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I have an ESX server without direct console access (disabled). The server has wrong ip address (broadcast ip address) and I have no way to connect to it.

How can I change this IP address or connect to my ESX server?

Edit: I have physical access to server.

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  • Can you be more clear, do you mean it has the wrong subnet mask? What's the network configuration - is this a rackmount server or a blade?
    – Dan
    Mar 19, 2014 at 10:44
  • yes. Ip is 78.111.2.16 and mask is 255.255.255.248. And this is a rackmount server.
    – S.Yavari
    Mar 19, 2014 at 10:45

3 Answers 3

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Let's assume this is a modern variant of VMware, ESXi 5.x, perhaps? Standard VMware ESX is defunct.

  • You have physical access to the server. (This is good!)
  • The management IP address of the server is incorrect. (How did that happen?)
  • You say that the console is disabled. (Not possible unless you took explicit actions to configure Total Lockdown Mode through vCenter)

Your solution, assuming ESXi and basic lockdown mode, is to login via the console and change your management network settings.

If Total Lockdown mode is enabled and the DCUI is disabled, you can only manage this host from vCenter. If access to vCenter is lost, you will need to reinstall ESXi.

If the latter is the case, please tell us how you ended up in this situation. It may help you (and others) understand how to avoid this in the future.


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  • Thank you so much. Reinstalling the ESX was my only solution.
    – S.Yavari
    Mar 19, 2014 at 13:19
  • @S.Yavari Can you explain how this happened? How did the wrong IP get set on the ESXi host?
    – ewwhite
    Mar 19, 2014 at 13:32
  • That was a typing mistake. I was typed wrong IP and ESX got it without any error or warning or prompt! Usually you can not set a wrong IP like 0.0.0.0 on a network device but ESX does not warn me about my mistake.
    – S.Yavari
    Apr 6, 2014 at 11:45
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Your question is a little sparse, but chances are you'll simply need to put a laptop onto the same range as your management IP. Then, connect it directly with a cable (No switches etc inbetween) and reconfigure the server.

Try 78.111.2.17 /29 on your laptop.

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  • Already tried. This ip is broadcast ip and I am not able to connect to it.
    – S.Yavari
    Mar 19, 2014 at 10:48
  • It'd help if you gave us all the information in your post, but .16 is the Subnet IP and not the Broadcast IP which I thought may work.
    – Dan
    Mar 19, 2014 at 10:50
  • yes 17 is subnet ip but the server has ip 16 and it is broadcast ip. I can not ping this ip.
    – S.Yavari
    Mar 19, 2014 at 10:53
  • @Dan I think he means to say "network address" ... 78.11.2.16/29 is the network address and 78.111.2.23/29 is the broadcast address. So the laptop won't be able to communicate with the ESX server as it has the network address (subnet ID).
    – blacklight
    Mar 19, 2014 at 10:53
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    @S.Yavari Try giving the laptop an address that the server will think is in it's own subnet (e.g. 78.111.2.17) but set the subnet on the laptop to 255.255.255.0
    – blacklight
    Mar 19, 2014 at 10:57
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I don’t know ESX, but on ESXi you can edit its network settings with connected KVM by pressing F2. Or on older ESXi you could press Alt+F1 to enter the local console as described here.

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  • Local console is disabled and I have no access to it.
    – S.Yavari
    Mar 19, 2014 at 10:49

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