In Certain Cases, vSphere-Generated OVF Network Section Displays Port-Group ID Instead of Name

Products

• VMware vCenter Server
• VMware Cloud Foundation

Issue/Introduction

• When using the CreateDescriptor() API or VirtualMachine.ExportVm API via the vSphere SDK to export an OVF, the resulting NetworkSection may display the Managed Object ID (MoID) of a Distributed Virtual Port Group (DVPG) instead of name.     
• This behavior is observed when exporting a VM connected to a Distributed Virtual Port Group on a Distributed Virtual Switch (DVS). Specifically, the ovf:name attribute in the OVF file incorrectly reflects the DVPG's MoID.

Example Output:

<NetworkSection>
  <Info>The list of logical networks</Info>
  <Network ovf:name="dvportgroup-00">
    <Description>The dvportgroup-00 network</Description>
  </Network>
</NetworkSection>

In the above, ovf:name="dvportgroup-00" refers to the MoID of the DVPG, not its actual name (e.g., "DVPortGroup")

Environment

VMware vCenter Server 8.0.x

VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) 9.0

Cause

• This issue occurs due to a bug in the vSphere APIs where the ovf:name attribute is populated with the DVPG’s MoID instead of name.
• The OVF descriptor should reference the display name for clarity and proper mapping during OVF deployment or import operations.

Resolution

We are aware of this issue. Our development team is actively working on a resolution, and a fix will be included in a future release of VMware vCenter Server (VCF).

[Workaround]

Until the fix is released:

• Manually edit the OVF descriptor file to replace ovf:name="dvportgroup-XX" with the correct DVPG name.