Purple Screen of Death (PSOD)

Defective CPU 0

1 of 20

Source: Christian Heigl

Mike Laverick

PSOD stands for “Purple Screen of Death”. This when an ESX vmkernel experiences a critical failure.

They are quite rare I’ve only personally experienced three since I started working with VMware in Jan, 2004.

As a light-hearted view of the product, I thought it would be fun and amusing to collect a “rogues” gallery of PSOD’s. Enjoy!

The first one is above:

Submitted by: Christian Heigl
Date: 29 May 2009
Hardware: FSC RX600 S4, 4 Quad-Cores, 128GB Memory
Build: ESX 3.5, Update 2
Cause: Defective CPU 0
Resolution: Replace CPU

1 of 20

More from this story

More from Related TechTarget Sites

Server Virtualization
Virtual Desktop
Data Center
Cloud computing

Server Virtualization
- Strike a common-sense balance when deciding what to automate
  
  Consider the many factors that determine the potential return on investment when deciding when and what to automate.
- How can I enable automated VM resource provisioning?
  
  As with many other facets of virtualization, VM resource allocation is becoming automated. Find out what tools you can use for automated provisioning.
- Columbia Sportswear's move from virtualization to private cloud computing
  
  Columbia Sportswear parlayed server virtualization into a private cloud. Along the way, it found that its management tools needed serious rethinking.
Virtual Desktop
- Citrix kills its Application Streaming feature, directs users to App-V
  
  Citrix has officially ceased development and support for its Application Streaming feature, and has directed IT pros to use Microsoft App-V instead.
- Citrix expected to tackle mobile application delivery, VDI costs
  
  As Citrix Synergy 2013 kicks off in Anaheim, attendees hope to learn about new desktop and application delivery strategies for the mobile world.
- How Microsoft RDP 8.0 addresses WAN, graphics shortcomings
  
  Microsoft's Remote Desktop Protocol improves the user experience with the release of RDP 8.0 in Windows Server 2012, but there are some limitations.
Data Center
- Data center technologies evolve to meet tomorrow's computing demands
  
  VMware's upcoming public cloud and AMD's 64-bit ARM servers are technologies for the data center that exemplify the changes in the IT industry.
- New data center cooling strategies to improve efficiency, lower costs
  
  Stagnant strategies for data center cooling will keep energy bills climbing ever higher, but a more modern approach can bring them back down to earth.
- Converged systems usher in data center transformation
  
  The rise of converged systems has brought a new level of manageability to the data center, but these integrated offerings have a few drawbacks.
Cloud computing
- Sequestration stymies federal government cloud ambitions
  
  The federal government is under mandates to consolidate data centers and deliver IT as a Service, but sequestration makes this easier said than done.
- VMware charges into public cloud IaaS fray as Dell exits
  
  Dell will discontinue its OpenStack and VMware vCloud-based public cloud offerings as VMware delivers its vCloud IaaS.
- Cloud migration obstacles remain for heavily regulated industries
  
  Financial, government and healthcare industries must overcome data security breaches and regulatory issues for a successful cloud migration.

All Rights Reserved,Copyright 2007 - 2013, TechTarget