Datto Linux Agent (DLA): Release notes

Topic

This article contains software release notes for the Datto Linux Agent.

To learn more about the Datto Linux Agent, see our Getting Started with the Datto Linux Agent article.

Environment

  • Datto Linux Agent

Description

Index

DattoDB 0.12.1 - May 16, 2025

New Features:

  • The Datto Linux Agent now officially supports SUSE Linux Enterprise Server (SLES) 15 SP5 and SP6.

Bug Fixes:

  • Backup Failures and Hung Processes on EXT4 Filesystems: Fixed an issue where backups could fail mid-process on certain Linux distributions (Debian 11, Ubuntu 18.04/20.04/22.04 with kernel versions such as 5.3.x and EXT4). This issue often left a hung datto_snap_cowX process, preventing future backups.
  • CentOS 7.3 Installation Failure: Resolved a dattobd kernel module build failure on CentOS 7.3 using kernel 3.10.0-514.el7, enabling successful agent installation.
  • Virtualization and Restore Failures – XFS Filesystems: Fixed issues preventing virtualization and restore operations from completing on systems configured with XFS.
    • Ubuntu 24
    • Debian 12
    • Red Hat 9.5 , Alma 9.5 , Rocky 9.5

DattoBD hotfix 0.12.0 - February 27, 2025

New Features:

  • Support for Debian 12: Added compatibility with Debian 12, enabling our product to support the latest enterprise Linux distributions. This update broadens our market reach and enhances usability for customers adopting Ubuntu's most recent release.
  • Support for Ubuntu 18.04, 20.04, and 22.04 Hardware Enablement (HWE) Kernels:
  • Added compatibility with Hardware Enablement (HWE) kernels for Ubuntu 18.04, 20.04, and 22.04. This ensures broader hardware support and improved performance on systems using the latest kernel updates provided by Ubuntu’s HWE stack.

Known Problems:

  • On Ubuntu 18.04 systems running kernel 4.15, sometimes backups after a system reboot are incorrectly processed as differential merges rather than incremental backups.

Bug Fixes:

  • Resolved an issue where stopping the agent service triggered unnecessary warnings related to COW file closure. This fix reduces log clutter and improves log readability.
  • Fixed a problem preventing DLA from booting when Logical Volume Manager (LVM) groups spanned multiple disks. This ensures proper initialization and system functionality on affected configurations.
  • Addressed an issue causing kernel panics on reboot for Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) and derivative distributions using DLA. This fix improves system stability and prevents unexpected crashes.
  • Resolved a conflict where installing both DLA and Docker on a Linux system caused Docker commands to hang, leading to a kernel NULL pointer dereference. This fix ensures smooth coexistence between DLA and Docker.

Agent Version 3.0.29.5 and DattoDB 0.11.10 - 12-18-2024

New Features:

  • Support for Ubuntu 24.04: Added compatibility with Ubuntu 24.04, enabling our product to support the latest enterprise Linux distributions. This update broadens our market reach and enhances usability for customers adopting Ubuntu's most recent release.
  • Support for RHEL 9.5: Extended support to Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9.5 and its derivatives (Rocky Linux, AlmaLinux). This resolves the inability to build dattobd on RHEL 9.5, ensuring customers on RH-9-based systems can continue utilizing Datto Backups without disruption.
  • Manual and Automatic COW File Expansion Support: Introduced the ability to configure Copy-on-Write (COW) file sizes manually or enable dynamic resizing. This feature ensures optimal performance during backups by automatically expanding the COW file size to prevent overflows, particularly during differential merge operations. This enhancement reduces manual intervention and ensures reliable backup operations.

Bug Fixes:

  • Kernel Hang with Unexpected GFP Message: Resolved an issue where kernel hangs occurred, displaying the message "Unexpected gfp." This fix improves system stability and reliability during backup operations.
  • COW File Overflow Causing Differential Merge: Fixed a problem where small COW file overflowed too often, leading to differential merges instead of incremental backups. The COW file auto-expand has been introduced to prevent this issue.

Known Problems:

  • Virtualization on Ubuntu 24 with XFS File System: Virtualization cannot be performed for Ubuntu 24 or Debian 12 with XFS file systems.
  • Excessive Log Warnings After Service Shutdown: Stopping the agent service triggers unnecessary COW file closure warnings, cluttering the logs and making them difficult to read.

DattoBD hotfix 0.11.8.1 - 09-24-2024

Bug Fixes:

  • NULL Pointer Dereference on Backup:
    Fixed the issue with a NULL pointer deference causing system crashes during backups on RHEL 8.10 and Rocky 8.10 .

Agent Version 3.0.23.0 and DattoBD 0.11.8 - 09-09-2024

New Features:

  • Added support for Alma 9.4 and Rocky 9.4

Bug Fixes:

  • Kernel Panic on Reboot with Specific Kernel Versions:
    Addressed an issue where systems running kernel version 5.15.0-94-generic encountered kernel panics during reboot after installing the latest Datto Linux Agent (DLAD). Systems now reboot gracefully without user intervention, even with Docker installed.
  • DattoDB Persistence After System Reboot:
    Fixed a problem where DattoDB was not found in the expected directory after a soft reboot, leading to backup failures on RHEL 9.x systems with ext4 filesystems. The agent now correctly identifies DattoDB after reboots, ensuring smooth backup operations.
  • Kernel Module Build Failure on RHEL and Rocky Linux:
    Resolved an issue where the dattobd kernel module failed to build on systems upgraded to kernel version 5.14.0-427.16.1.el9_4, preventing backups. The module now builds successfully, allowing backups to proceed without errors.
  • Incorrect Backup Type After Reboot on Ubuntu 20.04:
    Fixed an issue where the agent performed a DIFF_MERGE backup instead of an incremental backup after rebooting Ubuntu 20.04 desktop systems. The agent now correctly performs incremental backups post-reboot.

Known Issues:

  • DLA Might Cause Docker Commands to Hang
  • Under certain conditions, the Datto Linux Agent (DLA) may cause Docker commands to become unresponsive.
  • On some operating systems, a differential merge may be incorrectly triggered following a soft reboot or shutdown.
  • Screenshot Verification Unavailable for Alma/Rocky Linux
  • Devices running Alma or Rocky Linux are currently unable to perform screenshot verification.
  • The Datto Backup Driver (DattoBD) and Datto Linux Agent Driver (DLAD) do not currently support distribution upgrades.

Agent Version 3.0.16.0 and DattoBD 0.11.7 - 02-21-2024

New Feature:

  • Support for Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) 9

Description:

  • DLA extends its compatibility to RHEL 9, allowing users to leverage Datto's backup capabilities on the latest RHEL release.
  • Please note, DLA support for RHEL 9 excludes XFS filesystems at this time, XFS support will be released through an appliance update.

Bug Fixes

  • Fixed an issue with files not being saved during Incremental backup
  • Updated the Datto Linux Agent installation to use the EPEL archive for RHEL 6
  • Fixed an issue that would run a Differential Merge after a system reboot impacting RHEL 7, and 8.
  • Addressed an issue where DLA agents running on kernel 4.17 and above experienced loss of incremental tracking post-reboot.
  • Resolved memory a bloat issue in DLA running on Ubuntu and Debian systems
  • Fixed a rare LVM issue with the COW file in /boot observed on RHEL 7.9 machine

Agent Version 3.0.16.0 - 03-21-2023

Improvements

  • The Datto Linux Agent introduces support for distros running kernels up to 5.15. Please note that for this release is only QAed with the following LTS releases. Support for additional releases (RHEL 9) and an updated agent for distros/releases currently covered by the 2.7.1.1 agent will be released soon.
    • Debian 11
    • REHL 8*
    • Ubuntu 20.04
    • Ubuntu 22.04

TIP  *RHEL 8.4 is unsupported; please update to 8.5 or later.

  • Enhancements to validation of the COW file
  • Secure pairing for Datto Linux Agents

Fixes

  • Agent Uninstall
  • Errant message 'Success' string
  • Auto exclude BTRFS (and other unsupported file systems)
  • A condition that could lead to a lost diffmerge flag
  • Resume-ability state manager
  • Screenshots failing on DLA COW blowout
  • A condition that could result in crashing agents
  • Various security fixes and improvements

Additional Resources