Configuring an ESXi host to restart after becoming unresponsive with a purple diagnostic screen

Products

• VMware vSphere ESXi

Issue/Introduction

This article provides instructions on how to configure an ESXi host to automatically restart after becoming unresponsive with a purple diagnostic screen.

Environment

VMware vSphere 6.x
VMware vSphere 7.x
VMware vSphere 8.x

Resolution

Note: The default and Broadcom recommended setting is to leave the host in an unresponsive state with the purple diagnostic screen displayed on the console screen to aid in troubleshooting.

This default behavior can be modified in cases where an automatic reboot is desired.

To modify the default behavior:

 

Using CLI : 

1. 1. Connect to the host via the command line using Secure Shell (SSH) or the direct console.
      
      Note: For more information on the procedure to access ESXi host using SSH, please refer the following KB :Using ESXi Shell in ESXi (broadcom.com)
   2. Run the command:

esxcfg-advcfg -s seconds /Misc/BlueScreenTimeout

The default value is set to "0" 
Where seconds is a numerical value. For example:

esxcfg-advcfg -s 120 /Misc/BlueScreenTimeout

Using Host Client : 

 

1. 1. Navigate to Manage > System > Advanced settings.
   2. Search for Misc.BlueScreenTimeout, click to select and edit.
   3. Enter the value for number of seconds in timeout to reboot the host ( example: 120).
   4. Click on save, to bring the setting into action ( This does not need a host reboot.).
      

Additional Information