Enable the
in the Direct Console

If you have access to the Direct Console Interface, you can enable the

from there.

At the direct console of the

host, press F2 and provide credentials when prompted.

Scroll to

Troubleshooting Options

and press Enter.

Select

Enable ESXi Shell

and press Enter.

On the left,

Enable ESXi Shell

changes to

Disable ESXi Shell

. On the right,

ESXi Shell is Disabled

changes to

ESXi Shell is Enabled

Press Esc until you return to the main direct console screen.

After you enable the

, you can use it from that monitor or through a serial port.

VMware vSphere SDKs and Tools 6.7