Failed to import appliance - Harvard CS50

[HarvardCS50]

Code: Select all

Failed to import appliance C:/Users/Nico/Downloads/appliance50-17/appliance50-17.ovf.

Error reading "C:/Users/Nico/Downloads/appliance50-17/appliance50-17.ovf": Disk item with instance ID 11 specifies invalid parent 4, line 117.

Result Code: VBOX_E_FILE_ERROR (0x80BB0004)
Component: Appliance
Interface: IAppliance {3059cf9e-25c7-4f0b-9fa5-3c42e441670b}

Hi guys. Been trying to import my Harvard CS50 appliance but to no avail. Would appreciate any help on this.

Source of the appliance: http://mirror.cs50.net/appliance50/17/i ... -9-ovf.zip
Related link to course: https://manual.cs50.net/appliance/17/Vi ... x/#windows

[mpack]

It would be helpful if you zipped and posted the OVF descriptor on its own, since I don't fancy a 1GB download over my connection.

However, my first reaction is, assuming the message means what I think it does, that disks in an appliance set should not be difference images, and therefore should not require a parent. The whole idea of an "appliance" is that it's stand alone and portable.

[CrownJ]

Hey there,

Just wondering if you found a solution to import the appliance, I'm having the same problem, however I'm working on a Macbook, version 10.9 and running on OS X Mavericks.

Any idea how I can solve this problem??

[BillG]

No, it is not a Mavericks problem. I see the same error in both Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 with Vbox 4.3.0 . Either there is something wrong with the Harvard ovf or something has changed in VirtualBox.

[socratis]

It would be helpful if you zipped and posted the OVF descriptor on its own

I downloaded it trying to troubleshoot another post by "CrownJ"/"EsBee" (is it actually the same user?). No need to zip it, it's very small.

appliance50-17.ovf.txt

(6.37 KiB) Downloaded 2306 times

[mpack]

The OVF looks all messed up to me. I may not be reading it correctly, but it seems to be creating a bunch of items not identified properly, plus references to items (e.g. 4 and 5) which don't exist. I would report these problems back to whoever distributes the VM.

If I desperately needed to get the VM running I would first unpack the VMDK by cloning to --format VDI, then I'd manually build the VM around the VDI. It seems to expect 512MB RAM (so I assume it's a 32bit Fedora), CD connected to IDE, and the VDI connected to SATA. PIIX4 chipset. NAT network mode. Everything else is probably unimportant. For Fedora you should probably turn IOAPIC on.

[CrownJ]

I downloaded it trying to troubleshoot another post by "CrownJ"/"EsBee" (is it actually the same user?). No need to zip it, it's very small.

Yes guilty, CrownJ that's me

As for ovf descriptor, see attached. Any ideas how I can fix it? Many thanks in advance~

[racek]

Skip importing. Instead, create a new ubuntu host, and when prompted for a virtual hard drive, select the downloaded vmdk file. It should boot up just fine.

[mpack]

Skip importing. Instead, create a new ubuntu host, and when prompted for a virtual hard drive, select the downloaded vmdk file. It should boot up just fine.

It may boot up, but it's a stream optimized (a.k.a compressed) disk image, hence it will work as an immutable drive plus reads from it will be horribly slow.

A better way is to clone the disk first to VDI format, then build your VM around the clone. I mentioned this already, in the second para of my previous message.

[pgibbs]

The .ovf file has an error.
XML Item element at line 117 refers to a Parent that does not exist in the file.
Should be 3, not 4.
<rasd:Parent>3</rasd:Parent>

3 is the InstanceID of the IDE controller.

[universalshrew]

Navigate to the cs50-appliance.ovf file. Right click and open the file with a text editor (Sublime Text, Text Wrangler, etc.). For me it was on line 128 but the line number is referenced in the error I believe.
change:

Code: Select all

<rasd:Parent>4</rasd:Parent>

to:

Code: Select all

<rasd:Parent>3</rasd:Parent>

Solved the problem for me.

[hiroidum]

Thanks universalshrew - that worked for me, too. Any hints on why this is? Many thanks!

[Skydweller1]

This also worked for me. Thank you for the post.

[atlantis43]

Navigate to the cs50-appliance.ovf file. Right click and open the file with a text editor (Sublime Text, Text Wrangler, etc.). For me it was on line 128 but the line number is referenced in the error I believe.
change:

Code: Select all

<rasd:Parent>4</rasd:Parent>

to:

Code: Select all

<rasd:Parent>3</rasd:Parent>

Solved the problem for me.

Excuse my ignorance, but could anyone tell me which version of a text editor I would need to download to accomplish this task, i.e. Windows or Linux? I'm running Windows on my pc, and have a virtual appliance with Linux (Fedora). This code is (I guess) Linux.

[loukingjr]

Excuse my ignorance, but could anyone tell me which version of a text editor I would need to download to accomplish this task, i.e. Windows or Linux? I'm running Windows on my pc, and have a virtual appliance with Linux (Fedora). This code is (I guess) Linux.

One would think any text editor would do on Windows or Linux. It opens with TextEdit on OSX.