vcenter-ssh-too-many-logins.md 1.3 KB
vCenter SSH - Too Many Login Attempts Troubleshooting
ssh root@vcenter
VMware vCenter Server Appliance 6.5.0.31100
Type: vCenter Server with an embedded Platform Services Controller
Received disconnect from vcenter port 22:2: Too many authentication failures Authentication failed.
I had this occur despite ensuring NTP was synced and even restarted vCenter incase I hit some sort of limit - even after vCenter came back up (and SSH was enabled) this error still plagued me.
Enabling SSH in vCenter
Enable SSH in the vCenter Appliance Manager (this is not the normal vCenter dashboard); typically https://vcenter.example.com:5480 - login using root and not your Active Directory user.
- Access > SSH Login and Bash Shell both need to be Enabled
Actual Problem
Working from home, using a VPN to access the network.
- My VPN is 10.x.x.x
- vCenter is on 172.x.x.x
Interestingly, this only occurs on vCenter; ESXI hosts can be accessed directly.
Solution
Login using a remote server on the same subnet (not my home machine).
This is not something controlled at the firewall level, but within vCenter (else you wouldn't see that terminal banner before you get kicked.)
ssh root@vcenter
When you're done using the bash shell and SSH, be sure to turn them off.