Incomplete install causing boot issues

I assume AOM has no access to the USB interfaces. Did you try to boot from USB thumb drive (build as described)?

Hi Stephan Yes I did. If you scroll up to my initial post, that is what I get upon boot while the USB is plugged in. I have also tried this by plugging in a USB CD-ROM drive which I know is the surest way of performing a clean install but that is running into exactly the same issue. I haven't lost all hope yet, as long as i can get access to CLI, AOM and GRUB there is still hope for recovery :) I will try command mosboot from CLI and try to format the hard-drive and start from scratch.

I think I've had similar issues downgrading from v10 w/ volumes to v9 w/ partitions in a test environment. Unfortunately, it was years ago - I believe diskinit bailed me out - https://support.f5.com/kb/en-us/products/big-ip_ltm/manuals/product/bigip_getting_started_guide_10_1_0/bip_gs_app_diskinit.html Looks like you're on the right path. Are you going to install v9 or v10 during the recovery process?

I'm testing out an upgrade from 9.4.8 all the way up to 11.5.1 . but i have to do a clean install for v9 to v10 and that is where I have come unstuck. I always thought clean installs should be the easiest things in the world. But I have now learnt otherwise shaggy :)

heh, yeah. v9 to v10 was my least favorite upgrade due to the required re-format. When doing migrations from v9 to v11, I do a few upgrade iterations even though they aren't necessarily required. I usually go v9 to late v9 (which you are already at) to v10.2.4 (was the newest v10 at the time), v10.2.4 to v11.2.1, then v11.2.1 to current. That allows me to iron out smaller sets of configuration compatibility issues at each level rather than a big set of configuration issues at the end. Of course this all depends on the complexity of your configuration...good luck

agreed that is the exact same path i have chosen although I will probably go from 11.2 to 11.3 as there is LTM and LC configs and if i remember right, there was some big changes to LC in 11.3 or 11.4 so after 11.2 I will probably go up minor release at a time just to make sure there is no impact on the config. but that is all hypethetical as I can't get to 10.2.4 yet