"The operation could not be performed because the argument is invalid. A specified parameter was not correct: profileId" error when adding an Application from VMware Marketplace in VMware Cloud Director

Products

• VMware Cloud Director

Issue/Introduction

• Attempting to add an Application from VMware Marketplace in Content Hub in the Cloud Director UI fails.
• When Cloud Director downloads an OVA from the VMware Marketplace or when Importing templates as per the documentation  the below error is seen in the Cloud Director UI:

The operation could not be performed because the argument is invalid. A specified parameter was not correct: profileId - A specified parameter was not correct: profileId

• Within the /opt/vmware/vcloud-director/logs/vcloud-container-debug.log on the Cloud Director cells there are log entries similar to that below:

Caused by: com.vmware.ssdc.library.exceptions.VimInvalidArgumentException: The operation could not be performed because the argument is invalid. A specified parameter was not correct: profileId
at com.vmware.ssdc.library.vim.LmVim.Convert(LmVim.java:262)
at com.vmware.ssdc.library.vim.LmVim.Convert(LmVim.java:498)
...
Caused by: (vmodl.fault.InvalidArgument) {
faultCause = null,
faultMessage = (vmodl.LocalizableMessage) [
(vmodl.LocalizableMessage) {
dynamicType = null,
dynamicProperty = null,
key = com.vmware.pbm.pbmFault.locale,
arg = (vmodl.KeyAnyValue) [
(vmodl.KeyAnyValue) {
dynamicType = null,
dynamicProperty = null,
key = summary,
value = Profile not found. Id: ,

• The issue occurs when Cloud Director 10.4.2, 10.5, or 10.5.1 release is connected to a vCenter Server version 8.0 Update 2 release or higher.
• The issue does not occur when Cloud Director is connected to an earlier vCenter Server release, for example vCenter Server 8.0 Update 1.

Environment

VMware Cloud Director 10.4.x

VMware Cloud Director 10.5.x

Cause

This is a known issue affecting Cloud Director releases earlier than Cloud Director 10.4.3 and 10.5.1.1.

This issue occurs due to a change of behavior in vCenter Server 8.0 Update 2 in how it handles Storage Policies in OVFs. Applications added from VMware Marketplace in Cloud Director are imported into the connected vCenter Server as OVFs and can encounter this issue. This issue does not affect Cloud Director when connected to vCenter Server versions lower than 8.0 Update 2.

Resolution

This issue is resolved in Cloud Director 10.4.3 and 10.5.1.1 available from VMware By Broadcom Downloads.

If installation of the available patch is not immediately possible, use the workaround specified below.

Workaround:

To workaround the issue remove the BootOrderSection or the StorageGroupSection from the OVF and attempt the upload again.

If the issue occurs for an application from VMware Marketplace the following steps can be taken:

1. Download the specific Application as an OVA or OVF from VMware Marketplace directly to a local machine.
2. If downloaded as an OVA extract the contents using VMware OVF Tool or another archive tool. For example we could use the following VMware OVF Tool command:

ovftool /ovfs/my_vapp.ova /ovfs/my_vapp.ovf

3. Edit the OVF descriptor and remove the BootOrderSection or StorageGroupSection entries. For example we may remove the following entries if present in the .ovf file:

<vmw:StorageGroupSection ovf:required="false" vmw:id="<group name>" vmw:name="<Storage Policy Name>">
    <Info>Storage policy for group of disks</Info>
    <vmw:Description>Storage Policy Description</vmw:Description>
  </vmw:StorageGroupSection>
  ...
  <vmw:StorageGroup ovf:required="false"><group name></vmw:StorageGroup>
  ...
  <vmw:StorageSection ovf:required="false" vmw:group="group name">
    <Info>Storage policy group reference</Info>
  </vmw:StorageSection>

4. After changing the OVF descriptor file delete any manifest .mf files as the changes to the OVF descriptor will have invalidated them. Cloud Director does not require a manifest file during upload, it is optional, and creation of a new one is not required.
5. In the Cloud Director Tenant portal use the "Content Hub ->  Add -> Upload OVA/OVF" option to upload the edited OVF to the desired Catalog. Include all other files referenced by the OVF, such as VMDK files.
6. Confirm that the application is added to Cloud Director successfully.

Additional Information

Add an Application Image from an External Resource to a VMware Cloud Director Catalog
Create a vApp Template from an OVF File Using Your VMware Cloud Director Tenant Portal
VMware OVF Tool User Guide