Kernel panic due to unsigned kernel module "lin_tape"

Issue

• Server went down unexpectedly

• Kernel panic with following traces

  Unable to handle kernel NULL pointer dereference at 0000000000000000 RIP:    <==  panicked here
  PGD 2bc51bd067 PUD 2e40cb4067 PMD 0 
  Oops: 0000 [1] SMP 
  last sysfs file: /class/fc_remote_ports/rport-7:0-9/node_name
  CPU 4 
  Modules linked in: mptctl vxodm(PFU) vxfen(PU) gab(PU) llt(PU) autofs4 nfs fscache nfs_acl lin_tape(U) dmpaa(PU) vxspec(PFU) vxio(PFU) vxdmp(PU) lockd sunrpc bonding   ipv6 xfrm_nalgo crypto_api vxportal(PFU) fdd(PFU) vxfs(PU) dm_round_robin dm_multipath scsi_dh video backlight sbs power_meter hwmon i2c_ec i2c_core dell_wmi wmi button battery asus_acpi acpi_memhotplug ac parport_pc lp parport st sg joydev mlx4_en shpchp lpfc mlx4_core hpilo scsi_transport_fc serio_raw bnx2 pcspkr dm_raid45 dm_message dm_region_hash dm_mem_cache dm_snapshot dm_zero dm_mirror dm_log dm_mod mptspi mptscsih scsi_transport_spi mptbase cciss sd_mod scsi_mod ext3 jbd uhci_hcd ohci_hcd ehci_hcd
  Pid: 27975, comm: dsmserv Tainted: PF     2.6.18-194.11.4.el5 #1
  RIP: 0010:[<ffffffff88d1d51b>]  [<ffffffff88d1d51b>] :lin_tape:tape_check_log_cdb_and_status+0xd3/0x145
  RSP: 0018:ffff810f69ea9be8  EFLAGS: 00010293
  RAX: 000000000000000c RBX: ffff8117ee647800 RCX: 000000000000000c
  RDX: 00000000000000f9 RSI: 0000000000000000 RDI: ffff8117ee647801
  RBP: 0000000008000002 R08: ffff81166b9a0740 R09: 0000000000000000
  R10: ffff8117ee647800 R11: 0000000000000400 R12: ffff8117db3f0800
  R13: 000000000000000d R14: 0000000000000008 R15: 0000000000000001
  FS:  00002aaacaf9e940(0000) GS:ffff8101547991c0(0000) knlGS:0000000000000000
  CS:  0010 DS: 0000 ES: 0000 CR0: 000000008005003b
  CR2: 0000000000000000 CR3: 0000002fdec4c000 CR4: 00000000000006e0
  Process dsmserv (pid: 27975, threadinfo ffff810f69ea8000, task ffff810fa7955860)
  Stack:  00000000000000ec 0000000008000002 ffff8117db3f0800 ffff8117ee647800
  ffff81166b9a0740 ffffffff88d23016 0000000000000000 ffff81166b9a0740
  fffffffb00000000 ffff8117db3f0800 0000000000000000 ffff81166b9a0740
  Call Trace:
  [<ffffffff8004948e>] chrdev_open+0x14d/0x183
  [<ffffffff80049341>] chrdev_open+0x0/0x183
  [<ffffffff8001ea98>] __dentry_open+0xd9/0x1dc
  [<ffffffff80027541>] do_filp_open+0x2a/0x38
  [<ffffffff80019e5d>] do_sys_open+0x44/0xbe
  [<ffffffff8005d116>] system_call+0x7e/0x83
  Code: f3 a4 45 89 e8 48 89 d9 4c 89 e7 41 0f b7 b4 24 1a 04 00 00 
  RIP  [<ffffffff88d1d51b>] :lin_tape:tape_check_log_cdb_and_status+0xd3/0x145
  RSP <ffff810f69ea9be8>