OVF Deployment Fails with "ThrowableProxy.cause" error

Products

• VMware vSphere ESXi

Issue/Introduction

• When attempting to deploy an OVF or OVA file through the vCenter UI, the following error is encountered:

Failed to deploy OVF package.
ThrowableProxy.cause
A general system error occurred:
Transfer failed: Error transferring file to <vCenter URL>. Unrecognized SSL message, plaintext connection? Note that HTTP/s proxy is configured for the transfer.


• Additionally, within the vCenter VAMI interface, a Proxy Server is configured under Networking settings.

Cause

This issue occurs when the configured HTTP/HTTPS Proxy Server does not properly perform the SSL handshake with the client initiating the OVF/OVA upload. As a result, the secure connection fails during the deployment process.

Resolution

To workaround the issue:

• Temporarily disable the proxy configuration in the VAMI interface of the vCenter while performing the OVF/OVA deployment from a local machine.
• Alternatively, deploy the OVF/OVA directly to an ESXi host instead of through vCenter.

After the deployment is completed, you can re-enable the proxy settings as needed.