Datastore fails at provisioning when deploying from Content Library

Products

• VMware vCenter Server

Issue/Introduction

When attempting to provision a new Virtual Machine from a Content Library to a Datastore or Datastore Cluster, the task fails at approximately 0% to 10% completion.

Symptoms:

• Error: Failed to deploy OVF package. Cause: A general system error occurred: Transfer failed.

• Sub-error: Error during transfer of ds:///vmfs/volumes/...: Cannot connect to host.

• Manual selection of a specific host and datastore does not resolve the issue.

Environment

 

• VMware vCenter Server 7.x, 8.x, and 9.x

• ESXi 7.x, 8.x, and 9.x

• Content Library (Local or Subscribed)

 

Cause

This issue occurs when the network infrastructure (Firewall, ACLs, or Security Groups) blocks the Network File Copy (NFC) traffic. vCenter initiates the transfer, but the destination ESXi host cannot be reached over the required management ports to receive the VMDK data.

Resolution

Ensure the following ports are open between the vCenter Server Appliance (VCSA) and the ESXi hosts:

1. TCP 902: Required for vCenter to send data to ESXi via NFC.

2. TCP 443: Required for HTTPS communication and OVF deployment.

3. MTU Check: Ensure consistent MTU settings across the physical and virtual switches to prevent packet fragmentation during large file transfers.

Additional Information

Port requirements for VMware vSphere ESXi