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An apparently straightforward VMware Tools update on a Citrix PVS master image, and suddenly the network connection is gone.
The problem: the virtual machine uses a VMXNET3 network adapter that also carries the PVS streaming traffic.
❌ The symptoms
– The VMware Tools update starts normally.
– During installation, the VMXNET3 driver is updated.
– The network connection is interrupted.
– The PVS target loses access to its streamed vDisk.
– The update fails or the system becomes unresponsive.
🔍 Root cause
Citrix PVS depends on a continuous network connection to the vDisk.
VMware Tools updates the VMXNET3 network driver, among other components. If that driver is reinitialized during active PVS streaming, the target may lose its connection to the Provisioning Server.
The result: a driver update interrupts the very connection through which the operating system receives its data.
🛠️ My solution: a temporary second network adapter
Instead of performing the update over the active VMXNET3 adapter, I use an additional E1000E adapter.
1. Create a new PVS maintenance version.
2. Add an E1000E network adapter in VMware.
3. Register the E1000E adapter’s MAC address in the PVS console.
4. Boot the master image through the E1000E adapter.
5. Update VMware Tools, including the VMXNET3 driver.
6. Shut down the system and restore the original VMXNET3 configuration.
7. Change the MAC address back in PVS and remove the E1000E adapter.
8. Start the master image again and validate streaming.
✅ The result
During the update, PVS streaming runs through the temporary E1000E adapter.
The VMXNET3 driver can be updated without reinitializing the streaming adapter currently in use.
After the update, the system runs through VMXNET3 again.
💡 My takeaway
In a conventional VM, updating a network driver is usually routine.
With Citrix PVS, the same operation can effectively disconnect the running operating system from its own disk.
Sometimes a second network adapter is the decisive difference between a failed update and successful maintenance.
