ovftool Failed to send http data

[mluc]

Hi,

Can someone provide an indication on what is generating the following error when running ovftool to deploy a vm on a host in a vCenter?

Opening OVA source: /usr/local/path/to/ova/file.ova

The manifest validates

Opening VI target: vi://user@vCenter_ip:443/

Deploying to VI: vi://user@vCenter_ip:443/

^MTransfer Failed

^MTransfer Failed

Error: Failed to send http data

Completed with errors

The error reproduced on client setup to which I don't have access so I have no other additional logs.

Thanks.

[jordanpm]

I have solved this in the past by using the vCenter DNS name rather than the IP address but there other cause which I have not yet discovered.

[mattgb66]

I just had a similar issue with VMware Workstation on Windows uploading an image to vCenter. Turns out Workstation goes for a DNS lookup on the vCenter (even though it already has a connection) and I had a VPN running in Windows which had it looking at the wrong DNS server. Once I shut off the VPN, Workstation (and it's transfer tool) was able to upload to vCenter again.

[dgold]

"Transfer Failed" can have many reasons and without a verbose log file its not possible to tell what the reason is.

--X:logFile=mylogfile.log

[DougBaer]

I would also add

--X:logLevel=verbose

To get even more details in the log.

Note that if you are uploading to a vCenter, your machine needs to be able to "see" the ESXi host that the VM will get deployed to. This means by DNS name if the host is in the vCenter inventory that way. 

As an example, you can target a specific host like this:

ovftool  --diskMode=thin --skipManifestCheck YOUR.ova 'vi://administrator@corp.local:VMware1!@vcsa-01a.corp.local/RegionA01/host/RegionA01-COMP01/esx-05a.corp.local/'