[TriLUG] hosed system, HELP!!!!!!!!!

[Ed Hill]

prhodes at vdsinc.com wrote:

> Ok, guys, I think I just did a very bad thing.  I was installing flexbackup
> on our CVS server at work.  So, as part of that process, I decide
> to install afio and buffer.  No problem... quick trip to SuSE's web site,
> download the rpm's, and off to the races, right?
> 
> No.  I try to install afio.rpm, and it informs me that my glibc version
> isn't new enough.  Great.  Force it to install with a --nodeps switch,
> and everything is hunky-dory, right?
> 
> No.  Now, when I try to actually execute afio, it tells me ( suprise,
> suprise ) that my glibc version isn't new enough.  Back to the SuSE ftp
> site,
> download the glibc.rpm file, run rpm -U, and now we're cooking with gas,
> right?
> 
> No. The glibc rpm seemed to upgrade ok, although there were some messages,
> something about LC_MESSAGE not in path,
> or something like that, that I didn't understand.  BUT... the real problem
> is, rpm doesn't work now.  As soon as I try to
> do anything with rpm, I get this:
> 
> rpm: loadlocale.c:221: _nl_load_local: Assertion 'idx % __alignof__
> (u_int32_t) == 0' failed.
> 
> Sweet.
> 
> So, anyway, afio works now, but no rpm.  I'm assuming that upgrading the
> rpm package would probably fix this.. but,
> how the heck do I upgrade rpm now?
> 
> Any and all help is GREATLY appreciated....
> 
 


Ouch...  Glibc is the basis for pretty much everything on your 

system so in future I'd be *very* careful about upgrading it.  

Use only a glibc that you are very certain will work with all
the other binaries you already have installed.  For instance,
stick to the just the "distro-provided" glibc's and their
updates from Red Hat or Mandrake or whatever distro you use.


AFAIK, its a lot better to spend your time rebuilding any
particular RPM from source than installing a new glibc.

That said, heres an idea that *might* work:

   - On a different computer (if necessary), create a tarball
     containing all the files that were in the *old* glibc RPM
     that you overwrote (you can get the file list from 'rpm -ql')

   - re-install the files on your broken system by unpacking the

    tarball


   - run ldconfig, if necessary

   - At this point, you hopefully have a working rpm but a broken
     afio.  I'd suggest getting the afio source RPM (or just a
     source tarball) and try re-building it for your system
     (and thus your particular glibc ver).

hth,
Ed

ps - if you mess up the glibc stuff sufficiently, it may just
      be time to hit the backups and re-install  :-(

-- 
Edward H. Hill III, PhD
Post-Doctoral Researcher    |  Emails:   <ed at eh3.com>, <ehill at mines.edu>
Division of ESE             |  URL:      http://www.eh3.com
Colorado School of Mines    |  Phone:    303-273-3483
Golden, CO  80401           |  Fax:      303-273-3311