Reset the root password

The VM restarts twice and is unreachable for about 2 to 4 minutes. Nothing on the disk is changed except root's password (and the SSH key, if you add one).

When to use it

• You forgot the root password, or the password you typed when ordering was never applied.
• You want to log in over SSH but have no key on the VM.

Available for OVHcloud VMs that are running or stopped. A stopped VM stays stopped afterwards.

Reset

1. Open the VM and choose Reset root password.
2. Type the new password twice (8 to 64 characters).
3. Optionally paste an SSH public key. It is added to root's authorized_keys, so you can log in with ssh root@<ip> without a password.
4. Read the warning and choose Reboot and reset password. The VM shows Resetting password and returns to its previous state when done.

What the password is for

The new password works for root login on the console (the VNC console on the VM page). SSH password login stays off on purpose, unless you allowed it when you ordered the VM (then the new password also works over SSH). To use SSH, add an SSH key in the same dialog or later with ssh-copy-id.

Your password is not stored

Your browser sends the password once over HTTPS. The server turns it into a one-way hash (sha512-crypt) at once, and only that hash is passed on to set the password. The password itself is never saved or written to a log. The action is recorded in your account's audit log (when, and whether a key was added), never the password or the key.

If it fails

The VM is always started from its own disk again. The VM page shows the reason; you can try again. If it keeps failing, open a support ticket.