Contact Us

Veeam SSPI Authentication Failed for User When Updating

During an update or upgrade of Veeam Backup & Replication, you may encounter the error message:

“SSPI authentication failed for user.”

Even when running the installer or updater with administrative privileges, this issue can still occur. It’s most often related to a mismatch between the Windows account used for the original installation and the one currently running the update, or to a change in the system hostname after installation.

Common Scenarios

Case 1: Hostname Changed After Installation

If the Veeam installation was performed under a local administrator account and the server’s hostname was later changed, the mapping in PostgreSQL’s authentication file (pg_ident.conf) no longer matches the current system identity. As a result, the SSPI handshake fails during authentication.

Case 2: Different Administrator Account Used

If the update is being run under a different administrator account than the one originally used for installation, the PostgreSQL service will reject authentication due to an unmatched user mapping.

Resolutions

Case 1: Edit the pg_ident.conf File

1. Open the file:
C:\Program Files\PostgreSQL\15\data\pg_ident.conf
(Note: The PostgreSQL version number may vary depending on your installation.)

2. Scroll to the bottom of the file and locate the section labeled:
MAPNAME SYSTEM-USERNAME PG-USERNAME

You can also add additional administrator accounts here if multiple users manage the environment.

3. Update the entries to reflect the current system username or hostname.

Example:

veeam_map NEW-HOSTNAME\Administrator veeam

4. Save the file and restart the PostgreSQL-Veeam service.

5. Rerun the installer or update process.

    Tip: Always create a backup of pg_ident.conf before making changes.

    Case 2: Run the Updater with the Original Admin Account

    1. Log in using the same Windows administrator account that was used during the initial Veeam installation.

    2. Re-run the updater or installer from that session.

    3. Once the update completes successfully, verify that all Veeam services start normally and can access the configuration database.

    Additional Notes

    • This issue is related to Windows-integrated authentication (SSPI) used by PostgreSQL for Veeam’s configuration database.
    • You can verify the exact account mapping error in the PostgreSQL log located under:
      C:\Program Files\PostgreSQL\15\data\log\
      Look for entries referencing authentication or user mapping failures.
    • If the hostname or service account is expected to change regularly (e.g., in a lab or test environment), consider switching to password-based authentication in pg_hba.conf to avoid SSPI dependency.

    If the SSPI authentication error persists after applying these fixes, please contact Support@Managecast.com for further assistance.

    Scroll to Top