Warning: Missing file when deploying an ovf template

Products

• VMware vCenter Server

Issue/Introduction

• Exporting a VM as an OVF from a third-party source and importing it to vSphere fails with an error
  
  
• 1 required file(s) missing: browse again and use multiple selection to reselect the OVF template and all required files. If you are trying to import a .ova file then it may be missing file(s). Missing file(s) : ########-####-####-####-##########.vmdk
  
  
  
  
• The ESXi hostd.log file reports an ‘invalid state’ error similar to the snippet below.
  
  2025-11-07T08:13:13.278Z Er(163) Hostd[2099055]: [Originator@6876 sub=Vmsvc.vm:/vmfs/volumes/########-########-####-##########/vm_name/vm_name.vmx opID=HB-host-
##@#######-#######-##-####sid=######## user=vpxuser:<no user>] Invalid transition requested (VM_STATE_IMPORTING -> VM_STATE_RECONFIGURING): Invalid state
2025-11-07T08:13:13.278Z Wa(164) Hostd[2099055]: [Originator@6876 sub=Vmsvc.vm:/vmfs/volumes/########-########-####-##########/vm_name/vm_name.vmx opID=HB-host-##@#######-#######-##-#### sid=######## user=vpxuser:<no user>] Method fault exception during reconfigure: N3Vim5Fault12InvalidState9ExceptionE(Fault cause: vim.fault.InvalidState

Environment

VMware vCenter Server
VMware ESXi

Cause

This issue can occur if one or more required files in the OVF template are missing or corrupted.

Resolution

Understanding OVF vs. OVA:

• OVF (Open Virtualization Format): Typically consists of multiple files:
  • .ovf (the descriptor file)
  • One or more .vmdk files (the actual virtual disk images)
  • Optional .mf (manifest file for integrity checking)
  • Optional .cert (certificate file)
• OVA (Open Virtual Appliance): A single file archive (.tar or similar) that bundles all the OVF components into one package.

Resolution:

To resolve the issue, perform the following steps:

1. Extract the OVA file using the following command to verify that all required files are present
    tar -xvf .\file.ova
2. Ensure that all OVF-related files (e.g., .ovf, .vmdk, .mf) are selected when deploying the template in vSphere
3. If the provider of the OVA file offers MD5, SHA1, or SHA256 checksums, use a utility to calculate the checksum of your downloaded file and compare it to the published one. If they don't match, the file is corrupted
4. If issue persists, re-download the OVA/OVF file from the source portal and attempt to import it again into vSphere

Alternatively, you can use VMware convertor tool and perform a V2V conversion of the VM

Additional Information

While deploying OVF file failed with error "Transfer failed: IO error during transfer"