OVF Tool User Guide

OVF Tool User’s Guide
Open Virtualization Format Tool 4.4

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Contents
About This Book 6
1 Overview of the OVF Tool 8

The Open Virtualization Format 8
The OVF Standard 8
Benefits of OVF 8
Using the VMware OVF Tool 9
VMware Platforms Using the OVF Standard 9
Setting Up the OVF Tool 9
OVF Tool Highlights 9
Examples of OVF Tool Use 10
Importing and Exporting OVF Using vSphere Client 10
VMware OVF Tool Delta Disk Facilities 10
2 Using the VMware OVF Tool 12

Definitions and Command Syntax 12
Run VMware OVF Tool From the Command Line 12
Run OVF Tool With ESXi and vCenter Target Locations 13
Deploy a Virtual Machine to Static DVS Port Group 14
Command-Line Options 14
Creating and Using the VM ID 21
Specifying Disk ID to Set Size 22
Specifying the Storage Profile ID 23
More Help Topics 23
Using the Log Settings 23
Specifying a Locator 24
File Locators 25
Using URIs as Locators 25
vSphere Locators 26
vCloud Director Locators 28
Partial Locators 29
Configuration Files 32
Handling Authentication 32
Launching the OVF Tool as a Helper Process 33
3 Examples of OVF Tool Syntax 34

Supported File Types and Package Formats 34
Changing File or Package Formats 36
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Converting an OVF Package to an OVA Archive 36

Converting an OVA Archive to OVF Package 36
Converting VMX Format to an OVF Package 36
Converting VMX Format to an OVA Archive 36
Converting an OVA Archive to VMX Format 36
Converting an OVF Package to VMX Format 36
Installing an ESXi host from an OVF Package 37
Installing an ESXi host from an OVF Package on a Web Server 37
Installing an ESXi host or Adding Files from a VMX Format 37
Installing a vCenter Server or Adding Files from an OVF Package 37
Converting a VM on ESXi or vCenter Server to an OVF Package 37
Installing vCenter Server from an OVF Package Using an Inventory Path 38
Setting OVF Package Properties 38
Setting OVF Properties When Deploying to vSphere or vCloud Director 38
Setting OVF Network Maps When Deploying to vSphere 38
Setting a vService Dependency 39
Modifying an OVF Package 39
Renaming the OVF Package 39
Omitting Disks in the VMware OVF Tool Output 39
Compressing an OVF Package 39
Chunking or Splitting OVF Packages 39
Deploying OVF Packages 40
Deploying an OVF Package Directly on an ESXi Host 40
Deploying an OVF Package to vCenter Server 40
Deploying an OVF Package and Powering It On 40
Deploying an OVF Package into vCloud Director 41
Deploying an OVF Package into a vApprun Workspace 41
Importing an OVF Package 41
Importing an OVF File into a vCloud instance 41
Importing a Virtual Machine from vSphere to vCloud 42
Importing VMX Files into a vApprun Workspace 42
Exporting Virtual Machines to OVF Packages 42
Exporting a Virtual Machine from a vCloud instance to an OVF Package 42
Exporting a Running Virtual Machine or vApp from vSphere 42
Exporting a vApprun Entity to an OVF Package 42
Displaying Summary Information 43
Validating an OVF 1.0 or OVF 1.1 Descriptor 43
Downloading an OVF Package from a Protected Web Site 43
Using a Proxy 43
Overwriting a Running Virtual Machine or vApp from vSphere 44
Canceling the VMware OVF Tool While it Is Running 44
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4 OVF Package Signing 45

Creating an RSA Public/Private Key Pair and Certificate 45
Signing an OVF Package 46
Validating an OVF Package 47
5 Using the VMware OVF Tool Probe Mode 48

About OVF Tool Probe Mode 48
Example of Probe Mode 48
6 Using the VMware OVF Tool Machine Mode 50

About Machine Mode 50
Running Machine Output 51
Running machineOutput in Probe Mode 51
Running machineOutput in Validate Host Mode 51
Running machineOutput in Import to vSphere Mode 51
Running the Machine Mode Export from vSphere Operation 52
Example Output 53
Output from Running machineOutput in Probe Mode 53
Output from Running machineOutput in Validate Host Mode 55
Output from Running machineOutput in Import Mode 56
Output from Running machineOutput in Export Mode 57
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About This Book
This OVF Tool User’s Guide provides information about how to use VMware® OVF Tool to package
virtual machines and vApps into Open Virtualization Format (OVF) standard packages.
Revision History
A revision occurs with each release of the product, or as needed. A revised version can contain minor or
major changes. Table 1-1. Revision History lists the versions of this manual.
Table 1-1. Revision History

Revision Description
04/2020 Updated with new flags and features for vSphere 7.0 release.
04/2019 Clarified OVF Tool with ESXi as target.
05/2018 OVF Tool 4.3.0 User’s Guide. Large upload retry, SHA digest fix, NVM and PMEM, Curl update, better
logging, VBS and TPM support.
10/2016 OVF Tool 4.2.0 User’s Guide. New options for SSL version and cipher list, NVRAM support for EFI boot.
02/2016 Mention need for explicit extraConfig flags on ESXi hosts.
03/2015 OVF Tool 4.1.0 User’s Guide. Added DVS port group, and --proxy option for vSphere or vCloud.
12/2014 Increased Open SSL compatibility version to 1.0.1j. See http://www.openssl.org/news/vulnerabilities.html.
10/2014 OVF Tool 4.0.0 User’s Guide. Added --allowAllExtraConfig and --decodeBase64 command line options.
06/2014 OVF Tool 3.5.2 User’s Guide. Increased security for Open SSL.
04/2014 OVF Tool 3.5.1 User’s Guide.
08/2013 OVF Tool 3.5.0 User’s Guide. Includes new command line options.
08/2012 OVF Tool 3.0.1 User’s Guide.
08/2011 OVF Tool 2.1 User’s Guide.
06/2010 OVF Tool 2.0.1 Guide.
05/2009 OVF Tool 1.0 Guide.
Intended Audience
This book is intended for anyone who needs to convert an OVF package to a virtual machine, or a virtual
machine to an OVF package. Users typically include: system administrators, software developers, QA
engineers, and anyone who need to package or unpackage virtual machines using open industry
standards.
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Document Feedback
VMware welcomes your suggestions for improving our documentation. If you have comments, send your
feedback to [email protected].
Technical Support and Education Resources

The following sections describe some technical support resources available to you. To access the current
version of this book and other information, go to http://code.vmware.com/tool/ovf.
OVF Tool Users’ Forum
To post questions about OVF Tool, go to the OVF Tool Forum at http://code.vmware.com/forums/3086#.
Support Offerings
To find out how VMware support offerings can help meet your business needs, go to http://
www.vmware.com/support/services.
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1
Overview of the OVF Tool
Open Virtualization Format (OVF) is an industry standard to describe metadata about virtual machine
images in XML format. VMware OVF Tool is a command-line utility that helps users import and export
OVF packages to and from a wide variety of VMware products.
This chapter includes the following topics:
n The Open Virtualization Format
n Using the VMware OVF Tool
n Examples of OVF Tool Use
The Open Virtualization Format

VMware implemented a tool for importing and exporting virtual machines in OVF standard format.
The OVF Standard

The OVF specification describes a secure, portable, efficient, and flexible method to package and
distribute virtual machines and components. It originated from the Distributed Management Task Force
(DMTF) after vendor initiative. Companies that contributed to the OVF standard include VMware, Dell, HP,
IBM, Microsoft, XenSource, and Citrix.
Version 1.1 was published in January 2010, which supersedes the 1.0 specification published April 2009,
and is available on the DMTF Web site, along with a white paper.
n Specification: http://www.dmtf.org/standards/published_documents/DSP0243_1.1.0.pdf
n Whitepaper: http://www.dmtf.org/standards/published_documents/DSP2017_1.0.0.pdf
Benefits of OVF
Using OVF to distribute virtual machines has the following benefits:
n Ease of use. When users receive a package in OVF format, they do not have to unzip files, execute
binaries, or convert disk formats. Adding a vApp can be as simple as typing a URL and clicking
Install.
n Virtual hardware validation. OVF supports fast and robust hardware validation. You do not have to
install a complete virtual machine before determining whether it is compatible with an ESXi host (for
example, because it uses IDE virtual disks).
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n Metadata inclusion. Additional metadata, such as an end-user license agreement, can be packaged
with the OVF and displayed before installation.
n Optimized download from the Internet. Large virtual disks are compressed for fast download and to
reduce disk space for large template libraries.
Using the VMware OVF Tool

The VMware OVF Tool is available on many platforms and can be downloaded if not built into a product.
VMware Platforms Using the OVF Standard

VMware supports the OVF standard on the following platforms:
n Use the OVF Tool 3.x for vSphere 4.0 and later, vCloud Director 1.5, 5.1, and 5.5, vCloud Director 1.0
(for OVF and OVA types only), vCenter 2.5 and later, ESX 3.5 and later, VMware Server 2, VMware
Workstation 6.0 and later, and VMware Fusion 3.0 and later.
n OVF 0.9 is supported for import and export by VirtualCenter 2.5 and later, and ESX 3.5 and later.
n VMware Studio 1.0 and later can generate OVF packages.
OVF support is built into the vSphere Client that installs from, and is compatible with vCenter 5.0 and
ESXi 5.0, vCenter 4.0 and ESX 4.0. It is also built into the vSphere Client that installs from and is
compatible with VirtualCenter 2.5 and later, and ESX 3.5 and later. The vSphere 5.1 Web Client includes
the 3.x version of the VMware OVF Tool as part of the Client Integration Plug-in.
Setting Up the OVF Tool
You can find the latest information about System Requirements, supported VMware software and
platforms, installation, and known issues by reading the latest release notes located at the following web
page: www.vmware.com/support/developer/ovf.
OVF Tool Highlights

The OVF Tool provides the following key features:
n Supports import and generation of OVA packages (OVA is part of the OVF standard, and contains all
the files of a virtual machine or vApp in a single file.)
n Directly converts between any vSphere, vCloud Director, VMX, or OVF source format to any vSphere,
vCloud Director, VMX, or OVF target format
n Accesses OVF sources using HTTP, HTTPS, FTP, or from a local file
n Deploys and exports vApp configurations on vSphere 4.0 (and all newer) targets and on vCloud
Director 1.5 (and all newer) targets
n Provides options to power on a VM or vApp after deployment, and to power off a virtual machine or
vApp before exporting (caution advised)
n Show information about the content of any source in probe mode
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n Provides context sensitive error messages for vSphere and vCloud Director sources and targets,
showing possible completions for common errors, such as an incomplete vCenter inventory path or
missing datastore and network mappings
n Provides an optional output format to support scripting when another program calls OVF Tool
n Uses new optimized upload and download API (optimized for vSphere 4.0 and newer)
n Signs OVF packages and validates OVF package signatures
n Validates XML Schema of OVF 1.0 and OVF 1.1 descriptors
n Import and export of OVF packages into a vApprun 1.0 workspace.
For more information about vApprun, see http://labs.vmware.com/flings/vapprun.
Examples of OVF Tool Use

OVF import and export are built into the vSphere Client and the vSphere Web Client, and various other
enterprise oriented VMware products.
For VMware products without built-in OVF support, or when you need to accomplish specialized OVF
operations, you can download the OVF Tool over the Web.
Importing and Exporting OVF Using vSphere Client

Using the vSphere 5.0 or 4.0 Client, you can import an OVF package and export a vApp into an OVF
package. For example, to import an OVF package using vSphere Client 4:
Click File > Deploy OVF Template.
For example, to export a vApp into an OVF package using vSphere Client 4:
Click File > Export OVF Template > Export.
Using the vSphere Client 2.5, you can import an OVF virtual machine into an ESXi host and export a
virtual machine to an OVF file (note that vSphere Client 2.5 is limited to OVF 0.9). For example, to import
an OVF vApp into an ESXi host using vSphere Client 2.5:
Click File > Virtual Appliance > Import .
For example, to export a virtual machine to an OVF file using vSphere Client 2.5:
Click File > Virtual Appliance > Export .
OVF packages imported or exported by OVF Tool are completely compatible with packages imported or
exported by the vSphere Client or the vSphere Client.
VMware OVF Tool Delta Disk Facilities

VMware OVF Tool automatically compresses disk files. In the streaming VMDK files that OVF Tool
generates, the tool compresses each 64KB disk grain. It is possible to achieve even better compression
using the --compress option. In addition, if a package contains multiple virtual machines, it is possible to
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compress an OVF package even more using a technique called delta disk compression. This
compression algorithm is invoked using the --makeDeltaDisks option.
ovftool --makeDeltaDisks package.ovf output-dir/
Delta disk compression identifies disk segments that are equal and combines these equal parts in a
parent disk. This process prevents storing the same segment twice.
As an example, consider a software solution that consists of an Apache Web server virtual machine and a
MySQL database virtual machine, both installed on top of a single-disk Ubuntu server. The two virtual
machines were created with the following process:
1 Create a plain Ubuntu installation on one virtual machine.
2 Clone the virtual machine.
3 Install Apache on the first virtual machine.
4 Install MySQL on the second virtual machine.
Using delta disk compression on the two virtual machine disks creates a parent disk containing all of the
information they share, which is essentially the entire operation system and two child disks containing the
MySQL and Apache parts.
A plain Ubuntu server can use 400–500MB of space, and two would use 800–1000MB of space. By
contrast, using delta disk compression, an OVF package with these two servers uses only 400–500MB
(plus the size of the MySQL and Apache installations), which saves 400–500MB by not duplicating the
Ubuntu server.
Any number of disks can be combined creating various disk trees and saving more space.
vSphere 4 and later support the deployment of OVF packages that contain delta disk hierarchies.
For delta disk compression, keep in mind the following:
n Only disks with equal capacity can be combined. If you expect to use delta disk compression, you
must keep disk capacities equal.
n Delta disk compression necessitates that segments that might be put in a parent disk are at the same
offset from the beginning of their respective files. In the Ubuntu example, if the setup varies between
the two installations, it can completely offset each segment on one of the disks from the segments on
the other disk. In this case, delta disk compression does not produce any significant disk space
savings. This is why the example specified cloning the Ubuntu server before installing the MySQL
and Apache parts, respectively.
n Delta disk compression takes OVF packages and vSphere and VMX files as input, but not OVA
packages.
n The delta disk compression algorithm needs to read the contents of each disk up to two times. It
might make sense to invoke OVF Tool on a local copy of the OVF package.
n The delta disk compression algorithm always generates an OVF package in the given output
directory. To convert this OVF package into an OVA package, reinvoke OVF Tool.
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2
The VMware OVF Tool is a command-line utility that supports importing and exporting of OVF packages,
VMX files, or virtual machines from ESXi hosts and other VMware products.
n Definitions and Command Syntax
n Command-Line Options
n Specifying a Locator
n Configuration Files
Definitions and Command Syntax

A source location or source URL locator refers to an OVF package, VMX file, or virtual machine in a
VMware product, such as VMware Workstation, vSphere ESXi Host, vSphere vCenter Server, vCloud
Director, or vFabric Data Director.
A target location or destination URL locator specifies either a file location, or a location within a VMware
product, such as VMware Workstation, ESXi, vCenter Server, vCloud Director or vFabric Data Director.
Run VMware OVF Tool From the Command Line
Procedure
1 At the command-line prompt, run the OVF Tool as follows
ovftool <source locator> <target locator>
<source locator> and <target locator> are paths to the source and target for the virtual
machine, OVF package, OVA package, or vSphere location. See Command-Line Options for options.
Table 2-1. OVF Tool Definitions of Source and Target Locators describes the source and target
locators. For details, see Specifying a Locator.
If you are using an operating system where spaces are not allowed in paths on the command line,
and need the full path to run OVF Tool, enclose the path in quotes as shown below:
"/Applications/VMware OVF Tool/ovftool" --help
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2 If you want to specify additional options, type them before the source and target locators.
ovftool <options> <source locator> <target locator>
3 To display all options, type ovftool -h.
Probe mode allows you to investigate the contents of a source. To invoke probe mode, use the
ovftool command with only a source and no target. OVF Tool prints information about the source
such as hardware, EULA, and OVF properties.
ovftool <options> <source locator>
Use probe mode to examine an OVF package before deploying it. For example, you can examine the
download and deployment sizes, determine the set of networks to be mapped, determine the OVF
properties to be configured, read the EULA, and determine the virtual hardware requirements.
The probe operation is fast, as it only needs to access the OVF descriptor. It does not need to
download the entire OVA or VMDK files. Probe mode also validates the certificate if the source is
signed. For details about Probe Mode and sample output, see Chapter 5 Using the VMware OVF Tool
Probe Mode.
Run OVF Tool With ESXi and vCenter Target Locations

If you are deploying with the ovftool command targeting vCenter Server, you can use the command line
options in the table below to specify parameters when you deploy.
If you are deploying with the ovftool command targeting an ESXi host, you must “inject” the parameters
into the resulting VM when it is powered on. This is because the ESXi host lacks a cache to store the
OVF parameters, as with vCenter Server. Therefore, you must use the --X:injectOvfEnv debug option
with the --poweron flag in the command line if you are deploying a virtual machine targeting ESXi.
Example below. (You can also do this using the Create a VM from an OVA/OVF option in the ESXi host
client, then browse to the .ova file.)
>./ovftool/ovftool\
--name="Cloudvm_2074586_with_inject"\
--X:injectOvfEnv\
--X:logFile=ovftool.log\
--X:logLevel=trivia\
--acceptAllEulas\
-ds=cl-storage-1\
-dm=thin\
--net:'Network 1=VM Network'\
--X:enableHiddenProperties\
--noSSLVerify\
--allowExtraConfig\
--machineOutput\
--prop:vami.netmask0.VMware_vCenter_Server_Appliance=255.255.255.0\
--prop:guestinfo.cis.appliance.net.prefix=24\
--prop:guestinfo.cis.appliance.net.gateway=X.X.X.123\
--prop:guestinfo.cis.appliance.time.tools-sync=True\
--prop:vami.gateway.VMware_vCenter_Server_Appliance=X.X.X.123\
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--prop:guestinfo.cis.appliance.net.dns.servers=X.X.X.1,X.X.X.2\
--prop:vami.ip0.VMware_vCenter_Server_Appliance=X.X.X.145\
--prop:guestinfo.cis.appliance.root.passwd=vmware\
--prop:guestinfo.cis.appliance.net.addr=X.X.X.145\
--prop:vami.DNS.VMware_vCenter_Server_Appliance=X.X.X.1,X.X.X.2\
--prop:vami.vmname=vmc-srm-vc10\
--prop:guestinfo.cis.appliance.root.shell=/bin/bash\
--prop:guestinfo.cis.vmdir.first-instance=True\
--prop:guestinfo.cis.appliance.ssh.enabled=True\
--prop:guestinfo.cis.appliance.net.mode=static\
--prop:guestinfo.cis.appliance.net.addr.family=ipv4\
--prop:guestinfo.cis.vmdir.domain-name=vsphere.local\
--prop:guestinfo.cis.vmdir.password=vmware\
--powerOn\
--X:waitForIp\
http://<directory_w/cloudvm>/VMware-vCenter-Server-Appliance-6.0.0.XXXX-XXXXXXX_OVF10.ovf\
vi://root:pwd@vm_name
You will need to replace the variables (IP addresses, build numbers, root password, and VM names) in
the above example with values from your own system.
Deploy a Virtual Machine to Static DVS Port Group

At this time, you can not use the OVF Tool to deploy a virtual machine to a static port group.
To work around this issue:
Procedure
1 Use vCenter Server to create an ephemeral port on the desired network.
2 Deploy the appliance to that port group on an ESXi host.
3 Switch the appliance over to that static port group.
4 Use vCenter Server to delete the ephemeral port group.
Command-Line Options
For every command, you specify the source and target locators. Table 2-1. OVF Tool Definitions of
Source and Target Locators defines each locator type.
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Table 2-1. OVF Tool Definitions of Source and Target Locators

Locator Definition
<source locator> Path to the source, which must be either a virtual machine, vApp, vApprun workspace
entity, or an OVF package.
The source locator can be one of the following:
n A path to an OVF or OVA file (a local file path, or an HTTP, HTTPS, or FTP URL).
n A virtual machine (a local file path to a .vmx file).
n A vSphere locator identifying a virtual machine or vApp on vCenter, ESXi, or VMware
Server.
n A vCloud Director locator identifying a virtual machine or a vApp in vCloud Director.
n A local file path to a vApprun workspace entity.
<target locator> The target locator can be one of the following:

n A local file path for VMX, OVF, OVA, or vApprun workspace.
n A vSphere locator identifying a cluster, host, or a vSphere location.
n A vCloud Director locator identifying a virtual machine or a vApp in vCloud Director.
Table 2-2. OVF Tool Command-Line Options shows all the command-line options.
Options perform actions only between certain source and target types. Table 2-2. OVF Tool Command-
Line Options shows which source and target types each option works with. If you specify an option using
an irrelevant source or target type, the command does nothing.
All options can be set using the form --option=value.
Binary options can be enabled or disabled explicitly. For example: --option=true, --option=false.
Table 2-2. OVF Tool Command-Line Options

Option's Long Name Source Target
(and Short Name) Types Types Description
--acceptAllEulas OVF, N/A Accepts all end-user licenses agreements (EULAs) without being
OVA prompted. Binary option.
--allowExtraConfig Lets you specify the extra config options that can be converted
to .vmx format. These options are a security risk as they control low-
level and potentially unsafe options on the VM. Each option must be
specified using a series of key value pairs (sometimes referred to as
a white list).
--annotation All Adds annotation to vi, vmx, vapprun, vCloud, OVF, and OVA source
locators.
--authdPortSource vSphere vSphere Overrides default VMware authd port (902) when using a host as
source or as target.
--authdPortTarget vSphere vSphere Overrides the default VMware authd port (902) when using a host as
target.
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Table 2-2. OVF Tool Command-Line Options (continued)

--chunkSize N/A OVF, OVA Specifies the chunk size to use for files in a generated OVF or OVA
package. The default is not to chunk.
If you don’t specify a unit for chunk size, the chunk size is assumed to
be in megabytes (mb). Accepted units are b, kb, mb, gb. Example:
2gb or 100kb.
When using this option, all output files (except the OVF descriptor,
manifest and certificate files) are sliced into the specified chunk size.
This is useful if you need to transport an OVF package on a series of
800MB CD-ROMs, or are only able to create files up to 2GB on
FAT32 file systems.
When you use chunking with the OVA package option, the result is
similar to OVF because all files are chunked, but the OVA package is
still a single file.
--compress N/A OVF, OVA Compresses the disk when given an OVF or OVA target locator. The
value must be between 1 and 9. Use 9 for the slowest processing
time, but best compression. Use 1 for the fastest processing time, but
least compression.
--computerName Sets the computer name in the guest virtual using the syntax --
computerName:<VMID>=<value>.
Only applies to vCloud targets of version 5.5 or later.
--configFile vSphere vSphere Specifies a configuration file containing long-name options and
settings. Useful for scripting, this overrides the local ovftool.cfg in
the current directory, which overrides the global configuration file in
$HOME/ovftool.cfg on Linux and OS X, or C:\Users\%USER%
\AppData\Roaming\VMware\ovftool.cfg on Windows.
--coresPerSocket Specifies the distribution of the total number of CPUs over a number
of virtual sockets using the syntax --
coresPerSocket:<VMID>=<value>. Only applies to vCloud targets
of version 5.5 or later.
--datastore or -ds N/A vSphere Target datastore name for a vSphere locator.
--decodeBase64 Enables Base64 decoding for values in the OVFTool command line.
--defaultStorageProfile The storage profile for all VMs in the OVF package. The value should
be an SPBM profile ID. Only applies to VI targets of version 5.5 or
later.
-- The storage profile for all VMs in the OVF package. The value should
defaultStorageRawProfile be a raw SPBM profile. The value overwrites that in --
defaultStorageProfile. Only applies to VI targets of version 5.5 or
later.
--deploymentOption OVF, N/A Deployment options for a deployed OVF package, if the source OVF
OVA package supports multiple options. An OVF package can contain
several deployment configurations. This option allows you to select
which configuration to use when deploying to the vSphere target.
--disableVerification OVF, N/A Skips validation of signature and certificate. Binary option.
OVA
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--diskMode or -dm N/A VMX, Select target disk format. Supported formats are: monolithicSparse,
vApprun,vSphere monolithicFlat, twoGbMaxExtentSparse, twoGbMaxExtentFlat,
seSparse (vSphere target), eagerZeroedThick (vSphere target), thin
(vSphere target), thick (vSphere target), sparse, and flat.
--diskSize Sets the size of a VM disk in megabytes using the syntax --

diskSize:<VMID>,<diskInstanceID>=<value>. Only applies to
vCloud targets of version 5.5 or later.
--eula N/A OVF, OVA Inserts the EULA in the first virtual system or virtual system collection
in the OVF. If the EULA is in a file, use this format: --
eula@=filename
--exportFlags Specifies the source of an export. The supported values for vSphere
source are: mac, uuid, and extraconfig. The supported value for
vCloud source is preserveIdentity. You can provide one or more
options, separated by commas.
--extraConfig N/A All Sets an ExtraConfig element for all VirtualHardwareSections. This
option applies to vi, vmx, vapprun, vCloud, ovf, and ova source
locators.
The syntax is –:extraConfig:<key>=<value>
--fencedMode vCloud If a parent network exists on a vCloud target, this option specifies the
connectivity to the parent. Possible values are bridged, isolated,
allowIn, allowInOut, allowOut.
--help or -h N/A N/A Prints the VMware OVF Tool message that lists the help options.
--hideEula OVF,OVA N/A Does not include the EULA in the OVF probe output. Binary option.
--I:morefArgs vSphere vSphere Integration option. Interpret arguments for networks, datastores, and
folders as VIM Managed Object Reference identifiers (type:id) for
vSphere source and destination locators.
--I:sourceSessionTicket vSphere vSphere Integration option. Specifies the session ticket used for authenticating
the vSphere source locator.
--I:targetSessionTicket vSphere vSphere Integration option. Specifies the session ticket used for authenticating
the vSphere target locator.
--ipAllocationPolicy OVF,OVA N/A IP allocation policy for a deployed OVF package. Supported values
are: dhcpPolicy, transientPolicy, fixedPolicy, or fixedAllocatedPolicy.
In OVF descriptors, you can specify a VMware specific IP assignment
policy that guides the deployment process by expressing which of the
policies the OVF package supports. Only values listed in the OVF
descriptor are supported when the OVF or OVA package is deployed.
--ipProtocol OVF, N/A Specifies which IP protocol to use. For example, IPv4, IPv6. As with
OVA the ipAllocationPolicy option, you can specify which IP version
this OVF package uses when it is deployed. Use only the values
listed in the OVF descriptor.
--lax OVF, N/A Relax OVF specification conformance and virtual hardware
OVA compliance checks. (For advanced users only.)
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--locale OVF, N/A Selects the locale for the target.

OVA
--machineOutput N/A N/A Outputs OVF Tool messages in a machine readable format. Binary
option.
--makeDeltaDisks OVF, Must be directory Use delta disk compression to create an OVF package from a disk
vSphere, source. Binary option.
VMX,
vApprun
-- The maximal virtual hardware version to generate.

maxVirtualHardwareVersion
--memorySize Sets the memory size in megabytes of a VM using the syntax --

memorySize:<VMID>=<value>. Example: --
memorySize:vm1=1024. Applies to VI and vCloud targets of version
5.5 or later.
--multiDatastore:dsk=ds OVF, vSphere Allows multi-disk VM deployment onto separate datastores. Use this
OVA option as many times as needed The VM disk is placed on datastore
ds as follows, where vmname is the name specified by --name option
or in the OVF file, and vmdisk is specified in the OVF disk section by
ovf:diskId.
[ds] vmname/vmdisk1.vmdk
--name or -n N/A All Specifies the target name. Defaults to the source name.
--net OVF, N/A Sets a network assignment in the deployed OVF package. For
OVA example, --net:<OVFname>=<target name>. OVF packages
contain symbolic names for network names which are assigned with
this option.
For multiple network mappings, repeat the option, separating them
with a space, for example, --net:s1=t1 --net:s2=t2 --
net:s3=t3.
If the target is vCloud 5.5 or later, a fence mode can also be specified
using the syntax --net:<OVFname>=<targetName>,<fenceMode>.
Possible fence mode values are: bridged, isolated, and
natRouted.
--network or -nw OVF, N/A Target network for a vSphere deployment. Use this option in place of
OVA the --net option when only one network exists in the OVF package.
This option maps the symbolic OVF name to the specified network
name.
--nic Specifies NIC configuration in a VM using the syntax --

nic:<VMID>,<index>=<OVFnetName>,<isPrimary>,<ipAddressi
ngMode>,<ipAddress>.
Possible values for ipAddressingMode are: DHCP, POOL, MANUAL,
and NONE. ipAddress is optional and should only be used when
ipAddressingMode is set to MANUAL.
Only applies to vCloud targets of version 5.5 or later.
VMware, Inc. 18

--noDisks N/A All Creates and uploads the virtual machine or vApps but does not
upload any disk files. Disks are created empty. (Disables disk
conversion.)
--noImageFiles N/A All Creates and uploads the virtual machine or vApps but does not
upload ISO files to a CD-ROM. That is, does not include image files
in destination.
--noNvramFile vSphere vSphere Skips the NVRAM file when exporting a VM to OVF or deploying OVF
to a VM. It does not download the NVRAM file during VM export, nor
does it upload the NVRAM file during deployment or OVF import.
--noProxyVerify vCloud vCloud Do not check the proxy's SSL certificate, as is done by default.
--noSSLVerify vSphere vSphere Skip SSL verification for vSphere connections. As of version 4.4 you
can skip source or destination with either --noSourceSSLVerify or
--noDestinationSSLVerify instead.
--numberOfCpus Sets the number of CPUs for a VM using the syntax --

numberOfCpus:<VMID>=<value>. Applies to VI and vCloud targets
--overwrite or -o N/A All Forces an overwrite of existing files. Binary option.
--packageCert OVF OVA Packages an OVF into OVA with a required signature file, as-is,
instead of generating one. This is the only way to create an OVA with
a certificate file in it, resulting in a signed package.
--parallelThreads=N vSphere vSphere Upload to the host, or from the host, in parallel using N threads.
VMX<=>OVF, OVF<=>VI, VMX<=>VI, but not OVA. N may be a
number from 1 to 100 but should approximate the number of CPU
cores minus one.
--powerOffSource vCloud, N/A Ensures that a virtual machine or vApp is powered off before
vSphere importing from a vSphere source. Binary option.
--powerOffTarget N/A vCloud, vSphere Ensures that a virtual machine or vApp is powered off before
overwriting a vSphere target. Binary option.
--powerOn N/A vCloud, vSphere Powers on a virtual machine or vApp deployed on a vSphere target.
Binary option.
--privateKey N/A OVF, OVA Signs the OVF package with the given private key (.pem file). The file
must contain a private key and a certificate.
--privateKeyPassword N/A OVF, OVA Password for the private key. Used in conjunction with --privateKey
if the private key requires password authentication. If required but not
specified, the tool prompts for the password.
--prop OVF, N/A Sets a property in the deployed OVF package. For example, --
OVA prop:<key>=<value>. Use probe mode to learn which properties an
OVF package can set. For multiple property mappings, repeat the
option, separating them with a blank, for example, --prop:p1=v1 --
prop:p2=v2 --prop:p3=v3.
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--proxy OVF, OVF, OVA, Specifies and enables a proxy for HTTP, HTTPS, FTP, vSphere, and
OVA, vCloud, vSphere vCloud access. The proxy is expressed as the URL to the proxy. For
vCloud, example, for proxy.example.com, the option value is:
vSphere https://proxy.example.com:345
OVF Tool supports proxies that require authentication. If you do not
provide credentials in the URL, the OVF Tool prompts you for them.
The --proxy flag enables both vSphere (VI) and vCloud proxies.
--proxyCert=vcdCert vCloud vCloud Specifies the certification file for vCloud.
--proxyNTLMAuth OVF, OVF, OVA, Enables support for the NTLM authentication and security protocol.
OVA, vCloud, vSphere NT LAN Manager is the authentication protocol used on networks that
vCloud, include systems running the Windows operating system and on
vSphere stand-alone systems.
--quiet or -q N/A N/A Prints only errors. No other output is sent to the screen. Binary
option.
--requireSignature OVF, OVF, OVA A certificate file (signature) must be present for the package when
OVA reading (probing) or opening a package.
--schemaValidate OVF, N/A Validates OVF descriptor against the OVF schema. Binary option.
OVA
--shaAlgorithm sha1, Use this option to condense with Secure Hash Algorithm (SHA) for
sha256, manifest validation, digital signing, and OVF package creation. Can
sha512 be either sha1 (SHA-1), sha256 (SHA-256), or sha512 (SHA-512).
The default value is sha256.
--skipManifestCheck OVF, N/A Skips validation of the OVF package manifest. Binary option.
OVA
--skipManifestGeneration N/A OVF, OVA Skips generation of the OVF package manifest. Binary option.
--sourcePEM File path to a Privacy Enhanced Mail (.pem) file used to verify
vSphere connections.
Example: --sourcePEM:<filename>.pem
--sourceSSLThumbprint vSphere N/A SSL thumbprint of the source. OVF Tool verifies the SSL thumbprint
that it receives from the source, if this value is set.
--sourceType or -st OVF, N/A Explicitly expresses that the source is OVF, OVA, VMX, VMX,
OVA, vSphere, vCloud, ISO, FLP, or vApprun.
VMX,
VMX, VI,
vCloud,
ISO,
FLP,
vApprun
--sslCipherList Allows override of the default cipher list.

Diffie-Hellman is disabled by default.
--sslVersion Either TLSv1_0, TLSv1_1, or TLSv1_2.

The TLSv1_0 protocol is disabled by default.
VMware, Inc. 20

--storageProfile Sets the storage profile for a VM using the syntax --

storageProfile:<VMID>=<value>. Applies only to vCloud targets
--targetPEM File path to a Privacy Enhanced Mail (.pem) file used to verify
vSphere connections.
Example: --targetPEM:<filename>.pem
--targetSSLThumbprint N/A vSphere SSL thumbprint of the target. OVF Tool verifies the SSL thumbprint
that it receives from the target, if this value is set.
--targetType or -tt N/A OVF, OVA, VMX, Explicitly express that the target is OVF, OVA, VMX, VMX, vSphere,
VI, vCloud, ISO, vCloud, ISO, FLP, or vApprun.
FLP, vApprun
--vCloudTemplate Create only a vAppTemplate.
--vService OVF, N/A Set a dependency on a vService provider in the OVF package, using
OVA the following syntax:
--vService:<dependencyId>=<providerId>
--verifyOnly All N/A Do not upload the source; just verify it. This applies only to vSphere
4.
--version or -v N/A N/A Shows version information for OVF Tool. Binary option.
--viCpuResource N/A vSphere Specify the CPU resource settings for VI locator targets. The syntax
is:
--viCpuResource=<shares>:<reservation>:<limit>
--viMemoryResource N/A vSphere Specify the memory resource settings for vSphere locator targets.
The syntax is:
--viMemoryResource=<shares>:<reservation>:<limit>
--vmFolder or -vf N/A vSphere The target virtual machine folder in vSphere inventory (for a
datacenter).
--X:ignoreLinkLocalIp vSphere vSphere While waiting for an IPv4 or IPv6 address,ignore a link local address,
169.254.0.0/16 or fe80::/10.
--X:skipContentLength N/A N/A Avoids sending the Content-Length header in HTTP(S) requests. This
is the default option for vCloud targets.
--X:waitForIpv4 vSphere vSphere Have OVF Tool wait for an IPv4 address to be sure the network is
initialized.
--X:waitForIpv6 vSphere vSphere Have OVF Tool wait for an IPv6 address to be sure the network is
initialized.
Creating and Using the VM ID

When the parameters for one of the command line options includes the VM ID, this id refers to an
attribute in the OVF descriptor file. Specifically, it is the id attribute of the VirtualSystem element that will
appear in the OVF file that describes the VM you want to create or customize. If you are creating a VM,
VMware, Inc. 21
you need to specify the id in the descriptor file. For example, the id of the VM specified in the descriptor
fragment below is vm1.
<ovf:VirtualSystem ovf:id="vm1">
<ovf:Info>A virtual machine</ovf:Info>
<ovf:Name>WinServer2012</ovf:Name>
<ovf:OperatingSystemSection ovf:id="74" vmw:osType="windows8Server64Guest">
<ovf:Info>Specifies the operating system installed</ovf:Info>
<ovf:Description>Microsoft Windows Server 2012 (64-bit)</ovf:Description>
</ovf:OperatingSystemSection>
........
For example, you need to use the VM ID when specifying the size of the memory for a VM.
> --memorySize:vm1=1024
If you are customizing an existing VM, look at the descriptor file to get the VM ID. You can also have the
ovftool read an ovf file and extract the IDs before importing or deploying it.
>ovftool --verifyOnly --machineOutput <src ovf>
Specifying Disk ID to Set Size

When specifying disk sizes, you will need to specify the instance ID as well as the VM ID. The instance ID
is the value of RASD InstanceID element of the virtual hardware section element describing the disk that
should be resized.
<ovf:DiskSection>
<ovf:Info>Virtual disk information</ovf:Info>
<ovf:Disk ovf:capacity="4" ovf:capacityAllocationUnits="byte * 2^20"
ovf:diskId="disk1" ovf:fileRef="disk1-file"
ovf:format="http://www.vmware.com/interfaces/specifications/vmdk.html#streamOptimized"/>
</ovf:DiskSection>
<ovf:VirtualSystem ovf:id="vm1">
.......
<ovf:VirtualHardwareSection>
<ovf:Info>Virtual hardware requirements</ovf:Info>
<ovf:Item>
<rasd:AddressOnParent>0</rasd:AddressOnParent>
<rasd:Description>SCSI Hard disk</rasd:Description>
<rasd:ElementName>SCSI Hard disk 1</rasd:ElementName>
<rasd:HostResource>ovf:/disk/disk1</rasd:HostResource>
<rasd:InstanceID>2000</rasd:InstanceID>
<rasd:Parent>2</rasd:Parent>
<rasd:ResourceType>17</rasd:ResourceType>
</ovf:Item>
.......
In the above example specifying instance ID “2000” (without quotes) would cause the disk with id “disk1”
(without quotes) to be resized: --diskSize:vm1,2000=256 (set the size to 256).
VMware, Inc. 22
Note that if multiple disk devices are backed by the same disk (i.e. the OVF contains multiple disk RASD
items that refer to the same disk) you must specify the new size for all of these disk elements, not just
one. Sharing disks between VMs is not common, but allowed in the OVF spec.
Note that you cannot shrink disks.
Specifying the Storage Profile ID

When you specify a storage profile, the ID refers to the UID of the storage profile in the vCD cell. This can
be obtained using the vCD REST API.
More Help Topics

For more help, type: --help <topic>, where topics are:
locators : detailed source and destination locator syntax
debug : lists the debug settings
examples : examples of usage
config : syntax of configuration files
integration : list of options primarily used when you execute the ovftool from another tool or shell script
Using the Log Settings

Use the OVF Tool’s log options if you are not seeing the results you expect. The log options allow you to
see the operations of the OVF Tool, and send the results to the console or to a file.
Two of the most commonly used options are: --X:logFile and --X:logLevel.
n Use the --X:logFile=<filename> option to log the complete ovftool session to a file
n Use the --X:logLevel=<level> option to control the verbosity of the logs
For example, you can use a command similar to this to write the log in a file called ovftool-log.txt:
>ovftool --X:logFile=ovftool-log.txt --X:logLevel=verbose LAMP.ovf vi://localhost/

Datacenter/host/Cluster
The following table lists all of the log options.
Log Option Use option to:
--X:logFile=<filename> Log internal events to a specified log file.
--X:logLevel=<level> Log level. Valid values are: none, quiet, panic, error, warning, info,
verbose, and trivia).
--X:logToConsole Log internal events to console
--X:logTransferHeaderData Add transfer header data to the log. Use with care. Default value is false
The OVF Tool includes 22 other debug options, that you can set to retrieve specific data. You can see all
of the debug options and their definitions by running ovftool --help debug.
VMware, Inc. 23
Specifying a Locator
A source or target locator points to a specific resource. Locators must specify a protocol, which defines
how to reach the resource. Supported protocols are file access, vSphere, HTTP, HTTPS, and FTP.
File locators can point to an OVF package (.ovf or .ova), a virtual machine (.vmx). HTTP, HTTPS, or a
vApprun workspace entity. FTP locators can point to OVF and OVA files. The resource type is determined
from the filename suffix, unless one or both of the options --sourceType and --targetType are used
explicitly.
vSphere locators can point to various resource types: virtual machines, vApps, hosts, clusters, or
resource pools. For a source locator, the resource type must be a virtual machine or vApp. For a target
locator, the resource type must be a host, cluster, or a resource pool. A vSphere locator is used for a
vSphere server, vCenter Server, VMware Server, or an ESXi host.
At the command line, type --help locators to display the online help for locators.
Table 2-3. Source Locator and Table 2-4. Target Locator list the default extensions of the different source
and target types, as well as which protocols are supported.
Table 2-3. Source Locator

Default
File
Source Type Extension Protocol Example
OVF .ovf File, HTTP, HTTPS, FTP /ovfs/my_vapp.ovf
OVA .ova File, HTTP, HTTPS, FTP /ovfs/my_vapp.ova
VMX .vmx File /vms/my_vm.vmx
vApprun N/A File ~/my_vApprun_workspace/MyVM
vCloud Director N/A HTTPS vcloud://username:[email protected]/ \

org=MyOrg&vdc=MyVDC&catalog=MyCatalog \
&vapp=myVapp
vSphere N/A vSphere vi://username:pass@localhost/my_datacenter/vm/ \

my_vms_folder/my_vm_name
Table 2-4. Target Locator

File
Target Type Extension Protocol Example
OVF .ovf File /ovfs/my_vapp.ovf
OVA .ova File /ovfs/my_vapp.ova
VMX .vmx File (Source must be a /vms/my_vm.vmx

single virtual machine)
vApprun N/A File ~/my_vApprun_workspace/MyVM
VMware, Inc. 24
Table 2-4. Target Locator (continued)

File
Target Type Extension Protocol Example
vCloud Director N/A HTTPS vcloud://username:[email protected]/ \

org=MyOrg&vdc=MyVDC&catalog=MyCatalog \
&vapp=myVapp
vSphere N/A vSphere (If the vSphere vi://username:pass@localhost/my_datacenter/vm/ \

target locator is on a VMware my_vms_folder/my_vm_name
Server system, or directly on

an ESXi host, the source must
be a single virtual machine)
File Locators
File locators are the same for source and target. They are specified using ordinary path syntax.
Windows Path Syntax

On Windows, paths are specified as either absolute or relative.
This is an example of an absolute path on Windows:
C:\folder1\folder2\package.ovf
These examples show relative paths on Windows:
..\folder1\package1.ovf
package1.ovf
Linux and Mac OS Path Syntax

On Linux, paths are specified, similarly, as either absolute or relative.
The following is an example of an absolute path on Linux:
/folder1/folder2/package.ovf
The following are examples of relative paths on Linux:
../folder1/package1.ovf
package1.ovf
Using URIs as Locators

It is possible to specify file locations as a URI by prefixing the path with file://, as shown in the
following examples:
file://c:\folder1\folder2\package.ovf (Absolute, Windows)

file:///folder1/folder2/package.ovf (Absolute, Linux)
file://package.ovf (Relative for both Windows and Linux)
VMware, Inc. 25
Encoding Special Characters in URL Locators

When you use URIs as locators, you must escape special characters using % followed by their ASCII hex
value. For instance, if you use a “@” in your password, it must be escaped with %40 as in vi://foo:b
%40r@hostname, and a slash in a Windows domain name (\) can be specified as %5c.
HTTP, HTTPS, and FTP Locators

You can use HTTP, HTTPS, and FTP to refer to an OVF package (OVF or OVA file) on a Web server. You
can only use these protocols to specify a source locator. In the following syntax, protocol is HTTP,
HTTPS or FTP:
protocol://username:password@host:port/<path to OVF package>
It is possible to omit the user name and password from the locator. If needed, OVF Tool prompts you for
them. If you use the standard port, it is not necessary to specify the port. Table 2-5. Standard Ports shows
the standard ports.
Table 2-5. Standard Ports

Protocol Port
HTTP 80
HTTPS 443
FTP 21
vSphere Locators
vSphere source locators point to a virtual machine or vApp within the virtual infrastructure. The vSphere
target locator provides all required information for importing an OVF package or virtual machine into a
cluster, host or resource pool. Both source and target locator use the same syntax:
vi://<username>:<password>@<host>:<port>/<search-term>
The server name and port can designate either a vCenter server, VirtualCenter server, VMware Server, or
an ESXi host. If you omit credentials, in which case OVF Tool prompts you for them. Default installations
of vCenter Server, VirtualCenter, and ESXi use port 443. If you are using the default port, you do not need
to specify it. When using OVF Tool against a VMware Server, you must explicitly specify port 8333, which
is the default port for VMware Server.
The search term has the following format:
<path>[?<query>=<value>]
If a query is not given, a VC inventory path lookup is performed using the specified path. Otherwise, the
object matching the query is used. The meaning of the query depends on the object type. Table 2-6.
Source and Target Values for All Query Types shows the different values that you can use in the query
field.
VMware, Inc. 26
Table 2-6. Source and Target Values for All Query Types
Name Query Source Target
BIOS bios BIOS ID of a virtual machine BIOS ID of a host
Datastore ds Datastore path to a virtual machine N/A
IP Address ip IP address of a virtual machine IP address of a host
DNS dns DNS name of a virtual machine DNS name of a host
Mo-Ref moref Managed object reference (vSphere Managed object reference (vSphere
specific identifier) of a virtual machine specific identifier) of a host, cluster, or
or vApp resource pool
Table 2-7. Examples of Query Values shows example values for each query type.
Table 2-7. Examples of Query Values

Name Query Example Value
BIOS bios vi://localhost?bios=234290984
Datastore ds vi://localhost/TestDatacenter?ds=[foo]/myvm/myvm.vmx
IP Address ip vi://localhost?ip=123.231.232.232
DNS dns vi://localhost?dns=production-vm3.example.com
Mo-Ref moref vi://localhost?moref=vim.VirtualMachine:vm-23423
Note: For the same VM, the Managed Object Reference (MoRef) will be different for vCenter Server than it is for the
ESXi host. For instance, the same VM can have a MoRef of ‘vm-92’ in vCenter Server and ‘118’ in the ESXi host. Also
note that the syntax contains ‘vm-’ for a vCenter Server MoRef. When the Motif is defined by vCenter Server, you can
see it in the browser address and use it directly. The OVF Tool script doesn't define and parse the format of a MoRef.
You can enter a partial source locator if you do not know the entire inventory path. In this case, the tool
fails but suggests possible inventory path completions.
Specifying the Inventory Path to a Virtual Machine or vApp

To specify an inventory path for a virtual machine or vApp, use the following syntax:
<datacenter name>/vm/<folders>/<vm or vApp name>
or
<datacenter name>/host/<resource pool path>/<vm or vApp name>
The use of the vm tag after the datacenter name specifies that you are locating a virtual machine or vApp
in the VM and Template view. Use the host tag after the datacenter name if you are locating a virtual
machine or vApp in the Host and Clusters view.
The following example shows an inventory path without any folders:
MyDatacenter/vm/MyVM
The following example shows an inventory path with two nested folders:
MyDatacenter/vm/Folder 1/Sub Folder/MyVM
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Specifying the Inventory Path for a Cluster, Host, or Resource Pool

You can specify an inventory path for a host or a resource pool. You can nest resource pools similar to
folders. To specify an inventory path for a host or a resource pool as part of target locators, use the
following syntax:
<datacenter name>/host/<host name>/Resources/<resource pool>
n host and Resources. Fixed parts of the path.
n Resources. Specify only when a resource pool is specified.
n <resource pool>. Can take the value of one or more nested resource pools. If no resource pools
are specified, the default resource pool for the host is used.
The following example is of an inventory path without a specified resource pool:
vi://username:pass@localhost/my_datacenter/host/esx01.example.com
The following example is of an inventory path with a specified resource pool:
vi://username:pass@localhost/my_datacenter/host/esx01.example.com/Resources/
my_resourcepool
Note You must specify the /host/ section of an inventory path when using a vi destination locator. If you
are specifying the destination of a resource pool, you must include the /Resources/ section of the path.
vCloud Director Locators

The syntax for vCloud locators are the same as for other locators:
vcloud://username:password@host:port?org=name_of_org&vapp=name_of_deployed_vapp&
catalog=name_of_catalog&vappTemplate=name_of_vapp_template_in_catalog&vdc=name_of_vdc
Some of the options are not needed if there is only one virtual datacenter to choose from. If there are
more than on datacenter, the catalog option is required. The org option is mandatory, because it is used
to log in to vCloud Director.
Note OVF Tool supports all source types for vCloud Director 1.5. For vCloud Director 1.0, OVF Tool only
supports OVF/OVA/vCloud sources. OVF Tool does not support vi, vmx, or vapprun sources for vCloud
Director 1.0.
Examples of vCloud Locators

The following example uploads and deploys an OVF named test into vCloud Director and names the
vApp my_test1.
ovftool /tmp/test.ovf vcloud://user1:[email protected]:7443?org=o&vapp=my_test1
This example exports a vCloud Director vApp to the OVF file /tmp/test1.ovf
ovftool vcloud://user1:[email protected]:7443?org=o&vapp=my_test1 /tmp/

test1.ovf
VMware, Inc. 28
If you use a network, you map the network in the usual way:
--net:sourceNET=targetNET
You also apply properties in the usual way.
Partial Locators
When using OVF Tool, it is often not necessary to specify source and target types as long as certain
filename conventions are used. It is possible to the ignore locator type and specify the source and target
explicitly using the arguments --sourceType=... and --targetType=.
OVF Tool assumes the locator type based on the following rules:
n If the name starts with vcloud://, OVF Tool assumes vCloud Director type.
n If the name starts with vi://, OVF Tool assumes vSphere type.
n If the name ends with .ovf, OVF Tool assumes OVF type.
n If the name ends with .vmx, OVF Tool assumes VMX type.
n If the name ends with .ova, the OVF tool assumes OVA type.
n If the locator is a file path to a directory that represents a vApprun workspace or an entity in a
vApprun workspace, then OVF Tool assumes vApprun type.
Similarly, source and target types can be inferred from folder locators. OVF Tool assumes the type using
the following rules:
n If the source locator is a folder, OVF Tool assumes that the source is an OVF package and that the
OVF descriptor is called the same as the folder, for example, my-ovf/my-ovf.ovf.
n If the source is an OVF package and the target locator is a directory, such as MyVirtualMachines/,
OVF Tool assumes that the target is a VMX locator. The created VMX/VMDK file is put in a directory
with the target name, for example, MyVirtualMachines/MyVM/MyVM.vmx.
n If the source is a VMX locator and the target locator is a directory, OVF Tool assumes that the target
is an OVF package.
n If the source is a vSphere locator, and the target locator is a directory, OVF Tool assumes that the
target is an OVF package.
OVF Tool supports partial vSphere locators when deploying or exporting. For an incomplete locator path,
the tool suggests completions at the command line. Partial vSphere Locators at the Command Line
shows the command-line dialog when partial locators are used.
Example: Partial vSphere Locators at the Command Line

> ovftool LAMP.ovf vi://localhost/
Opening source: LAMP.ovf
Opening target: vi://user@localhost/
Error: Found wrong kind of object (Folder)
Possible completions are:
Datacenter/
VMware, Inc. 29
Remote Datacenter/
Secondary Datacenter/
> ovftool LAMP.ovf vi://localhost/Datacenter

Opening target: vi://user@localhost/Datacenter
Error: Found wrong kind of object (Datacenter)
vm/
host/
> ovftool LAMP.ovf vi://localhost/Datacenter/host

Opening target: vi://user@localhost/Datacenter/host
Error: Found wrong kind of object (Folder)
host1.foo.com/
host2.foo.com/
> ovftool LAMP.ovf vi://localhost/Datacenter/vm/host1.foo.com
OVF Tool supports partial vSphere locators when deploying or exporting. For an incomplete locator path,
the tool suggests completions at the command line. Partial vCloud DirectorLocators at the Command Line
shows the command-line dialog when partial locators are used. First, OVF Tool signals that there is more
than one virtual datacenter present, then multiple catalogs, then multiple networks. At each attempt, you
must select one of the options that OVF Tool presents.
Example: Partial vCloud DirectorLocators at the Command Line

ovftool LAMP.ovf vcloud://jd:[email protected]:443/?org=myOrg&vapp=test1
Opening OVF source: LAMP.ovf
Warning: No manifest
file
Opening vCloud target: vcloud://

js:[email protected]:443/
Error: Multiple VDCs found. Possible VDC completions

are:
orgVdc
orgVdc2
Completed with errors
ovftool LAMP.ovf "vcloud://jd:[email protected]:443/?org=myOrg&vapp=test1&vdc=orgVdc"

file
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Opening vCloud target: vcloud://js:[email protected]:443/

Error: Multiple catalogs found. Possible catalog completions
are:
catalog
catalog2
"vcloud://jd:[email protected]:443/?org=myOrg&vapp=test1&vdc=orgVdc&catalog=catalog"
file

Error: Multiple networks found on target. Possible completions
are:
extNet2
extOrgNet
intNet2
intnet
ovftool --net:"VM Network=intnet" LAMP.ovf "vcloud://jd:[email protected]:443/

?org=myOrg&vapp=test1&vdc=orgVdc&catalog=catalog"
file

Deploying to vCloud: vcloud://js:[email protected]:443/
Disk Transfer Complete
Completed successfully
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Configuration Files
OVF Tool has many options. Rather than repeatedly entering long commands on the command line, you
can create a configuration file. A configuration file uses the following syntax:
option1=value
...
#comment
optionN=value
The following is an example of a configuration file:
proxy=http://proxy.example.com
datastore=storage-test42
# Comment on something
locale=dk
You can create local or global configuration files. The local configuration file ovftool.cfg is read in the
folder where you invoke OVF Tool. The global configuration file is per user.
On Windows (after XP), the global configuration file is in the following location:
C:\Users\%USER%\AppData\Roaming\VMware\ovftool.cfg
Linux and OS X look for the global configuration file in the following location:
$HOME/ovftool.cfg (example ~/ovftool.cfg)
When reading configuration files, globally defined options are overwritten by locally defined options, and
locally defined options are overwritten by the --configFile command-line option. Some variables, such
as proxy, do not allow you to specify the option in multiple places. If ovftool stops running with the error
“already exists“ it is likely that you specified an option on the command line and in a configuration file.
You can use the ovftool --help config command to get information about how to use a configuration
file. In addition, the current contents of the global configuration file as well as any local configuration file is
shown.
Handling Authentication
OVF Tool generates AUTHENTICATION output messages if access to a resource requires a username or
password. For example, a proxy server, a vSphere or vCloud locator, or an authenticated URL require
usernames and passwords. OVF Tool only generates AUTHENTICATION messages for resources where
passwords are not explicitly provided as part of the locator or as command-line arguments.
OVF Tool can authenticate the following types of objects:
n source locators
n target locators
n proxyServer
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For source and target locators, you must provide the username on the command-line. If you do not
provide a password, OVF Tool generates an AUTHENTICATION message and you must provide the
password on STDIN. If the proxy server requires authentication, you must provide both the username and
password on STDIN
OVF Tool supports the following commands on STDIN:
For the source password:
PASSWORDSOURCE
password
For the target password:
PASSWORDTARGET
password
For the proxy:
PASSWORDPROXY
username password
For an example of the output of running machineOutput in authentication mode, see Output from
Running machineOutput in Import Mode.
Launching the OVF Tool as a Helper Process

You can use the integration options to make it more convenient to launch OVF Tool as a helper process to
a client of the vSphere Web Services API, such as a script using Perl bindings.
If you use the --I:morefArgs argument, the values for --vmFolder, --network, --net, and --
datastore are interpreted as MoRefs instead of names, as shown in the following example:
> ovftool --name=vm5 \

--I:morefArgs \
--net:VM Network=vim.Network:network-12 \
--datastore=vim.Datastore:datastore-17 \
c:\temp\vm1\ \
vi://root:@localhost?moref=vim.ResourcePool:resgroup-42
Use the --I:sourceSessionTicket or --I:targetSessionTicket options to authenticate with a

session ticket retrieved from SessionManager.AcquireSessionTicket, when using the vSphere source
or destination.
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3
Examples of OVF Tool Syntax
This chapter provides many examples of OVF Tool usage, that are divided into the following categories:
You can see similar examples within the OVF Tool, by typing --help examples on the command line
while you are in the directory where the ovftool script is running.
n Supported File Types and Package Formats
n Changing File or Package Formats
n Setting OVF Package Properties
n Modifying an OVF Package
n Deploying OVF Packages
n Importing an OVF Package
n Exporting Virtual Machines to OVF Packages
n Displaying Summary Information
n Validating an OVF 1.0 or OVF 1.1 Descriptor
n Downloading an OVF Package from a Protected Web Site
n Using a Proxy
n Overwriting a Running Virtual Machine or vApp from vSphere
n Canceling the VMware OVF Tool While it Is Running
Supported File Types and Package Formats

As discussed in Chapter 1, you can use the OVF Tool to package virtual machines as vApps (ready-to-
use virtual machines with operating systems and/or applications). The package formats supported by the
OVF Tool can be read and/or imported by other VMware and third-party software.
The table below describes each of the supported formats:
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Table 3-1. Supported File and Package Types for OVF Tool Input and Output
Package Type Full Name Usage
OVF (.ovf) Open Virtualization Format National ANSI standard for packaging software for virtual
machines, originally created by an industry task force known
as the Distributed Management Task Force (DTMF).
An OVF package includes: a descriptor file, optional
manifest and certificate files, optional disk images, and
optional resource files (such as ISOs). The disk image files
can be files in VMware’s .vmdk disk image format or in any
other supported disk image format.
OVF packages can be used by the software of any
hypervisor or processor architecture that supports this
format.
OVA (.ova) Open Virtual Appliance A TAR archive that contains an OVF package.
VMX (.vmx) Virtual Machine When you create a new virtual machine, this file is created
Configuration File to store information about the operating system, disk sizes,
networking, and virtual hardware.
Files in this format and the .vmdk format are sometimes
referred to together as, ‘VMware runtime format’.
VMDK (.vmdk) Virtual Machine Disk Files with this extension may contain disk characteristics
(,vmdk), contents (-flat.vmdk), or snapshot files (-
delta.vmdk). These files are called out on the OVF Tool
command line, but may exist within the package.
VI (vi://) VMware Infrastructure This is an older term that originated with ESX 3, but is still
seen in the command line syntax for the OVF Tool. As an
OVF command line option, ‘vi//’ is used before the
credentials and path to a server.
vCloud vCloud Director format The vCloud Director REST API makes basic transfer
between clouds possible using OVF packages, which
preserve application properties, networking configuration
and other settings.
ISO (.iso) Optical Image File An ISO archive is a CD/DVD image. Creating a package as
an ISO image allows you to install a virtual appliance using a
CD ROM drive.
This type of archive is called an ISO because it was created
by the International Standards Organization’s 9660
standard.
FLP (.flp) Floppy Disk Image File Use this format if you need to transfer data from a floppy
drive or to the virtual machine floppy drive. Instructions are
available in Knowledge Base article 1739.
vApprun vApprun This format allows you to run a virtual appliance on VMware
Workstation or Fusion. You can use the OVF Tool to convert
vApps to the vApprun format, and you can use VMware
Workstation to convert vApps to an OVF format.
Use the OVF Tool with the Target Type option to specify the target out as OVF, OVA, VMX, VI, vCloud,
ISO, FLP, vApprun.
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In this following example, the target type is set to the ‘vmx’ or VMware runtime format (.vmx and .vmdk
files)
> ovftool -tt=vmx /ovfs/my_vapp.ovf /vms/
The resulting files are: /vms/my_vapp/my_vapp.vmx and /vms/my_vapp/my_vapp.vmdk files (like

the contents of a typical virtual machine directory).
Changing File or Package Formats

The examples below show you how to convert from an existing format to a different format.
Converting an OVF Package to an OVA Archive

To convert an OVF package, to a single OVA archive, use the following syntax:
> ovftool /ovfs/my_vapp.ovf /ovfs/my_vapp.ova
Converting an OVA Archive to OVF Package

To extract an OVA archive to an OVF package, use the following syntax:
> ovftool /ovfs/my_vapp.ova /ovfs/my_vapp.ovf
Converting VMX Format to an OVF Package

To convert a virtual machine in VMware runtime format (.vmx and .vmdk files) to an OVF package, use
the following syntax:
> ovftool /vms/my_vm.vmx /ovfs/my_vapp.ovf
The result is located in /ovfs/my_vapp.ovf
Converting VMX Format to an OVA Archive

To convert VMX files to an OVA archive, use the following syntax:
> ovftool vmxs/Nostalgia.vmx ovfs/Nostalgia.ova
Converting an OVA Archive to VMX Format

To convert an OVA archive to VMware runtime format (.vmx and .vmdk files), use the following syntax:
> ovftool https://my_ovf_server/ovfs/my_vapp.ova /vm/my_vm.vmx
Converting an OVF Package to VMX Format

To convert an OVF package to VMware runtime format (.vmx and .vmdk files), use the following syntax:
> ovftool http://www.mycompany.com/ovflib/BigDemo.ovf x:/myvms/BigDemo.vmx
Because the source is an OVF package, you can specify it as a URL or a local file path.
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If you convert an OVF package to a VMX format without specifying the target directory, OVF Tool creates
a directory using the OVF package name and writes the .vmx and .vmdk files in it.
> ovftool "Windows 7.ovf" .
The VMX file is written at Windows 7/Windows 7.vmx.
You can also convert from an ovf format to a vmx format using a URL, as shown:
> ovftool https://my_ovf_server/ovfs/my_vapp.ova /vm/my_vm.vmx
Installing an ESXi host from an OVF Package

To install an OVF package as an ESXi host, use the following syntax:
> ovftool /ovfs/my_vapp.ovf vi://username:pass@my_esx_host
(Uses default mappings.)
Installing an ESXi host from an OVF Package on a Web Server

To install an OVF package on a web server as an ESXi host, use the following syntax:
> ovftool http://my_ovf_server/ovfs/my_vapp.ovf vi://username:pass@my_esx_host
(Uses default mappings.)
Installing an ESXi host or Adding Files from a VMX Format

To install an ESXi host from a VMware runtime format (.vmx and .vmdk files), or to add .vmx files to an
ESXi host, use the following syntax (uses default mappings):
> ovftool /ovfs/my_vm.vmx vi://username:pass@my_esx_host
> ovftool Nostaliga.vmx vi://user:pwd@host/Datacenter/host/host1.foo.com
Installing a vCenter Server or Adding Files from an OVF Package

To install or add files to a vCenter Server from an OVF package, use the following syntax (uses a
managed ESXi host’s IP address):
> ovftool /ovfs/my_vapp.ovf vi://username:pass@my_vc_server/?ip=10.20.30.40
Converting a VM on ESXi or vCenter Server to an OVF Package

This example uses a datastore location query to convert a VM (located on a vCenter Server) to OVF
format.
> ovftool vi://username:pass@my_vc_server/my_datacenter?ds=[Storage1] foo/foo.vmx

c:\ovfs\
or
> ovftool vi://username:pass@my_host/my_datacenter/vm/my_vm_folder/my_vm_name /ovfs/

my_vapp.ovf
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Installing vCenter Server from an OVF Package Using an Inventory

Path
This example uses a vSphere inventory path to install or add files to a vCenter Server from an OVF
package.
> ovftool /ovfs/my_vapp.ovf vi://username:pass@my_vc_server/my_datacenter/host/

my_host
Setting OVF Package Properties

The following sections show you how to set properties for OVF packages.
Setting OVF Properties When Deploying to vSphere or vCloud

Director
OVF descriptors can contain configuration properties for the deployed OVF package. You can set only
one property at a time, but you can have multiple instances of the option per command. The property
option has the following syntax:
--prop:<option>=<value>
This example sets two properties: the administrator’s email address and the number of concurrent
sessions.
> ovftool --prop:[email protected] --prop:concurrentSessions=200 package.ovf vi://

localhost/?dns=fast-esx=host1.example.com
Setting OVF Network Maps When Deploying to vSphere

OVF descriptors can use symbolic identifiers for network names. These identifiers must be mapped to a
network that is available on the chosen vSphere platform. If only one network is available on the target
and only one network is described in the OVF descriptor, OVF Tool selects that network automatically. In
this case, you do not need to specify a network map. The --net option has the following syntax:
--net:<OVF network name>=<target network name>
In the following example, a network is selected.
> ovftool --net:”Example net 1”=”VM Network” <source> <vSphere locator>
If the OVF descriptor only specifies one network name, you can specify the target network name of the
network mapping, as in the following example:
> ovftool --network=”VM Network” <source> <vSphere locator>
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Setting a vService Dependency

You can dependency so that your application deploys as a service using the following option:
ovftool --vService:vDep1=provider_1 /ovfs/my_vapp.ovf

vi://username:pass@localhost/my_datacenter/host/esx01.example.com
Modifying an OVF Package

The following sections show you how to modify OVF packages.
Renaming the OVF Package

You can rename an OVF package by converting the OVF to an OVF. This action also renames all the disk
names and changes the references in the OVF descriptor.
> ovftool “Windows 7.ovf” win7.ovf
Omitting Disks in the VMware OVF Tool Output

If you want only information about the OVF descriptor and not about the disks that it refers to, you can
suppress output. The following example command omits disk output and simply copies the OVF
descriptor and any message bundle files that might be associated with it:
> ovftool --noDisks http://example.com/ovf/InterestingVirtualAppliance package.ovf
Compressing an OVF Package

For maximum compression of an OVF package with multiple virtual machines, set both the --
compress=9 and --makeDeltaDisks options. The following are examples of using maximum
compression:
> ovftool --compress=9 --makeDeltaDisks package.ovf output-dir

> ovftool --compress=9 --makeDeltaDisks vi://localhost/dc/vm/VirtualAppDemo output-dir/
If the source contains only a single virtual machine, the --makeDeltaDisks option does not yield any
compression boost. In this case, the --compress=9 option gives maximum compression.
Chunking or Splitting OVF Packages

Some file systems have a restriction on maximum file size. For example, FAT32 allows files only up to
2GB.You can split the OVF files from a generated package into pieces of a specified maximum size. The
default measurement is megabytes (keyword mb). You can specify other units using one of the following
keywords:
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Unit Keyword
Bytes b
Kilobytes kb
Gigabytes gb
For example, to create an OVF package optimized for a FAT32 file system, use the following command:
> ovftool --chunkSize=2gb <source> package.ovf
Each file chunk has a sequentially numbered suffix. For example, for a 6GB disk, the chunks have these
names:
disk1.vmdk.000000000, disk1.vmdk.000000001, disk1.vmdk.000000002
Deploying OVF Packages

The following sections show you how to deploy OVF packages.
Deploying an OVF Package Directly on an ESXi Host

The following command deploys an OVF package on an ESXi host.
> ovftool package.ovf vi://my.esx-machine.example.com/
If your host has multiple data stores, use the -ds option:
> ovftool package.ovf -ds=storage1 vi://my.esx-machine.example.com/
See also Run OVF Tool With ESXi and vCenter Target Locations.
Deploying an OVF Package to vCenter Server

The following command deploys testVM.ovf from a local Windows disk to a data store named storage1 in
host (12.98.76.54) from vCenter (12.34.56.789). the VM will be named myVM on the host. (To test this on
your system, replace the incorrect IP addresses in this example with your actual data store and host IP
addresses.)
> ovftool -ds=storage1 -n=myVM C:\testVM.ovf vi://user1:[email protected]/?ip=12.98.76.54.
Deploying an OVF Package and Powering It On

OVF Tool can power on a virtual machine or vApp after deployment. This action can be done on all
supported platforms. The following example powers on the VM or vApp on a particular host through
vCenter Server:
> ovftool --powerOn package.ovf vi://MyvCenterServer/?dns=fast-esx-host1.example.com.
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Deploying an OVF Package into vCloud Director

You can deploy an OVF package from OVF Tool into vCloud Director. The following example connects to
vCloud Director and deploys the OVF package LAMP.ovf.
> ovftool --net:"VM Network=intnet" LAMP.ovf "vcloud://jd:[email protected]:443/?

org=myOrg&vapp=test1&vdc=orgVdc&catalog=catalog"
Deploying an OVF Package into a vApprun Workspace

A vApprun workspace allows Workstation and Fusion users to run vApps. It provides a complete vApprun
execution environment, that includes nested vApps, OVF properties, and an OVF environment. The
environment is fully compatible with vSphere 4 and all later releases.
Read more about vApprun at: http://labs.vmware.com/flings/vApprun.
To deploy an OVF package into a vApprun workspace, simply use a target locator that points to your
vApprun workspace, as shown in the following example:
> ovftool myOvfPackage c:\My_vApprun_workspace\
A common scenario is that the current directory is the vApprun workspace (since all vApprun commands
are relative to this), so you can just use a “.” as the target locator, as shown in the following example:
> ovftool http://www.mycompany.com/ovflib/BigDemo.ovf.
Importing an OVF Package

The following sections show you how to import OVF packages.
Importing an OVF File into a vCloud instance

This section provides two examples of importing using a URL to create a vCloud instance from an OVF
file. The first example names the resulting vApp as ‘vApp’.
> ovftool http://my_ovflib/vm/my_vapp.ovf \

vcloud://username:pass@my_cloud?org=MyOrg&vdc=MyVDC&catalog=MyCatalog&vapp=myVapp
(Imports an OVF from http into a vCloud instance and names the vApp myVapp)
The second example also creates a vApp template:
> ovftool http://my_ovflib/vm/my_vapp.ovf \

vcloud://username:pass@my_cloud?org=MyOrg&vdc=MyVDC&catalog=MyCatalog&vappTemplate=myTemplate
(This imports an OVF from http into a vCloud instance and creates a vApp template)
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Importing a Virtual Machine from vSphere to vCloud

The following command imports a virtual machine from vSphere into a vCloud instance and names the
resulting vApp ‘myVapp’.
> ovftool vi://username:pass@my_host/my_datacenter/vm/my_vm_folder/my_vm_name \

vcloud://username:pass@my_cloud?org=MyOrg&vdc=MyVDC&catalog=MyCatalog&vapp=myVapp
Importing VMX Files into a vApprun Workspace

To import a VMX format into a vApprun workspace, use the following syntax:
> ovftool /virtualmachines/MyVM.vmx ~my_vApprun_workspace/
Exporting Virtual Machines to OVF Packages

The following sections show you how to export virtual machines within OVF packages.
Exporting a Virtual Machine from a vCloud instance to an OVF

Package
The following command exports a Virtual Machine from a vCloud instance into an OVF package.
> ovftool vcloud://username:pass@my_cloud?org=MyOrg&vdc=MyVDC&catalog=MyCatalog&vapp=myVapp \

/ovfs/myVapp.ovf
Exporting a Running Virtual Machine or vApp from vSphere

You must power off a virtual machine or vApp before exporting it. The following example locates the
virtual machine or vApp based on its DNS name through the vCenter Server and powers it off:
> ovftool --powerOffSource vi://MyvCenterServer/?dns=test-vm test-vm.ova
Note This option does not perform a shutdown of the operating system. This is only a power off
operation.
Exporting a vApprun Entity to an OVF Package

Both virtual machine and vApp entities in your vApprun workspace can be exported as OVF packages, as
shown in the following example:
> ovftool c:\My_vApprun_workspace\BigDemo c:\ovflib\
Prepend the name of the entity to export to the path. If the current directory is the vApprun workspace,
you only specify the name, as shown in the following example. This example takes advantage of the fact
that any source locator can be used with any destination locator. Thus, the vApp transfers directly from
the vApprun workspace to the vCenter installation.
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> ovftool BigDemo vi://MyvCenterServer/...
Note vApprun does not keep the same level of meta-data around as vSphere. Thus, the vApprun-
created OVF packages will not contain any EULAs, description of properties, and such.
Displaying Summary Information

To display a summary of information about the OVF package [in probe mode], use the following syntax:
> ovftool https://my_ovflib/vm/my_vapp.ovf
(shows summary information about the OVF package [probe mode])
Validating an OVF 1.0 or OVF 1.1 Descriptor

If you are generating OVF 1.0 or OVF 1.1 descriptors manually, you can check whether the descriptors
comply with OVF 1.0 or OVF 1.1. The following examples show how to validate descriptors:
> ovftool --schemaValidate package.ovf

> ovftool --schemaValidate package.ova
> ovftool --schemaValidate http://example.com/folder1/package.ovf
> ovftool --schemaValidate http://example.com/folder1/package.ova
If everything is correct, OVF Tool shows the result of probing OVF. Otherwise, it shows warnings and
errors.
Important Being compliant with OVF 1.0 or 1.1 is only part of the requirements for a valid OVF package.
Schema validation does not check for all the requirements specified in the OVF 1.0 and OVF 1.1
specifications.
Downloading an OVF Package from a Protected Web Site

The OVF Tool can read sources given by a URL using both HTTP and HTTPS. You access it with the
user name and password. The following example downloads the LAMP OVF package and puts it in an
OVA package. If you omit the user name and password, the OVF Tool will prompt you for them.
> ovftool https://user:[email protected]/repository/ovf/LAMP.ovf LAMP.ova
Using a Proxy
You can specify a proxy for the OVF Tool. The following examples show the use of the --proxy option:
> ovftool --proxy=proxy.example.com http://external-site.com/ovf/package.ovf

> ovftool --proxy=http://proxy.example.com http://external-site.com/ovf/package.ovf
The OVF Tool allows proxies that require authentication. Credentials are supplied in the proxy path as
shown in the following example:
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> ovftool --proxy=user:[email protected] http://external-site.com/ovf/package.ovf
If you omit the username or password for a proxy server that requires authentication, OVF Tool prompts
for them. The --proxy option enables a proxy for either vSphere (VI) or vCloud.
> ovftool --proxy=proxy.example.com package.ovf vi://my.esx-machine.example.com/

> ovftool --proxy=proxy.example.com package.ovf
"vcloud://USERNAME:[email protected]:443/?org=myOrg&vapp=test&vdc=orgVdc&catalog=catalog"
Overwriting a Running Virtual Machine or vApp from

vSphere
The OVF Tool supports overwriting existing targets. If a target virtual machine or vApp has the same
name as the source, OVF Tool overwrites the target when the --overwrite option is specified. If the
target virtual machine or vApp is running, OVF Tool cannot overwrite it. OVF Tool does not automatically
power off the target. To power off the target before overwriting it, use the --powerOffTarget option.
> ovftool --overwrite --powerOffTarget package.ovf vi://localhost/?dns=production-

host.example.com
You can also power on the newly written virtual machine or vApp at the same time. In the following
example, the target machine is powered off and deleted, the package.ovf is imported, and the imported
virtual machine or vApp is powered on.
> ovftool --overwrite --powerOffTarget --powerOn package.ovf vi://localhost/?dns=production-

host.example.com
Canceling the VMware OVF Tool While it Is Running

To cancel OVF Tool while it is running, type Ctrl-C. This halts OVF Tool and cleans up any generated
files.
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4
OVF Package Signing
A valid OVF signature requires two special files, a manifest (.mf) file that contains the SHA hash codes of
all the files in the package (except the .mf and .cert files), and a certificate file (.cert) that contains the
signed SHA of the manifest file and the X.509 encoded certificate. This appendix specifies how to use
OpenSSL and VMware OVF Tools commands to sign and validate OVF packages.
n Creating an RSA Public/Private Key Pair and Certificate
n Signing an OVF Package
n Validating an OVF Package
Creating an RSA Public/Private Key Pair and Certificate

To sign a package, a public/private key pair and certificate that wraps the public key is required. The
private key and the certificate, which includes the public key, is stored in a .pem file.
The following OpenSSL command creates a .pem file:
> openssl req -x509 -nodes -sha256 -days 365 -newkey rsa:1024 -keyout myself.pem -out myself.pem
Note No password is necessary. To include a password, remove the --nodes option.
Myself.pem File Contents shows the contents of the myself.pem file.
Example: Myself.pem File Contents

-----BEGIN RSA PRIVATE KEY-----
MIICXAIBAAKBgQDe0dCCKNfQ45+D0ezGGAuVSbhE8buqFCQnQnfi27Wt6bu4DhcE
bQtjgfzuEpcl4e31txJcu18XTv4icRL74DP7i2pMN2UVj6DZW/B7jIw4UPG2g96f
...
-----END RSA PRIVATE KEY-----
-----BEGIN CERTIFICATE-----
MIIC5DCCAk2gAwIBAgIJAKgUiZPOajC0MA0GCSqGSIb3DQEBBAUAMFYxCzAJBgNV
BAYTAkRLMRMwEQYDVQQIEwpTb21lLVN0YXRlMQ8wDQYDVQQHEwZBYXJodXMxITAf
...
-----END CERTIFICATE-----
To display the contents of a .pem file at the command line, type the following:
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>openssl x509 -text -noout -in <filename>.pem
The contents of the file display as follows:
Certificate:
Data:
Version: 3 (0x2)
Serial Number:
....
To create a trusted certificate, use the OpenSSL command, omitting the --x509 option. This creates a
certificate request in a .pem file that you can send to any public authority, such as Verisign.
Signing an OVF Package

Signing an OVF package enables the person deploying it to validate the authenticity of the OVF package.
Once the package is signed, OVF package files cannot be changed, without invalidating the signature.
When a package comes from a trusted source and has a valid OVF signature, you can deploy the
package knowing it has not been tampered with.
Signing an OVF package requires a .pem file that contains a private key and a certificate, as shown in
section Creating an RSA Public/Private Key Pair and Certificate.
To sign a generated OVF package, include the --privateKey option. The option syntax is shown in the
following example:
> ovftool --privateKey=<path to .pem file> <source> <output OVF or OVA file>
When this option is used, OVF Tool uses the private key and certificate to generate a signature based on
the SHA digest of each file that is included in the OVF package, including the OVF descriptor itself.
OVF Tool generates an additional .cert file with a signed SHA signature and the certificate used to sign
it. Certificate File Created by OVF Tool shows an example of the .cert file generated by OVF Tool.
Example: Certificate File Created by OVF Tool

SHA256(signed-
package.mf)=5d9a307f0acdc1a424079eb38ff8954c153f978e599ed374dd784c853bab1856415fa16ef378bde3487cd5dfa4
d11a3017eda91886f98e3bba3adc2f4e28ce6d0ba3a19eef80ac0729511311603dcb221f9ba7a6008f1a87fe15ebf3699c8a87
44bd05c43b1387dd53d73723e7f0a3720d489e147e31c4570d15fb7a3beae770
-----BEGIN CERTIFICATE-----
MIIDTzCCArigAwIBAgIJAKDgFLg9WvBwMA0GCSqGSIb3DQEBBQUAMHkxCzAJBgNV
BAYTAkRLMQ8wDQYDVQQHEwZBYXJodXMxFTATBgNVBAoTDFZNd2FyZSwgSW5jLjEM
MAoGA1UECxMDVklNMREwDwYDVQQDEwhLcmlzdGlhbjEhMB8GCSqGSIb3DQEJARYS
a2xhc3NlbkB2bXdhcmUuY29tMB4XDTA5MDMwNjEzMDUwNFoXDTEwMDMwNjEzMDUw
NFoweTELMAkGA1UEBhMCREsxDzANBgNVBAcTBkFhcmh1czEVMBMGA1UEChMMVk13
YXJlLCBJbmMuMQwwCgYDVQQLEwNWSU0xETAPBgNVBAMTCEtyaXN0aWFuMSEwHwYJ
KoZIhvcNAQkBFhJrbGFzc2VuQHZtd2FyZS5jb20wgZ8wDQYJKoZIhvcNAQEBBQAD
gY0AMIGJAoGBAM2xxX9a1YITiiRrxpXGg9xbEP4Oepcs71ZcNp8Z3mQIb95mpEc6
SZemmjOsqwpkvV/82RALOBgmJ/hot1noSkiAZi0liPmX1M0BU3OS/pSim7VNKBmV
SUJfOC4T6/MygVpyfkSUhB5EWx0JCUvowRex6Ytl220MOGcXnLpvdfO9AgMBAAGj
gd4wgdswHQYDVR0OBBYEFM2KkX7pWTQmMg+iD6HWMOZRLrfJMIGrBgNVHSMEgaMw
VMware, Inc. 46
gaCAFM2KkX7pWTQmMg+iD6HWMOZRLrfJoX2kezB5MQswCQYDVQQGEwJESzEPMA0G
A1UEBxMGQWFyaHVzMRUwEwYDVQQKEwxWTXdhcmUsIEluYy4xDDAKBgNVBAsTA1ZJ
TTERMA8GA1UEAxMIS3Jpc3RpYW4xITAfBgkqhkiG9w0BCQEWEmtsYXNzZW5Adm13
YXJlLmNvbYIJAKDgFLg9WvBwMAwGA1UdEwQFMAMBAf8wDQYJKoZIhvcNAQEFBQAD
gYEANaNxv4QrN7iI0rDCordYDh1G7Z3jl28ntSoxehGmz6ghYAfBNhTVhWUZuX9X
UXKn8QltOF/Ynijuo6JTJwO/5V1o6TAaCmFahDW/Om02AXPdSbw4UQdidGmmgrAs
DYVQz2CNPk2YbkXITNeGBNHomTqsVU7MGDjReu96+V6O2zY=
-----END CERTIFICATE-----
Validating an OVF Package

If an OVF certificate file is present, OVF Tool always verifies if the signature fits the SHA digest of the files
in the package and tests the authenticity of the certificate.
To quickly validate the authenticity of an OVF package, use the probe mode as shown in the following
example:
> ovftool signed-package.ovf
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5
Probe Mode
n About OVF Tool Probe Mode
n Example of Probe Mode
About OVF Tool Probe Mode

Probe mode reveals information about the content of a source. You can probe OVA and OVF packages,
VMX, and vSphere source types. You can use the information gathered to find out how it can be
configured when you deploy it.
To use the probe feature, omit the target locator when invoking OVF Tool. For example, at the command
line, type: ovftool LAMP.ovf. The tool displays all available information about the LAMP.ovf.
When probe mode is used on an OVF or OVA package, OVF Tool also validates the certificate file, if
present.
As part of the information displayed in probe mode, the EULA is displayed by default. To prevent the
EULA from displaying, use the --hideEula option.
> ovftool --hideEula LAMP.ovf
Example of Probe Mode

The following example shows the result of probing the LAMP.ovf package.
OVF version: 1.0

VirtualApp: true
Name: LAMP running PHP-Fusion
Version: 0.1
Vendor: VMware Aarhus
Product URL: http://example.com/ovf/1.0/LAMP/readme.txt
Annotation: This vApp offers the programming environment stack: Linux, Apache,
MySQL and PHP programming environment -- LAMP. More specifically
the vApp contains a Database server running MySQL and Web server
VM running Apache2 and PHP.
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End-user License Agreements:
EULA for LAMP.
Download Size: 604.07 MB
Deployment Sizes:
Flat disks: 16.00 GB
Sparse disks: Unknown
Networks:
Name: VM Network
Description: The VM Network network
Virtual Hardware:
Family: vmx-04
Disk Types: SCSI-lsilogic
Properties:
Key: db_ip
Label: IP address
Type: ip:VM Network
Description: The IP address of the database server.
Key: ws_ip
Label: IP address
Type: ip:VM Network
Description: The IP address of the Web server.
IP Allocation Policy:
Schemes: ovfenv dhcp
Protocols: IPv4
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6
Machine Mode
n About Machine Mode
n Running Machine Output
n Example Output
About Machine Mode

You can use the --machineOutput option to run OVF Tool from another program or script. With the --
machineOutput option, OVF Tool provides output in the following format:
STATUS-CODE details <blank line>.
OVF Tool inserts a blank line to signal the end of an operation. Each response line is prefixed with a plus
(+) to avoid confusion with the terminating blank line. The last status it sends is always RESULT. OVF
Tool sends all output, including errors and warnings, to standard output (stdout) so clients can listen on
only one stream.
Table 6-1. Machine Mode Status

Status Details Description
PROBE XML Probe result with information about the

source.
VALIDATEHOST XML Shows whether the VI target is

compatible with the input arguments.
AUTHENTICATION source/target/proxy server locator or fileName Shows that authentication is required.
CERTIFICATE Validate, Self-signed, or Failed validate Signals that a certificate is present and
shows the result of the validation.
MANIFEST Validate or Failed validate Signals that a manifest is present and

shows the result of validation.
PROGRESS Number (0-100) Shows the percentage progress during

upload and download.
TARGET_ID Text, for example SugarCRM.ovf or Shows the target ID after upload and
vim.VirtualMachine:vm-415. download finishes.
RESULT ERROR or SUCCESS Always use as the last command sent.
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Running Machine Output

You can run the --machineOutput option in different modes: Probe, Validate host, Import, and Export.
Running machineOutput in Probe Mode

When you run the machineOutput option in probe mode, OVF Tool reports the following status sequence:
1 AUTHENTICATION (zero or more)
2 PROBE (exactly one)
3 RESULT (exactly one)
To run the machineOutput option in probe mode, you run the following command.
ovftool.exe --machineOutput source_locator
For an example, see Output from Running machineOutput in Probe Mode.
Running machineOutput in Validate Host Mode

When you run machineOutput in validate host mode, OVF Tool reports the following status sequence:
2 VALIDATEHOST (exactly one)
3 PROGRESS (exactly one)
4 TARGET_ID (exactly one)
To run the machineOutput option in validate host mode, you run the following command.
ovftool.exe --machineOutput --verifyOnly source_locator destination_locator
For an example, see Output from Running machineOutput in Validate Host Mode.
Running machineOutput in Import to vSphere Mode

When you run the machineOutput option in import mode, OVF Tool reports the following status sequence:
2 MANIFEST (zero or one)
3 CERTIFICATE (zero or one)
4 PROGRESS (one or more)
VMware, Inc. 51
To use machine mode to upload an OVF to vSphere, you run the following command.
ovftool.exe --machineOutput \
--acceptAllEulas \
--I:morefArgs \
--I:targetSessionTicket=<session ticket> \
--net:<ovf netname>=vim.Network:<moref-id> \
--datastore=vim.Datastore:<moref-id> \
--vmFolder=vim.Folder:<moref-id> \
--deploymentOption=<value> \
--diskMode=<value> \
--ipAllocationPolicy=<value> \
--ipProtocol=<value> \
--name=<value> (optional) \
--overwrite (optional) \
--powerOffTarget (optional) \
--powerOn (optional) \
--prop:<key>=<value> \
<src URL or PATH> \
vi://<servername>?moref=vim.ResourcePool:<moref-id>
For an example, see Output from Running machineOutput in Import Mode.
Running the Machine Mode Export from vSphere Operation

When you run the machineOutput option in export mode, OVF Tool reports the following status sequence:
2 MANIFEST (zero or one)
3 CERTIFICATE (zero or one)
4 PROGRESS (one or more)
To use machine mode to download an OVF from vSphere, you run the following command.
ovftool.exe --machineOutput \
--I:sourceSessionTicket=<session ticket> \
-tt <OVA or OVF> \
-n=<name> \
--overwrite (optional) \
--powerOffSource (optional) \
--chunkSize=<value> (optional) \
--compress=<value> (optional) \
vi://<servername>?moref=<type>:<moref-id> \
<directory>
The type value is either vim.VirtualMachine or vim.VirtualVApp.
When you specify --machineOutput, OVF Tool monitors STDIN, and cancels the operation if it reads the
ABORT\n line in stdin.
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For an example, see Output from Running machineOutput in Export Mode.
Example Output
You can run the OVF Tool machine mode --machineOutput option in probe mode, validate host mode,
or import mode. In import and validate Host modes, --machineOutput is meant for third party program to
use silently without any interactive prompt appearing in the standalone OVF tool command console. If
your OVF file contains EULA information, you should add this option --acceptAllEulas so that the
program doesn’t pause to wait for acceptance of the license agreement. This section contains the
following topics:
n Output from Running machineOutput in Probe Mode
n Output from Running machineOutput in Validate Host Mode
n Output from Running machineOutput in Import Mode
n Output from Running machineOutput in Export Mode
Output from Running machineOutput in Probe Mode

The following example shows the output of a --machineOutput PROBE operation on a file named
LAMP.ovf.
Example: Output from Running machineOutput in Probe Mode

ovftool --machineOutput LAMP.ovf
PROBE
+ <probeResult>
+ <virtualApp>
+ true
+ </virtualApp>
+ <productInfo>
+ <name>
+ LAMP running PHP-Fusion
+ </name>
+ <productUrl>
+ http://example.com/ovf/1.0/LAMP/readme.txt
+ </productUrl>
+ <version>
+ 0.1
+ </version>
+ <fullVersion>
+
+ </fullVersion>
+ <vendor>
+ VMware
+ </vendor>
+ <vendorUrl>
+
+ </vendorUrl>
+ </productInfo>
+ <annotation>
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+ This vApp offers the programming environment stack: Linux, Apache, MySQL and PHP programming
environment -- LAMP. More specifically the vApp contains a Database server running MySQL and Web
server VM running Apache2 and PHP.
+ </annotation>
+ <eulas>
+ <eula>
+
+ Eula for OVF
+
+ </eula>
+ </eulas>
+ <sizes>
+ <download>
+ 633412608
+ </download>
+ <flat>
+ 17179869184
+ </flat>
+ <sparse>
+ Unknown
+ </sparse>
+ </sizes>
+ <networks>
+ <network>
+ <name>
+ VM Network
+ </name>
+ <description>
+ The VM Network network
+ </description>
+ </network>
+ </networks>
+ <properties>
+ <property>
+ <classId>
+
+ </classId>
+ <key>
+ db_ip
+ </key>
+ <instanceId>
+
+ </instanceId>
+ <category>
+
+ </category>
+ <label>
+ IP address
+ </label>
+ <type>
+ ip:VM Network
+ </type>
+ <description>
+ The IP address of the database server.
+ </description>
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+ <value>
+
+ </value>
+ </property>
+ <property>
+ <classId>
+
+ </classId>
+ <key>
+ ws_ip
+ </key>
+ <instanceId>
+
+ </instanceId>
+ <category>
+
+ </category>
+ <label>
+ IP address
+ </label>
+ <type>
+ ip:VM Network
+ </type>
+ <description>
+ The IP address of the Web server.
+ </description>
+ <value>
+
+ </value>
+ </property>
+ </properties>
+ <deploymentOptions>
+ </deploymentOptions>
+ <ipAllocationSchemes>
+ ovfenv,dhcp
+ </ipAllocationSchemes>
+ <ipProtocols>
+ IPv4
+ </ipProtocols>
+ </probeResult>
RESULT
+ SUCCESS
Output from Running machineOutput in Validate Host Mode

The following example shows the output of a --machineOutput VALIDATEHOST operation on file
LAMP.ovf.
VMware, Inc. 55
Example: Output from Running machineOutput in Validate Host Mode

ovftool --machineOutput --acceptAllEulas --verifyOnly LAMP.ovf vi://
myuser:[email protected]/dc/host/myhost.example.com
ovftool --machineOutput --acceptAllEulas --verifyOnly LAMP.ovf vi://

VALIDATEHOST
+ <supportedDiskProvisioning>
+ <type>
+ monolithicFlat
+ </type>
+ <type>
+ thin
+ </type>
+ <type>
+ thick
+ </type>
+ <type>
+ flat
+ </type>
+ <type>
+ eagerZeroedThick
+ </type>
+ </supportedDiskProvisioning>
PROGRESS
+ 0
TARGET_ID
+
RESULT
+ SUCCESS
Output from Running machineOutput in Import Mode

The following example shows the output of a --machineOutput import operation on a file named
LAMP.ovf.
Example: Output from Running machineOutput in Import Mode

ovftool --machineOutput --acceptAllEulas LAMP.ovf vi://
PROGRESS
+ 0
+ 1
+ 2
+ 3
....
+ 98
+ 99
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+ 100
TARGET_ID
+ vim.VirtualApp:resgroup-v61
RESULT
+ SUCCESS
Output from Running machineOutput in Export Mode

The following example shows the output of a --machineOutput export operation on a file named
LAMP.ovf.
Example: Output from Running machineOutput in Export Mode

ovftool -o --machineOutput --acceptAllEulas vi://
myuser:[email protected]/dc/vm/LAMP /tmp/LAMP.ovf
PROGRESS
+ 0
+ 1
+ 2
+ 3
...
+ 98
+ 99
+ 100
TARGET_ID
+ /tmp/LAMP.ovf
RESULT
+ SUCCESS
VMware, Inc. 57

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OVF Tool User’s Guide

Open Virtualization Format Tool 4.4

If you have comments about this documentation, submit your feedback to

About This Book 6

1 Overview of the OVF Tool 8

2 Using the VMware OVF Tool 12

3 Examples of OVF Tool Syntax 34

Converting an OVF Package to an OVA Archive 36

4 OVF Package Signing 45

5 Using the VMware OVF Tool Probe Mode 48

6 Using the VMware OVF Tool Machine Mode 50

Table 1-1. Revision History

04/2019 Clarified OVF Tool with ESXi as target.

02/2016 Mention need for explicit extraConfig flags on ESXi hosts.

12/2014 Increased Open SSL compatibility version to 1.0.1j. See http://www.openssl.org/news/vulnerabilities.html.

04/2014 OVF Tool 3.5.1 User’s Guide.

08/2012 OVF Tool 3.0.1 User’s Guide.

08/2011 OVF Tool 2.1 User’s Guide.

06/2010 OVF Tool 2.0.1 Guide.

05/2009 OVF Tool 1.0 Guide.

Technical Support and Education Resources

OVF Tool Users’ Forum

This chapter includes the following topics:

n The Open Virtualization Format

n Using the VMware OVF Tool

n Examples of OVF Tool Use

The Open Virtualization Format

The OVF Standard

Using the VMware OVF Tool

VMware Platforms Using the OVF Standard

n VMware Studio 1.0 and later can generate OVF packages.

Setting Up the OVF Tool

OVF Tool Highlights

n Show information about the content of any source in probe mode

n Signs OVF packages and validates OVF package signatures

n Validates XML Schema of OVF 1.0 and OVF 1.1 descriptors

n Import and export of OVF packages into a vApprun 1.0 workspace.

For more information about vApprun, see http://labs.vmware.com/flings/vapprun.

Examples of OVF Tool Use

Importing and Exporting OVF Using vSphere Client

Click File > Deploy OVF Template.

Click File > Export OVF Template > Export.

Click File > Virtual Appliance > Import .

Click File > Virtual Appliance > Export .

VMware OVF Tool Delta Disk Facilities

ovftool --makeDeltaDisks package.ovf output-dir/

1 Create a plain Ubuntu installation on one virtual machine.

2 Clone the virtual machine.

3 Install Apache on the first virtual machine.

4 Install MySQL on the second virtual machine.

For delta disk compression, keep in mind the following:

This chapter includes the following topics:

n Definitions and Command Syntax

Definitions and Command Syntax

Run VMware OVF Tool From the Command Line

1 At the command-line prompt, run the OVF Tool as follows

ovftool <source locator> <target locator>

"/Applications/VMware OVF Tool/ovftool" --help

ovftool <options> <source locator> <target locator>