esxi-ovf-export-vmware-workstation-import
export ovf template was simple enough, but my workstation version 7 didn't like it
(errors trying to import)
Using the raw .vmdk file with a newly created VM I get all sorts of "read-only filesystem" errors, which corresponds to an exported .ovf .vmdk being compressed
the VMware commandline ovftool is not that helpful and it took some digging to find the right parameters ovftool --verifyOnly vm.ovf (yes, case sensitive... really...)
So it says the VM is fine, but a basic: ovftool -st=OVF -tt=VMX name.ovf fails... A second shot of: ovftool -st=OVF -tt=VMX name.ovf c:\temp\name.vmx fails...
The key is forcing the decompression...
ovftool -st=OVF -tt=VMX -dm=monolithicSparse name.ovf c:\temp\name.vmx
This will create the .vmx and .vmdk file which you can Open in VMware workstation no problem =)
(also works on .ova files) ovftool -st=OVA -tt=VMX -dm=monolithicSparse name.ova c:\temp\name.vmx
The reverse - VMWare workstation to OVF...
ovftool -st=VMX -tt=OVF name.ovf c:\temp\name.vmx
After the above to "extract" the .ova into vmx and vmdk you can run the tool below http://vmtoolkit.com/files/default.aspx
vmdk2vhd (2006 really) and it purports: "Vmdk2Vhd is a simple utility to convert virtual hard drive images from VMWare's VMDK format into the Microsoft's VHD format. This is a sector by sector copy operation from one format to the other and the source file remains unaltered."
Apparently "Project Kensho" from Citrix might actually be XenConverter 2.3.1? (3/14/2011)