topic ESXi 6.7 - OVF Export Fails on VMDK export in ESXi Discussions

ESXi 6.7 - OVF Export Fails on VMDK export

tubatodd — Mon, 07 May 2018 15:42:35 GMT

I just installed VMware ESXi on a Dell R620 to test with. I have an opensuse 42.3 Linux guest VM that is powered off. When I go to export as OVF I can fetch the .ovf file, but it fails to fetch the associated VMDK. In Google Chrome I get "Failed - Network Error." When I use Firefox it fetches about 80-90MB of the VMDK and then stops. There is no error shown. On the ESXi host, it shows the request for the export but does not log any actual error.

I tried downloading the VMDK via the datastore browser but that didn't fetch the actual vmdk.

Re: ESXi 6.7 - OVF Export Fails on VMDK export

msripada — Mon, 07 May 2018 16:08:12 GMT

how about ovftool?? If you try to export the vm using ovftool?

Thanks,

Re: ESXi 6.7 - OVF Export Fails on VMDK export

tubatodd — Mon, 07 May 2018 16:58:20 GMT

It looks like the ovftool worked. So this is just a web GUI issue.

Re: ESXi 6.7 - OVF Export Fails on VMDK export

msripada — Mon, 07 May 2018 19:07:40 GMT

Possibly or might be timing out extracting the data when using gui.. For large disk size, it is good to use the ovftool.

thanks,

Re: ESXi 6.7 - OVF Export Fails on VMDK export

GeeGee_NVa — Wed, 27 Jun 2018 21:09:25 GMT

I have the exact same issue..... I reported this over on the Re: Cannot export to OVA after Upgrade to 6.5 thread, as I, unfortunately, found that thread before I found this one, but the end result is exactly the same as you stated.... My only difference is the host machine I am using is an HP Proliant DL360 Gen 9 server. I should also state I'm not trying to export a Linux distribution, either, but rather, they're all Windows OS platforms..... Varying types (i.e., Windows Server 2016, Windows 10 and Windows 7 during today's attempts).

I had read (elsewhere) that OVF Tool could be leveraged to accomplish the task-at-hand, which bothers me greatly--never having used that tool before.... Looks like I need to get acquainted with it, since I don't see/hear anything which makes me believe a fix for this in the Web GUI is in the offing anytime soon.... I dislike having to resort to this, as I see the issue at-hand as a defect in the current GUI, and I shouldn't have to download a different tool, learn how to use it, (and deal with outputs different from what I am accustomed to). I mean, I guess I am 'glad' such a 'workaround' exists (it could be worse and no workaround exists), but I would like to believe something is actively being done on this particular matter--and is getting solved rather than relegating it to the back burner simply because a "workaround" exists.....

Now I have to take time out of schedule and try to get savvy enough to use OVF Tool.....

I suppose I could look at this a yet another learning experience--and making myself all the more marketable by not being stymied when hitting one brick wall--turning 90 degrees and running smack dab into another brick wall.... What quirks will I encounter with OVF Tool, I wonder....

Would be very nice to hear from someone in authority that this matter (along with the other "quirks" I mentioned on that other thread) are actively being addressed.

Best Regards,

Re: ESXi 6.7 - OVF Export Fails on VMDK export

REC007 — Wed, 27 Jun 2018 23:48:09 GMT

Hello,

I have faced the similar issue where export of vm as OVF fails however you can achieve this goal from vCenter webclient & it Works like a champ.

You can use vCenter webclient to export OVF template.

Thanks!

Re: ESXi 6.7 - OVF Export Fails on VMDK export

sccm — Tue, 06 Nov 2018 01:29:02 GMT

Hello,

I can export with vcenter standalone converter

Re: ESXi 6.7 - OVF Export Fails on VMDK export

Jmalarino — Thu, 03 Sep 2020 19:14:51 GMT

Thanks, I have the same issue and with OVFtool it works

Re: ESXi 6.7 - OVF Export Fails on VMDK export

sandeepk212ohli — Sun, 16 Jan 2022 09:52:21 GMT

share tool link

Re: ESXi 6.7 - OVF Export Fails on VMDK export

ralfklein — Sun, 16 Jan 2022 10:13:51 GMT

Hello. You are looking for this?
https://developer.vmware.com/web/tool/4.4.0/ovf

Re: ESXi 6.7 - OVF Export Fails on VMDK export

wadih999 — Mon, 25 Apr 2022 15:43:33 GMT

In my case, the reason was that there was an ISO file still attached to the virtual machine that didn't exist anymore.

So the web ui was failing silently.

I discovered that was the reason after using ovftool and trying to export it using that.

When I removed the missing ISO reference from the virtual machine settings, it would export flawlessly.