— This KB applies only to ESXi 3.5 & 4.0
ESXi does not have a console VM. However in certain scenarios you may want to have access to the prompt of the Operating System. The “Tech Support Mode” can be accessed in such a case.
1 . Press Alt+F1
2. Type “unsupported” (NOTE: Nothing will be displayed but keep typing)
3. Then enter the root password when prompted
4. The console prompt will appear
5. To return type “exit”, press enter and then press Alt+F2
VMware does not recommend or support this mode unless as directed by their support professional.
