IBM Support

KTAP not loading due to "required 'nm' command not found in path"

Troubleshooting


Problem

When installing STAP an error similar to the following is seen in the central_logger.log stating that KTAP didn't load due to "required 'nm' command not found in path"
guard_ktap_loader: Module ktap-12.1.2.1_r119768_v12_1_1-ub18u4x64m-5.4.0-1109-azure-x86_64-SMP.ko selected for kernel 5.4.0-1109-azure.
guard_ktap_loader: Extracted module ktap-12.1.2.1_r119768_v12_1_1-ub18u4x64m-5.4.0-1109-azure-x86_64-SMP.ko from /usr/local/guardium/modules/KTAP/12.1.2.1_r119768_2-1758623099/modules-12.1.2.1_r119768_v12_1_2.tgz
guard_ktap_loader: required 'nm' command not found in path.
guard_ktap_loader: ktap module not loaded for kernel: 5.4.0-1109-azure (exit_code : 3) at /usr/local/guardium/modules/KTAP/current/rc line 1085. (errno: 255)

Cause

The "required 'nm' command not found in path" error occurs when the server either doesn't have nm installed or it's not included in the system's PATH.

Resolving The Problem

The nm command is part of the GNU Binutils package.
See if nm is installed on the server by running command "nm --version".  If it's not installed, install the GNU Binutils package using the steps needed for the specific operating system.
If nm is installed check the directory it's installed in using  "which nm" and then verify that directory is included in the PATH variable using "echo $PATH".
After nm is installed and included in the PATH verify that KTAP_ENABLED=1 is set in the guard_tap.ini, restart STAP and then confirm in the central_logger.log that KTAP loaded successfully.

Document Location

Worldwide

[{"Type":"MASTER","Line of Business":{"code":"LOB76","label":"Data Platform"},"Business Unit":{"code":"BU048","label":"IBM Software"},"Product":{"code":"SSVSUG","label":"Guardium Data Protection (3840-G2A)"},"ARM Category":[{"code":"a8m0z0000001h07AAA","label":"STAP-\u003EK-TAP"}],"ARM Case Number":"TS020151199","Platform":[{"code":"PF025","label":"Platform Independent"}]}]

Document Information

Modified date:
22 October 2025

UID

ibm17248804