diff --git a/lib/bdev/virtio/rte_virtio/virtio_user.c b/lib/bdev/virtio/rte_virtio/virtio_user.c
index b3786881ea..6165d84001 100644
--- a/lib/bdev/virtio/rte_virtio/virtio_user.c
+++ b/lib/bdev/virtio/rte_virtio/virtio_user.c
@@ -49,6 +49,8 @@
 #include "virtio_pci.h"
 #include "virtio_user/virtio_user_dev.h"
 
+#include "spdk/string.h"
+
 #define virtio_dev_get_user_dev(dev) \
 	((struct virtio_user_dev *)((uintptr_t)(dev) - offsetof(struct virtio_user_dev, vdev)))
 
@@ -92,10 +94,12 @@ static uint64_t
 virtio_user_get_features(struct virtio_dev *vdev)
 {
 	struct virtio_user_dev *dev = virtio_dev_get_user_dev(vdev);
+	char err_str[64];
 	uint64_t features;
 
 	if (dev->ops->send_request(dev, VHOST_USER_GET_FEATURES, &features) < 0) {
-		SPDK_ERRLOG("get_features failed: %s\n", strerror(errno));
+		spdk_strerror_r(errno, err_str, sizeof(err_str));
+		SPDK_ERRLOG("get_features failed: %s\n", err_str);
 		return 0;
 	}
 
@@ -163,6 +167,7 @@ virtio_user_setup_queue(struct virtio_dev *vdev, struct virtqueue *vq)
 	struct virtio_user_dev *dev = virtio_dev_get_user_dev(vdev);
 	uint16_t queue_idx = vq->vq_queue_index;
 	uint64_t desc_addr, avail_addr, used_addr;
+	char err_str[64];
 	int callfd;
 	int kickfd;
 
@@ -177,13 +182,15 @@ virtio_user_setup_queue(struct virtio_dev *vdev, struct virtqueue *vq)
 	 */
 	callfd = eventfd(0, EFD_CLOEXEC | EFD_NONBLOCK);
 	if (callfd < 0) {
-		SPDK_ERRLOG("callfd error, %s\n", strerror(errno));
+		spdk_strerror_r(errno, err_str, sizeof(err_str));
+		SPDK_ERRLOG("callfd error, %s\n", err_str);
 		return -1;
 	}
 
 	kickfd = eventfd(0, EFD_CLOEXEC | EFD_NONBLOCK);
 	if (kickfd < 0) {
-		SPDK_ERRLOG("kickfd error, %s\n", strerror(errno));
+		spdk_strerror_r(errno, err_str, sizeof(err_str));
+		SPDK_ERRLOG("kickfd error, %s\n", err_str);
 		close(callfd);
 		return -1;
 	}
@@ -230,9 +237,11 @@ virtio_user_notify_queue(struct virtio_dev *vdev, struct virtqueue *vq)
 {
 	uint64_t buf = 1;
 	struct virtio_user_dev *dev = virtio_dev_get_user_dev(vdev);
+	char err_str[64];
 
 	if (write(dev->kickfds[vq->vq_queue_index], &buf, sizeof(buf)) < 0)
-		SPDK_ERRLOG("failed to kick backend: %s.\n", strerror(errno));
+		spdk_strerror_r(errno, err_str, sizeof(err_str));
+		SPDK_ERRLOG("failed to kick backend: %s.\n", err_str);
 }
 
 static void
diff --git a/lib/bdev/virtio/rte_virtio/virtio_user/vhost_user.c b/lib/bdev/virtio/rte_virtio/virtio_user/vhost_user.c
index c33bde129a..bde542903a 100644
--- a/lib/bdev/virtio/rte_virtio/virtio_user/vhost_user.c
+++ b/lib/bdev/virtio/rte_virtio/virtio_user/vhost_user.c
@@ -43,6 +43,8 @@
 #include "vhost.h"
 #include "virtio_user_dev.h"
 
+#include "spdk/string.h"
+
 /* The version of the protocol we support */
 #define VHOST_USER_VERSION    0x1
 
@@ -282,6 +284,7 @@ vhost_user_sock(struct virtio_user_dev *dev,
 {
 	struct vhost_user_msg msg;
 	struct vhost_vring_file *file = 0;
+	char err_str[64];
 	int need_reply = 0;
 	int fds[VHOST_MEMORY_MAX_NREGIONS];
 	int fd_num = 0;
@@ -362,8 +365,9 @@ vhost_user_sock(struct virtio_user_dev *dev,
 
 	len = VHOST_USER_HDR_SIZE + msg.size;
 	if (vhost_user_write(vhostfd, &msg, len, fds, fd_num) < 0) {
+		spdk_strerror_r(errno, err_str, sizeof(err_str));
 		SPDK_ERRLOG("%s failed: %s\n",
-			    vhost_msg_strings[req], strerror(errno));
+			    vhost_msg_strings[req], err_str);
 		return -1;
 	}
 
@@ -373,8 +377,8 @@ vhost_user_sock(struct virtio_user_dev *dev,
 
 	if (need_reply) {
 		if (vhost_user_read(vhostfd, &msg) < 0) {
-			SPDK_WARNLOG("Received msg failed: %s\n",
-				    strerror(errno));
+			spdk_strerror_r(errno, err_str, sizeof(err_str));
+			SPDK_WARNLOG("Received msg failed: %s\n", err_str);
 			return -1;
 		}
 
@@ -423,16 +427,19 @@ vhost_user_setup(struct virtio_user_dev *dev)
 	int flag;
 	struct sockaddr_un un;
 	ssize_t rc;
+	char err_str[64];
 
 	fd = socket(AF_UNIX, SOCK_STREAM, 0);
 	if (fd < 0) {
-		SPDK_ERRLOG("socket() error, %s\n", strerror(errno));
+		spdk_strerror_r(errno, err_str, sizeof(err_str));
+		SPDK_ERRLOG("socket() error, %s\n", err_str);
 		return -1;
 	}
 
 	flag = fcntl(fd, F_GETFD);
 	if (fcntl(fd, F_SETFD, flag | FD_CLOEXEC) < 0)
-		SPDK_ERRLOG("fcntl failed, %s\n", strerror(errno));
+		spdk_strerror_r(errno, err_str, sizeof(err_str));
+		SPDK_ERRLOG("fcntl failed, %s\n", err_str);
 
 	memset(&un, 0, sizeof(un));
 	un.sun_family = AF_UNIX;
@@ -443,7 +450,8 @@ vhost_user_setup(struct virtio_user_dev *dev)
 		return -1;
 	}
 	if (connect(fd, (struct sockaddr *)&un, sizeof(un)) < 0) {
-		SPDK_ERRLOG("connect error, %s\n", strerror(errno));
+		spdk_strerror_r(errno, err_str, sizeof(err_str));
+		SPDK_ERRLOG("connect error, %s\n", err_str);
 		close(fd);
 		return -1;
 	}
diff --git a/lib/bdev/virtio/rte_virtio/virtio_user/virtio_user_dev.c b/lib/bdev/virtio/rte_virtio/virtio_user/virtio_user_dev.c
index cd6d4eadbe..2b47f75564 100644
--- a/lib/bdev/virtio/rte_virtio/virtio_user/virtio_user_dev.c
+++ b/lib/bdev/virtio/rte_virtio/virtio_user/virtio_user_dev.c
@@ -47,6 +47,8 @@
 #include "virtio_user_dev.h"
 #include "../virtio_dev.h"
 
+#include "spdk/string.h"
+
 static int
 virtio_user_create_queue(struct virtio_user_dev *dev, uint32_t queue_sel)
 {
@@ -179,6 +181,7 @@ virtio_user_dev_init(char *path, uint16_t requested_queues, uint32_t queue_size)
 	struct virtio_dev *vdev;
 	struct virtio_user_dev *dev;
 	uint64_t max_queues;
+	char err_str[64];
 
 	dev = calloc(1, sizeof(*dev));
 	if (dev == NULL) {
@@ -202,7 +205,8 @@ virtio_user_dev_init(char *path, uint16_t requested_queues, uint32_t queue_size)
 	}
 
 	if (dev->ops->send_request(dev, VHOST_USER_GET_QUEUE_NUM, &max_queues) < 0) {
-		SPDK_ERRLOG("get_queue_num fails: %s\n", strerror(errno));
+		spdk_strerror_r(errno, err_str, sizeof(err_str));
+		SPDK_ERRLOG("get_queue_num fails: %s\n", err_str);
 		goto err;
 	}
 
@@ -215,7 +219,8 @@ virtio_user_dev_init(char *path, uint16_t requested_queues, uint32_t queue_size)
 	vdev->max_queues = requested_queues;
 
 	if (dev->ops->send_request(dev, VHOST_USER_SET_OWNER, NULL) < 0) {
-		SPDK_ERRLOG("set_owner fails: %s\n", strerror(errno));
+		spdk_strerror_r(errno, err_str, sizeof(err_str));
+		SPDK_ERRLOG("set_owner fails: %s\n", err_str);
 		goto err;
 	}