Error: "Invalid response code: 500" when trying to import the OVF

Products

• VMware vSphere ESXi 7.0
• VMware vSphere ESXi 8.0

Issue/Introduction

• Import OVF failed due to "response code: 500"
• When using vSphere Client, you may see errors as below.
  

  # (VC) /var/log/vmware/content-library/cls.log
  
  YYYY-MM-DDThh:mm:ss.###Z | ERROR    | m4qzkm5i-220444-auto-4q3h-h5:70046326-d1-95 | cls-simple-activity-13    | ImportSessionActivity          | OVF import session 3b0dcf84-ab81-4802-ac01-b6f8406ba85f failed with server error.
  com.vmware.vapi.std.errors.ServiceUnavailable: ServiceUnavailable (com.vmware.vapi.std.errors.service_unavailable) => {
      messages = [LocalizableMessage (com.vmware.vapi.std.localizable_message) => {
      id = com.vmware.ovfs.ovfs-main.ovfs.transfer_failed,
      defaultMessage = Transfer failed: Invalid response code: 500.,
      args = [Invalid response code: 500],
      params = <null>,
      localized = <null>
  }],
      data = <null>,
      errorType = SERVICE_UNAVAILABLE
  }
  :::
  YYYY-MM-DDThh:mm:ss.###Z | DEBUG    | m4qzkm5i-220444-auto-4q3h-h5:70046326-d1-95 | cls-simple-activity-13    | ImportSessionActivity          | Completing import lease ManagedObjectReference: type = HttpNfcLease, value = session[52691d6c-73af-c65c-8068-90a16e0aa234]52e3c630-12b5-0026-b26f-7a03b257de18, serverGuid = e62cf0fb-15c5-4495-9264-f22d92e67e13 (exception: (vim.fault.OvfImportFailed) {
     faultCause = (vmodl.fault.SystemError) {
        faultCause = null,
        faultMessage = (vmodl.LocalizableMessage) [
           (vmodl.LocalizableMessage) {
              dynamicType = null,
              dynamicProperty = null,
              key = com.vmware.ovfs.ovfs-main.ovfs.transfer_failed,
              arg = (vmodl.KeyAnyValue) [
                 (vmodl.KeyAnyValue) {
                    dynamicType = null,
                    dynamicProperty = null,
                    key = 0,
                    value = Invalid response code: 500
                 }
              ],
              message = Transfer failed: Invalid response code: 500.
           }
        ],
        reason = 
     },
     faultMessage = null
  })

   

• When using ovftool to deploy OVF directly to ESXi host, you may see error below 

  # example output for terminal
  
  PS C:\Program Files\VMware\VMware OVF Tool> .\ovftool.exe -ds=### 'C:\Users\Administrator\Downloads\photon ovf\photon-ovf-test.ovf' vi://root:########@###.###.###.###
  Deploying to VI: vi://root@###.###.###.###:443/
  Transfer Failed
  Error: Failed to transfer file [photon-ovf-test-0.vmdk] to host [###.###.###.###] (response code:500)
  Warning:
   - No manifest file found.
   - Wrong file size specified in OVF descriptor for 'photon-ovf-test-1.vmdk' (specified: -1, actual 232236032).
  Completed with errors
  
  # (ESXi) /var/run/log/hostd.log
  
  YYYY-MM-DDThh:mm:ss.###Z Er(163) Hostd[2098442]: [Originator@6876 sub=Httpnfcsvc] Error on read, error: -1
  YYYY-MM-DDThh:mm:ss.###Z Er(163) Hostd[2098442]: [Originator@6876 sub=Httpnfcsvc] [DiskUploadWorker] Error reading input: Error on read, error: -1

Environment

VMware vSphere ESXi 8.0.X

VMware vSphere ESXi 7.0.X

Cause

• This could happen because of a corrupted vmdk file included in OVF files. Import OVF may failed with "response code: 500" if OVF includes corrupted vmdk files.
• If .mf file is available, we could check whether vmdk is corrupted or not by comparing the vmdk hash in .mf file with an actual hash value 

  # In this case, vmdk hash value is different from an actual hash value, which means this vmdk file is corrupted.
  
  PS C:\Users\Administrator\Downloads\photon ovf> cat .\photon-ovf-test.mf
  SHA256(photon-ovf-test-2.nvram)= a79d8d4ea6fcb63ef8b90b3e872a5d5382ec25b8d3af5dc09d1bab24f5f3ef28
  SHA256(photon-ovf-test.ovf)= 117d07136d2b8cbafd834c1fe2c5fe3ea22f0c854b59fdfac9fdf60e5ea85301
  SHA256(photon-ovf-test-1.vmdk)= 23eff1cfb80c92f8d7adc66b08ac9248ef0e83000d7c42eb513db43c9af1c0fe
  
  PS C:\Users\Administrator\Downloads\photon ovf> Get-FileHash .\photon-ovf-test-1.vmdk
  
  Algorithm       Hash                                                                   Path
  ---------       ----                                                                   ----
  SHA256          173477E727467FA9A737F6CE66DFCE290DAF4651AD1FC6E34A619F84E6CC09E9       C:\Users\Administrator\Downlo...

Resolution

1. To deploy OVF successfully, files cannot be corrupted
2. There is no workaround for this.