Unable to upload OVF files to a local RAID-backed datastore in multiple ESXi hosts

Products

• VMware vSphere ESXi

Issue/Introduction

A customer attempting to upload OVF files using the ESXi Host Client UI encounters the following error when deploying a VM:

Failed to deploy VM: postNFCData failed: Not Found.

 

Environment

VMware ESXi 8.0

Cause

Reviewing the envoy-access.log shows entries similar to:

 

####-##-##T##:##:##.###Z In(166) envoy-access[#######]: POST /ha-nfc/<datastore_UUID>/<VM_Name>.vmdk 503 upstream_reset_before_response_started{connection_termination} UC 4909241410 88 gzip 166858 - - <jumpbox_IP>:64205 HTTP/2 TLSv1.2 <ESXi_IP>:443 127.0.0.1:49489 HTTP/1.1 - 127.0.0.1:12001 - -

These log entries indicate that the connection was terminated unexpectedly.
This behavior is commonly associated with network instability or intermittent network fluctuations between the ESXi Host Client UI source (jumpbox) and the ESXi host.

Resolution

• Ensure that the ESXi host IP and the jumpbox IP are on the same network and subnet.
  This reduces latency and avoids routing issues that can interrupt NFC (Network File Copy) operations.

• Switch to a more stable network and retry uploading the OVF files.

• If network changes are not feasible, capture network traffic on both the jumpbox and the ESXi host to identify where the connection termination occurs.

  • Begin packet captures before reproducing the issue.

 

Additional Information

If the jumpbox runs Windows, use Wireshark to capture network traffic.