After the ISO completes its first boot, the VM or physical console displays a persistent PortGuardNAC menu. It shows the management IP, dashboard URL, HA role and basic service state. Use the displayed address to open the dashboard over HTTPS.
On a new hf46 ISO installation, the default username is admin and the default password is admin. These credentials are for first login only; an upgraded appliance retains its existing administrator password.
Complete MFA enrollment when prompted and change the default password immediately. The replacement must contain at least five characters and an uppercase letter. Normal administration remains blocked until the required change is complete. The dashboard and the admin console/SSH account then use that same new password.
At first boot, select console option 9 to display the unique recovery code and record it in your organization’s approved secret store. This option disappears after you confirm that the code is saved. Do not put it in support tickets or send it to helpdesk. If the code is lost, contact support for a supervised recovery procedure.
On older installations, use the authenticated password change workflow or the physical-console recovery workflow to synchronize them. Verify both a fresh dashboard login and a new SSH login before closing the case. Do not assume that an existing browser session proves the OS password changed.