UNIX for Dummies Questions & Answers

Hi all, dummy here.... I have major errors on entering the shell. On login I get:

-bash: dircolors: command not found
-bash: tr: command not found
-bash: fgrep: command not found
-bash: grep: command not found
-bash: grep: command not found
-bash: id: command not found
-bash: [: =: unary operator expected
-bash: whoami: command not found
-bash: grep: command not found
-bash: mesg: command not found
-bash: dircolors: command not found
-bash: who: command not found
-bash: cut: command not found
-bash: cut: command not found
-bash: hostname: command not found
-bash: mail: command not found
-bash: date: command not found
-bash: who: command not found
-bash: hostname: command not found
-bash: date: command not found
-bash: who: command not found
-bash: hostname: command not found
-bash: date: command not found
-bash: who: command not found
-bash: cut: command not found
-bash: cut: command not found
-bash: who: command not found
-bash: mail: command not found
-bash: hostname: command not found
-bash: date: command not found
-bash: who: command not found


Using Centos 4.5 on a dual Xeon server with WHM/CP and a few rpm's.

This happened after installing Flash Media Server which has been removed.

Many crucial unix commands are not functioning. Can't even use ping or mkdir, etc.

Any thoughts? Can I avoid an OS restore?

Hm, depends..

You will have to work purely with bash internal commands....

Code:

#see where we are
pwd
# see where commands are supposed to be
echo $PATH
# go to the root 
cd /
# see what root directories there are
echo *
# see if anything is in bin
echo /bin/*
# and usr/bin
echo /usr/bin/*

Ran the commands, all greek to me...

root@host [/bin]#
root@host [/bin]# pwd
/bin
root@host [/bin]# echo #path

root@host [/bin]# cd /
root@host [/]# echo /bin/*
/bin/arch /bin/ash /bin/ash.static /bin/awk /bin/basename /bin/bash /bin/bsh /bin/cat /bin/chgrp /bin/chmod /bin/chown /bin/cp /bin/cpio /bin/csh /bin/cut /bin/date /bin/dd /bin/df /bin/dmesg /bin/dnsdomainname /bin/doexec /bin/domainname /bin/dumpkeys /bin/echo /bin/ed /bin/egrep /bin/env /bin/ex /bin/false /bin/fgrep /bin/gawk /bin/gettext /bin/grep /bin/gtar /bin/gunzip /bin/gzip /bin/hostname /bin/igawk /bin/ipcalc /bin/kbd_mode /bin/kill /bin/ksh /bin/link /bin/ln /bin/loadkeys /bin/login /bin/ls /bin/mail /bin/mailx /bin/mkdir /bin/mknod /bin/mktemp /bin/more /bin/mount /bin/mt /bin/mv /bin/netstat /bin/nice /bin/nisdomainname /bin/passwd /bin/pgawk /bin/ping /bin/ping6 /bin/ps /bin/pwd /bin/red /bin/rm /bin/rmdir /bin/rpm /bin/rvi /bin/rview /bin/sed /bin/setfont /bin/setserial /bin/sh /bin/sleep /bin/sort /bin/stty /bin/su /bin/sum /bin/sync /bin/tar /bin/tcsh /bin/touch /bin/tracepath /bin/tracepath6 /bin/traceroute /bin/traceroute6 /bin/true /bin/umount /bin/uname /bin/unicode_start /bin/unicode_stop /bin/unlink /bin/usleep /bin/vi /bin/view /bin/ypdomainname /bin/zcat
root@host [/]# echo /usr/bin*
/usr/bin
root@host [/]#

nearly, it was "echo $PATH" , not "echo #PATH"

and "echo /usr/bin/*" not "/echo /usr/bin*"

so it looks like all the commands exist but maybe your PATH is trashed.

Try

if "echo $PATH" does not print anything then try...

Code:

PATH=/bin:/usr/bin
export PATH

Sorry... and thanks for your help!

root@host [/]# echo $PATH
/usr/local/jdk/bin:/usr/local/jdk/bin:/usr/kerberos/bin:/usr/lib/courier-imap/sbin:/usr/lib/courier-imap/bin:/usr/local/ant/bin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/X11R6/bin:/root/bin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/X11R6/bin

Also noted ls in the /bin nets a list of commands however several are redlined.
root@host [/bin]# ls
./ csh@ false* ln* nisdomainname@ setserial* true*
../ cut* fgrep@ loadkeys* passwd@ sh@ umount*
arch* date* gawk* login* pgawk* sleep* uname*
ash* dd* gettext* ls* ping* sort* unicode_start*
ash.static* df* grep* mail* ping6* stty* unicode_stop*
awk@ dmesg* gtar@ mailx@ ps* su* unlink*
basename* dnsdomainname@ gunzip* mkdir* pwd* sum@ usleep*
bash* doexec* gzip* mknod* red@ sync* vi*
bsh@ domainname@ hostname* mktemp* rm* tar* view@
cat* dumpkeys* igawk* more* rmdir* tcsh* ypdomainname@
chgrp* echo* ipcalc* mount* rpm* touch* zcat*
chmod* ed* kbd_mode* mt* rvi@ tracepath*
chown* egrep@ kill* mv* rview@ tracepath6*
cp* env* ksh* netstat* sed* traceroute
cpio* ex@ link* nice* setfont* traceroute6*


Your recommendation is a great temp fix (PATH=/bin:/usr/bin
export PATH) but when I logout/login it breaks again. Is there a permanent way to fix this path?

So your PATH has everything except "/bin" and "/usr/bin" !!!

Are you running everything as root, or do you have a standard user account for normal work?

.... and root should also have "/sbin" and "/usr/sbin" in the path.

Looks like you have alot more than you need for normal root operation, everything but the kitchen sink (and the directories you actually need).

For shell work it is all Root.

After running your code path changes:

root@host [~]# echo $PATH
/bin:/usr/bin


So wondering how to get /bin and /usr/bin back in the path?