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How to Reset Worker Root Password

KB ID: 4271
Product: Veeam Backup & Replication | 13 | 13.1
Published: 2022-01-07
Last Modified: 2026-11-11
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Purpose

This article documents how to set or reset the password for the root account on a Veeam Worker appliance. The Worker is a Rocky Linux-based virtual machine deployed as a backup infrastructure component by the following Veeam Plug-ins:

Setting the root password allows local login at the Worker's console to run commands for troubleshooting, either independently or when working with a Veeam Support engineer. On Workers deployed with Veeam Backup & Replication 13.1 and later, a temporary administrative account is created for the same purpose.

Solution

Select the procedure for your Worker version:

Worker Reboot Required
This procedure requires a reboot of the Worker appliance.
Ensure that no backup or restore jobs using this Worker are running before beginning.

Workers in 13.1 and Later

Starting with Veeam Backup & Replication 13.1, Worker appliances use a password-protected bootloader and SELinux, so the root password cannot be set using the procedure for earlier Workers. A temporary administrative account is created instead.

The bootloader credentials below only protect changes to the GRUB configuration. They are not the credentials of the root account. A Worker does not retain persistent data, so a Worker can be deleted and redeployed without losing important data.

  1. Open the console for the Worker VM via your virtualization platform's management interface, then reboot the appliance.
  2. When the GRUB menu appears during boot, select the top entry and press the e key to edit the boot parameters.
GRUB boot menu on a Veeam Worker with the first boot entry highlighted. The on-screen instructions state to press e to edit the commands before booting.
  1. When prompted, enter the following bootloader credentials:
    • Username: veeamadmin
    • Password: Veeam123qweASD!
  2. Find the line that starts with linux, press the End key to jump to the end of this line, and add: rd.break
GRUB edit screen with rd.break added, and highlighted, at the end of the line that starts with linux.
  1. Press CTRL+X to boot with the modified parameters.
  2. The VM will now boot and enter emergency mode. Execute the following commands in the provided order to mount the required file systems and chroot into the system:
mount -o remount,rw /sysroot
chroot /sysroot
mount -t proc proc /proc
mount -t sysfs sys /sys
mount -t devtmpfs dev /dev
mount -a
  1. Create a temporary administrative account and add it to the wheel group. When prompted, enter a password that meets the same complexity requirements as the Veeam Software Appliance Host Administrator account:
adduser workeruser
passwd workeruser
usermod -aG wheel workeruser
  1. Configure sudo for the account to use the unconfined SELinux role and type. Ensure that the command ends with two double quotes and uses two > characters:
echo "alias sudo=\"sudo -r unconfined_r -t unconfined_t\"" >> /home/workeruser/.bashrc
  1. Add the account to the SELinux user mapping. Ensure that the command uses two > characters:
echo 'workeruser:staff_u:s0-s0:c0.c1023' >> /etc/selinux/targeted/seusers
  1. Configure SELinux to relabel the file system on the next boot:
touch /.autorelabel
  1. Exit the chroot environment, and then exit the emergency shell to continue booting the Worker:
exit
exit
Delete the Worker After Troubleshooting

A Worker modified using this procedure must be removed once troubleshooting is complete. After the Worker is removed, a new Worker is deployed automatically when the next backup or restore session starts. For instructions, see Removing Workers in the User Guide for:

Workers Before 13.1

  1. Open the console of the Worker VM through your virtualization platform's management interface, and reboot the appliance.
  2. As the VM boots, hold [Shift] or tap [ESC] to open the GRUB menu.
  3. When the GRUB menu appears, select the top entry and press the e key to edit the boot parameters.
GRUB boot menu on a Veeam Worker with the first Rocky Linux entry highlighted. The on-screen instructions state to press e to edit the selected item.
  1. Find the line that starts with linux
GRUB edit screen showing the boot parameters, including the line that starts with linux.
  1. Press the End key on your keyboard to jump to the end of this line.
  2. At the end of the line, add: rd.break
  3. Press CTRL+X to boot with the modified parameters.
  4. The VM will now boot and enter emergency mode.
Worker console in emergency mode, showing the message "Entering emergency mode. Exit the shell to continue." and the switch_root prompt.
  1. Use the following commands to mount the system, chroot into it, and reset the password for the root account:
mount -o remount,rw /sysroot
chroot /sysroot
passwd root
exit
Console output showing the commands used to remount /sysroot as read-write, chroot into it, and reset the root account password with passwd root, followed by exit.
Example for user named admin.
  1. Once the password is updated successfully, reboot the Worker appliance.
reboot

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