OVA/OVF deployment fails in vCenter with error: "Transfer failed: Invalid response code: 500" or on ESXi with error: "postNFCData failed: Capacity of uploaded disk is larger than requested"

Products

• VMware vCenter Server
• VMware vSphere ESXi

Issue/Introduction

OVA/OVF deployment fails in vCenter with error: 

Error: "Failed to deploy OVF package. Cause: A general system error occurred: Transfer failed: Invalid response code: 500."

OVA/OVF deployment fails in ESXi with error:

Error: Failed to deploy VM: postNFCData failed: Capacity of uploaded disk is larger than requested.

Environment

VMware vCenter Server
VMware vSphere ESXi

Cause

Please review the vpxa.log file on the ESXi host from which OVA/OVF was attempted. Review log snippets similar to those shown below.

/var/log/vpxa.log

YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM:SS.msZ In(###) Vpxa[#######] [Originator@#### sub=HttpNfcServer opID=LicenseViolationRemediator::UndoRemediateThenRemediate-########-########-##] HandlePost: Created DiskUploadWorker for file: /nfc/****************************5e05ebec/disk-0.vmdk
YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM:SS.msZ Er(###) Vpxa[#######] [Originator@#### sub=Default opID=SWI-########] Bad/missing Ticket UUID format in path:529e70f0-####-####-####-############
YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM:SS.msZ Wa(###) Vpxa[#######] [Originator@#### sub=Default opID=SWI-########] Invalid Path:/nfc/529e70f0-####-####-####-############/disk-0.vmdk or ticketLocator:529e70f0-####-####-####-############, specified.
YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM:SS.msZ In(###) Vpxa[#######] [Originator@#### sub=HttpNfcServer opID=SWI-########] [DiskUploadWorker] POST request
YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM:SS.msZ In(###) Vpxa[#######] [Originator@#### sub=HttpNfcServer opID=SWI-########] [DiskUploadWorker] Capacity mismatch: Existing disk: 16777216, incoming disk: 52428800

/var/log/hostd.log

YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM:SS.msZ In (###) Hostd[#######]: [Originator@#### sub-Httpnfcsvc] Handle Post: Created DiskUploadWorker for file: /ha-nfc/****************************5e05ebec/disk-0.vmdk
YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM:SS.msZ In (###) Hostd[#######]: [Originator@#### sub-Httpnfcsvc] [DiskUploadWorker] POST request /ha-nfc/****************************5e05ebec/disk-0.vmdk
YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM:SS.msZ In (###) Hostd[#######]: [Originator@#### sub-Httpnfcsvc] [DiskUploadWorker] Capacity mismatch: Existing disk: 16777216, incoming disk: 52428800 

This issue occurs when there is a capacity mismatch between the virtual disk size defined in the OVF/OVA metadata and the actual size of the disk being uploaded. During deployment, ESXi rejects the upload because the incoming VMDK file’s capacity is larger than what was requested, resulting in the postNFCData failed error.

Resolution

This issue is typically specific to the OVA/OVF template itself or how it was built. To resolve it:

1. Re-download the OVA/OVF package from the original vendor to ensure the files are intact and consistent.
2. Once the OVA is downloaded, it will be in a ZIP file format.
3. Extract it using the right tool/application (like 7ZIP, WinZip)
4. Verify the disk sizes in the OVF/OVA descriptor match the actual VMDK files.
5. If the problem persists, reach out to the vendor or template provider for a corrected version of the OVA/OVF.

Additional Information

Note: Avoid manually editing the disk files.

It is recommended to Deploy OVF/OVA template using vCenter UI when host is managed by vCenter Server. Refer following doc: Deploy an OVF or OVA Template