Brocade Fabric OS: A Disabled Root Account on Legacy Releases

Source symptom

The source shows a root login rejected because the account is disabled. A password prompt appears, but no password value is present or supplied.

Legacy admin-side check

For a release that still supports root, log in with an authorized admin account and inspect:

userconfig --show root

The body’s userconfig --show show is a typo; the pictured command correctly names root. If vendor policy permits enabling root for the specific service task:

userconfig --change root -e yes
userconfig --show root

Account enablement and allowed login interfaces are separate. Check rootaccess --show where supported; do not assume enabling the account opens SSH or that broad interface access is required. The screenshot’s asterisk is retained; no factory password is reproduced.

Version and recovery limits

Broadcom removed root access starting with FOS 9.1.0; that account cannot be reactivated using this old procedure. On earlier releases it can be disabled or restricted to console-only. If admin access is also lost, the source proposes single-user recovery after restart but supplies no complete procedure. Use the exact model/release/OEM recovery process and planned outage, rather than forcing a restart based on this short note.

English references: IBM Broadcom root-login troubleshooting; Broadcom notice confirming root removal from FOS 9.1.0; Fabric OS 8.1 administration guide.