OVA/OVF deployment via Subscribed Content Library fails with a timeout error

Products

• VMware vCenter Server

Issue/Introduction

• Deployments from content library templates also fails with the timeout error.
• Deployments work when the target ESXi host is local to the content library.
• /var/log/vmware/vpxd log in vCenter shows below entries:

YYYY-MM-DDThh:mm:ss.803Z info vpxd[38251] [Originator@6876 sub=VAppImport opID=7fd8cd0c-01] Import task progress: 63
YYYY-MM-DDThh:mm:ss.291Z info vpxd[50085] [Originator@6876 sub=MoHttpNfcLease opID=7fd8cd0c] Renewing HTTP NFC tickets on vpxa
YYYY-MM-DDThh:mm:ss.319Z error vpxd[50085] [Originator@6876 sub=MoHttpNfcLease opID=7fd8cd0c] Error renewing ticket: N5Vmomi5Fault11SystemError9ExceptionE(Fault cause: vmodl.fault.SystemError
YYYY-MM-DDThh:mm:ss.322Z info vpxd[50085] [Originator@6876 sub=MoHttpNfcLease opID=7fd8cd0c] Releasing HTTP-NFC ticket
YYYY-MM-DDThh:mm:ss.324Z error vpxd[38251] [Originator@6876 sub=VAppImport opID=7fd8cd0c-01] Caught exception while importing VM: N5Vmomi5Fault11SystemError9ExceptionE(Fault cause: vmodl.fault.SystemError
YYYY-MM-DDThh:mm:ss.781Z info vpxd[38251] [Originator@6876 sub=vpxLro opID=7fd8cd0c-01] [VpxLRO] -- FINISH task-8562510
YYYY-MM-DDThh:mm:ss.781Z info vpxd[38251] [Originator@6876 sub=Default opID=7fd8cd0c-01] [VpxLRO] -- ERROR task-8562510 -- <vm_name> -- ResourcePool.ImportVAppLRO: vmodl.fault.SystemError:
  
  
• /var/log/vmware/content-library/cls.log in vCenter shows below entries for transfer failed:

YYYY-MM-DDThh:mm:ss.412Z | DEBUG    | 96de5e76-###-407a-####-48a497b1c3c1 | transferService-pool-7-thread-506 | TransferItemImpl               | Session d9a83e72-####-4630-####-######, Item <template_name>.vmdk: Transfer summary: rate=NA, size=null, time=0 ms, status=ERROR, type=DISK, source=ds:///vmfs/volumes/vsan:52dbd6e4523de2e9-########//contentlib-0097c19c-5696-####-bcb8-######/91f5de8e-f137-####-b4cf-######/<template_name>.vmdk?serverId=00414db3-####-####-####-#######, target=ds:///vmfs/volumes/5e634d2e-####-b20e-######//<vm_name>/<vm_name>.vmdk
        error => com.vmware.transfer.transfer_error => {expected_checksum=<unset>, kind=OTHER, protocol_message=<unset>, peer_ssl_thumbprint=<unset>, message=Error during transfer of ds:///vmfs/volumes/5e634d2e-####-b20e-######//<vm_name>/<vm_name>.vmdk: Failed to retrieve additional storage allocation information forfile URI(ds:///vmfs/volumes/5e634d2e-####-b20e-######//<vm_name>/<vm_name>.vmdk) post data transfer, actual_checksum=<unset>},
        uri => ds:///vmfs/volumes/5e634d2e-####-b20e-######//<vm_name>/<vm_name>.vmdk,
    uri = ds:///vmfs/volumes/5e634d2e-####-b20e-######//<vm_name>/<vm_name>.vmdk,
        message = Error during transfer of ds:///vmfs/volumes/5e634d2e-####-b20e-######//<vm_name>/<vm_name>.vmdk: Failed to retrieve additional storage allocation information forfile URI(ds:///vmfs/volumes/5e634d2e-####-b20e-######//<vm_name>/<vm_name>.vmdk) post data transfer,
    defaultMessage = Transfer failed: Error during transfer of ds:///vmfs/volumes/5e634d2e-####-b20e-######//<vm_name>/<vm_name>.vmdk: Failed to retrieve additional storage allocation information forfile URI(ds:///vmfs/volumes/5e634d2e-####-b20e-######//<vm_name>/<vm_name>.vmdk) post data transfer.  

Environment

• VMware vCenter Server 7.x
• VMware vCenter Server 8.x
• VMware vSphere ESXi 7.x
• VMware vSphere ESXi 8.x

Cause

This issue can happen due to possible network issues which causes NFC (Network File Copy) to fail and the OVA/OVF deployment does not complete.

Resolution

Perform a pcap on ESXi host to validate and remediate if there are chunks of DUPE_ACK or FAST_RETRANSMISSION entries.