UNIX for Advanced & Expert Users

dear unix members...
i have just got done dealing with the worst problem i have dealt with in my two years of unix... on my fedora core 3 2.6.9-1.667 #1 Tue Nov 2 14:41:25 EST 2004 i686 i686 i386 GNU/Linux... the /tmp directory went stale about a month ago.. i had both gnome desktop anf kde installed gnome-conf died... i couldn't resolute the problem although i came close.. so i reinstalled, repartitioned, formatted, configured and reconnected.. it took me 16 hours to recover all files intact from devices, partitions and remote accounts and recondition the system back to its original state with an update from red-hat.com.... anyway to make a long story short: " there must be an easier way!" ... like recreating /tmp from scratch or fscking i.. ..................is there an easier way and what is it..?
any feedback welcome...
moxxx68
have a great memorial day.

What exactly do you mean by "the /tmp directory went stale" ?

it went corrupt... i had selinux enabled enforcing (policy).. AND too many raw files i had tar zipped and installed from tmp.. a bachslash and a bad chmod number didn't mix well with selinux and both the backslash and trying to reconfigure corrupt /tmp which eventually corrupt the ENTIRE system..... all messages and warnings lead back to /tmp...
(gnome specifically is what hit the worst and did the dmage)..
moxxx68

Did you chmod /tmp?

I don't understand what this backslash you keep talking about has to do with your problem, what did you do with it exactly?

sorry! NOT \ i meant / as in chmod xxx /... everything hit xxx and the only dir i couldn't save was /tmp i couldn't quite get the permisssions right... obviuosly /tmp would be one of the more difficult to guess.. i managed to retrieve the other directories by upgradingb the system to install everything.. /tmp though boogered up g-conf and that corrupted the whole operating system eventually including the kde desktop and was irretrievable.

edit: if i could have got rid of /tmp somehow before the bug i created spread i could have saved the system and a whole lot of hassle.. but the os won't boot without /tmp.. so i couldn't do anything..

ok, now I understand.

I'm not sure about SELinux, but normally /tmp will be mode 1777. Also there should be no need to recreated it, since /tmp will swap, the disk part of which should be a raw device, the contents of which are volatile, ie /tmp is wiped when you reboot.

prob with selinux is the permission enforcement when enabled.. so it wouldn't let me back in unless i unlocked the perms... close to 1777 is what screwed it up due to SE (security enhanced).... SE refused it and when i finally broke back into the system gconf-usrs had been corrupted.. a few files were erased and a few lib files couldn't be recreated.. so even after i disabled SE reconfiguring gconf files amongst others in /tmp was impossible...

edit;; i know that SE can lock files and i am pretty sure it can erase certain files when necessary.. so i guess those files bit the dust when the chmod hit the targeted SE policy.. if i could configure SElinux (i could do anything!) its government developed and very complex so the better route would be to revamp /tmp.. if i knew how!..
thanx for your input anyways...
moxxx68 (out!)....