• In the /var/log/vmware/vpxd/vpxd.log file, you see entries similar to:

• In the /storage/db/vpostgres/pg_log/postgresql.log file, you see entries similar to:
  
  psql.bin:  could not extend file "pg_tblspc/16392/PG_9.4_201409291/16385/8126296": No space left on device​
• Running df -h, you see entries similar to:

50G 50G 0G 100% /storage/db

For more information about log files, see Location of vCenter Server log files (1021804).

Most likely the database is holding redundant data. The redundant data that the database is holding is referred to as bloat. 

Bloat can be caused by a variety of reasons:

• Bugs in applications which connect to the database
• Long running idle transactions
• Internal database processes not aggressive enough to do database housekeeping.
• VCSA OS has lost control of the thread of the automatic database clean-up utility process

1. Reboot the vCenter Server

1. Note the percentage space full you saw when running df -h from the command line.
2. Find if the VCSA virtual machine is managed through another vCenter Server. If the vCenter Server is on a host in the cluster find which ESXi host manages the vCenter Server virtual machine. Access the host client by opening a web browser tab to the host web client at https://<host IP or FQDN>.
3. Open a console window to the VCSA VM.
4. Select to shut down the guest operating system. Do not power off.
5. After reboot wait 30 minutes  then run df -h again to check the space available.
6. If space free is not any better than before, continue with the steps below.

2. Resolving a completely full partitition

   1. If the database disk is 100% full you will have to extend it. The cleanup utility does need some space as overhead to function. Increase the disk size and extend the partition that's full on the df -h output.
   2. To increase the disk size, see Increasing the disk space for the VMware vCenter Server Appliance in vSphere 6.5, 6.7 and 7.0

3. Check for bloat

   1. Download the script attached to this KB 51981_check_bloat.sql
   2. Connect to the DB: /opt/vmware/vpostgres/current/bin/psql -U postgres -d VCDB
   3. Copy and paste the content of the file and hit enter.
   4. Check the results. If the tbloat column or the ibloat column are >25 then  schedule maintenance to reduce the bloat in this database.

To determine the top tables taking up space in the VCSA vPostgres, run this query:

SELECT nspname || '.' || relname AS "relation",
pg_size_pretty(pg_total_relation_size(C.oid)) AS "total_size"
FROM pg_class C
LEFT JOIN pg_namespace N ON (N.oid = C.relnamespace)
WHERE nspname NOT IN ('pg_catalog', 'information_schema')
AND C.relkind <> 'i'
AND nspname !~ '^pg_toast'
ORDER BY pg_total_relation_size(C.oid) DESC
LIMIT 20;

4. Remove the bloat

   1. Stop all the services:

2. Run the below command to start the vpostgres:

3. Run the command to connect to postgres service:

4. To rebuild all the tables and indexes on the database:

5. To collect new statistics for the planner to use for optimal performance

6. To quit from the path:

7. Run the command to start all the service:

The required service vmware-vpxd will not start and VCSA will be inaccessible through the client.