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You can import the OVA file directly into ESXi using VMware ovftool, from the PC or server you run ovftool. Run the command like this:

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Remember to set the Virtual Machine name you like, the datastore you want, the network you want, and point it at the server you want to deploy to.

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• Numerous attempts were made to import this OVA using the VMware vSphere HTML5 Client, with Chrome, Chromium and Firefox as browser:
  • Every attempt timed out.
• We have yet to experience a failed import of this OVF using VMware commandline tool ovftool:
  • For this reason VMware commandline tool ovftool is recommended for importing OVAs' via VMware vCenter

You can import the OVA file into an a VMware ESXi Datacenter via VMware vCenter using VMware ovftool, from the PC or server you run ovftool. Run commands like this:

• In this example the VMware vCenter 6.5 install has created:

  • FQDN 'photon-machine' with

    • user 'administrator',

    • sso domain name 'vsphere.localdomain', and

    • sso password 'Vagrant1!'

      • which must be escaped when used in this context using ovftool:

        • escaped  password: 'Vagrant1\!'

• VMware ovftool option that should be determined appropriate to this use case for this OVA import:
  • --diskMode
    

    Specify the disk format. You can specify the following formats:

    • monolithicSparse 

    • monolithicFlat

    • twoGbMaxExtentSparse

    • twoGbMaxExtentFlat

    • seSparse (vSphere target)

    • eagerZeroedThick (vSphere target)

    • thin(vSphere target)

    • thick (vSphere target)

    • sparse

    • flat

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