/opt deleted on HP-UX by third-party installer

[Steve Shellard]

Hi,
We have had our /opt directory deleted by a third-party installer. To compound the issue we don't have a backup of it. We do have a server with an identical build (as far as I can ascertain). Is copying /opt from one server to the other going to help?. Primarily, the knackered server serves Flexlm, and IBM LUM licenses,and not much else. I'm fairly confident that the flexlm stuff can be resurrected. The LUM licenses are part of a 3 machine quorum (one of which is now obviously unavalable). I am less confident that we can get the LUM licenses back on three machines.

I know we should have a backup, this is S*D's Law in action.

Many Thanks for any advice about dealing with an empty /opt

[Steven E. Protter]

Shalom,

Okay, the installer program wiped out /opt

Restore the system from a recent ignite backup and if necessary extract /opt from the ignite backup.

An Ignite restore deals with many license issues, but not flexlm. You'll need to contact the manufacturer after getting the system restored.

SEP

[p7]

hi

do u have a make_recovery?

[A. Clay Stephenson]

You can probably restore /opt from your identical box but that is throwing a Band_Aid at the problem and is likely to lead to problems in the future because the installed software database is almost certainly going to be out of sync with your reality. Future patches are probably going to fail. You are really in a pay me now or pay me later situation. Sadly, the fix would have been trivially easy if you had a backup. Be very glad that you don't work for me because I could understand /opt getting wiped out; I could understand an entire server being wiped out --- but I could not understand when you told me that you don't have a backup.

[Steve Shellard]

Thanks for your swift responses. We are aware that at best copying /opt is a temporary fix, and that the server will need to be re-built. It is part of a quorum for both LUM, and Flexlm, so we are still serving licenses.
I am more than aware that not having a backup of a server constitutes a sackable offence in some companies.

Thanks
Steve