VMware patches lock-out bug

VMware has patched a bug that was leaving users of its ESX server virtualisation tool locked out of their systems.

The patch is considered a permanent fix for the flaw and should solve the problem of systems locking users out.

The issue is a ruminant from an earlier test build of the ESX and ESXi 3.5 Update 2 release. The test builds had been set to expire at August 12, requiring any users to upgrade to the final versions of the software.

However, the feature was not properly disabled and on Tuesday morning, users began reporting errors which were preventing virtualized systems from completing the 'power on' operation.

Initially, the errors raised fears amongst users that a security flaw had been found and exploited. The company quickly put those notions to bed and traced out the source of the flaw.

By Tuesday evening, the company had issued a temporary fix for the issue.

Users were also able to circumvent the error by pushing back the date and time settings on their systems, though doing so can often cause problems with other applications that rely on the date and time setting.