UNIX for Dummies Questions & Answers

Hi there thanks for checking in

I'm screwed if you can't help me.

I have root access to a unix box and i did this.

>/usr/bin> mailx marcus@rtt.co.za > /usr/bin/lpadmin

which over wrote the lpadmin file which is in /usr/bin

How do i get this back.

Please help.

Well, I assume the lecture on performing too many duties as root (for just this reason) wouldn't be welcome...

It looks like you'll have to grab the file from the latest good backup... You DO have backups, right?

I remember I did this with the first Linux box I ever set up... I was playing with my first few shell scripts as root, and managed to overwrite /bin/echo...
I didn't have a backup, but since it's GNU software, I just got a new one from their site!

You MAY (last resort) be able to find a machine that's EXACTLY like yours, and copy a binary over, although I would test it thouroghly before letting anyone use it... (YMMV on that one...)

But i managed to look around in the same box and found

3 different places where the sysadmin kept this command

/usr/sbin/lpadmin
/usr/lib/lpadmin
/var/adm/sw/save/PHCO_22365/LP-SPOOL/usr/sbin/lpadmin

My previous command screwd up the one in /sbin as well as /lib
telling me that the one in lib was some sort of symbolic link to the one in /sbin
Luckly the sysadmin kept a standard copy in:
/var/adm/sw/save/PHCO_22365/LP-SPOOL/usr/sbin/lpadmin

Thanks for the Help

Nemex.