Linux : How to restart vmtoolsd cleanly.

Few time we see that vmtools process can't be starting properly. We have to find if it is used by some process of not.

Restart the vmtoolsd after kill the process.

#-> cat /var/log/messages| grep -i tool
Oct 14 14:27:43 SAS_SYSTEM ansible-command: Invoked with warn=True executable=None _uses_shell=True _raw_params=#/etc/init.d/vmware-tools status;date;uptime removes=None creates=None chdir=None
Oct 14 17:42:02 SAS_SYSTEM init: vmware-tools post-stop process (26407) terminated with status 1
Oct 14 23:15:02 SAS_SYSTEM init: vmware-tools post-stop process (30772) terminated with status 1


[root@SAS_SYSTEM:/var/adm/install-logs]#
#-> #/etc/init.d/vmware-tools status
Checking vmware-tools...
vmware-tools    start/running

[root@SAS_SYSTEM:/var/adm/install-logs]#
#-> ps -ef |grep -i vmtoolsd
root      7519  6939  0 18:00 pts/1    00:00:00 grep -i vmtoolsd
[root@SAS_SYSTEM:/var/adm/install-logs]#


[root@SAS_SYSTEM:/var/adm/install-logs]#
#-> ps -ef |grep -i vm
root       351     2  0 Jun01 ?        00:00:00 [vmw_pvscsi_wq_2]
root       916     2  0 Jun01 ?        00:04:00 [vmmemctl]
root      7642  6939  0 18:01 pts/1    00:00:00 grep -i vm

lsof |grep -i vmtoolsd

[root@SAS_SYSTEM:/var/adm/install-logs]#
#-> lsof |grep -i vmtoolsd
[root@SAS_SYSTEM:/var/adm/install-logs]#

Is this physical or SDDC server

SDDC

#/etc/vmware-tools/services.sh  status

[root@SAS_SYSTEM:/var/adm/install-logs]#
#-> #/etc/vmware-tools/services.sh status
vmtoolsd is not running
[root@SAS_SYSTEM:/var/adm/install-logs]#

#/etc/vmware-tools/services.sh  start

[root@SAS_SYSTEM:/var/adm/install-logs]#
#-> #/etc/vmware-tools/services.sh start
[root@SAS_SYSTEM:/var/adm/install-logs]#
#-> #/etc/vmware-tools/services.sh status
vmtoolsd is not running
[root@SAS_SYSTEM:/var/adm/install-logs]#

#/etc/vmware-tools/services.sh  restart

#/etc/vmware-tools/services.sh  stop

#/etc/vmware-tools/services.sh  start

[root@SAS_SYSTEM:/var/adm/install-logs]#
#-> #/etc/vmware-tools/services.sh restart
Stopping VMware Tools services in the virtual machine:
   Guest operating system daemon:                          [  OK  ]
   VGAuthService:                                          [  OK  ]
   VMware User Agent (vmware-user):                        [  OK  ]
   Unmounting HGFS shares:                                 [  OK  ]
   Guest filesystem driver:                                [  OK  ]
   VM communication interface socket family:               [WARNING]
   VM communication interface:                             [WARNING]
[root@SAS_SYSTEM:/var/adm/install-logs]#
#-> #/etc/vmware-tools/services.sh status
vmtoolsd is not running
[root@SAS_SYSTEM:/var/adm/install-logs]#
#-> #/etc/vmware-tools/services.sh stop
Stopping VMware Tools services in the virtual machine:
   Guest operating system daemon:                          [  OK  ]
   VGAuthService:                                          [  OK  ]
   VMware User Agent (vmware-user):                        [  OK  ]
   Unmounting HGFS shares:                                 [  OK  ]
   Guest filesystem driver:                                [  OK  ]
   VM communication interface socket family:               [WARNING]
   VM communication interface:                             [WARNING]
[root@SAS_SYSTEM:/var/adm/install-logs]#
#-> #/etc/vmware-tools/services.sh start
[root@SAS_SYSTEM:/var/adm/install-logs]#
#-> #/etc/vmware-tools/services.sh status
vmtoolsd is not running


Check any process is holding the vmtools process.

[root@SAS_SYSTEM:/var/adm/install-logs]#

lsof |grep -i tool

[root@SAS_SYSTEM:/var/adm/install-logs]#
#-> lsof |grep -i tool
nbdisco    2784      root  mem       REG             253,10  7876150     110784 /usr/openv/lib/libvCloudTools.so
nbdisco    2784      root  mem       REG             253,10 11624190     110746 /usr/openv/lib/libnbuVmwareTools.so
sapcimb   47221      root  DEL       REG              253,7              240710 /usr/lib/vmware-tools/lib64/libvmGuestLib.so/libvmGuestLib.so
[root@SAS_SYSTEM:/var/adm/install-logs]#


Here 47221 is holding the vmtools process.

[root@SAS_SYSTEM:/var/adm/install-logs]#
#-> ps -ef |grep -i 47221
root      9544  6939  0 18:09 pts/1    00:00:00 grep -i 47221
root     47221  2962  0 Jun22 ?        00:00:00 /usr/sap/hostctrl/exe/sapcimb -format flat -tracelevel 1 -nonull -continue-on-error -metadata -enumi -namespace root/cimv2 -class SAP_MetricValue
[root@SAS_SYSTEM:/var/adm/install-logs]#

#kill -9 47221     

[root@SAS_SYSTEM:/var/adm/install-logs]#
#-> ps -ef |grep -i 47221
root      9739  6939  0 18:10 pts/1    00:00:00 grep -i 47221
[root@SAS_SYSTEM:/var/adm/install-logs]#

#/etc/vmware-tools/services.sh restart

[root@SAS_SYSTEM:/var/adm/install-logs]#
#-> #/etc/vmware-tools/services.sh status
vmtoolsd is running
[root@SAS_SYSTEM:/var/adm/install-logs]#

ps -ef |grep -i vmtoolsd

[root@SAS_SYSTEM:/var/adm/install-logs]#
#-> ps -ef| grep -i tool
root     11333     1  0 18:11 ?        00:00:00 /usr/sbin/vmtoolsd
root     11580  6939  0 18:11 pts/1    00:00:00 grep -i tool
[root@SAS_SYSTEM:/var/adm/install-logs]#
#-> ps -ef| grep -i tool
root     11333     1  0 18:11 ?        00:00:00 /usr/sbin/vmtoolsd
root     11580  6939  0 18:11 pts/1    00:00:00 grep -i tool
[root@SAS_SYSTEM:/var/adm/install-logs]#