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CA_Valli's avatar
CA_Valli
Icon for MVP rankMVP
Mar 31, 2021

LTM - check if config was loaded from wrong HD partition during upgrade

Hello,

we've had an issue recently where BIG-IP seemed to lose a part of configuration during an upgrade.

Having worked a while with LTM I'm very suspicious that "install configuration" feature was used and wrong partition was selected.

 

I've found a couple of logs that seem to confirm this already, with message ID

01420012:5: Loading schema version: 12.1.2 #version in 'spare' unused partition, not active

01420012:5: Loading schema version: 14.1.4 #target version

 

These two messages are logged at the same time, and doing some quick googling I believe the first one should reflect the partition config was installed from.

Sadly I was not able to find details on event 01420012 in log messages reference (link) nor by googling into public KBs.

 

Can someone confirm this actually is some good evidence for my suspect? Any help will be appreciated.

application delivery
LTM
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  • Nikoolayy1's avatar
    Nikoolayy1
    Icon for MVP rankMVP
    Mar 31, 2021

    Also if you insall the configuration but not make the boot volume active and you continie to do changes, after weeks when you switch the active volume, the new volume will have the old configuration, even if you select again to install the configuration before the boot. Install the configuration can be done one time after that you need to delete and again install an iso image in the volume to be able to do install the configuration.

     

     

    If the missing configuration is only new changes this could be the issue.

    • CA_Valli's avatar
      CA_Valli
      Icon for MVP rankMVP
      Mar 31, 2021

      Hi Nikoolay1 and thank you for your reply.

      What you're stating is true, but I'm not missing a few days of configuration, I'm missing several months. The image was installed on the partition at most a few hours prior to the activity.

       

      I know that F5 produces an ucs archive when the HD partition is created, and I believe this is likely being used when the partition is booted - or maybe for downgrades/rollback.

       

      This is also why I'm thinking that the config on the old partition was installed: it surely did not load the configuration that was on the device at the time the new image was installed on the volume.

       

      Moreover, appliance was NOT running v12.1.2, it was somewhere in 13.1.1.x.

       

      This is why that log really messed with my mind, and I was wondering if any more evidence could confirm my doubt.