This article contains instructions and illustration on how to configure "root-login allow" using the J-Web interface.

The customer is unable to access the switch via SSH using, and they do not have access to console at the moment. They need to configure "set system services ssh root-login allow", but this will be impossible to be done any other way but via J-Web.

To configure “root-login allow” stanza using the J-Web interface, you need to click on the “Configure” tab, then navigate through CLI tools > Point and click CLI > System > Services > ssh. Then find the “Root Login” drop down menu and select “allow”. All is left to do is click on “Commit”. After clicking on “Commit”, J-Web will display a summary of the changes, and you will have to click on “Ok”. Now you will be able to access the switch via SSH using putty or any similar tool.

Please find the pictures below for illustration purposes:



Confirm the commit with "Ok":



For illustration, this is what the configuration would like like on CLI whenever this change has been successfully committed:

{master:0}[edit]
user@switch# show system services
ssh {
    root-login allow;

If the switch is still not accessible via SSH, please open a case with Juniper TAC team to troubleshoot this issue and you will need to assure Console access to the switch.

2024-06-13 : Article Created

2025-06-20: Removing QFX Series.