Symptoms
Attempting to install a config, or manually attempting to start/restart tape emulation.Virtuent does not restart during config install processing, and the following error is reported in the installation log (visible in DLmconsole): Start btifc driver - insmod: error inserting '/opt/bti/btifc/btifc_commdrv.ko': -1 Unknown symbol in moduleProblem may also occur when manually starting virtuent ("vtd start" or "vtd restart" from Linux, "startvt" from the VT Console or the commands tab in DLm Console).
Cause
Memory fragmentation issue -- insufficient contiguous memory available to restart the driver.
Resolution
First confirm that this is the issue covered by this KBA. You can check this by typing the following exactly (spaces within the quotes matter): grep "page allocation failure" /var/log/messagesIf you see a line containing "insmod: page allocation failure" around the time of the failed attempt, it is this issue.This occurs when the install is attempted, or a subsequent to start/restart the application. One note: If the line was not found, it could be that the file wrapped. See when the file wrapped by noting the timestamps for: head /var/log/messagesSee if the date it shows for "New configuration initialized" is after that attempt -- that means that the file wrapped; in that case search in the latest archived /var/log/messages file:**** Do this only if the messages file wrapped since the error ****
Find out the previous file (the one with the latest name or date), type the following and choose the latest (would have a name and modification date/time just before the time the /var/log/messages file wrapped): ls -l /var/log/mess*Then type the following (similar to the other one) using that latest name: zgrep "page allocation failure" For instance: zgrep "page allocation failure" /var/log/messages-20200120.bz2
**** End of special process in case /var/log/messages wrapped since the error. ****
Whichever messages file you checked, if you don't see a line containing "insmod: page allocation failure" around the time of the error, this is not the same issue; ignore the rest of this KBA and open a service request. You can refer to this KBA and indicate that you checked and it's not this issue.
Because free memory is too fragmented to get enough contiguous memory, the only way to fix that is to reboot that VTE. Since this was from a failed attempt to start tape emulation, it would already be down and not restarted. Note that for a config change, the new configuration has been saved so it would be running the installed configuration upon reboot..There is a good chance that a vmcore file will be discovered when it comes back (shows up in a health check, and happens during the reboot). The time might not match if the hardware clock is wrong (if so, the logs may show a timestamp at the reboot for a small amount of time close to that of the vmcore file.As long as the reboot works, the vmcore file can be deleted (or open a support ticket and have someone delete it -- refer to this article). If tape emulation still doesn't start after the reboot, open a ticket and refer to this article.
