When deploying an OVA in vSphere 8, it is not uncommon for the workflow to flag the OVA publisher certificate as untrusted. This can be a significant issue for organizations that prioritize security. In this blog post, I will cover how to overcome this issue.

The Problem

Deploying an OVF Template/OVA is a common operation for a VMware Administrator. You right-click on the ESX Cluster or an ESX host in the inventory browser and click Deploy OVF Template. This action initiates the Deploy OVF Template workflow. Typically, there are ten steps to this workflow. The first three steps ask for:

I’m a bit late on posting this. But, better late than never. I’ve been renewed again as a VMware vExpert for 2025. This is my seventh consecutive year since I first applied. Woohoo!!

If you haven’t met me, then you should know the image for this post is not how I look at all. That guy is way better looking than me. I also don’t have anywhere near that amount of hair. I decided to create a generic IT guy holding a placard claiming to be a 7-time vExpert. I used the AI image site, NightCafe. It has a paid tier for creating images, but I use the free tier. Check it out sometime.

As part of my job, I regularly demonstrate Pure Storage features and how VMware solutions integrate seamlessly with our storage platform. Before a demo, I usually will confirm the software I intend to use is in good working order, but this isn’t always the case. The demo lab is used by many of my colleagues. This means that during their use of the lab something could have stopped working or is in a wonky state. So, Murphy’s Law could rear its ugly head at the most inconvenient time if I cannot confirm all is well beforehand.