Arista

Arista EOS Password Recovery

Recover a lost Arista EOS administrator password using the boot loader and the EOS password-recovery entry.

Overview

This guide provides step-by-step instructions for resetting lost or forgotten administrative passwords on enterprise networking hardware. Follow the procedure below carefully to regain access while preserving your device configuration.

Prerequisites

Before proceeding with password recovery, ensure you have a console cable, terminal emulation software configured to 9600 baud, and physical access to the device.

Step 1: Establish Console Connection

Connect your terminal cable to the console port of the device and open your serial terminal session.

Step 2: Interrupt the Boot Sequence

Power cycle the hardware and issue a Break key sequence during initial system startup to enter ROMMON mode.

Step 3: Reset Password & Configuration

Bypass startup configuration loading, boot into system software, set your new credentials, and save changes back to non-volatile memory.

Overview

Arista EOS provides a password-recovery boot entry that lets you reset the administrator password from the console without wiping the configuration.

Prerequisites

Recovery Steps

  1. Connect the console and reboot the switch.
  2. At the Aboot boot menu, select the EOS password recovery entry.
  3. The switch boots to a Bash prompt as root without a password.
  4. Reset the credential:
    # Cli (enter the EOS CLI) or directly remove the local user entry, then set a new password through the CLI:
    switch(config)# username admin privilege 15 secret <new-password>
  5. Save and reboot normally:
    switch# write memory
    switch# reload

Note

If your EOS release does not list a password-recovery entry, the alternative is a factory reset — back up beforehand.