NSX 4.x appliance OVA deployment fails with error: “audit: kauditd hold queue overflow.”

Products

• VMware NSX

Issue/Introduction

Deployment of the NSX 4.1.2.3 OVA file fails with repeated console errors. The first boot displays multiple errors, followed by continuous logs of: "audit: kauditd hold queue overflow"

 

Attempts to deploy using ovftool with a pre-built JSON configuration fail.

Environment

VMware NSX

Cause

The issue occurs when the OVA file becomes corrupted during transfer.

• Certain file transfer applications (e.g., WinSCP) treat the OVA as a text file instead of a binary file, resulting in CR/LF conversion and corruption.
• This leads to a slightly altered OVA file that fails during deployment.

Resolution

When downloading and deploying OVA files from the Broadcom Support Portal, follow the steps below:

 

• Verify the file size
  Ensure the downloaded and transferred file size matches the value listed on the Broadcom Support Portal.
  Example:
  
  File Name: nsx-unified-appliance-4.1.2.3.0.23382420.ova 
  Size: 14.26 GB

• Verify file integrity (SHA2/MD5 hashes)
  Compare the file hashes with those published on the Broadcom Support Portal.
  Example:
  
  File Name: nsx-unified-appliance-4.1.2.3.0.23382420.ova 
  Build Number: 23382408 
  SHA2: ec86cb7########ef29a5b######0e857df31############22e985c29f7518e 
  MD5: ######609142d##44a07f8d#########
  
  
• File transfer precautions

• If the OVA file must be transferred between systems, verify SHA2/MD5 checksums before and after transfer.
• The values must match those listed on the Broadcom Support Portal.
• When using file transfer tools such as WinSCP, configure Transfer Settings to "Binary" mode.
  Do not use “Text” mode, as it may corrupt the file.