Hey,

I definately screwed up my libraries, but I am not sure how. I get this error:

/bin/sh: relocation error: /usr/local/lib/libdl.so.2 symbol _rtld_global_ro, version GLIBC_PRIVATE not defined in file ld-linux.so.2 with link time reference

when I try to even login. I cannot even get to a root prompt. What does this error mean? How do I fix it?

- Farhan

It means 'format and re-install!'

Oh good grief; is this a Windows support forum filled with paper MCSEs, or is this a Linux support forum?

farhan00>
Boot from your distribution CD, and reinstall the kernel and other main parts of the base system. You do NOT have to reformat. Basically, you've lost glibc which isn't all THAT big of a deal. You do not have to reformat. You do not have to reformat. You do not have to reformat. You do not have to reformat. You do not have to reformat.

rickh is the weakest link. Heh!

lol. Sorry. I made a rash assumption that farhan00 was a very raw newbie who had deleted a bunch of library files and/or directories either in a panic or inadvertantly.

It's good to introduce new Linux users to the fact that they'll most likely need to reinstall a few times before they're satisfied with their system.

I honestly can't remember ever having reinstalled due to being 'unsatisfied' with my system. (At least, not without changing distros) I guess it's different for everyone, but I wouldn't always say reinstalling is a given. That's what package management is for.

I used to reinstall, when I first started. But then I realized the ease (and less of a headache) to just install what I needed. Also, when I realized it would take less time to do that than to completely reinstall and resetup.

If you're coming from a Windows environment, it seems like a natural thing to do when things get bollixed up ... It's a regular step in Windows trouble-shooting. ... And, I still maintain, it's a good thing for newbies to do. They're dealing with a foreign environment where nothing seems to work, and the repetition provides a good conceptual framework.

That said, I will henceforth refrain from wiseacre comments related to issues I don't understand.

it is a really, really bad advice to format and to reinstall the whole system only due to a few libraries or the kernel to be fixed. in my opinion it also doesn't help a newbie to reinstall his system twice or more times, there is obviously no learning effect. it's only time consuming and the newbie will be frustrated, especially in this specific case, where the error was perhaps not caused by the operator. but this case tells us something more: please give no advice if you are not sure, what you are doing or you have no idea about the subject. and even more: if you are not sure, try to find out more about the problem before giving a stupid advice like this....

Hey, seelenbild28, don't make a flame war. The advice wasn't so stupid. There are some cases when you need to reinstall (for example, system wide configuration is messed up and you don't have a clue how to fix it). The advantage of reinstalling is that each time you can choose different packages (minimise the amount of them) and chose different options. Then look at the system performance and suitability for you. This way you will know which packages is needed for you and which only consuming hard drive space. When I first time installed slackware, I made reinstalling five times just to know how all installation process is proceeding and what thing each of the option does.

I screwed up my xserver really bad once... I had multiple windows open in Mandrake,and I thought I was installing an x component, but in fact, I deleted my entire xserver! I put the install disks in, when to upgrade, and in 30 minutes I was back to normal. Never did I have that kind of luck with Windows.

--Kris

Well... I don't think it is such a bad idea for newbies.

When I installed Debian for the first time I started over 5 times before I had a running system I was satisfied with.

Only AFTER that I learned how to use apt, install a new kernel, install a new boot loader etc., but I needed a correct working system for that. And after that I never formatted and re-installed, instead, I have made numerous clones of systems which I adapted according to my needs.

(Ok, once I screwed up my system really bad and lost apt and got lost in dependency hell, so I re-installed)

So... re-installing is hardly ever needed, but if a newbie wants to get a working system, it might be a good idea. If someone keeps re-installing every 6 months.... yes, he is either an MSCE or a newbie.

jlinkels

guys, think, before you post! it is a really big difference installing debian or suse or ubuntu of something else. suse is especially designed for users coming from windows, real newbies. debian is something really different. there you have to manually (mostly) set up everything on your own. suse instead does the job for you. it is really a big difference. did some of you ever install suse or do you only post from your debian background? I guess that's the case otherwise you wouldn't tell such things. the suse installation process does not help you anything learning about linux.

Does this mean you will personally see it that farhan's problem gets fixed?
So far "reinstall" has been the most productive advice posted here.

No, it hasn't. Kim's suggestion with the boot CD and re-install of
core-components was spot-on.


Cheers,
Tink

Only if you're a paper MCSE who is totally incompetent. For everyone else, Windows reinstalls are reserved for corrupt filesystems, corrupt registries, rooted systems, bugs for which Microsoft insists in KB articles the ONLY solution is reformat/reinstall (I ran into this with an Exchange bug, I REFUSED to reformat/reinstall, instead I kept digging until I identified and fixed the problem), and major upgrades for which old chipset drivers are so poorly engineered that it's near impossible to uninstall them (e.g., some of VIA's older drivers). Also, Windows upgrades tend to not go smoothly due to system drivers, so I'd suggest CLEANLY installing new operating system versions rather than upgrades, unless ALL old drivers can be cleanly uninstalled first. Oh, and if a client is a cheapskate who doesn't want to pay for more than an hour's work.

The above list might look very long, but it really isn't; practically all other problems are easily resolved without a reformat/reinstall. One might recommend a reformat/reinstall as an option to a client to keep within budget, but not for any technical reason.