How to reset iLO login password from within ESXi Shell

This is something could be useful if you are unable to recall the HP iLO login password.

Follow these steps to reset iLO password from esxi host: 

Create a file named reset_ilo_pwd.xml in tmp folder under root with the below info and add the new password in the password section:

<ribcl VERSION=”2.0″>
<login USER_LOGIN=”Administrator” PASSWORD=”password“>
<user_INFO MODE=”write”>
<mod_USER USER_LOGIN=”Administrator”>
<password value=”YOUR-NEW-PASSWORD”/>
</mod_USER>
</user_INFO>
</login>
</ribcl>

Alternatively you can create this file by copying these lines to notepad and then saving it as reset_ilo_pwd.xml file, now upload it to /tmp directory of your ESXi host using any ftp client like Winscp.

Now use the following command to commit the administrator password information from the file (reset_ilo_pwd.xml) to iLO using the below command

 ./hponcfg -f /tmp/reset_ilo_pwd.xml

This is it, now you should be able to login to iLO of your ESXi host using the password specified in the above xml file.

Additional Info: HPE offers support for the iLO features available on ProLiant servers with the HP Online iLO Configuration aka HPONCFG utility. HPONCFG can be used to set up and reconfigure the iLO (Integrated Lights-Out) management controller of a server.

HPONCFG is an online configuration tool used to set up and reconfigure iLO without requiring a reboot of the server operating system. The utility runs in a command-line mode and must be executed from an operating system command line on the local server. HPONCFG enables you to initially configure features exposed through the RBSU or iLO.

You can also use HPONCFG to reset the ILO from ESXi host and many other things.

Browse to /opt/hp/tools and execute the below command to reset the HP ILO configuration.

./hponcfg -r 

Before using HPONCFG, the iLO Management Interface Driver must be loaded on the server. HPONCFG displays a warning if the driver is not installed.

In case if its not already present on the server, you may download and install from following links: 

* HPE ESXi Utilities Offline Bundle for VMware vSphere 6.0 *

https://support.hpe.com/hpsc/swd/public/detail?swItemId=MTX_296f7134edb64f83822c7de198#tab-history

* HPE ESXi Utilities Offline Bundle for VMware vSphere 6.5 *

https://support.hpe.com/hpsc/swd/public/detail?swItemId=MTX_6be6cedecfee4ffe9f6c808711#tab-history 

That's it... :)