diff --git a/multi-node-aio/playbooks/deploy-vms.yml b/multi-node-aio/playbooks/deploy-vms.yml
index d5992d61..c07122e4 100644
--- a/multi-node-aio/playbooks/deploy-vms.yml
+++ b/multi-node-aio/playbooks/deploy-vms.yml
@@ -118,11 +118,16 @@
             - hostvars[item]['server_vm'] | default(false) | bool
           with_items: "{{ groups['pxe_servers'] }}"
 
-        # Note (odyssey4me):
-        # This will only work on a host which has
-        # libguestfs >= 1.35.2 and >= 1.34.1
-        # Ubuntu bionic works, but xenial does not (even with UCA).
-        # ref: https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/libguestfs/+bug/1615337.
+    # Note (odyssey4me):
+    # This will only work on a host which has
+    # libguestfs >= 1.35.2 and >= 1.34.1
+    # Ubuntu bionic works, but xenial does not (even with UCA).
+    # ref: https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/libguestfs/+bug/1615337.
+    - name: Prepare file-based disk images
+      when:
+        - default_vm_disk_mode == "file"
+        - vm_use_snapshot | bool
+      block:
         - name: Inject the host ssh key into the VM disk image
           command: >-
             virt-sysprep
@@ -130,10 +135,12 @@
             --ssh-inject root:file:/root/.ssh/id_rsa.pub
             --add {{ _virt_pools.pools.default.path | default('/data/images') }}/{{ hostvars[item]['server_hostname'] }}.img
           when:
-            - vm_use_snapshot | bool
             - hostvars[item]['server_vm'] | default(false) | bool
           with_items: "{{ groups['pxe_servers'] }}"
 
+        - name: Prepare the galera containers for startup
+          script: kvm/prepare-image-galera.sh
+
     - name: Wait for guest capabilities to appear
       command: "virsh capabilities"
       register: virsh_caps
diff --git a/multi-node-aio/playbooks/kvm/prepare-image-galera.sh b/multi-node-aio/playbooks/kvm/prepare-image-galera.sh
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..9ebd37c4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/multi-node-aio/playbooks/kvm/prepare-image-galera.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,70 @@
+#!/bin/bash -ex
+
+# provide default images to inspect
+infra_images="/data/images/infra1.img /data/images/infra2.img /data/images/infra3.img"
+
+# declare an array to map images to container names
+declare -A image_map
+
+# declare an array to map container names to uuid's
+declare -A uuid_map
+
+# at this stage, no galera container is the master
+master_cnt=""
+
+# get the list of galera container names
+for img in ${infra_images}; do
+  image_map[${img}]="$(virt-ls --add ${img} --mount /dev/vmvg00/openstack00 / | grep galera_container)"
+done
+
+# get the gvwstate.dat files from the image and
+# put it into a local folder using the same name
+# as the container
+for img in ${infra_images}; do
+  mkdir -p /tmp/${image_map[$img]}
+  guestfish --ro --add ${img} --mount /dev/vmvg00/openstack00 glob copy-out /${image_map[$img]}/*.dat /tmp/${image_map[$img]}/
+done
+
+# work through the existing gvwstate files
+# there may be more than one, so we need to
+# find the one holding the view_id
+for cnt in $(ls -1 /tmp | grep galera_container); do
+  gvwstate_path="/tmp/${cnt}/gvwstate.dat"
+  if [[ -e ${gvwstate_path} ]]; then
+    my_uuid=$(awk '/^my_uuid:/ { print $2 }' ${gvwstate_path})
+    view_id=$(awk '/^view_id:/ { print $3 }' ${gvwstate_path})
+    if [[ "${my_uuid}" == "${view_id}" ]]; then
+      master_gvwstate_path=${gvwstate_path}
+      master_cnt=${cnt}
+    fi
+  fi
+  if [[ "${cnt}" == "${master_cnt}" ]]; then
+    uuid_map[${cnt}]=${my_uuid}
+  else
+    uuid_map[${cnt}]=$(uuidgen)
+  fi
+done
+
+# prepare a new master in a temporary location
+tmp_gvwstate="/tmp/gvwstate.dat"
+cp ${master_gvwstate_path} ${tmp_gvwstate}
+member_num=$(awk '/^member: '${my_uuid}'/ {print $3}' ${tmp_gvwstate})
+
+# clear the existing members
+sed -i.bak '/^member:/d' ${tmp_gvwstate}
+
+# insert the new set of members
+for cnt_uuid in "${uuid_map[@]}"; do
+sed -i.bak "/^#vwend$/i \\
+member: ${cnt_uuid} ${member_num}" ${tmp_gvwstate}
+done
+
+# copy the new version to each location
+for cnt in "${!uuid_map[@]}"; do
+  sed "s/my_uuid: .*/my_uuid: ${uuid_map[$cnt]}/" ${tmp_gvwstate} > /tmp/${cnt}/gvwstate.dat
+done
+
+# put the gvwstate.dat files back into the image
+for img in ${infra_images}; do
+  guestfish --rw --add ${img} --mount /dev/vmvg00/openstack00 copy-in /tmp/${image_map[$img]}/gvwstate.dat  /${image_map[$img]}/
+done