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This articles is published 491 days ago and last updated 491 days ago, some information may be out of date.

Export VM to OVA using OVF Tool on VMware ESXi

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Web Export Limitations

Utilizing the OVF Tool to export VMs as OVA files is the ideal solution to circumvent timeout issues that may arise when the VM size exceeds 2GB.

Install the Latest OVF Tool

The most recent OVF Tool version may help reduce errors, such as "Error: cURL error: SSL connect error".

Download the VMware OVF tool from the VMware website.


List VMs on Host using OVF Tool

Navigate to the OVF Tool directory in CMD (Administrator mode)

cd “C:\Program Files\VMware\VMware OVF Tool”
ovftool.exe vi://vms01.com.hk

OR

ovftool.exe vi://root:"P@ssw0rd"@vms01.com.hk
ParameterDescription
rootHost login account
P@ssw0rdHost login password
vms01.com.hkHostname or IP address

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The list of VMs available for export to OVA is displayed.

Export VM to OVA using OVF Tool

ovftool.exe  vi://root:"P@ssw0rd"@vms01.com.hk/VM_TEST c:\tools\VM_TEST.ova
"c:\tools\VM_TEST.ova": it will be saved as "VM_TEST.ova" in the "c:\tools" directory.

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Import the OVA for Test

ovftool.exe  --sourceType=OVA  -n=VM_TEST -ds=Datastorage "c:\tools\Win2019SE.ova" vi://root:"P@ssw0rd"@vms01.com.hk
ParameterDescription
--sourceType=OVASpecifies the type of the source file (OVA format)
-n=VM_TESTSpecifies the name of the target virtual machine or appliance (VM_TEST)
-ds=DatastorageSpecifies the target datastore for deployment (Datastorage)

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Conclusion

Using the OVF tool, you can package a VM or virtual appliance into a single file that includes the VM configuration settings, disk images, and other necessary files. This file can then be deployed to any VMWARE environment that supports the OVF format, allowing for easy migration and distribution of VMs.

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