Deploying a OVA/OVF template directly on the Host client fails with error "postNFCData failed: dismiss"

Products

• VMware vSphere ESXi

Issue/Introduction

• OVF/OVA deployment on both vSphere Client and the Host Client fails.
  
  
• When deploying it via the Host client, it fails with error "postNFCData failed: dismiss".


• Every time the OVF deployment fails, both vpxa and hostd services crash with a backtrace which looks like below.
  
  --> Panic: Unable to allocate memory
--> Backtrace:
--> [backtrace begin] product: VMware ESX, version: 7.0.3, build: build-21930508, tag: hostd, cpu: x86_64, os: esx, buildType: release
--> backtrace[00] libvmacore.so[0x001D6812]: Vmacore::System::Stacktrace::CaptureFullWork(unsigned int)
--> backtrace[01] libvmacore.so[0x001BD35D]: Vmacore::System::SystemFactory::CreateBacktrace(Vmacore::Ref<Vmacore::System::Backtrace>&)
--> backtrace[02] libvmacore.so[0x003E64AB]
--> backtrace[03] libvmacore.so[0x003E6584]: Vmacore::PanicExit(char const*)
--> backtrace[04] libvmacore.so[0x00189F11]
--> backtrace[05] libstdc++.so.6[0x0008EA1C]: operator new(unsigned long)
--> backtrace[06] hostd[0x0056C06E]
--> backtrace[07] hostd[0x0062ED44]
--> backtrace[08] hostd[0x0062FA5F]
--> backtrace[09] hostd[0x00630063]
--> backtrace[10] libvmacore.so[0x002DC7CC]
--> backtrace[11] libvmacore.so[0x002E0354]
--> backtrace[12] libvmacore.so[0x003F1102]
--> backtrace[13] libpthread.so.0[0x00007D3B]
--> backtrace[14] libc.so.6[0x000ED16D]
--> backtrace[15] (no module)
--> [backtrace end]


• Inside /var/run/log/vmkernel.log of the affected ESXi Host, admission failures belonging to the vpxa user world can be seen.
  
  Admission failure in path: host/vim/vmvisor/vpxa:vpxa.<world-ID>:uw.<world-ID>
UserWorld 'vpxa' with cmdline '/usr/lib/vmware/vpxa/bin/vpxa -D /etc/vmware/vpxa'
Admission failure in path: host/vim/vmvisor/vpxa:vpxa.<world-ID>:uw.<world-ID>
UserWorld 'vpxa' with cmdline '/usr/lib/vmware/vpxa/bin/vpxa -D /etc/vmware/vpxa'
Admission failure in path: host/vim/vmvisor/vpxa:vpxa.<world-ID>:uw.<world-ID>
UserWorld 'vpxa' with cmdline '/usr/lib/vmware/vpxa/bin/vpxa -D /etc/vmware/vpxa'
Admission failure in path: host/vim/vmvisor/vpxa:vpxa.<world-ID>:uw.<world-ID>
UserWorld 'vpxa' with cmdline '/usr/lib/vmware/vpxa/bin/vpxa -D /etc/vmware/vpxa'

Environment

• VMware vSphere ESXi 7.x
• VMware vSphere ESXi 8.x
• VMware vCenter Server 7.x
• VMware vCenter Server 8.x

Cause

The VPXA and Hostd services crash with an Out of Memory exception when uploading the VMDK by NFC because the requested body was too big for VPXA to fit in its reserved memory. This is a result of a corrupt/bad VMDK imported with the OVF.

Resolution

Replace the corrupt OVF/OVA file. Ensure to check the integrity of the files to avoid any possible corruption.

Note: In case the OVF is Cisco FMC appliance, check with Cisco to confirm the correct version to be deployed since some of the FMC releases have seen this issue.