i just did a rm -rf /*r as root!!!

[Smith, Albert]

Then ignore var and use the same steps for /usr/bin

Albert Smith
Sr. Unix Systems Administrator
HPCSA, RHCT
Genex Services
440 E. Swedesford Rd.
Wayne, PA 19087
albert.smith at genexservices.com
(610) 964-5154
 

> -----Original Message-----
> From: redhat-list-bounces at redhat.com 
> [mailto:redhat-list-bounces at redhat.com] On Behalf Of bruce
> Sent: Friday, April 22, 2005 12:41 AM
> To: 'General Red Hat Linux discussion list'
> Subject: RE: i just did a rm -rf /*r as root!!!
> 
> ed...
> 
> thanks for the reply...
> 
> but for the umpteenth time.. it looks like all that's missing 
> is the '/usr/bin' dir... i have the '/var' and '/usr' dirs...
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: redhat-list-bounces at redhat.com
> [mailto:redhat-list-bounces at redhat.com]On Behalf Of Ed Wilts, RHCE
> Sent: Thursday, April 21, 2005 7:24 PM
> To: General Red Hat Linux discussion list
> Subject: Re: i just did a rm -rf /*r as root!!!
> 
> 
> Smith, Albert wrote:
> > ***** THE FOLLOWING WOULD WORK IN THEORY I HAVE NOT TESTED THIS ****
> >
> > Boot from the install CD and go into Recovery mode.
> >
> > In recovery mode it will attempt to search for an existing 
> install. If 
> > it see's it you will see it as /mnt/sysimage when you do a df.
> >
> > Then try the following:
> >
> > mkdir /mnt/sysimage/usr
> > mkdir /mnt/sysimage/var
> > cp -pR /usr/* /mnt/sysimage/usr/
> >
> > Then reboot and it should get you up to some point. At that point I 
> > would use RPM to rebuild the rpm database then update your 
> packages as 
> > some will most likely have to be reinstalled.
> 
> I think this will get you most of the way there - probably 
> enough to boot if you didn't trash /etc.  Unfortunately 
> you've also trashed /var which contained your rpm database 
> (and other important stuff - mysql databases are there by 
> default if you run mysql, mail spools, crontab entries, 
> /var/www, etc.).
> 
> If you have backups, then the steps enough will get you 
> enough to boot.
>     At that point, recover your backups on top of your 
> running system - you've trashed all of /usr and /var so 
> restore those first. It's important that you get the most 
> current copies available of the /usr and /var directories.  
> The rpm database is the most critical since it can help you 
> determine what else is corrupted/missing.  Of course the rest 
> of the data in /var is gone unless it's on backups.
> 
> Another option, depending on what kind of system this is, is 
> to remove the drive and put it into another system.  Ideally, 
> restore your backups to that system, boot off it, and use it 
> to rebuild your original system disk.
> 
> If you do not have backups, boot into rescue mode (as 
> mentioned above), and copy off all of your data including 
> /etc and /home.  Then do a fresh install (with a *lot* of 
> luck, you may be able to do an upgrade) and reconfigure based 
> on your backup files.  I personally would not attempt to try 
> and rebuild everything from scratch once both /usr and /var 
> are wiped out - the time to rebuild everything will likely 
> exceed the time to reinstall.
> 
> 	.../Ed
> 
> >>-----Original Message-----
> >>From: redhat-list-bounces at redhat.com
> >>[mailto:redhat-list-bounces at redhat.com] On Behalf Of bruce
> >>Sent: Thursday, April 21, 2005 8:24 PM
> >>To: 'General Red Hat Linux discussion list'; 'Lam, Eric'
> >>Subject: RE: i just did a rm -rf /*r as root!!!
> >>
> >>eric...
> >>
> >>not to be down, but just how would i copy anything to the 
> screwed up 
> >>server, when the ssh/rcp/etc.. apps all appear to have 
> resided in the 
> >>/usr/bin dir....
> >>
> >>i was hopeful that using the recover cd might provide a solution....
> >>
> >>but it seems that no one has a solution, other than 
> reinstall... which 
> >>really screws me up!
> >>
> >>-bruce
> >>
> >>
> >>-----Original Message-----
> >>From: redhat-list-bounces at redhat.com
> >>[mailto:redhat-list-bounces at redhat.com]On Behalf Of Lam, Eric
> >>Sent: Thursday, April 21, 2005 5:11 PM
> >>To: bedouglas at earthlink.net
> >>Cc: General Red Hat Linux discussion list
> >>Subject: RE: i just did a rm -rf /*r as root!!!
> >>
> >>
> >>If I were you, I would copy (by tar or cpio) the files from another 
> >>system that has same kernel level. What else you got to loss now ?
> >>
> >>-----Original Message-----
> >>From: Otto Haliburton [mailto:ottohaliburton at comcast.net]
> >>Sent: Thursday, April 21, 2005 7:48 PM
> >>To: bedouglas at earthlink.net; 'General Red Hat Linux discussion list'
> >>Subject: RE: i just did a rm -rf /*r as root!!!
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>>-----Original Message-----
> >>>From: redhat-list-bounces at redhat.com [mailto:redhat-list- 
> >>>bounces at redhat.com] On Behalf Of bruce
> >>>Sent: Thursday, April 21, 2005 6:15 PM
> >>>To: 'General Red Hat Linux discussion list'
> >>>Subject: i just did a rm -rf /*r as root!!!
> >>>
> >>>hi...
> >>>
> >>>i stupidly just did a 'rm -rf /*r' and i understand that there's no
> >>
> >>way to
> >>
> >>>redo/undo this command.. it seems to have blown away my
> >>
> >>/usr/bin dir..
> >>
> >>>although, for all i know, i may have screwed up a lot more...
> >>>
> >>>my question, is there someway that i can reinstall the '/usr/bin'
> >>
> >>dir.. or
> >>
> >>>am i pretty much f*ed up. i have fedora core 2. (i've asked th
> >>
> >>question on
> >>
> >>>the FC2 list, and they leep telling me that i need to do a complete
> >>>reinstall) i thought there was a way to more or less recreate the
> >>
> >>indoe,
> >>
> >>>or
> >>>that there was some way that you can recover if you haven't done
> >>
> >>anything
> >>
> >>>with the drive since the 'rm -rf'... i've seen some
> >>
> >>postings/information
> >>
> >>>on
> >>>google that kind of discuss this. but i need more understanding...
> >>>
> >>>this is a critical system that i was putting alot of things on.. i
> >>
> >>haven't
> >>
> >>>done anything else to the box after my mistake..
> >>>
> >>>-bruce
> >>>bedouglas at earthlink.net
> >>>
> >>>
> >>
> >>There are some very expensive disk recover companies out 
> there so if 
> >>it is very important to you I would suggest you get in 
> touch with them 
> >>they will do a track by track recover of data from the 
> disk.  I don't 
> >>know what filesystem they support but you can probably 
> google for disk 
> >>recovery and get the info.  But I can tell you they are very very 
> >>expensive.
> >>
> >>
> 
> --
> Ed Wilts, RHCE
> Mounds View, MN, USA
> mailto:ewilts at ewilts.org
> Member #1, Red Hat Community Ambassador Program
> 
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