Original article: http://vmwaretips.com/wp/2008/10/20/acc ... e-console/ (posted by Rick Scherer)
Here is a brief write-up on how to access the Service Console of VMware ESXi. As a disclaimer, this should only be done under the direct supervision of a VMware Support Engineer.
1. From the ESXi console summary screen hit ALT-F1.
2. Enter the word “unsupported†(without quotes).
3. Enter in the root password for your system.
4. Be careful
Now edit the inetd.conf file to enable remote SSH into this console;
1. Edit /etc/inetd.conf (vi /etc/inetd.conf).
2. Remove the # sign in front of the SSH line.
3. Kill and restart the inetd process.
1.) ps -ef |grep inetd
2.) kill -HUP <pid>
# pid is the Process ID, the first number displayed from ps -ef
4. SSH into the IP of your ESXi server, using your root login/password.