VCH Debug Options

The command line utility for vSphere Integrated Containers Engine, vic-machine, provides a debug command that allows you to enable VM console or SSH access to the virtual container host (VCH) endpoint VM, set a password for the root user account, and upload a key file for automatic public key authentication.

If you authorize SSH access to the VCH endpoint VM, you can edit system configuration files that you cannot edit by running vic-machine commands.

IMPORTANT: If you set a password or enable shell access on a VCH endpoint VM, these changes do not persist if you reboot the VM. You must run vic-machine debug to reenable access and reset the password each time that the VCH endpoint VM reboots.

The vic-machine debug command includes the following options in addition to the common options described in Common vic-machine Options.

--rootpw

Short name: --pw

Set a new password for the root user account on the VCH endpoint VM. Setting a password on the VCH allows you to access the VCH by using the VM console. If you also set the --enable-ssh option, you can use this password to connect to the VCH by using SSH.

When you use the password to log in to a VCH, you see the message that the password will expire in 0 days. To obtain a longer expiration period, use the Linux passwd command in the endpoint VM to set a new password. If the password expires, the VCH does not revert to the default security configuration from before you ran vic-machine debug. If you attempt to log in using an interactive password via the terminal or SSH, you see a prompt to change the password. If you are using an SSH key, you cannot log in until you either change the password or run vic-machine debug again.

Wrap the password in single quotes (Linux or Mac OS) or double quotes (Windows) if it includes shell characters such as $, ! or %.

--rootpw 'new_p@ssword'

--enable-ssh

Short name: --ssh

Enable an SSH server in the VCH endpoint VM. The sshd service runs until the VCH endpoint VM reboots. The --enable-ssh takes no arguments.

If you have already enabled SSH access but the password that you set has expired, and you then rerun --enable-ssh without specifying --rootpw, the password expiry is set to 1 day in the future and the password is preserved.

--enable-ssh

--authorized-key

Short name: --key

Upload a public key file to /root/.ssh/authorized_keys to enable SSH key authentication for the root user. Include the name of the *.pub file in the path.

--authorized-key path_to_public_key_file/key_file.pub