Hardening the host via Console
The ESXi console is very straightforward and provides easy keyboard navigation to access basic options. The most common use of the console is to configure the management network so that the host can be accessed from the network by vCenter and directly by the vSphere client management tool.
There are two primary areas to be highlighted with regard to security:
- Troubleshooting mode
- Lockdown mode
Getting ready
ESXi 5.5 must be installed on the physical host, and we must have direct access available to the keyboard and monitor in order to proceed with the local console steps. ESXi is part of the vSphere 5.5 download file and can be found at https://my.vmware.com/web/vmware/evalcenter?p=vsphere-55.
How to do it…
Perform the following steps:
- Press any key to wake the server and change the black and gray screen to yellow. Once the system is awake, we need to log in.
- Press F2 to enter configuration mode. We'll need to enter the root password by default.
- Once the...
