VM Creation Error from OVA Image on ESXi 7u3 | missing "backing.id", "backing.deviceld", and "backing.systemld" elements

Products

• VMware vCenter Server

Issue/Introduction

Customers attempting to create Virtual Machines (VMs) from an OVA (Open Virtual Appliance) image on ESXi 7u3 environments may encounter errors related to missing "backing.id", "backing.deviceld", and "backing.systemld" elements. This issue typically arises during an automated VM creation process, such as one utilizing Ansible, govc, and vSphere.

Cause

The root cause of this error is the presence of the specific configuration line <rasd:ResourceSubType>vmwares.pci.passthrough</rasd:ResourceSubType> within the OVA's configuration for virtual GPU hardware. ESXi 7u3 appears to have a compatibility or interpretation issue with this particular element, leading to the failure in VM creation.

Resolution

To resolve this issue, customers have two primary options:

1. Modify the OVA Configuration:
   • Before deploying the OVA, identify and remove the line <rasd:ResourceSubType>vmwares.pci.passthrough</rasd:ResourceSubType> from the OVA's configuration. This has been shown to allow for successful OVA creation.
2. Upgrade ESXi:
   • Upgrade the ESXi environment from ESXi 7u3 to ESXi 8u3. The issue was resolved after upgrading, indicating that ESXi 8u3 correctly handles or no longer encounters this specific problem with the virtual GPU hardware configuration.