OVF export does not start in VMware Host Client

Products

• VMware vSphere ESXi

Issue/Introduction

When attempting to export a virtual machine as an OVF template from the VMware Host Client, the following symptoms occur:

• The file download does not start, and no browser pop-up appears.
• In the Recent Tasks pane, the "Export Vm" task remains in a "Running" state without any progress.
• The /var/run/log/hostd.log file contains an exception indicating a missing ISO file, similar to the following:
  YYYY-MM-DDThh:mm:ss.SSSZ In(166) Hostd[525479]: [Originator@6876 sub=Vimsvc.TaskManager opID=esxui-acad-0a01 sid=52b01c93 user=root] Task Created : haTask-23-vim.VirtualMachine.exportVm-XXXXX
YYYY-MM-DDThh:mm:ss.SSSZ In(166) Hostd[525479]: [Originator@6876 sub=Vmsvc.vm:/vmfs/volumes/########-########-####-############/vm-name/vm-name.vmx opID=esxui-acad-0a01 sid=52b01c93 user=root] State Transition (VM_STATE_OFF -> VM_STATE_EXPORTING)
YYYY-MM-DDThh:mm:ss.SSSZ In(166) Hostd[525479]: [Originator@6876 sub=Vmsvc.vm:/vmfs/volumes/########-########-####-############/vm-name/vm-name.vmx opID=esxui-acad-0a01 sid=52b01c93 user=root] State Transition (VM_STATE_EXPORTING -> VM_STATE_OFF)
YYYY-MM-DDThh:mm:ss.SSSZ In(166) Hostd[525479]: [Originator@6876 sub=AdapterServer opID=esxui-acad-0a01 sid=52b01c93 user=root] AdapterServer caught exception; <<52b01c93-3ed5-9267-8d62-507b9bfc3473, <TCP '127.0.0.1 : 8307'>, <TCP '127.0.0.1 : 14300'>>, 23, vim.VirtualMachine.exportVm, <vim.version.v8_0_2_0, official, 8.0.2.0>, [N11HostdCommon18VmomiAdapterServer19ActivationResponderE:0x00000058a0b75ca8]>, N3Vim5Fault12FileNotFound9ExceptionE(Fault cause: vim.fault.FileNotFound
YYYY-MM-DDThh:mm:ss.SSSZ In(166) Hostd[525451]: --> )
YYYY-MM-DDThh:mm:ss.SSSZ In(166) Hostd[525451]: --> [context]zKq7AVICAgAAAP////8MaG9zdGQAAANZQWxpYnZtYWNvcmUuc28AAR71U2hvc3RkAAE/8LwBZ/+8AS5uxYKzChIBbGlidmltLXR5cGVzLnNvAAHv/1YAjjEoALBMKABL2UkDgnoAbGlicHRocmVhZC5zby4wAATvLg9saWJjLnNvLjYA[/context]
YYYY-MM-DDThh:mm:ss.SSSZ In(166) Hostd[525479]: [Originator@6876 sub=Solo.Vmomi opID=esxui-acad-0a01 sid=52b01c93 user=root] Activation finished; <<52b01c93-3ed5-9267-8d62-507b9bfc3473, <TCP '127.0.0.1 : 8307'>, <TCP '127.0.0.1 : 14300'>>, 23, vim.VirtualMachine.exportVm, <vim.version.v8_0_2_0, official, 8.0.2.0>, [N11HostdCommon18VmomiAdapterServer19ActivationResponderE:0x00000058a0b75ca8]
YYYY-MM-DDThh:mm:ss.SSSZ In(166) Hostd[525479]: [Originator@6876 sub=Solo.Vmomi opID=esxui-acad-0a01 sid=52b01c93 user=root] Throw vim.fault.FileNotFound
YYYY-MM-DDThh:mm:ss.SSSZ In(166) Hostd[525479]: [Originator@6876 sub=Solo.Vmomi opID=esxui-acad-0a01 sid=52b01c93 user=root] Result:
YYYY-MM-DDThh:mm:ss.SSSZ In(166) Hostd[525451]: --> (vim.fault.FileNotFound) {
YYYY-MM-DDThh:mm:ss.SSSZ In(166) Hostd[525451]: -->    file = "/vmfs/volumes/########-########-####-###########/ISO-FILE.iso",
YYYY-MM-DDThh:mm:ss.SSSZ In(166) Hostd[525451]: -->    msg = "",
YYYY-MM-DDThh:mm:ss.SSSZ In(166) Hostd[525451]: --> }

Environment

VMware ESXi 8.0

Cause

This issue occurs because the virtual machine is configured to use an ISO image file that is no longer accessible or has been deleted from the datastore.

The OVF export process attempts to locate all files associated with the VM configuration, and the missing file causes the process to fail internally.

Resolution

To resolve this issue, disconnect the missing ISO file from the virtual machine:

1. Log in to the VMware Host Client.
2. Right-click the affected Virtual Machine and select Edit settings.
3. Locate the CD/DVD Drive.
4. Change the drive selection from "Datastore ISO file" to "Host Device".
5. Click Save.
6. Retry the OVF export process.