Go to the ESXi console and press alt+F1

Type: unsupported  

Enter the root password

At the prompt type “vi /etc/inetd.conf”

Look for the line that starts with “#ssh” (you can search with pressing “/”)

Remove the “#” (press the “x” if the cursor is on the character)

Save “/etc/inetd.conf” by typing “:wq!”

Restart the host server.

Note: you can avoid restarting the server, but it’s no longer as easy as restarting services.sh. You need to:

Run ps | grep inetd

Look through the output for something like 1299 1299 busybox       inetd, process id 1299

Run kill -HUP <process_id>

ALT+F2 gets you back to the main management screen.