Deploying OVF fails with PostNFCData Failed: Error on read, error: -1

Products

• VMware vCenter Server
• VMware vSphere ESXi

Issue/Introduction

When deploying an ovf either via vCenter or esxi, the following error is displayed on the UI. 

Failed to deploy VM: PostNFCData Failed: Error on read, error: -1 

The hostd logs contain the following error messages. 

Er(163) Hostd[2099868] [Originator@6876 sub=Httpnfcsvc] Error on read, error: -1
Er(163) Hostd[2099868] [Originator@6876 sub=Httpnfcsvc] [DiskUploadWorker] Error reading input: Error on read, error: -1

The VM then has a successful delete task. 

There are no relevant vmkernel errors about storage failures on the datastore that the VM is being deployed to. 

Environment

vSphere 7.x, 8.x, and 9.x 

Cause

Issue is due to a read failure on the ovf itself and indicates an issue with either

1. Connection drops between the source ovf and management network on the esxi host itself. 

2. A corrupt/malformed ovf file. 

Resolution

Solutions can vary depending on how the ovf was extracted. 

If the ovf was extracted from a VM, re-extract the ovf and try the deployment. 
If the ovf was downloaded from online, redownload it and see if there is a checksum with the download to validate against the file after it finishes downloading. 

To rule out a connection failure, one can:
1. Upload the ovf to the a content library and deploy the VM from the content library. 
2. Do a packet capture on the management vmkernel and the source of the upload to ensure data consistency throughout the process.