How to Take a SnapShot Dump of the Delphix Engine VM (KBA1387)
Background
The VM snapshot dumps (VMSN files) are useful for troubleshooting early boot hangs. If the Delphix Engine VM is hung while booting up, please gather the VM Snapshot from the vSphere client using the procedure below. The sample screenshots are from the VMWare version 4.x.
Note
a) The size of the vmsn file will be equal to the amount of memory allocated to the Delphix VM.
b) The amount of time it takes to generate the snapshot depends on the amount of memory allocated to the Delphix Engine VM
c) With ESX versions 5 and above, VProbes can be used instead of taking VMSN dumps.
Procedure
1. Get a VMSN dump by taking a snapshot of the VM after it is hung. This is done by right clicking the Delphix Engine VM in the vSphere client and selecting "Snapshot" and "Take Snapshot". Sample screenshots:
Be sure to check the box to include the virtual machine's memory. This will generate a vmsn file in the VM's working directory that is a Snapshot of the memory and processor state in the system.
2. Upload this file(vmsn file) to Delphix, this is done by browsing the Datastore hosting Delphix Engine VM and downloading the vmsn file. The Datastores can be accessed from vSphere client under "Configuration/Storage". Right click on the concerned Datastore to browse the contents. Sample screenshots:
And then right click on the vmsn file to be able to download the file. Sample screenshot:
3. Once done, destroy the snapshot. This is done by right clicking the VM and selecting "Snapshot" and "Snapshot Manager". Sample screenshot:
4. Select the snapshot to delete. Sample screenshot:
