PowerScale: NDMP Backups Fail with Error "ERRO:NDMP security.c:401:securityAuthenticateClient MD5 authorization by user 'x' failed"
Summary: The scope of this KB is to interpret an error where an NDMP administrator does not get authenticated.
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Symptoms
NDMP backups fail when attempting to authenticate an NDMP administrator account. A sample error can be found here:
In this example, the PowerScale cancels the backup as the NDMP user cannot be authenticated.
powerscale-5(id5) isi_ndmp_d[7090]: ERRO:NDMP security.c:401:securityAuthenticateClient MD5 authorization by user 'ndmpadmin' failed
In this example, the PowerScale cancels the backup as the NDMP user cannot be authenticated.
Sun Oct 10 18:00:01 2021 (1633914001): Received from x.x.x.x; Session:7090 Message : 0x901 (NDMP_CONNECT_CLIENT_AUTH) Timestamp : 1633816801 XSequence : 3 RSequence : 3 Error : 0 (NDMP_NO_ERR) Auth Type : 2 (MD5) Id : ndmpadmin Digest : <MD5 hash> Sun Oct 10 18:00:01 2021 (1633914001): Transmitted to x.x.x.x; Session:7090 Message : 0x901 (NDMP_CONNECT_CLIENT_AUTH) Timestamp : 1633816801 XSequence : 4 RSequence : 3 Error : 0 (NDMP_NO_ERR) Error : 4 (NDMP_NOT_AUTHORIZED_ERR !!!)
Cause
One or multiple scenarios have occurred for the NDMP administrator account (applies to both the Isilon and DMA):
- The password expired on and must be reset.
- The account got locked and must be unlocked.
- The password does not match on both the PowerScale and DMA.
- The password expired on and must be reset.
- The account got locked and must be unlocked.
- The password does not match on both the PowerScale and DMA.
Resolution
It is advised to have the user verify the account properties on both the PowerScale and DMA side and follow the check list provided above.
Additional Information
An NDMP administrator account is required for NDMP backups and restores. They must be configured on both the PowerScale and DMA (Avamar, NetWorker, NetBackup, etc.). The root user, or users associated with Active Directory, for example, are considered invalid.
Article Properties
Article Number: 000192491
Article Type: Solution
Last Modified: 02 Jan 2026
Version: 3
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