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Failed to load module [veeamsnap]

KB ID: 2260
Product: Veeam Agent for Linux | 3.0 | 4.0 | 5.0
Published: 2017-03-13
Last Modified: 2022-11-16
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Challenge

A Veeam Agent for Linux backup job fails with the following error:

Failed to load module [veeamsnap] with parameters [zerosnapdata=1 debuglogging=0]

(The number of parameters listed in the error may vary depending on Veeam Agent for Linux version.)

Cause

This error occurs when the veeamsnap module cannot be loaded. The most common reasons are:

  • The module is not installed
  • The installed module is not compatible
  • DKMS was unable to compile the module
    • The kernel headers package is missing.
    • The kernel headers version and the running kernel version mismatch.
  • Loading 3rd party kernel modules are not allowed

Solution

About the veeamsnap kernel module

The veeamsnap module is available to be compiled using DKMS or as a pre-compiled module for select distros (kmod for RHEL/CentOS* or kmp for SLES/openSUSE).

For more information about installation requirements please see: Veeam Agent for Linux - System Requirements.

*Precompiled veeamsnap kmod not compatible with Oracle Linux.

Check if veeamsnap prerequisites for RHEL/CentOS 7.0+ are present

For RHEL/CentOS 7.0+ using Veeam Agent for Linux version 4+, ensure that the python3 package is installed and working correctly. If it is not, install/fix it before proceeding with troubleshooting. Python3 is used to automatically load the correct pre-compiled veeamsnap version into the kernel.

Run the following command to query which python3 version is installed:

python3 --version
Example Output: 
# python3 --version
Python 3.6.8

Check if veeamsnap kernel module is installed

Use the following command to determine if the veeamsnap module is installed:

For RPM-based distributions: 
rpm -qa | grep veeamsnap

If this command returns nothing, then the veeamsnap module is not installed.

Pre-compiled veeamsnap kernel modules will be listed as:

  • kmod-veeamsnap
  • veeamsnap-kmp-default
For Debian-based distributions: 
dpkg-query -l | grep veeamsnap
If this command returns nothing, then the veeamsnap module is not installed.

Check if veeamsnap kernel module is loaded

Use the following command to query the state of the veeamsnap module:

lsmod | grep veeamsnap
If the veeamsnap is loaded, unload it and then rerun the backup job. (the job will load the module automatically) 
rmmod veeamsnap

Checking veeamsnap precompiled module compatibility

Each precompiled veeamsnap module is built for a specific version of RHEL/CentOS/SLES/openSUSE.

Use the examples below to check if the correct precompiled veeamsnap module is installed.

RHEL/CentOS

Check if the active kernel's major version matches one of the installed veeamsnap modules.

Example:

# uname -r
3.10.0-1160.25.1.el7.x86_64

# find /lib/modules | grep veeamsnap
/lib/modules/3.10.0-862.el7.x86_64/extra/veeamsnap.ko
/lib/modules/3.10.0-1062.el7.x86_64/extra/veeamsnap.ko
/lib/modules/3.10.0-1127.el7.x86_64/extra/veeamsnap.ko
/lib/modules/3.10.0-1160.el7.x86_64/extra/veeamsnap.ko
/lib/modules/3.10.0-123.el7.x86_64/extra/veeamsnap.ko
/lib/modules/3.10.0-229.el7.x86_64/extra/veeamsnap.ko
/lib/modules/3.10.0-327.el7.x86_64/extra/veeamsnap.ko
/lib/modules/3.10.0-514.el7.x86_64/extra/veeamsnap.ko
/lib/modules/3.10.0-693.el7.x86_64/extra/veeamsnap.ko
/lib/modules/3.10.0-957.el7.x86_64/extra/veeamsnap.ko
If there are no veeamsnap modules for the kernel version, the installed build of Veeam Agent for Linux is not compatible.  Please review KB2804 to determine which build of Veeam Agent for Linux should be installed.
SLES/openSUSE

First, ensure that the kernel version in use corresponds with the OS version. Review SUSE KB#19587 for more information. If the kernel version does not correspond to the OS version, Veeam Agent for Linux and the veeamsnap module may not load, or the wrong version may be installed.

The  Veeam Agent for Linux user guide lists which version should be used with each SLES or openSUSE OS version. 

Example:

# hostnamectl

Static hostname: testmachine
Transient hostname: testmachine
Icon name: computer-vm
Chassis: vm
Machine ID: 25433cc502ff0082e5f1ff835c01295b
Boot ID: 1296228f7483469b93db28713a2b40e0
Virtualization: vmware
Operating System: SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 12 SP3
CPE OS Name: cpe:/o:suse:sles_sap:12:sp3
Kernel: Linux 4.4.180-94.141-default
Architecture: x86-64

In this example, the kernel 4.4.180-94.141 is correct for the OS SLES12 SP3 - LTSS.

The Installing Veeam Agent for Linux in SLES user guide page indicates that this  SLES OS version correlates to veeamsnap-kmp-default-5.0.0.4318_k4.4.73_5-2

Reassociate module after kernel upgrade

If the "Failed to load module" error begins appearing after a kernel upgrade that does not change the release (version and SP), execute the following command to link the module to the new kernel and then try to rerun the job:

depmod -a

Troubleshooting DKMS failing to compile veeamsnap module

When using DKMS to compile the kernel module, ensure that the installed kernel-headers package matches the kernel in use. If the kernel-headers package is not installed, or the installed kernel-headers package does not match the kernel in use, you will need to install the matching kernel-headers package.

After installing/updating the kernel-headers package, reinstall Veeam Agent for Linux.

Examples of Matching kernel-headers and kernel:

Example for Debian/Ubuntu: 
# uname -r
5.4.0-77-generic
# dpkg-query -l | grep linux-headers
ii  linux-headers-5.4.0-77               5.4.0-77.86                       all          Header files related to Linux kernel version 5.4.0
ii  linux-headers-5.4.0-77-generic       5.4.0-77.86                       amd64        Linux kernel headers for version 5.4.0 on 64 bit x86 SMP
ii  linux-headers-generic                5.4.0.77.80                       amd64        Generic Linux kernel headers
Example for Oracle Linux: 
# uname -r
4.14.35-1902.303.4.1.el7uek.x86_64
# rpm -qa | grep kernel-uek-devel
kernel-uek-devel-4.14.35-1902.303.4.1.el7uek.x86_64

Using veeamsnap module with Secure Boot

If secure boot is enabled, the kernel module may not be loaded due to system restrictions. In such a situation review the following:

  • For the pre-compiled veeamsnap module (kmod/kmp) the veeamsnap-ueficert package containing the module key must be enrolled using mokutil to allow the module to load.
    Please refer to the User Guide for instructions.
  • For DKMS compiled modules there is no such package as it is not possible to automatically sign non-precompiled modules. In this case, you must either sign the module yourself and enroll the key to your system, or disable Secure Boot.

More Information

If the information in this article does not resolve the issue, please open a support case and include the following information.

Run each command as root, save the output, and attach it to the support case.

Note: Some commands may return an empty response, be sure to include these results.

(hostnamectl||uname -a)
cat /etc/*release
(rpm -qa||dpkg-query -l) | egrep -i '(veeam|dkms|kernel-headers|kernel.*devel|linux-image|linux-headers)' | sort
dkms status
mokutil --sb-state
mokutil --list-new
find /lib/modules -name '*veeam*' -exec ls -ld {} +
lsmod | grep -i veeam
modinfo veeamsnap
modprobe -vvv veeamsnap
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