  3. Select SSH.
    • To temporarily start or stop the service, click the Start or Stop button.
    • To change the startup policy, click the Edit Startup Policy button.

What to do next

After you have enabled SSH, you can log in to the ESXi Shell remotely and run ESXi Shell commands.