root@vcenter [ ~ ]# service-control --list
vmware-statsmonitor (VMware Appliance Monitoring Service)
vmware-vpxd-svcs (VMware vCenter-Services)
vmdnsd (VMware Domain Name Service)
vmware-vsan-health (VMware VSAN Health Service)
vmware-sca (VMware Service Control Agent)
vmware-cis-license (VMware License Service)
vmware-sps (VMware vSphere Profile-Driven Storage Service)
vmware-vmon (VMware Service Lifecycle Manager)
applmgmt (VMware Appliance Management Service)
vsan-dps (VMware VSAN Data Protection Service)
vsphere-client (VMware vSphere Web Client)
vmware-vsm (VMware vService Manager)
pschealth (VMware Platform Services Controller Health Monitor)
vmware-vpostgres (VMware Postgres)
vmware-vpxd (VMware vCenter Server)
vmware-rhttpproxy (VMware HTTP Reverse Proxy)
vmware-netdumper (VMware vSphere ESXi Dump Collector)
vmware-perfcharts (VMware Performance Charts)
vmware-cm (VMware Component Manager)
vmonapi (VMware Service Lifecycle Manager API)
vmware-analytics (VMware Analytics Service)
vmware-postgres-archiver (VMware Postgres Archiver)
vmware-stsd (VMware Security Token Service)
vmware-vapi-endpoint (VMware vAPI Endpoint)
vmware-sts-idmd (VMware Identity Management Service)
vmdird (VMware Directory Service)
lwsmd (Likewise Service Manager)
vmware-mbcs (VMware Message Bus Configuration Service)
vmware-updatemgr (VMware Update Manager)
vmware-vcha (VMware vCenter High Availability)
vmware-content-library (VMware Content Library Service)
vsphere-ui (VMware vSphere Client)
vmware-pod (VMware Patching and Host Management Service)
vmware-eam (VMware ESX Agent Manager)
vmcam (VMware vSphere Authentication Proxy)
vmcad (VMware Certificate Service)
vmware-imagebuilder (VMware Image Builder Manager)
vmware-rbd-watchdog (VMware vSphere Auto Deploy Waiter)
vmafdd (VMware Authentication Framework)

Stop

service-control --stop vsphere-ui

Start

service-control --start vsphere-ui

vmon-cli doesn't use the same service names like service-control. Get the names with vmon-cli -l

root@vcenter [ ~ ]# vmon-cli -s analytics
Name: analytics
Starttype: DISABLED
RunState: STOPPED
RunAsUser: root
CurrentRunStateDuration(ms): 6055122
HealthState: UNHEALTHY
FailStop: FALSE
MainProcessId: N/A

Automatic start

root@vcenter [ ~ ]# vmon-cli -U content-library -S AUTOMATIC
Completed Service State Update request.

Disable start

root@vcenter [ ~ ]# vmon-cli -U content-library -S DISABLED
Completed Service State Update request.

Use this only in labs and only if you know what you are doing

Stop & disable some services.

• analytics/vmware-analytics (VMware Analytics Service)
• updatemgr/vmware-updatemgr (VMware Update Manager)
• vsan-health/vmware-vsan-health (VMware VSAN Health Service)
• content-library/vmware-content-library (VMware Content Library Service)
• rbd/vmware-rbd-watchdog (VMware vSphere Auto Deploy Waiter)
• perfcharts/vmware-perfcharts (VMware Performance Charts)

Disable services.

for svc in analytics updatemgr vsan-health content-library rbd; do echo -n "${svc}: "; vmon-cli -U ${svc} -S DISABLED; done

Check if services are disabled:

root@vcenter [ ~ ]# for svc in analytics updatemgr vsan-health content-library rbd perfcharts; do echo -n "${svc}: "; vmon-cli -s ${svc} | awk '/Starttype/{print $2}'; done
analytics: DISABLED
vsan-dps: MANUAL
netdumper: MANUAL
updatemgr: DISABLED
vsan-health: DISABLED
content-library: DISABLED
rbd: DISABLED
perfcharts: AUTOMATIC

Stop services.

for svc in vmware-analytics vsan-dps vmware-netdumper vmware-updatemgr vmware-vsan-health vmware-content-library vmware-rbd-watchdog vmware-perfcharts; do echo -n "${svc}: "; service-control --stop ${svc} | head -n 1; done

Check if services are stopped:

root@vcenter [ ~ ]# for svc in vmware-analytics vsan-dps vmware-netdumper vmware-updatemgr vmware-vsan-health vmware-content-library vmware-rbd-watchdog vmware-perfcharts; do echo -n "${svc}: "; service-control --status ${svc} | head -n 1; done
vmware-analytics: Stopped:
vsan-dps: Stopped:
vmware-netdumper: Stopped:
vmware-updatemgr: Stopped:
vmware-vsan-health: Stopped:
vmware-content-library: Stopped:
vmware-rbd-watchdog: Stopped:
vmware-perfcharts: Running:

Find more information about optimisation on this website: virten.net: Homelab: Downsizing vCenter Server Appliance 6.5

Show all processes that use more than 100MB memory. Columns: Memory, PID, User, Command

root@vcenter [ ~ ]# ps -eo size,pid,user,cmd --sort -size | awk 'BEGIN {i=0} NR>1&&$1>102400{pid[i]=$2; size[i]=$1; user[i]=$3; cmd[i]=substr($0, index($0,$4)); i++} END {for(i in pid){printf "%8.2f MB %8i %-10s %s\n",size[i]/1024,pid[i],user[i],substr(cmd[i],1,100) }}'
 2573.27 MB     2357 vsphere+   /usr/java/jre-vmware/bin/vsphere-ui.launcher -Xmx597m -XX:CompressedClassSpaceSize=256m -Xss320k -XX
 2481.23 MB     3615 root       /usr/java/jre-vmware/bin/vmware-vpxd-svcs.launcher -Xmx789m -XX:CompressedClassSpaceSize=256m -Xss25
 2332.00 MB     2356 vsphere+   /usr/java/jre-vmware/bin/vsphere-client.launcher -Xmx597m -XX:CompressedClassSpaceSize=256m -Xss320k
 1832.45 MB     5326 root       /usr/java/jre-vmware/bin/vmware-sps.launcher -Xmx350m -XX:CompressedClassSpaceSize=128m -Xss256k -XX
 1701.73 MB     5637 root       /usr/java/jre-vmware/bin/vmware-perfcharts.launcher -Xmx261m -XX:CompressedClassSpaceSize=96m -Xss25
 1682.92 MB     1848 root       vmware-stsd -procname vmware-stsd -home /usr/java/jre-vmware -server -pidfile /var/log/vmware/sso/tc
 1550.89 MB     2200 vapiEnd+   /usr/java/jre-vmware/bin/vmware-vapi-endpoint.launcher -Xmx160m -XX:CompressedClassSpaceSize=96m -Xs
 1502.11 MB     2322 root       /usr/java/jre-vmware/bin/vmware-cm.launcher -Xmx100m -XX:CompressedClassSpaceSize=128m -Xss256k -XX:
 1500.53 MB     2186 root       /usr/java/jre-vmware/bin/vmware-cis-license.launcher -Xmx128m -XX:CompressedClassSpaceSize=64m -Xss2
 1451.59 MB     2294 eam        /usr/java/jre-vmware/bin/vmware-eam.launcher -Xmx104m -XX:CompressedClassSpaceSize=64m -Xss256k -XX:
 1434.36 MB     5334 root       /usr/java/jre-vmware/bin/vmware-vsm.launcher -Xmx96m -XX:CompressedClassSpaceSize=64m -Xss256k -XX:P
 1397.17 MB     2321 root       /usr/java/jre-vmware/bin/vmware-sca.launcher -Xmx64m -XX:CompressedClassSpaceSize=64m -Xss256k -XX:P
 1294.50 MB     1649 root       /usr/lib/vmware-vmdir/sbin/vmdird -s -l 0 -f /usr/lib/vmware-vmdir/share/config/vmdirschema.ldif
 1208.64 MB     1605 root       /usr/lib/vmware-vmafd/sbin/vmafdd -s
 1182.26 MB     1796 root       vmware-sts-idmd -procname vmware-sts-idmd -wait 120 -server -Xmx168m -XX:CompressedClassSpaceSize=16
 1066.33 MB     4472 vpxd       /usr/lib/vmware-vpx/vpxd
  975.32 MB     2226 root       /usr/lib/vmware-rhttpproxy/rhttpproxy -r /etc/vmware-rhttpproxy/config.xml -d /etc/vmware-rhttpproxy
  864.43 MB      656 root       /usr/sbin/lvmetad -f
  838.71 MB     2132 root       /usr/lib/vmware-statsmonitor/statsMonitor /etc/vmware/statsmonitor/statsMonitor.xml
  649.25 MB     1738 root       /usr/lib/vmware-vmca/sbin/vmcad -s
  521.32 MB     1549 root       /opt/likewise/sbin/lsassd --syslog
  513.09 MB     1509 root       /opt/likewise/sbin/lwregd --syslog
  464.80 MB     1593 root       /opt/likewise/sbin/dcerpcd -f
  449.10 MB     1734 root       /usr/lib/vmware-vmdns/sbin/vmdnsd -s
  431.16 MB     1355 pod        /usr/lib/vmware-pod/bin/vmware-pod /usr/lib/vmware-pod/bin/pod-twistd --pidfile /usr/lib/vmware-pod/
  385.82 MB     9438 root       /usr/sbin/rsyslogd -n
  368.44 MB     1504 root       /opt/likewise/sbin/lwsmd --start-as-daemon --syslog
  306.16 MB     2648 root       /usr/bin/python /usr/lib/applmgmt/base/bin/vherdrunner /usr/lib/applmgmt/transport/bin/serve
  296.49 MB     5203 root       /usr/lib/vmware-pschealth/sbin/pschealthd -s
  289.32 MB     2241 root       /usr/lib/vmware-vmon/vapi/vmon-vapi-provider -p 8900 -l info
  224.61 MB     1541 root       /opt/likewise/sbin/lwiod --syslog