How do you create accounts on ESXi using an LDAP backend as your central authentication server?

[draposo]

How can I get ESXi server to use myOpenLDAP backend for accounts to manage VM Guests?

[Nemasis]

ESXi itself and I believe ESX does not support any type of central user directory (LDAP, AD, etc). This would require vCenter as it can intergrate with AD, LDAP or other.

Nemasis

[draposo]

So I have to add local accounts? It doesn't seem to allow me to do that through the "Assign Permissions" applet. Is there something that I am missing?

[DCTony]

going about it that way, you will have to create local user accounts on the server and then they will show up in the permissions box. Where you have the dropdown beside server try to see if it will let you choose your domain instead of local server.

[Dave_Mishchenko]

You'll create Users / Groups on the Users and Groups tab (visible when you select the ESXi) and then assign permissions on the Permissions tab.

[draposo]

No it doesn't .. I was hoping it would, but I can say that I didn't do anything special to this box ... I didn't add it to the domain or anything. Not that I remember seeing a place to do that. I must be missing something here. I thought I could ssh in, but it doesn't let me do that either. I configured the settings to allow remote access, (I THINK!!)

[nick_couchman]

ESXi has been stripped of a lot of the stuff you expect in the ESX Service Console. There is very limited PAM support, which, as stated earlier, does not provide for LDAP authentication. There is also no SSH or Console access by default - you have to enable those, and doing so is UnSupported (VMware will not help you with it, and may refuse to support you if you screw something up using the console access). Users can be added from the VI Client, placed in roles, and assigned permissions.

[draposo]

But I can't seem to add any users via the VI client. I'm sorry if I am missing something obvious here, but I just don't see it.

[Dave_Mishchenko · Accepted solution]

See the attached image.

[draposo]

!file:///C:/Users/draposo/AppData/Local/Temp/moz-screenshot-5.jpg!I noticed in the setup intructions that I found here ... http://www.vmware.com/pdf/vi3_35/esx_3i_i/r35/vi3_35_25_3i_i_get_start.pdf?cmp=EMC-ESXiEvalActivatio... it says to create a datacenter, which you can see in my screen shot that I did not. I however, do not have the option to create one either.

[Dave_Mishchenko]

Some of the documentation refers to use of ESXi with VirtualCenter. With ESXi in stand alone mode you do not need to create a datacenter.

[draposo]

Dave,

Thank you ... I was right clicking on the users tab not an actual user ... that is all I needed ... well that and maybe a VM book for Dummies