Cannot deploy ova with ovftool: "Error: Found wrong kind of object (Folder). Possible completions are:"

[vcenteruser2020]

Ive poured over examples from the web, and gone all through the User Guide, just cannot figure this out.  Trying to do deploy to a VM/template folder that already exists

Using ovftool 4.2 on linux

ovftool --acceptAllEulas --name=TST1-pub --datastore=EMC3-DS --network:VMNet=VMNet --vmFolder=TST2-300 --powerOn --noSSLVerify vi://$TF_VAR_vsphere_user:$[e-mail]/VMWAREDC/TST2-300

(ignore that incorrect email urlization that the forum did there, I am indeed entering that data correctly)

but no matter WHAT I try to use for the vi locator, it always complains.  sometimes it gives me hints, sometimes not, and invariably using the hint leads to some error.

[a_p_]

Welcome to the Community,

deploying a VM into a folder requires to specify the target path with the key word "vm". So in your case s.th. like this should work to specify a target folder:

vi://$TF_VAR_vsphere_user:$[e-mail]/VMWAREDC/vm/TST2-300

For more details, take a look at Open Virtualization Format Tool (ovftool)​ which contains examples for different deployments.

Note: I can't reproduce this at the moment, so I'm not 100% sure whether the command also requires the VM's target name behind the folder name.

André

[vcenteruser2020]

Thanks!  however this doesnt wok either (already tried that)  Conveniently though, if you just use /vm at the end of the vi locator, the tool is nice enough to list all the vm&template folders present on the VMWare datacenter you gave it.  first it gives the error

Error: Found wrong kind of object (Folder). Possible completions are:

Then it lists all the folders.

My  TST2-300 folder already is present, and does show up in the list.  I created it with the python sdk.  But then when I try to use /vm/TST2-300 at the end of the location then I still get an error:

Error: Locator does not refer to an object: vi://$TF_VAR_vsphere_user:$[e-mail]/VMWAREDC/vm/TST2-300

I get same thing if I use /TST1-pub at the end (the hostname of the VM Im trying to create)

Theres just got to be something im missing here.  Thanks!

[a_p_]

Did you try it with the VM's name appended to the path (.../VMWAREDC/vm/TST2-300/Your-VMs-Name)?

André

[vcenteruser2020]

Yes I tried with /TST2-pub at the end there as well since that is the name Im telling ovftool to use as VM name.  Same error.

Error: Locator does not refer to an object:

I edited my post up above with this info but you were too fast for me

[vcenteruser2020]

Thanks - I took that --folder option out, same error,regardless of then if I used the vm name at the end of the vi or not

[mimikry]

So Im actually having the same issue understanding the documentation - I get the list of possible completions, but these are just a list of already created VMs on the Datacentre. My intention is to deploy a new VM which does not exist yet. Would like to see how this has been fixed as the documentation is rather not specific about our case.

 

Edit: So I have just realized I need to replace the 'vm' with 'host' in VI tagret...silly me. 

[a_p_]

It looks like you just edited your last reply while I posted my reply.

Anyway,, one more thing which you may try, is to remove --vmFolder=TST2-300 from the command line. According to the documentation, --folder= requires a MoRef rather than a name, and since the folder name is already in the target locator, it shouldn't be required.

André