The SnapAPI kernel module is not loaded for the kernel

Issue

• The backup storage cannot be activated (Acronis or CloudLinux backup) on the server due to the error:

  The SnapAPI kernel module is not loaded for the kernel 3.10.0-962.3.2.lve1.5.44.2.el7.x86_64 that is running in this system. Install the module for this kernel version, and then retry the backup.

• In some cases we also can find a second error:

  Your kernel headers for kernel 4.18.0-147.8.1.el7h.lve.1.x86_64 cannot be found at
  /lib/modules/4.18.0-147.8.1.el7h.lve.1.x86_64/build or /lib/modules/4.18.0-147.8.1.el7h.lve.1.x86_64/source. 
  You can use the --kernelsourcedir option to tell DKMS where it's located.

• Kernel versions may be different on different servers.

• In general, if there will be issues with the absence of files besides headers, it is worth it to specify the kernelsourcedir manually, as uname -r may not always specify the path needed.
• Occasionally, after compiling there might be execution issues while loading the module:

  modprobe snapapi26
  modprobe: ERROR: could not insert 'snapapi26': Exec format error

  For such a case, it may help to re-compile the module with the older version of the kernel, although it is recommended to fully update the kernel, reboot, and try again. 

Environment

• Imunify360
• CloudLinux Backup
• Acronis
• snapapi26

Solution

The module should be installed manually according to the following guide:

1. Install headers, devel, and necessary packages (it is worth noting that packages should be installed for the version of the kernel that is running on the server, for which the module will be built):

   # yum install kernel-devel kernel-headers elfutils-libelf-devel

2. Check the current SnapAPI version. The latest version installed on the server should be used. In this case, it is 0.8.4.

   # ls /usr/src
   file_protector-1.1-1485 snapapi26-0.7.135 snapapi26-0.7.142 
   file_protector-1.1-1487 snapapi26-0.7.139 snapapi26-0.8.4

   Note: If the directory with the necessary version is missing, e.g.:

   Directory: /usr/src/snapapi26-0.8.8 does not exist.

   Unpack the archive as follows:

   # cd /usr/lib/Acronis/kernel_modules/
   # tar xvfz snapapi26-0.8.8-all.tar.gz
   # mkdir /usr/src/snapapi26-0.8.8
   # mv /usr/lib/Acronis/kernel_modules/dkms_source_tree/* /usr/src/snapapi26-0.8.8/
   # sed 's/REMAKE_INITRD/#REMAKE_INITRD/' -i /usr/src/snapapi26-0.8.8/dkms.conf

3. Install and load the module manually:

   # dkms build -m snapapi26 -v 0.8.4 --config /boot/config-$(uname -r) --arch $(uname -p) --kernelsourcedir /usr/src/kernels/$(uname -r)
   # dkms install -m snapapi26 -v 0.8.4
   # modprobe snapapi26 
   # systemctl restart acronis_mms

4. Verify, that everything works as expected:

   # dkms status snapapi26 |grep installed
   snapapi26/0.8.4, 3.10.0-962.3.2.lve1.5.63.el7.x86_64, x86_64: installed 
   
   # lsmod | grep snap 
   snapapi26 50066 3 
   
   # systemctl status acronis_mms 
   ● acronis_mms.service - Acronis machine management service 
   Loaded: loaded (/etc/systemd/system/acronis_mms.service; enabled; vendor preset: disabled) 
   Active: active (running) since Tue 2021-12-23 10:40:52 -03; 8s ago 
   Main PID: 923109 (mms) 
   CGroup: /system.slice/acronis_mms.service 
   └─923109 /usr/lib/Acronis/BackupAndRecovery/mms 
   
   Dec 23 10:40:52 srv.wcorp53.com systemd[1]: Starting Acronis machine management service... 
   Dec 23 10:40:52 srv.wcorp53.com systemd[1]: Started Acronis machine management service.

After that, the backup can be reactivated again.

Cause

The server does not have the header and devel packages for its current kernel version installed. This issue will be fixed from Acronis side in the future.

Useful links

• Acronis Cyber Protect Cloud: installation or backup fails with C21.11 or C21.12 agent on CloudLinux7.9 or CloudLinux8.5 (8.x) due to REMAKE_INITRD in the dkms.conf file

• Acronis: The SnapAPI kernel module is not loaded for the kernel (Required key not available)