Deploying OVF/OVA template fails at "Select a compute resource" with "Unable to process template" in vSphere Client

Products

• VMware vCenter Server

Issue/Introduction

When attempting to deploy an OVF or OVA template using the vSphere Client:

• Step 3 (Select a compute resource) shows Compatibility checks succeeded.

• A red error banner appears at the top of the wizard: Unable to process template.

• Proceeding to the next step is blocked.

 

Log findings in vCenter:

• vsphere-ui log /var/log/vmware/vsphere-ui/logs/vsphere_client_virgo.log
  
  [ERROR] ... c.v.vsphere.client.provisioning.ovf.impl.OvfDeployServiceImpl: Unable to query OVF. com.vmware.vapi.std.errors.Unauthorized: Unauthorized
  
  
• vpxd log /var/log/vmware/vpxd/vpxd.log)
  
  BEGIN lro-######## -- SessionManager -- vim.SessionManager.loginByToken -- <SESSION_ID>(<UUID>)
  
  GetUserInfoInternal(VSPHERE.LOCAL\content-library-user-<UUID>, false) res: VSPHERE.LOCAL\content-library-user-<UUID>
  
  Session <SESSION_ID> already authenticated
  
  ERROR lro-###### -- <SESSION_ID>(########-####-####-####-############) -- SessionManager -- vim.SessionManager.loginByToken: :vim.fault.InvalidLogin
  --> Result:
  --> (vim.fault.InvalidLogin) {
  -->    faultCause = (vmodl.MethodFault) null,
  -->    faultMessage = (vmodl.LocalizableMessage) [
  -->       (vmodl.LocalizableMessage) {
  -->          key = "vim.fault.InvalidLoginWithReason",
  -->          arg = (vmodl.KeyAnyValue) [
  -->             (vmodl.KeyAnyValue) {
  -->                key = "1",
  -->                value = "vim.fault.InvalidLoginReasonRegisterFailed"
  -->             }
  -->          ],
  -->          message = <unset>
  -->       }
  -->    ]
  -->    msg = ""
  --> }
  --> Args:
  -->
  --> Arg locale:
  
  
• Content Library log /var/log/vmware/content-library/cls-service.log
  
  Logging into VC at URL https://<VC_FQDN_OR_IP>:443/sdk as a solution user.
  
  Login attempted on an already authenticated session. Ignoring error.
  
  Session is in state IMPORT_SELECTING_OVF_PARAMS
  
  PropertyCollector retrievePropertiesEx call failed
  com.vmware.vim.binding.vim.fault.NotAuthenticated: null
  
  ardwareConfigHandler failed
  java.util.concurrent.ExecutionException: com.vmware.vapi.std.errors.Unauthorized: Unauthorized (com.vmware.vapi.std.errors.unauthorized) => {
      messages = [LocalizableMessage (com.vmware.vapi.std.localizable_message) => {
      id = com.vmware.vdcs.util.unauthorized,
      defaultMessage = The operation failed due to ,
      args = [],
      params = <null>,
      localized = <null>
  }],
      data = <null>,
      errorType = UNAUTHORIZED
  }
  
  

Environment

VMware vSphere 8.x / 9.0

Cause

This issue is caused by a stale or desynchronized internal session state between the VMware Content Library Service (vmware-content-library) and the vCenter Server daemon (vpxd).

When initiating an OVF/OVA deployment, the Content Library service attempts to authenticate with vpxd via a solution user (content-library-user). If an orphaned session already exists on the socket, vpxd rejects the new token registration (already authenticated -> InvalidLogin). The Content Library service ignores the login error and subsequently fails during property collection (NotAuthenticated / Unauthorized), resulting in the UI error.

Resolution

Restart the Content Library Service and the vSphere UI Service to clear stale sessions and force a clean re-authentication.

• Log in to the vCenter Server Appliance via SSH using root credentials.

• Restart the Content Library and vSphere UI services:

  service-control --restart vmware-content-library vsphere-ui
  

   

• Wait approximately 2–3 minutes for the vSphere Client interface to reload.

• Log back into the vSphere Client and retry deploying the OVF/OVA template.

 

Additional Information

If the issue cannot be addressed immediately by restarting services, deploy the OVF/OVA template directly by logging in to the individual ESXi Host Client (https://<ESXi_IP>/ui), bypassing vCenter Server internal service authentication.