Reset password on Backup & Disaster Recovery appliance

Summary:Steps to reset password on Backup & Disaster Recovery appliance.
Jan 1, 2018
Jan 14, 2022
3 min read

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8.7.0 and later
8.6.x and earlier

If you lost or forgot the password to log in to the appliance Management Console, you can reset it. For this, you must have access to the appliance terminal.

8.7.0 and later

To change or reset the password on the appliance with firmware version 8.7.0 and later:

Restart the appliance.
Wait for the appliance to show the boot loader, and then press any key (except Enter and Return) to interrupt booting.

You have 5 seconds to interrupt before the appliance continues booting. Otherwise, you will have to restart the appliance again.
Select the option that starts with OS [version], and then press e to edit the commands executed before booting.
Go to the end of the line that starts with linux, enter rd.break, and then press Ctrl+X to start booting.

The appliance boots into the shell.
Check the access mode on the /sysroot mount point.

For this, run the following command:
```
mount | grep sysroot
```
- If /sysroot is mounted in the read-only mode (see ro in the command output), remount it in the read-write mode.
  
  For this, run the following command:
```
mount -o remount,rw /sysroot/
```
- If /sysroot is mounted in the read-write mode (see rw in the command output), continue with the next step.
Change the root directory.

For this, run the following command:
```
chroot /sysroot
```
Set the new password.

For this, run the following command, and follow the on-screen instructions to set the password:
```
passwd
```
Relabel the file system.

For this, run the following command:
```
touch ./autorelabel
```
Change the root directory, and then log out to continue with the normal boot.

For this, run the following commands:
```
exit
logout
```
Wait until the file system relabeling completes. This might take some time depending on the system performance and the number of files.

The appliance boots normally, and you can log in to the Management Console with the newly set password.

8.6.x and earlier

To change or reset the password on the appliance with firmware version 8.6.1 and earlier:

Restart the appliance.
Wait for the appliance to show the boot loader, and then press any key (except Enter and Return) to interrupt booting.

You have 3 seconds to interrupt before the appliance continues booting. Otherwise, you will have to restart the appliance again.
Select the option that starts with OS [version] (VGA), and then press e to edit the commands executed before booting.
Select the line that starts with kernel, and then press e.
Press Space, enter 1, press Enter, and then press b to start the shell.
Set the new password.

For this, run the following command, and follow the on-screen instructions to set the password:
```
passwd
```
Restart the appliance.

For this, run the following command:
```
reboot
```

The appliance restarts, and you can log in to the Management Console with the newly set password.