Locally stored OVF template deployment fails with the following error message "Unable to process template"

Products

• VMware vCenter Server

Issue/Introduction

• The following error occurs when attempting to deploy the OVF template "Example_OVF" from the content library "Example_Content-Library", which is stored locally on a shared datastore of one of the ESXi hosts within vCenter :

Unable to process template

• The vCenter log file located at /var/log/vmware/content-library/cls.log indicates that the template does not appear to be validated as a proper OVF template :

YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM:SS | DEBUG    | 523ef380-####-####-####-8605bf019b43-6c-1b | cls-simple-activity-20    | CreateSessionActivity          | Created transfer session urn:transfer:d81a####35cc####3ce1####7e50#### for download session 29933d0c-####-####-####-a9476b2d2123 from library item Example_OVF (ID: 09c1ea88-####-####-####-612b12e0a372) in library Example_Content-Library (ID: 71af0ff4-####-####-####-4397cabdc15a)

YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM:SS | DEBUG    | mbb3dj74-######-auto-####-h5:70027642-b1-## | cls-simple-activity-8     | ImportSessionActivity          | Releasing download session 29933d0c-####-####-####-a9476b2d2123:ee2f54d6-####-####-####-17b3c4694f10
YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM:SS | DEBUG    | mbb3dj74-######-auto-####-h5:70027642-b1-## | cls-simple-activity-8     | SimpleActivityExecutor         | submitting activity DeleteDownloadSessionActivity (priority=NORMAL, phase=phaseBegin()
YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM:SS | DEBUG    | mbb3dj74-######-auto-####-h5:70027642-b1-##-## | cls-simple-activity-15    | VcTaskService                  | Setting progress for task c602478f-a91c-4b86-aea7-da956625e94c (ManagedObjectReference: type = Task, value = task-1####4, serverGuid = ee2f54d6-####-####-####-17b3c4694f10) from 0 to 100
YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM:SS | ERROR    | mbb3dj74-######-auto-####-h5:70027642-b1-## | cls-simple-activity-8     | IntermediateResultListener     | Activity threw exception.
com.vmware.vapi.std.errors.InvalidArgument: InvalidArgument (com.vmware.vapi.std.errors.invalid_argument) => {
    messages = [LocalizableMessage (com.vmware.vapi.std.localizable_message) => {
    id = com.vmware.ovfs.ovfs-main.ovfs.invalid_library_item,
    defaultMessage = Specified library item is not an OVF.,
    args = [],
    params = <null>,
    localized = <null>
}],
    data = <null>,
    errorType = INVALID_ARGUMENT
}

Note : From the above log snippet the "Example_OVF" template ID is 09c1ea88-####-####-####-612b12e0a372 and "Example_Content-Library" content Library ID is 71af0ff4-####-####-####-4397cabdc15a 

• Log into the ESXi host as the root user which has access to the datastore where the OVF template is directed to be stored and run the ls -lrtha command :

Example :

• • ls -lrtha /vmfs/volumes/datastore-name/contentlib-71af0ff4-####-####-####-4397cabdc15a/09c1ea88-####-####-####-612b12e0a372/

The output will be incomplete files of the Example_OVF template or no files at all.

Environment

VMware vCenter server 7.x

VMware vCenter server 8.x

Cause

The content-library folder created in the local datastore from the ESXi host where the datastore is shared, Library item Example_OVF (ID: 09c1ea88-####-####-####-612b12e0a372) in Library Example_Content-Library (ID: 71af0ff4-####-####-####-4397cabdc15a) does not have any OVF file data.

Resolution

1. Create a new content library, upload the OVF files to it, and then attempt to deploy the OVF template again.
2. Ensure the OVF template uploaded has completed successfully and all the files have been transferred to the datastore.

Additional Information

Create a Content-Library on vSphere 8.x