Try to deploy an OVA in vCenter 6.5 and you’ll likely see the following helpful little number-
After some mucking about, I found a supported solution- VMware OVF Tool.
First up, download OVF Tool from https://www.vmware.com/support/developer/ovf/. Install the MSI, taking note of the install directory (the default is c:\Program Files\VMware\VMware OVF Tool\).
Launch a Command Prompt, then change to the directory where OVF Tool was installed
cd "c:\Program Files\VMware\VMware OVF Tool"
Query your OVA to see deployment options
ovftool.exe Z:\ovatodeploy.ova
In this case, I’m deploying vRealize Log Insight 3.0 and the following output is received, but this will vary from one OVA to the next
Download Size: 611.42 MB
Deployment Sizes:
Flat disks: 132.38 GB
Sparse disks: 610 bytes
Networks:
Name: Network 1
Description: The "Network 1" network
Virtual Machines:
Name: VMware_vRealize_Log_Insight
Operating System: sles11_64guest
Virtual Hardware:
Families: vmx-07 vmx-08 vmx-09
Number of CPUs: 4
Cores per socket: 1
Memory: 8.00 GB
Disks:
Index: 0
Instance ID: 5
Capacity: 12.13 GB
Disk Types: SCSI-lsilogic
Index: 1
Instance ID: 6
Capacity: 120.00 GB
Disk Types: SCSI-lsilogic
Index: 2
Instance ID: 9
Capacity: 256.00 MB
Disk Types: SCSI-lsilogic
NICs:
Adapter Type: vmxnet3
Connection: Network 1
Properties:
ClassId: vami
Key: hostname
InstanceId VMware_vCenter_Log_Insight
Category: Networking Properties
Label: Hostname
Type: string(0..65535)
Description: The hostname or the fully qualified domain name for this VM.
Leave blank if DHCP is desired.
ClassId: vami
Key: ip0
InstanceId VMware_vCenter_Log_Insight
Category: Networking Properties
Label: Network 1 IP Address
Type: string
Description: The IP address for this interface. Leave blank if DHCP is
desired.
ClassId: vami
Key: netmask0
InstanceId VMware_vCenter_Log_Insight
Category: Networking Properties
Label: Network 1 Netmask
Type: string
Description: The netmask or prefix for this interface. Leave blank if DHCP is
desired.
ClassId: vami
Key: gateway
InstanceId VMware_vCenter_Log_Insight
Category: Networking Properties
Label: Default Gateway
Type: string
Description: The default gateway address for this VM. Leave blank if DHCP is
desired.
ClassId: vami
Key: DNS
InstanceId VMware_vCenter_Log_Insight
Category: Networking Properties
Label: DNS
Type: string
Description: The domain name servers for this VM (comma separated). Leave
blank if DHCP is desired. WARNING: Do not specify more than two
DNS entries or no DNS entries will be configured!
ClassId: vm
Key: rootpw
Category: Other Properties
Label: Root Password
Type: password(0..65535)
Description: A root password can be set during deployment if desired. If not,
but guest customization is running, then it will be randomly
generated. Otherwise the password will be blank, and will be
required to change in the console before using ssh. For security
reasons, it is recommended to use a password that is a minimum
of eight characters and contains a minimum of one upper, one
lower, one digit, and one special character.
ClassId: vm
Key: sshkey
Category: Other Properties
Label: SSH Public Key
Type: string(0..65535)
Description: An SSH Public Key can be set during deployment, disabling
password authentication. If blank, SSH will be configured per
the Root Password option above.
Deployment Options:
Id: xsmall
Label: Extra Small
Description: IMPORTANT: This configuration is intended for proof-of-concept
or test environments and should not be used in a production
environment.
This configuration supports up to 20 ESXi hosts (~200
events/second or ~3GB/day) and requires the following:
* 2 CPUs (minimum 2.0GHz)
* 4GB RAM
* 132GB of storage (100GB for event storage) - thick
provisioned, eager zeroed highly recommended
* VM hardware version 7 or greater (vSphere 4.0 or
greater)
Id: small (default)
Label: Small
Description: IMPORTANT: For Log Insight clusters medium or large sized nodes
should be used.
This configuration supports up to 200 ESXi hosts (~2,000
events/second or ~30GB/day) and requires the following:
* 4 CPU (minimum 2.0GHz)
* 8GB RAM
* 132GB of storage (100GB for event storage) - thick
provisioned, eager zeroed highly recommended
* VM hardware version 7 or greater (vSphere 4.0 or
greater)
Id: medium
Label: Medium
Description: This configuration supports up to 500 ESXi hosts (~5,000
events/second or ~75GB/day) and requires the following:
* 8 CPU (minimum 2.0GHz)
* 16GB RAM
* 282GB of storage (250GB for event storage) - thick
provisioned, eager zeroed highly recommended
* VM hardware version 7 or greater (vSphere 4.0 or
greater)
Id: large
Label: Large
Description: IMPORTANT: This configuration requires vSphere 5.0 or greater.
This configuration supports up to 1,500 ESXi hosts
(~15,000 events/second or ~225GB/day) and requires the
following:
* 16 CPU (minimum 2.0GHz)
* 32GB RAM
* 282GB of storage (250GB for event storage) - thick
provisioned, eager zeroed highly recommended
* VM hardware version 8 or greater (vSphere 5.0 or
greater)
IP Allocation Policy:
Protocols: IPv4 IPv6
When constructing our deploy command, ovftool expects the following format when specifying properties-
--prop:"ClassId.Key.InstanceId"="value"
Note the following block as an example-
Properties:
ClassId: vami
Key: hostname
InstanceId VMware_vCenter_Log_Insight
Category: Networking Properties
Label: Hostname
Type: string(0..65535)
Description: The hostname or the fully qualified domain name for this VM.
Leave blank if DHCP is desired.
To specify a hostname, the following command would be used-
--prop:"vami.hostname.VMware_vCenter_Log_Insight"="vrli01"
Generic OVF Tool options are visible with the following command-
ovftool.exe --help
Which will output the following-
Usage: ovftool [options] <source> [<target>]
where
<source>: Source URL locator to an OVF package, VMX file, or virtual machine in
vCenter or on ESX Server.
<target>: Target URL locator which specifies either a file location, or a
location in the vCenter inventory or on an ESX Server.
If <target> is not specified, information about the source is displayed to the
console.
Options:
--acceptAllEulas : Accept all end-user licenses agreements
without being prompted.
--allowAllExtraConfig : Whether we allow all the ExtraConfig
options. These options are a security risk
as they control low-level and potential
unsafe options on the VM.
--allowExtraConfig : Whether we allow ExtraConfig options in
white list. These options are safe as we
have a white list to filter out the
low-level and potential unsafe options on
the VM.
--annotation : Add annotation to vi, vmx, vapprun, vCloud,
OVF, and OVA source locators
--authdPortSource : Use this to override default vmware authd
port (902) when using a host as source.
--authdPortTarget : Use this to override default vmware authd
port (902) when using a host as target.
--chunkSize : Specifies the chunk size to use for files in
a generated OVF package. The default is not
to chunk. The chunk size without unit is
assumed to be in megabytes. Accepted units
are b, kb, mb, gb; e.g., 2gb or 100kb.
--compress : Compress the disks in an OVF package. Value
must be between 1 and 9. 1 is the fastest,
but gives the worst compression, whereas 9
is the slowest, but gives the best
compression.
--computerName : Sets the computer name in the guest for a VM
using the syntax --computerName:<VM
ID>=<value>. Only applies to vCloud targets
version 5.5 or newer.
--coresPerSocket : Specifies the distribution of the total
number of CPUs over a number of virtual
sockets using the syntax
--coresPerSocket:<VM ID>=<value>. Only
applies to vCloud targets version 5.5 or
newer.
-ds/--datastore : Target datastore name for a VI locator.
--decodeBase64 : Decode option values with Base64.
--defaultStorageProfile : The storage profile for all VMs in the OVF
package. The value should be an SPBM profile
ID. Only applies to VI targets version 5.5
or newer.
--defaultStorageRawProfile : The storage profile for all VMs in the OVF
package. The value should be raw SPBM
profile. The value will overwrite that in
--defaultStorageProfile. Only applies to VI
targets version 5.5 or newer.
--deploymentOption : Selects what deployment option to use (if
the source OVF package supports multiple
options.)
--disableVerification : Skip validation of signature and
certificate.
-dm/--diskMode : Select target disk format. Supported formats
are: monolithicSparse, monolithicFlat,
twoGbMaxExtentSparse, twoGbMaxExtentFlat,
seSparse (VI target), eagerZeroedThick (VI
target), thin (VI target), thick (VI
target), sparse, and flat
--diskSize : Sets the size of a VM disk in megabytes
using the syntax --diskSize:<VM ID>,<disk
instance ID>=<value>. Only applies to vCloud
targets version 5.5 or newer.
--eula : EULA to be inserted in the first virtual
system or virtual system collection in the
OVF. If the EULA is in a file, use the
option --eula@=filename instead.
--exportDeviceSubtypes : Enables export of resource subtype for
CD/Floppy/Parallel/Serial devices. This can
limit portability as not all device backings
are supported on all hypervisors. The
default is false.
--exportFlags : Specifies one or more export flags to
control what gets exported. The supported
values for VI sources are mac, uuid, and
extraconfig. Supported value for vCloud
sources are preserveIdentity. One or more
options can be provided, separated by
commas.
--extraConfig : Sets an ExtraConfig element for all
VirtualHardwareSections. The syntax is
--extraConfig:<key>=<value>. Applies to vi,
vmx, vapprun, vCloud, ovf, and ova source
locators.
--fencedMode : If a parent network exists on the vCloud
target, this property specifies the
connectivity to the parent. Possible values
are bridged, isolated, and natRouted.
-h /--help : Prints this message.
--hideEula : In OVF probe mode, hides the EULA.
--ipAllocationPolicy : IP allocation policy for a deployed OVF
package.Supported values are: dhcpPolicy,
transientPolicy, fixedPolicy,
fixedAllocatedPolicy.
--ipProtocol : Select what IP protocol to use (IPv4, IPv6).
--lax : Relax OVF specification conformance and
virtual hardware compliance checks. Use only
if you know what you are doing.
--locale : Selects locale for target.
--machineOutput : Output OVF Tool messages in a machine
friendly manner.
--makeDeltaDisks : Build delta disk hierarchy from the given
source locator.
--maxVirtualHardwareVersion : The maximal virtual hardware version to
generate.
--memorySize : Sets the memory size in megabytes of a VM
using the syntax --memorySize:<VM
ID>=<value>. Only applies to vCloud targets
version 5.5 or newer.
-n /--name : Specifies target name (defaults to source
name).
--net : Set a network assignment in the deployed OVF
package. A network assignment is set using
the syntax --net:<OVF name>=<target name>.
If the target is vCloud 5.5 or newer, a
fence mode can also be specified using the
syntax --net:<OVF name>=<target name>,<fence
mode>. Possible fence mode values are:
bridged, isolated, and natRouted.
-nw/--network : Target network for a VI deployment.
--nic : Specifies NIC configuration in a VM using
the syntax --nic:<VM ID>,<index>=<OVF net
name>,<isPrimary>,<ipAddressingMode>,<ipAddress>.
Possible values for ipAddressingMode are:
DHCP, POOL, MANUAL, and NONE. ipAddress is
optional and should only be used when
ipAddressingMode is set to MANUAL. Only
applies to vCloud targets version 5.5 or
newer.
--noDisks : Disable disk conversion.
--noImageFiles : Do not include image files in destination.
--noSSLVerify : Skip SSL verification for VI connections.
--numberOfCpus : Sets the number of CPUs for a VM using the
syntax --numberOfCpus:<VM ID>=<value>. Only
applies to vCloud targets version 5.5 or
newer.
-o /--overwrite : Force overwrites of existing files.
--powerOffSource : Ensures a VM/vApp is powered off before
importing from a VI source.
--powerOffTarget : Ensures a VM/vApp is powered off before
overwriting a VI target.
--powerOn : Powers on a VM/vApp deployed on a VI target.
--privateKey : Sign OVF package with the given private key
(.pem file). The file must contain a private
key and a certificate.
--privateKeyPassword : Password for the private key. Should be used
in conjunction with privateKey if the
private key requires password
authentication. If required and not
specified, the tool will prompt for the
password.
--prop : Set a property in the deployed OVF package.
A property is set using the syntax
--prop:<key>=<value>.
--proxy : Proxy used for HTTP[S] access.
--proxyNTLMAuth : Enable NTLM authentication for proxy.
-q /--quiet : No output to screen except errors.
--schemaValidate : Validate OVF descriptor against OVF schema.
--shaAlgorithm : Select SHA digest algorithm when creating
OVF package. Supported values are SHA1,
SHA256 and SHA512. Default value is SHA256.
--skipManifestCheck : Skip validation of OVF package manifest.
--skipManifestGeneration : Skip generation of OVF package manifest.
--sourcePEM : File path to PEM formatted file used to
verify VI connections.
--sourceSSLThumbprint : SSL fingerprint of SOURCE. OVF Tool verifies
the SSL fingerprint it gets from SOURCE if
the value is set.
-st/--sourceType : Explicitly express that source is OVF, OVA,
VMX, VI, vCloud, ISO, FLP, vApprun
--sslCipherList : Use this to override default OpenSSL ciphers
suite.
--sslVersion : Use this to set preferred TLS/SSL version
for HTTPS connections. The valid values are
as following:
TLSv1_0: Set preferred TLS/SSL version to
TLSv1.0.
TLSv1_1: Set preferred TLS/SSL version to
TLSv1.1.
TLSv1_2: Set preferred TLS/SSL version to
TLSv1.2.
--storageProfile : Sets the storage profile for a VM using the
syntax --storageProfile:<VM ID>=<value>.
Only applies to vCloud targets version 5.5
or newer.
--targetPEM : File path to PEM formatted file used to
verify VI connections.
--targetSSLThumbprint : SSL fingerprint of TARGET. OVF Tool verifies
the SSL fingerprint it gets from TARGET if
the value is set.
-tt/--targetType : Explicitly express that target is OVF, OVA,
VMX, VI, vCloud, ISO, FLP, vApprun
--vCloudTemplate : Create only a vApp template. Default value
is false
--vService : Set a vService assignment in the deployed
OVF package. A vService assignment is set
using the syntax
--vService:<dependencyId>=<providerId>.
--verifyOnly : Do not upload the source but only verify it
against the target host. Applies to VI 4
targets only.
-v /--version : Prints the version of this tool.
--viCpuResource : Specify the CPU resource settings for
VI-locator targets. The syntax is
--viCpuResource=<shares>:<reservation>:<limit>.
--viMemoryResource : Specify the CPU resource settings for
VI-locator targets. The syntax is
--viMemoryResource=<shares>:<reservation>:<limit>.
-vf/--vmFolder : Target VM folder in VI inventory (relative
to datacenter).
For more help, type: --help <topic>, where topics are:
locators : For detailed source and destination locator syntax
examples : For examples of use
config : For syntax of configuration files
debug : For debug purpose
integration : For a list of options primarily used when ovftool is exec'ed
from another tool or shellscript.
So for example, to specify the target datastore, we can use the following-
--datastore="NAS_R10DS"
The finished command should be in the following format-
ovftool.exe --option1=parameter --prop:"ClassId.Key.InstanceId"="value" Z:\PathToOva.ova vi://[email protected]/DC/host/Cluster
As mentioned above, the properties required vary from one OVA to another; but here is an example using the full command I ran to deploy vRealize Log Insight 3.0-
ovftool.exe --acceptAllEulas ^ --datastore="NAS_R10DS" ^ --deploymentOption="xsmall" ^ --ipProtocol="IPv4" --ipAllocationPolicy="fixedPolicy" ^ --vmFolder="Discovered virtual machine" ^ --name="vrli01" ^ --net:"Network 1"="MGMT" ^ --prop:"vami.hostname.VMware_vCenter_Log_Insight"="vrli01" ^ --prop:"vami.ip0.VMware_vCenter_Log_Insight"="10.0.10.40" ^ --prop:"vami.netmask0.VMware_vCenter_Log_Insight"="255.255.255.0" ^ --prop:"vami.gateway.VMware_vCenter_Log_Insight"="10.0.10.254" ^ --prop:"vami.DNS.VMware_vCenter_Log_Insight"="192.168.105.2,172.16.60.2" ^ --prop:"vm.rootpw"="supersecurepassword" ^ --prop:"vm.sshkey"="ssh-rsa PUBLICRSAKEY" ^ Z:\VMware-vRealize-Log-Insight-3.0.0-3021606.ova ^ vi://[email protected]@vcsa1.example.com/DC1/host/Cluster01
Note that OVAs can only be deployed to hosts that are managed by vCenter. There are way of deploying to standalone ESXi hosts but at the time of writing, none are supported.