Configuration Files

OVF Tool has many options. Rather than repeatedly entering long commands on the command line, you can create a configuration file. A configuration file uses the following syntax:

option1=value
...
#comment
optionN=value

The following is an example of a configuration file:

proxy=http://proxy.example.com
datastore=storage-test42
# Comment on something
locale=dk

You can create local or global configuration files. The local configuration file ovftool.cfg is read in the folder where you invoke OVF Tool. The global configuration file is per user.

On Windows (after XP), the global configuration file is in the following location:

C:\Users\%USER%\AppData\Roaming\VMware\ovftool.cfg

Linux and OS X look for the global configuration file in the following location:

$HOME/ovftool.cfg (example ~/ovftool.cfg)

When reading configuration files, globally defined options are overwritten by locally defined options, and locally defined options are overwritten by the --configFile command-line option. Some variables, such as proxy, do not allow you to specify the option in multiple places. If ovftool stops running with the error “already exists“ it is likely that you specified an option on the command line and in a configuration file.

You can use the ovftool --help config command to get information about how to use a configuration file. In addition, the current contents of the global configuration file as well as any local configuration file is shown.