Core files 'core.ps.######' generated when collecting vCenter Server support bundle via vSphere Client

Products

• VMware vCenter Server

Issue/Introduction

• Core dump files named core.ps.###### are observed in the /var/core/ directory of the vCenter Server Appliance.

   

• These files are generated when collecting a support bundle using the vSphere Client.

   

• The generated support bundle does not contain the commands/ps_auwwx---sort--rss.txt file.

Environment

vCenter Server 8.0 Update 3

Cause

Starting with procps-ng v3.13.7, the ps command with the --sort option requires a stack size larger than 256KB.
In vCenter Server 8.0 Update 3 and later, the default stack size for the vpxd service is limited to 256KB.
Consequently, the ps command executed by the vpxd service during support bundle generation fails with a segmentation fault due to insufficient stack size.

Resolution

vCenter Server 9.0 and later are not affected by this issue.

 

There is no functional impact on the vCenter Server operation aside from the core file generation and the missing commands/ps_auwwx---sort--rss.txt file in the bundle.

The core files can be safely removed to free up space:

rm /var/core/core.ps.*

 

Workaround:

To generate a support bundle without triggering this issue, the direct support bundle URL can be used:

https://<vCenter FQDN or IP>/appliance/support-bundle