OVF File Documentation

Overview

Feature Value
File Format Name Open Virtualization Format (OVF)
Extension .ovf
MIME Type application/ovf
Container for VM configuration, images, and metadata
Format Type XML
Developed By DMTF (Distributed Management Task Force)
Main Purpose Standard for packaging and distribution of software to be run in virtual machines
Compression Supported, often with TAR or ZIP
Encryption Supported
Portability Designed for VM portability across different hypervisors
Supporting Platforms VMware, VirtualBox, Xen, Microsoft Hyper-V, and others
Associated Files .vmdk (for the disk images), .mf (manifest file)
Scalability Supports single and multiple VM configurations
Hardware Independence Yes
Network Configuration Options Included within the .ovf file
Custom Parameters Support Supports inclusion of custom VM parameters
Resource Specification Defines CPU, memory, network, and storage resources
Internationalization Support for localization and internationalization
Licensing Information Can include licensing information and restrictions
Security Features Digital signatures, encryption, file hashing
Deployment Options Direct deployment to virtualization platforms, cloud