When attempting to deploy an OVF template, the error "Transfer failed: The OVF descriptor is not available" occurs.

Products

• VMware vCenter Server
• VMware vSphere ESXi

Issue/Introduction

Users may encounter the error "Transfer failed: The OVF descriptor is not available" when attempting to deploy an OVF/OVA template via the vSphere Client. 

Environment

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

Cause

The OVF deployment process validates the integrity of the OVF template files (e.g. .ovf, .vmdk) using checksums listed in the accompanying manifest file (.mf). This error typically occurs if the .ovf file has been modified for any reason, but the checksum in the .mf file was not updated to reflect the change.

Resolution

If the OVF descriptor .ovf has been modified, the checksum recorded in the manifest file .mf will no longer be valid. You must recalculate the hash value to resolve this.

Step 1 Calculate the New Hash Value
Calculate the new SHA-1 or SHA-256 hash for the edited .ovf file.

Note: Open the original .mf file first to confirm whether it uses SHA1 or SHA256. You must use the same algorithm.

 

■ On Windows (PowerShell)
Example for SHA-256:
Get-FileHash -Algorithm SHA256 your_file.ovf

Example for SHA-1:
Get-FileHash -Algorithm SHA1 your_file.ovf

■ On Linux / macOS (Terminal)
Example for SHA-256:
sha256sum your_file.ovf

Example for SHA-1:
sha1sum your_file.ovf

Step 2: Update the Manifest (.mf) File

1. Open the .mf file with a text editor (e.g., Notepad, vi).
2. Locate the line for the OVF file (e.g., SHA256(your_file.ovf)= ...) and replace the old hash with the new one created in Step 1..
3. Save the file.