Veeam has issued an alert regarding boot failures affecting its Linux-based Software Appliance virtual machines when deployed on certain AMD EPYC hosts. The issue, which results in a total system crash during the early boot sequence, is specifically tied to FIPS-mode security requirements and the way the Linux kernel interacts with the hardware’s random number generation capabilities.
The conflict is documented in Veeam Knowledge Base article KB4960, released on November 4, 2026. According to the advisory, the failure affects Veeam Software Appliance version 13.1 and later. When these appliances attempt to start on impacted hardware with FIPS (Federal Information Processing Standards) mode enabled, the kernel triggers a “panic,” rendering the appliance inaccessible.
The Jitterentropy Conflict
The root cause of the failure is a breakdown in the jitterentropy health test, a mandatory security check performed by the Linux kernel when operating in FIPS-compliant environments. This test verifies the integrity and entropy quality of the system’s random number generator. If the test determines the host hardware does not meet the necessary cryptographic requirements, the kernel halts the boot process to prevent the system from operating in a potentially insecure state.
Administrators encountering this issue will see a specific error message on the console: Kernel panic - not syncing: jitterentropy: Initialization failed with host not compliant with requirements: 9.
The failure is reported on AMD EPYC processors—specifically models 7262, 7302, and 7F72. The failure is localized to the Linux-based Software Appliance; the specific kernel panic and boot failure are confined to the virtual appliance deployments.
Remediation and Context
For critical systems currently experiencing boot loops, the primary remediation path is found within the official Veeam support documentation. While disabling FIPS mode may serve as a temporary workaround for some environments, this may not be a viable option for organizations requiring strict regulatory compliance.
Users running Veeam 13.1 on AMD-based virtualization hosts are encouraged to verify their CPU model numbers and FIPS requirements before proceeding with appliance upgrades or new deployments.