Unix commands like ls, rpm not working after I un-installed glibc

[gshekar]

Hi,

We have a Suse 10 server.

lclnx7:~ # more /etc/SuSE-release
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 10 (x86_64)
VERSION = 10

lclnx7:~ # uname -a
Linux lclnx7 2.6.16.21-0.8-smp #1 SMP Mon Jul 3 18:25:39 UTC 2006 x86_64 x86_64 x86_64 GNU/Linux

There was a need to install new version of glibc. So I un-installed an existing version and after that, I am unable to run any unix commands like ls, rpm etc.

lclnx7:/tmp/glibc/26Oct2006 # rpm -ivh glibc-2.4-31.5.x86_64.rpm
Preparing... ########################################### [100%]
file /lib64/libc-2.4.so from install of glibc-2.4-31.5 conflicts with file from package glibc-2.4-31.3.PTF.193098
file /lib64/libpthread-2.4.so from install of glibc-2.4-31.5 conflicts with file from package glibc-2.4-31.3.PTF.193098
file /sbin/ldconfig from install of glibc-2.4-31.5 conflicts with file from package glibc-2.4-31.3.PTF.193098
file /usr/bin/getent from install of glibc-2.4-31.5 conflicts with file from package glibc-2.4-31.3.PTF.193098
file /usr/bin/locale from install of glibc-2.4-31.5 conflicts with file from package glibc-2.4-31.3.PTF.193098
file /usr/sbin/glibc_post_upgrade from install of glibc-2.4-31.5 conflicts with file from package glibc-2.4-31.3.PTF.193098

lclnx7:/tmp/glibc/26Oct2006 # rpm -ev --nodeps glibc-2.4-31.3.PTF.193098
warning: /etc/nsswitch.conf saved as /etc/nsswitch.conf.rpmsave
error: %postun(glibc-2.4-31.3.PTF.193098.x86_64) scriptlet failed, exit status 255

lclnx7:/tmp/glibc/26Oct2006 # rpm -qa | grep glibc-2.4-31.3.PTF.193098
-bash: /usr/bin/grep: No such file or directory
-bash: /bin/rpm: No such file or directory

lclnx7:/tmp/glibc/26Oct2006 # ls
-bash: /bin/ls: No such file or directory

How can I install a new version of glibc and get the system up and running again? Please suggest.

Thanks & Regards,

[oldcpu]

There was a need to install new version of glibc. So I un-installed an existing version and after that, I am unable to run any unix commands like ls, rpm etc.

This is an interesting problem.

You may be looking at a complete re-install.

As you have discovered, changing your version of glibc is not a recommended operation to do.

Still, maybe there is something that can be done, and if its any consolation, I'm sitting on the sidelines, hoping someone knows how to do this. I am curious and interested to learn. But you may wish to brace yourself for the possibility that there may not be an easy solution.