VMware Fusion for Mac - I was not able to export a windows virtual machine

[nicoladonatiell]

HI gurus,

I'm new with MacBook and i have installed and configured a windows virtual machine on vmware fusion (free trial for the moment)

For backup purposes i tried the following command:

./ovftool ~/Virtual\ Machines.localized/vm.vmwarevm/vm.vmx archive.ovf

The message i got is:

Opening VMX source: /Users/nicoladonatiello/Virtual Machines.localized/vm.vmwarevm/vm.vmx

Opening OVF target: archive.ovf

Writing OVF package: archive.ovf

Transfer Failed                      

Error: System error: (std::exception)

Completed with errors

What is wrong?

Thank you

Nicola

[nicoladonatiell]

I have tried to generate a log file using the following command:

./ovftool --X:logFile=log.txt  ~/Virtual\ Machines.localized/vm.vmwarevm/vm.vmx archive.ovf

i got the error message:

Error: Permission denied for file  : log.txt

Completed with errors

Thank you

[RDPetruska]

Is there an particular reason you are trying to export the virtual machine?  If you want to just back it up, or move it to another computer, just make sure the virtual machine is shut down, and at your host level, just zip up the folders and store/move the archive.

[nicoladonatiell]

HI thank you for your answer.

The reality is that i would move it from Fusion to another vm for free.

Question: what does happen when the trial period expires? I cannot access the vm anymore?

Thank you

[RDPetruska]

When the trial period ends, you cannot launch the application any longer.  Your virtual machine(s) are, to your host, merely files - think of them like documents created by a word processor.

Your errors appear to either be a permission error, or something related to the localized folder - I remember seeing some posts in this Fusion forum about issues with localized folders.

[dariusd · Accepted solution]

I suspect that the "current directory" is not a place you can store files.

Try:

   ./ovftool --X:logFile=~/Documents/log.txt  ~/Virtual\ Machines.localized/vm.vmwarevm/vm.vmx ~/Documents/archive.ovf

Note the added ~/Documents/ before log.txt and another ~/Documents/ added before archive.ovf.

Adding the ~/Documents/ to the command will cause ovftool to write the files (both the .ova file and the log file) into your Documents directory instead of attempting to write them wherever you are running ovftool from.

Hope this helps!

--

Darius

[nicoladonatiell]

Thank you!!!

IT was a wrong file address....

Rgds

Nicola