With all version of VMWare ESXi, you can enter into the console menu by pressing a sudden key combination. This is also the Tech Support Mode too.

VMWare ESXi Console mode:

1. At the console, press Alt+F1
2. Type in the word “unsupported” and press enter
3. Type in the root password
4. Now you should be inside the console menu.

To exit console mode: Type “exit”

To go back to the MENU options: Press Alt+F2