softdog initiates kernel panic with a message "Kernel panic - not syncing: Software Watchdog Timer expired"

Issue

• softdog initiates kernel panic with a message "Kernel panic - not syncing: Software Watchdog Timer expired"

[6477525.259171] softdog: Initiating panic
[6477525.702386] Kernel panic - not syncing: Software Watchdog Timer expired
[6477525.702496] CPU: 0 PID: 0 Comm: swapper/0 Not tainted 3.10.0-693.el7.x86_64 #1
[6477525.702613] Hardware name: VMware, Inc. VMware Virtual Platform/440BX Desktop Reference Platform, BIOS 6.00 09/19/2018
[6477525.702782]  ffffffff81e87100 143c68aa1ac5b5b1 ffff881f80803d90 ffffffff816a3d91
[6477525.702911]  ffff881f80803e10 ffffffff8169dc54 ffff881f00000008 ffff881f80803e20
[6477525.703039]  ffff881f80803dc0 143c68aa1ac5b5b1 ffffffff00000008 ffff881f8080f8b8
[6477525.703169] Call Trace:
[6477525.703211]  <IRQ>  [<ffffffff816a3d91>] dump_stack+0x19/0x1b
[6477525.703324]  [<ffffffff8169dc54>] panic+0xe8/0x20d
[6477525.703408]  [<ffffffffc01290a0>] ? softdog_ping+0x30/0x30 [softdog]
[6477525.703512]  [<ffffffffc012910c>] watchdog_fire+0x6c/0x6c [softdog]
[6477525.703617]  [<ffffffff81097316>] call_timer_fn+0x36/0x110
[6477525.703708]  [<ffffffffc01290a0>] ? softdog_ping+0x30/0x30 [softdog]
[6477525.703813]  [<ffffffff8109982d>] run_timer_softirq+0x22d/0x310
[6477525.703911]  [<ffffffff81090b3f>] __do_softirq+0xef/0x280
[6477525.704003]  [<ffffffff816b6a5c>] call_softirq+0x1c/0x30
[6477525.704093]  [<ffffffff8102d3c5>] do_softirq+0x65/0xa0
[6477525.704179]  [<ffffffff81090ec5>] irq_exit+0x105/0x110
[6477525.704308]  [<ffffffff816b76c2>] smp_apic_timer_interrupt+0x42/0x50
[6477525.704413]  [<ffffffff816b5c1d>] apic_timer_interrupt+0x6d/0x80
[6477525.704509]  <EOI>  [<ffffffff816ab4a6>] ? native_safe_halt+0x6/0x10
[6477525.704622]  [<ffffffff816ab33e>] default_idle+0x1e/0xc0
[6477525.704711]  [<ffffffff81035006>] arch_cpu_idle+0x26/0x30
[6477525.704801]  [<ffffffff810e7bca>] cpu_startup_entry+0x14a/0x1c0
[6477525.704901]  [<ffffffff81692c57>] rest_init+0x77/0x80
[6477525.704987]  [<ffffffff81b45060>] start_kernel+0x439/0x45a
[6477525.705077]  [<ffffffff81b44a30>] ? repair_env_string+0x5c/0x5c
[6477525.705176]  [<ffffffff81b44120>] ? early_idt_handler_array+0x120/0x120
[6477525.705284]  [<ffffffff81b445ef>] x86_64_start_reservations+0x24/0x26
[6477525.705389]  [<ffffffff81b44740>] x86_64_start_kernel+0x14f/0x172