I have been testing cassandra through an AWS Community AMI, which was running Cassandra 2.0.5.

I tried to upgrade it to 2.1.2 (the latest available), following the steps [here](http://www.datastax.com/documentation/upgrade/doc/upgrade/cassandra/upgradeDebC_t.html), but now when I try to start cassandra, nothing happens. Logs are also clean. Here is the output:

```
ubuntu@ip-10-156-158-215:~$ sudo cassandra -f
INFO  23:52:22 Hostname: ip-10-156-158-215.ec2.internal
INFO  23:52:22 Loading settings from file:/etc/cassandra/cassandra.yaml
INFO  23:52:22 Node configuration:[authenticator=AllowAllAuthenticator; authorizer=AllowAllAuthorizer; auto_snapshot=true; batch_size_warn_threshold_in_kb=5; batchlog_replay_throttle_in_kb=1024; cas_contention_timeout_in_ms=1000; client_encryption_options=<REDACTED>; cluster_name=Rematch Staging; column_index_size_in_kb=64; commit_failure_policy=stop; commitlog_directory=/mnt/cassandra/commitlog; commitlog_segment_size_in_mb=32; commitlog_sync=periodic; commitlog_sync_period_in_ms=10000; compaction_throughput_mb_per_sec=16; concurrent_counter_writes=32; concurrent_reads=32; concurrent_writes=32; counter_cache_save_period=7200; counter_cache_size_in_mb=null; counter_write_request_timeout_in_ms=5000; cross_node_timeout=false; data_file_directories=[/mnt/cassandra/data]; disk_failure_policy=stop; dynamic_snitch_badness_threshold=0.1; dynamic_snitch_reset_interval_in_ms=600000; dynamic_snitch_update_interval_in_ms=100; endpoint_snitch=SimpleSnitch; hinted_handoff_enabled=true; hinted_handoff_throttle_in_kb=1024; incremental_backups=false; index_summary_capacity_in_mb=null; index_summary_resize_interval_in_minutes=60; inter_dc_tcp_nodelay=false; internode_compression=all; key_cache_save_period=14400; key_cache_size_in_mb=null; listen_address=10.65.163.181; max_hint_window_in_ms=10800000; max_hints_delivery_threads=2; memtable_allocation_type=heap_buffers; native_transport_port=9042; num_tokens=256; partitioner=org.apache.cassandra.dht.Murmur3Partitioner; permissions_validity_in_ms=2000; range_request_timeout_in_ms=10000; read_request_timeout_in_ms=5000; request_scheduler=org.apache.cassandra.scheduler.NoScheduler; request_timeout_in_ms=10000; row_cache_save_period=0; row_cache_size_in_mb=0; rpc_address=localhost; rpc_keepalive=true; rpc_port=9160; rpc_server_type=sync; saved_caches_directory=/mnt/cassandra/saved_caches; seed_provider=[{class_name=org.apache.cassandra.locator.SimpleSeedProvider, parameters=[{seeds=10.65.163.181}]}]; server_encryption_options=<REDACTED>; snapshot_before_compaction=false; ssl_storage_port=7001; sstable_preemptive_open_interval_in_mb=50; start_native_transport=true; start_rpc=true; storage_port=7000; thrift_framed_transport_size_in_mb=15; tombstone_failure_threshold=100000; tombstone_warn_threshold=1000; trickle_fsync=false; trickle_fsync_interval_in_kb=10240; truncate_request_timeout_in_ms=60000; write_request_timeout_in_ms=2000]
INFO  23:52:22 DiskAccessMode 'auto' determined to be mmap, indexAccessMode is mmap
INFO  23:52:22 Global memtable on-heap threshold is enabled at 72MB
INFO  23:52:22 Global memtable off-heap threshold is enabled at 72MB
INFO  23:52:23 Loading settings from file:/etc/cassandra/cassandra.yaml
INFO  23:52:23 Node configuration:[authenticator=AllowAllAuthenticator; authorizer=AllowAllAuthorizer; auto_snapshot=true; batch_size_warn_threshold_in_kb=5; batchlog_replay_throttle_in_kb=1024; cas_contention_timeout_in_ms=1000; client_encryption_options=<REDACTED>; cluster_name=Rematch Staging; column_index_size_in_kb=64; commit_failure_policy=stop; commitlog_directory=/mnt/cassandra/commitlog; commitlog_segment_size_in_mb=32; commitlog_sync=periodic; commitlog_sync_period_in_ms=10000; compaction_throughput_mb_per_sec=16; concurrent_counter_writes=32; concurrent_reads=32; concurrent_writes=32; counter_cache_save_period=7200; counter_cache_size_in_mb=null; counter_write_request_timeout_in_ms=5000; cross_node_timeout=false; data_file_directories=[/mnt/cassandra/data]; disk_failure_policy=stop; dynamic_snitch_badness_threshold=0.1; dynamic_snitch_reset_interval_in_ms=600000; dynamic_snitch_update_interval_in_ms=100; endpoint_snitch=SimpleSnitch; hinted_handoff_enabled=true; hinted_handoff_throttle_in_kb=1024; incremental_backups=false; index_summary_capacity_in_mb=null; index_summary_resize_interval_in_minutes=60; inter_dc_tcp_nodelay=false; internode_compression=all; key_cache_save_period=14400; key_cache_size_in_mb=null; listen_address=10.65.163.181; max_hint_window_in_ms=10800000; max_hints_delivery_threads=2; memtable_allocation_type=heap_buffers; native_transport_port=9042; num_tokens=256; partitioner=org.apache.cassandra.dht.Murmur3Partitioner; permissions_validity_in_ms=2000; range_request_timeout_in_ms=10000; read_request_timeout_in_ms=5000; request_scheduler=org.apache.cassandra.scheduler.NoScheduler; request_timeout_in_ms=10000; row_cache_save_period=0; row_cache_size_in_mb=0; rpc_address=localhost; rpc_keepalive=true; rpc_port=9160; rpc_server_type=sync; saved_caches_directory=/mnt/cassandra/saved_caches; seed_provider=[{class_name=org.apache.cassandra.locator.SimpleSeedProvider, parameters=[{seeds=10.65.163.181}]}]; server_encryption_options=<REDACTED>; snapshot_before_compaction=false; ssl_storage_port=7001; sstable_preemptive_open_interval_in_mb=50; start_native_transport=true; start_rpc=true; storage_port=7000; thrift_framed_transport_size_in_mb=15; tombstone_failure_threshold=100000; tombstone_warn_threshold=1000; trickle_fsync=false; trickle_fsync_interval_in_kb=10240; truncate_request_timeout_in_ms=60000; write_request_timeout_in_ms=2000]
INFO  23:52:23 JVM vendor/version: Java HotSpot(TM) 64-Bit Server VM/1.7.0_51
INFO  23:52:23 Heap size: 301727744/302776320
INFO  23:52:23 Code Cache Non-heap memory: init = 2555904(2496K) used = 716288(699K) committed = 2555904(2496K) max = 50331648(49152K)
INFO  23:52:23 Eden Space Heap memory: init = 61341696(59904K) used = 61341696(59904K) committed = 61341696(59904K) max = 61341696(59904K)
INFO  23:52:23 Survivor Space Heap memory: init = 7602176(7424K) used = 7602176(7424K) committed = 7602176(7424K) max = 7602176(7424K)
INFO  23:52:23 CMS Old Gen Heap memory: init = 232783872(227328K) used = 1157576(1130K) committed = 232783872(227328K) max = 233832448(228352K)
INFO  23:52:23 CMS Perm Gen Non-heap memory: init = 21757952(21248K) used = 16970288(16572K) committed = 21757952(21248K) max = 85983232(83968K)
INFO  23:52:23 Classpath: /etc/cassandra:/usr/share/cassandra/lib/airline-0.6.jar:/usr/share/cassandra/lib/antlr-runtime-3.5.2.jar:/usr/share/cassandra/lib/commons-cli-1.1.jar:/usr/share/cassandra/lib/commons-codec-1.2.jar:/usr/share/cassandra/lib/commons-lang3-3.1.jar:/usr/share/cassandra/lib/commons-math3-3.2.jar:/usr/share/cassandra/lib/compress-lzf-0.8.4.jar:/usr/share/cassandra/lib/concurrentlinkedhashmap-lru-1.4.jar:/usr/share/cassandra/lib/disruptor-3.0.1.jar:/usr/share/cassandra/lib/guava-16.0.jar:/usr/share/cassandra/lib/high-scale-lib-1.0.6.jar:/usr/share/cassandra/lib/jackson-core-asl-1.9.2.jar:/usr/share/cassandra/lib/jackson-mapper-asl-1.9.2.jar:/usr/share/cassandra/lib/jamm-0.2.8.jar:/usr/share/cassandra/lib/javax.inject.jar:/usr/share/cassandra/lib/jbcrypt-0.3m.jar:/usr/share/cassandra/lib/jline-1.0.jar:/usr/share/cassandra/lib/jna-4.0.0.jar:/usr/share/cassandra/lib/json-simple-1.1.jar:/usr/share/cassandra/lib/libthrift-0.9.1.jar:/usr/share/cassandra/lib/logback-classic-1.1.2.jar:/usr/share/cassandra/lib/logback-core-1.1.2.jar:/usr/share/cassandra/lib/lz4-1.2.0.jar:/usr/share/cassandra/lib/metrics-core-2.2.0.jar:/usr/share/cassandra/lib/netty-all-4.0.23.Final.jar:/usr/share/cassandra/lib/reporter-config-2.1.0.jar:/usr/share/cassandra/lib/slf4j-api-1.7.2.jar:/usr/share/cassandra/lib/snakeyaml-1.11.jar:/usr/share/cassandra/lib/snappy-java-1.0.5.2.jar:/usr/share/cassandra/lib/stream-2.5.2.jar:/usr/share/cassandra/lib/stringtemplate-4.0.2.jar:/usr/share/cassandra/lib/super-csv-2.1.0.jar:/usr/share/cassandra/lib/thrift-server-0.3.7.jar:/usr/share/cassandra/apache-cassandra-2.1.2.jar:/usr/share/cassandra/apache-cassandra-thrift-2.1.2.jar:/usr/share/cassandra/apache-cassandra.jar:/usr/share/cassandra/cassandra-driver-core-2.0.5.jar:/usr/share/cassandra/netty-3.9.0.Final.jar:/usr/share/cassandra/stress.jar::/usr/share/cassandra/lib/jamm-0.2.8.jar

```

I checked /var/log/cassandra/system.log as well, no clue there either.

I know the "version restriction" of [Cassandra upgrade](http://www.datastax.com/documentation/upgrade/doc/upgrade/cassandra/upgradeC_c.html) says:

> 
> Upgrade to Cassandra 2.1 from Cassandra 2.0.7 or later.
> 
> 
> Cassandra 2.1 is not compatible with Cassandra 1.x SSTables. First
>  upgrade the nodes to Cassandra 2.0.7 or later, start the cluster,
>  upgrade the SSTables, stop the cluster, and then upgrade to Cassandra
>  2.1.
> 
> 
> 

Does it mean I messed up the instance and have to start from scratch again? any idea?

Thanks