Non-zero exit status=12 when converting from vcf to plink

[stevemussmann]

Encountered error on some systems when converting from vcf to plink format:

Writing PLINK PED and MAP files ...
Error:  Could not open temporary file.


Non-zero exit status:
12

Error seems to stem from this issue in vcftools:
vcftools/vcftools#125

Solution: write try / except block around vcf to plink file conversion code to capture exit status 12 and print recommendation to user to increase ulimit -n <int>