Compressing VMX files to OVA for import

The VMware OVF Tool converts VMX-based VMs to OVA images. Because OVA files are compressed, they’re well-suited for importing into Skytap.

The following instructions explain how to install and use the OVF Tool from a Windows computer. The instructions for other operating systems may vary.

Download and install the VMware OVF Tool utility on a local computer that has access to the VM files you want to convert.

You can download the free VMware Open Virtualization Format Tool (ovftool).

From the command line, navigate to where the OVF Tool is installed.
Run the OVF Tool. For example:
```
 ovftool c:\Users\Skytap\Desktop\myimage.vmx c:\Users\Skytap\Desktop\myimage.ova
```
- The first section of the command includes the location of the VM that you want to compress. In the example above, the VMX and other VM files (VMDK, etc.) are located at c:\Users\Skytap\Desktop\, and the VMX file is named myimage.vmx.
- The second section includes the location and name for the new OVA file. In the example above, the OVA file will be saved at c:\Users\Skytap\Desktop\; it will be named myimage.ova.
To see all of the help options for the OVF Tool, type ovftool --help. For help troubleshooting OVF Tool errors, see the OVF Tool User’s Guide.