Not sure if this is documented anywhere, my link for 3.5.x is incorrect in the procedure.
To enable SSHd on ESXi 4.0:
1) At the console Hit ALT-F1
2) type “unsupported” it will not be echoed back to you
3) you’ll see a passwd prompt. Enter the root passwd for that ESXi host.
4) vi /etc/inetd.conf
5) Uncomment the line begining with “ssh tcp”
6) ps ax | grep inetd
7) kill -1 $PID_from_step_6 
type exit to log out and ALT-F2 to go back to the ESXi admin screen
Tags: vmware esxi
