Benefits of OVF

Using OVF to distribute virtual machines has the following benefits:

• Ease of use. When users receive a package in OVF format, they do not have to unzip files, execute binaries, or convert disk formats. Adding a vApp can be as simple as typing a URL and clicking Install.
• Virtual hardware validation. OVF supports fast and robust hardware validation. You do not have to install a complete virtual machine before determining whether it is compatible with an ESXi host (for example, because it uses IDE virtual disks).
• Metadata inclusion. Additional metadata, such as an end-user license agreement, can be packaged with the OVF and displayed before installation.
• Optimized download from the Internet. Large virtual disks are compressed for fast download and to reduce disk space for large template libraries.