I have just inherited a RH9 box running an essential 3rd party software. It is being backed over our network to a remote site instead of backing it up locally in one of the three backup servers. Actually it isnt being backed up remotely, its ftping its own files to another server that is being backed up.

As far as I can tell, it was updated one time after it was put in to production, probably right after intial install.

Problem- Everything I have come accustomed to as ordinary sytem tools and services has not been disabled, they have been erased. Let me clarify... I got the root pw, logged in locally, and vi /etc/vsftpd - missing libperl.so.... hmmm so i cd /etc, ls|more and WTF! where is the files? There is only 2.5 pages of files, instead of the normal seemingly endless pages of files. So i locate ftp, only /usr/*** locations comeup, I updatedb and retry. Same. About this time I am slumped in my chair getting a headache. The only reason I logged in was to take a look at sendmail, it was making my WUG go crazy with alerts. Cant view any logs.... so I will just restart it...... nope, missing files to do that to!!

Fortunately the 3rd party program is self sufficient by not requireing any other software to be install, it has its own perl libs and everything.

Now my great task is to somehow restore functionality to this box. So i can actually start backing it up. I plan to install an agent so one of my veritas servers can back it up with all our other jobs.

I looked for a Add/Remove Applications applet so i could just add the programs back with the rh9 disk, but i couldnt find one.. (chuckles)

Anyway, my question to the masses of brilliant linux users/admins out there, is this; Is there an easier way than copying files offf of another RH9 installation?

<<<<<<more specific information available if you need it>>>>

Is it possible that someone has made an updatedb alias pruning all paths but /usr? If so you might be able to make a full updatedb after removing that alias. That might help in finding some of the tools, surely they can't all be gone...

Robin

emacs is working... Of course i have never used emacs before, so I had to go through its tutorial to figure out how to use it.

After I had a handle on it, I went to the etc folder and tried to edit common files. Nothing, it always came back as a blank new file.

The only thing I can figure is I am going to have to manually replace each file by building a duplicate system and referencing them back and forth. I havent started it yet, kinda hoping so one else might know a better solution.

would be my inclination. That way you have dependancy resolution, and are set up for patching when needed in the future.

I'd be cautious and try a few things at a time. Given the "running essential third party software"...I'd be very cautious. Easier to back out if you use a package manager and install rpms, not do a straight copy. Besides which you may not know all the config files for each package, would need to run ldd and risk dependancy hell...

Unless of course you are copying from an identical box and copying everything, which I guess is what you're thinking. Again a big risk of possibly breaking the 3rd party app. I'd runn ldd on binaries in the apps directorie(s) and see what they depend on. Make sure of good backups etc.

Of course if you do build the second box, can you install the app, copy data, etc. Then, when tested, make the new box the production box, just copy up-to-date data and retire the old box.

Might check out the Fedora legacy project if you go the package manager route.

No help with emacs...I use vi myself.

Anyway, that's my 2 cents...don't really have a recipe for you.