Downgrade from BIG-IP 10.2.3 to 9.4.7

So, yeah, first bump in the road. when I run image2disk --format=partitions BIGIP-10.2.3.112.0.iso, I receive the following error

 

 

info: Repository tm_install version/release is 2.7.2/17.0

 

info: System tm_install version/release is 2.7.1/23.0

 

info: Updating system tm_install files from BIGIP-10.2.3.112.0.iso

 

....................................................................................

 

7362 blocks

 

info: Installer on image is newer, reexec

 

info: Running updated installer.

 

info: Platform id is Mercury

 

Terminal error: Media has multiple products. Install product must be specified.

 

 

 

 

The output from a switchboot -l tells me:

 

 

Current boot image:

 

HD1.1 - title BIG-IP 10.2.3 Build 112.0

 

Default boot image:

 

HD1.1 - title BIG-IP 10.2.3 Build 112.0

 

Available boot image(s):

 

HD1.1 - title BIG-IP 10.2.3 Build 112.0

 

HD1.2 - title BIG-IP 11.1.0 Build 1943.0

 

 

 

Since we need to downgrade to 9.4.7, can both hd1.1 and hd1.2 be formatted? If so, what tweaks do i nee dot make to that image2disk command?

 

 

Thanks in advance!

 

I may have found the solution here:

 

 

http://support.f5.com/kb/en-us/solutions/public/10000/500/sol10519.html

 

Formatting the file system and installing a base BIG-IP version (10.0.x - 10.2.0)

 

BIG-IP version 10.2.1 onwards

 

image2disk --nosaveconfig --format=volumes

 

 

For example, the ISO image name is BIGIP-10.2.1.297.0.iso, you would use the following syntax:

 

image2disk --nosaveconfig --format=volumes /shared/images/BIGIP-10.2.1.297.0.iso

 

 

 

The current status of the volumes on the unit is:

 

bigpipe software volumes show

 

SOFTWARE - Volumes:

 

+-> SOFTWARE VOLUME HD1.1 Size: default active

 

+-> SOFTWARE VOLUME HD1.2 Size: default inactive

 

+-> SOFTWARE VOLUME HD1.3 Size: default inactive

 

 

 

If that works, I'm guessing the next step would be to:

 

 

* perform an lvscan and expect no output

 

* fix the console if it falls over

 

* scp local-install-9.4.7.320.1.im to /var/tmp/ on the unit

 

* im local-install-9.4.7.320.1.im

 

* manually re-license the unit

 

* configure host name, time zone, etc

 

 

Has anybody tested that 'image2disk --nosaveconfig --format=volumes /shared/images/BIGIP-10.2.1.297.0.iso' command?

I have done many downgrades from 10.2.x to 9.4.7. both in the lab and in production for various reasons.

 

The easiest way is to create a bootable USB drive with 9.4.7 on it. boot to it and format your HD for version 9

 

Once the box comes up , re-install the version 9.4.7 UCS file you backed up before going to version 10.x

 

 

Hi Nathan,

 

 

Cheers for the reply. I think I'll brave the non-boot from USB process for now as I cannot get over to the data centre for a while. However, your approach sounds like the cleanest and quickest way to go about this.

 

 

Thanks!

So, I'm solidering on with formatting the drives to partitions and then downgrading to 9.x via the cli.... and falling at the first hurdle:

 

 

 

tmp image2disk --nosaveconfig --format=partitions /shared/tmp/BIGIP-10.2.3.112.0.iso

 

info: Repository tm_install version/release is 2.7.2/17.0

 

info: System tm_install version/release is 2.7.1/23.0

 

info: Updating system tm_install files from /shared/tmp/BIGIP-10.2.3.112.0.iso

 

....................................................................................

 

7362 blocks

 

info: Installer on image is newer, reexec

 

info: Running updated installer.

 

info: Platform id is Mercury

 

Terminal error: Media has multiple products. Install product must be specified.

 

tmp

 

 

The device currently has an 11.1.0 image on HD1.2. Could this be the cause fo the above error?

 

switchboot -l

 

 

Current boot image:

 

HD1.1 - title BIG-IP 10.2.3 Build 112.0

 

Default boot image:

 

HD1.1 - title BIG-IP 10.2.3 Build 112.0

 

Available boot image(s):

 

HD1.1 - title BIG-IP 10.2.3 Build 112.0

 

HD1.2 - title BIG-IP 11.1.0 Build 1943.0

 

 

to get around this, can I simply delete that hd1.2 volume?

is BIGIP-10.2.3.112.0.iso's md5 correct?

Just out of curiosity, why are you downgrading such an old version?

Hi Josh,

 

 

I'm downgrading the image to bring the LTMs in line with current production equipment. Painful, I know!

 

 

So, I've gone with using a USB stick to cleanly boot to 9.4.7 using the guide lines here http://support.f5.com/kb/en-us/products/big-ip_ltm/releasenotes/umd_make_install_9_4_x.html.

 

 

However, I'm running into the following issue:

 

 

 

cd ./mkdisk

 

................................................................

 

1129 blocks

 

On which F5 platform will the installation media be used?

 

 

Index Platform

 

 

1 BIG-IP 1500

 

2 BIG-IP 1600

 

3 BIG-IP 3400

 

4 BIG-IP 3410

 

5 BIG-IP 3600

 

6 BIG-IP 4100

 

7 BIG-IP 6400

 

8 BIG-IP 6600

 

9 BIG-IP 6800

 

10 BIG-IP 6900

 

11 BIG-IP 8400

 

12 BIG-IP 8800

 

13 BIG-IP 8900

 

14 BIG-IP Viprion

 

15 BIG-IP_SAM 4300

 

16 Enterprise Manager EM3000

 

17 Enterprise Manager EM500

 

18 FirePass 1200

 

19 FirePass 4100

 

20 FirePass 4300

 

21 TrafficShield 4100

 

22 WANJet Appliance WJ300

 

23 WANJet Appliance WJ500

 

24 WBA Appliance WA4500

 

Please select a device by index (1 - 24) --->2

 

error: could not find 'GUID:' in /proc/scsi/usb-storage/11

 

Failed to create RemovableDevice object for device

 

 

This seems to be related to the following bug: http://support.f5.com/kb/en-us/solutions/public/12000/500/sol12536

 

 

The difference being the LTM cannot find the GUID field. Is there any way around this?

 

 

Here's what the usb stick reports:

 

Host scsi11: usb-storage

 

Vendor: HP

 

Product: v210w

 

Serial Number: AA00000000003758

 

Protocol: Transparent SCSI

 

Transport: Bulk

 

Quirks:

 

 

I have a few suggestions:

 

 

1. To create the 9.4.7 USB drive, I have found that it works best when done from a unit that is already running 9.4.7. Your problem might be the fact you are trying to make a 9.4.7 usb drive on a bigip running 10.x code? Example: In my lab, I would use a box running 9.4.7 to create the 9.4.7 USB drive using the 9.4.7 IM file.

 

 

2. Even though its specified that the mkdisk utility is used for version 9.4.7 and up , which in your case, you are going to 9.4.7, so it should work, I would also try the umdinstall utility.

 

 

"Beginning in BIG-IP version 9.4.7, the umdinstall utility is no longer supported and has been removed from the BIG-IP installation image files. F5 recommends using the mkdisk utility on a BIG-IP system or a Linux-based system to load a BIG-IP installation image onto a USB mass storage device."

 

 

 

3. I have found that some USB drives work better than others. (I have had good results with kingston)