I have a server with vmware esxi 5.5 installed. Basically, I've noticed when I use Vsphere client and logged in as root and another person uses Vsphere client and logged in as root on the same esx host, the person can see what I'm doing. Is there a way to setup private sessions? I'd like to be able to work on my vm's and another person working on his vm as well without us looking at each others vm setup. Highly appreciate any advice. Thank you.
3 Answers
if the user wants to look into the vm I am using, I can see on top of the screen that there are two active users on the vm. I was hoping there would be some way to have individual private console sessions for each user logging into esx via vsphere client
There's an advanced option that might help you but it's per VM: Prevent Users from Spying on Remote Console Sessions
I don't know any other way.
Btw: You're talking about two persons logged in as root. In that case you don't have two active users, you have one user (root) with two sessions. However, with RemoteDisplay.maxConnections=1 you can limit the number of console sessions to one; another root session can't open one because then there would be two console sessions.
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@GregL I knew it's in the hardening guide and that's easy to find ;-) Oct 15, 2015 at 19:49
I think there's a lack of basic understanding here. The console you can view is the VM's frame-buffer, effectively it's video output if you could plug a monitor into it. It's not a virtual desktop, ssh session or similar - if you had a physical server and you plugged two monitors into the VGA port with a splitter you'd see the same output right?
What you need to do is to SSH or RDP into the VM itself, depending on VM OS of course, that way you'll have control but just for you.
If I understand what you are asking, no I'm not aware of any setting that would mask your connection to a VM's console on a host so that it doesn't show others what you are doing on a VM console if they connect as well. Nor can you prevent the event window or logs from masking or hiding your real time changes to a VM or a host.
You really shouldn't be accessing your VM's via their console for normal "work". That's what an RDP or SSH session into the VM is for. The "console" is no different than a shared KVM.
answered Oct 15, 2015 at 14:36
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Thanks, I am aware of that. Of course "after" the vm is installed and configured, that is where SSH or RDP would be useful. I guess once the vm OS is installed, the rest of the configs would be done via RDP or SSH. In that way, private session can still be established.– GPTOct 15, 2015 at 14:51
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You could restrict which accounts could see which VMs, but not if you are both using root. Or you can deploy a VM from a template and then continue config over RDP or SSH once the VM is deployed and boots. Oct 15, 2015 at 17:46
I've noticed when I use Vsphere client and logged in as root and another person uses Vsphere client and logged in as root on the same esx host, the person can see what I'm doing- What do you mean by that? How are they "seeing" what you're doing?