You can download a vApp or vApp template object as an OVF package. After you enable the object for download, you can download the OVF descriptor, then download all of the files referenced by the descriptor. A vApp must powered off and undeployed before you can enable it for download.

When you enable a vApp or vApp template for download, the server performs several operations to create an OVF package and make it available to the transfer service.

1

The server reconstructs the OVF descriptor using information in the vApp or vApp template. The server excludes any deployment-specific information that the object contains, and populates the descriptor's References element with references to files, such as .vmdk files, that are part of the package.

2

The server copies the reconstructed OVF descriptor to transfer service storage, along with all files that the descriptor references.

3

The server updates the corresponding VApp or VAppTemplate element with a link that contains a URL from which you can retrieve the OVF descriptor.

4

After you retrieve the descriptor, you can examine it to discover the download URLs for the files it references.

You can download any file referenced in the descriptor by making a GET request to its download URL.

1

Before you can download a vApp or vApp template, an administrator or privileged user must explicitly enable the object for download.

2

To download the OVF descriptor, make a GET request to the download:default or download:identity URL in the download-enabled VApp or VAppTemplate element.

3

After you download the OVF descriptor of a vApp or vApp template, you can examine the contents of the descriptor to discover download URLs for .vmdk and other files in the package.