Import an Open Virtualization Format Virtual Machine

You can import an Open Virtualization Format (OVF) virtual machine and run it in Workstation Player. Workstation Player converts the virtual machine from OVF format to VMware runtime (.vmx) format. You can import both .ovf and .ova files.

OVF is a platform-independent, efficient, extensible, and open packaging and distribution format for virtual machines. For example, you can import OVF virtual machines exported from VMware Fusion™ or Oracle VM VirtualBox into Workstation Player. You can import OVF 1.x files only.

You can also use the standalone OVF Tool to convert an OVF virtual machine to VMware runtime format. The standalone version of the OVF Tool is installed in the Workstation Player installation directory under OVFTool. See the OVF Tool User Guide on the VMware Web site for information on using the OVF Tool.

Procedure

1. In Workstation Player, select File > Open a Virtual Machine.
2. Browse to the .ovf or .ova file and click Open.
3. Type a name for the virtual machine, type or browse to the directory for the virtual machine files, and click Import.
   Workstation Player performs OVF specification conformance and virtual hardware compliance checks. A status bar indicates the progress of the import process.
4. If the import fails, click Retry to try again, or click Cancel to cancel the import.
   If you retry the import, Workstation Player relaxes the OVF specification conformance and virtual hardware compliance checks and you might not be able to use the virtual machine in Workstation Player.

Results

After Workstation Player successfully imports the OVF virtual machine, the virtual machine appears in the virtual machine library.