Updating a Citrix Golden Image in a Full Copy MCS Catalog (Fixing “Path Not Found”)

Summary: I ran into an issue today with a machine catalog where the client’s golden image snapshot was missing.

The VDA and several applications required updating before any new machines could be created.

The original snapshot had been deleted and recreated, and when attempting to publish the updated image to the Full Copy MCS catalog, the task failed with:

TerminatingError : Path not found
WorkflowStatus : Terminated
Type : PublishImage

The options to update machines in Studio were also unavailable.

A Full Copy MCS catalog image update failed with a “Path not found” error after the original snapshot was deleted and recreated.

Issue Caused:

The original snapshot referenced by the provisioning scheme had been deleted.

When attempting to create machines or publish the new image, the task terminated almost immediately.

Although the newly created snapshot had the same display name, Citrix was referencing an invalid snapshot object path.

The root of the issue was that Citrix was referencing an invalid snapshot object path, even though the display name appeared correct

The Fix:

Step 1: We need to verify what Citrix sees, not what you see in the Hypervisor.

Use the XDHyp provider to check what Citrix actually recognises:

Get-ChildItem "XDHyp:\HostingUnits\YourMachineCatalog\YourGMVirtualMachine.vm" |
Select Name, FullPath

Confirm the output shows a valid .snapshot object:

NameOfOldSnapShot 
XDHyp:\HostingUnits\YourMachineCatalog\YourGMVirtualMachine.vm\NameOfOldSnapShot.snapshot

Key point:
The object must end in .snapshot.

Step 2: Publish Using the Exact Snapshot FullPath

Do not manually construct the path.

Use the exact value returned from XDHyp:

Publish-ProvMasterVMImage `
-ProvisioningSchemeName "YourMachineCatalog" `
-MasterImageVM "XDHyp:\HostingUnits\YourMachineCatalog\YourGMVirtualMachine.vm\NameOfNewSnapShot.snapshot

If the MasterImageVM reflects the .snapshot path, the publish was successful.

You can now check the machine catalog in Studio and create a machine off the new snapshot.

Why This Happens

When a snapshot is deleted and recreated, even if you use the same name:

• The display name may remain identical
• The underlying hypervisor object ID changes

Citrix MCS does not rely solely on the snapshot name.
It references the internal hypervisor object path.

If the provisioning scheme attempts to validate a snapshot that no longer exists at the stored object path, the publish task fails immediately with:

Key Takeaways:

• Always verify snapshots using XDHyp:\
• Ensure the snapshot object ends in .snapshot
• Never manually type snapshot paths
• If a snapshot is deleted and recreated, always validate it via PowerShell before publishing
• A fast-failing PublishImage task usually indicates a path validation issue

For Full Copy MCS catalogs:

• Publish-ProvMasterVMImage updates the provisioning scheme

Author: Nicky Crancher
Role: Citrix Solution Architect
Environment: CVAD / MCS Full Copy / GCP Hosting Unit