Veeam B&P v10 - problem with Linux backup

[m.puwalski]

Hi,

I updated my Veeam BP from 9.5 to 10 version.

In my Job Backup I have VM's with Windows Server and Linux. After update Windows Server VM's was backup correct, but Linux got error:

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Processing linux_vm Error: Cannot find Linux guest credentials

Before updated to v10 I don't have problem with Linux VM's and I didn't use credentials for Linux.

In new version can I backup Linux VM's without credentials?

[HannesK]

Hello,
and welcome to the forums.

Yes, it's possible to backup all VMs (Linux, Windows, whatever) without credentials. It depends on the application aware image processing settings whether credentials are required or not.

As you said that it worked before update... please contact support to check and post the case number here for reference

Best regards,
Hannes

[erpomik]

Hello

I just upgraded our test-environment yesterday, and face the exact same issue. All Linux server are NOT backup up due to:
"Unable to connect to guest OS for guest processing. Cannot find Linux guest credentials"

Best regards,
Ernst

[Ibeme]

You can either exclude these Linux servers from Application aware processing or set the credentials in Application aware processing for those VMs.
When you do one of these things the error should disappear.

[ChristianHa]

Same here.

I figured out that one of the Linux VMs, actually the one I added last, had "application aware processing" switched on. I guess I forgot to turn it off at the time I added the Linux VM. Veeam v9 did not care, the error came up with v10.

[soehl]

Same here, we updated Veeam today and have a lot of jobs with "application-aware processing" activated, that includes Windows and Linux vms.

After the update we also the error:

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Processing linux_vm Error: Cannot find Linux guest credentials

For "guest file system indexing" we disabled indexing for Linux vms in the "application-aware processing", but I see no option to do the same for "application-aware processing".


As workaround all of our Linux vms have now a "application aware disabled" - "vSphere Tag" and for that tag is "application-aware processing" disabled.

But it would be great to have options for Linux vms in the "application-aware processing" options like in the "indexing".

[Gostev]

Hi, all.

After a few days, we still don't have a single support case referenced in this topic, as we request when you click New Topic. Since we can't action this report without a support case with debug logs for R&D to investigate, I'm locking this thread down and scheduling it for deletion in a few days.

If anyone has a support case ID open on this issue, please PM me and I will re-open the thread before it is deleted.

Thanks!

[Gostev]

03992718

[lightsout]

Yeah I had the same issue. I wrote some code as workaround.

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$jobs=get-vbrjob | ? {$_.JobType -eq "Backup"}

foreach ($job in $jobs) {
    foreach ($Object in ($Job | Get-VBRJobObject)) {
      $VSSOptions = $Object.VssOptions
      $VSSOptions.IgnoreErrors = $True
      $Object.SetVssOptions($VSSOptions)
      $job | Enable-VBRJobVSSIntegration
    }
  }

This way, it will give a warning and then failover to the v9 and before style of processing.

I got the impression from support that I should have separate jobs for Windows & Linux VMs, which I've certainly not done yet.

[Gostev]

All, we had our QA research the issue, and the change in behavior appears to be caused by a bug fixed in v10.

In previous releases, "Require successful application-aware processing" option was quietly ignored for Linux VMs without credentials assigned. This is a bug, because this can potentially result in unrecoverable backup without the user knowing.

In v10, you will see the above-mentioned error in such situations. This is now consistent with how it always worked for Windows VMs.

You have two options to get rid of the error, both of which are already captured above:
1. Specify the missing credentials for the Linux VM in question.
2. Change the application-aware processing setting to a less strict one in the advanced settings on the Guest Processing step of the job wizard. Or, disable it completely for the specific VM only.

Thanks!

[dcit]

After update of Veeam Backup v9.5 to v10 I have got bunch of warnings (not errors because we do not have set "Require ..."):
Unable to connect to guest OS for guest processing. Cannot find Linux guest credentials

Googling it got me to this forum.

Reason is explained in previous Gostev's post, and I understand what I can do with it.

But what leaves me puzzled is why I have not got those warnings for CentOS 8 VMs. Is CentOS 8 (not yet) supported, so those VMs are not identified by Veeam as Linux?

Finally I would like to add that now we have ESXi 6.7.0 U2. Can it be problem with not (yet) having latest version of ESXi?

[Gostev]

We would be happy to investigate your specific situation. Please upload debug logs to the support case, and share the case ID here. Thanks!

[dcit]

case ID: 04033499

[tom11011]

Gostev, I'm guessing for many of us this will be the first time a linux server will be allowed application aware processing. Is there a kb I can look at that shows how the vm will be backed up differently now that application aware is enabled?

[Gostev]

Yes, this is documented in the user guide, and the logic depends on the workload the Linux server runs.

We support application-aware processing for the following applications:
1. Oracle (for host-based and agent-based backups)
2. PostgreSQL (for agent-based backups only)
3. MySQL (for agent-based backups only)

So if your Linux server does not have any of those applications, then enabling application-aware processing makes no difference.

[tom11011]

Thanks, I do use MySQL however the mysql root user is not the same auth as the server root user. Does the agent get installed on the virtual machine or is it part of vmware tools?

[Gostev]

For MySQL, this functionality is a part of the backup agent (Veeam Agent for Linux) that is deployed by Veeam when you create a Protection Group that includes the Linux server in question. This protection group should then be selected as the source in an agent-based backup job of "managed by server" type.

As you will see in MySQL application-aware processing settings, it's not a problem if those accounts differ.

If you have further questions regarding agent-based backup jobs, please create the dedicated topic in the corresponding sub-forum, as this discussion is derailing this thread.

[jamerson]

We are facing the same issue, I've disabled the application-aware processing as Gostev explained and it finishes with warning.

Code: Select all

2. Change the application-aware processing setting to a less strict one in the advanced settings on the Guest Processing step of the job wizard. Or, disable it completely for the specific VM only.

Do we have to disable it for replications too?
we have 4 Centos and 1 Ubuntu servers which are failing " cannot find linux credientical" for replication.

[HannesK]

Do we have to disable it for replications too?

sure... if your replication job has AAIP enabled, then you need to configure it.

[GregorS]

I set "Try application processing, but ignore failures" for all my Linux VMs, which gives me a Warning "Unable to connect to guest OS for guest processing. Cannot find Linux guest credentials", which is an expected behaviour.

A question: since Veeam has a registry value for everything, is there one that suppresses this specific warning (and essentially reverts the behavior to v9.5)? Otherwise I will have to add tens of Linux VMs to AAIP exception list, setting them to "Disable application processing".

[HannesK]

Hello Gregor,
the behavior in 9.5 was a bug... for tens of VMs, I would do it manually, because I suck at scripting... for more VMs, probably Powershell can do the job.

Best regards,
Hannes

[foggy]

Hi Gregor, I'm pretty sure you can use multi-selection in the Application-Aware Processing Options window to set the required setting for all the VMs at once.

[Jeff M]

Same issue here. All my Linux jobs must have App Aware Processing enabled because All 100 - 200 Linux server backups just failed. Yikes!!! Opening case now.

[Gostev]

Jeff, you can just fix your job settings as explained earlier in this thread. Thanks!

[mfahey]

In the "application aware processing options" I have the I vsphere object "cluster" specified . I have several hosts in a cluster, DRS is enabled.

Below this I have selected each linux VM that I DO NOT want indexing done on. ( to clarify they are a OWA appliance and I dont have a guest account on these)

Will this work? I do not want to have to add each individual VM with its own settings. Reading the above makes sense but I need a solution if this is not it.

[HannesK]

Will this work?

I assume you already got the answer by just waiting for the job to run? Yes.

Note: indexing is only used in enterprise manager. If you use the Veeam console for file level restores, then indexing is just wasting time and disk space.