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I have Virtualbox 4.3 and want to export different VMs because I'm recover my computer. When I want to export a VM I can choose between OVF-Format-Version 0.9; 1.0; 2.0

But what are the differences between them? How do I decide which one to use?

I also want to export the saved state from the VMs.

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    I would select the highest version you need to be compatible with. If you're only ever going to import from the same software that created the export, use the highest.
    – heavyd
    Nov 12, 2014 at 18:52
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    The Open Virtualization Format, which is a format that many different VM platforms can use to import VMs.
    – heavyd
    Nov 12, 2014 at 19:51
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    As of Virtualbox 5.0.24 (32 bit, Win) , Virtualbox mentions that OVF 2.0 is experimental when you hover the mouse over the Format Select field. Jul 25, 2016 at 10:25

2 Answers 2

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Extract from the OVF 2.0 FAQ:

What are the new improvements/features of OVF 2.0 vs. OVF 1.0?

OVF 1.0 has provided the industry with a standard packaging format for virtual machines – solving a critical business need for software vendors and cloud service providers. OVF 1.0 has been widely adopted to meet this need and is now an international standard (adopted by ISO/IEC in 2011).

OVF 2.0 brings an enhanced set of capabilities to the packaging of virtual machines, making the standard applicable to a broader range of cloud use cases that are emerging as the industry enters the cloud era. The most significant improvements include support for network configuration along with the ability to encrypt the package to ensure safe delivery.

New features of OVF 2.0 include:

  • Improved support for network configuration
  • Package encryption for safe delivery
  • Scaling and deployment options
  • Support for basic placement policies, including affinity and availability placement
  • Shared disks
  • Advanced device boot order
  • Advanced mechanisms for passing data to guest
  • Updated CIM schemas
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My suggestion is to go with version 1.0 or 2.0 since OVF Tool 2.0 supports OVF version 1.0 and 1.1, and is backward compatible with OVF 0.9.

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