How to undo "yum remove python"

Question

I have a Centos 6 based VPS with an ssh connection. Recently wanting to install python 2.7.2, I bravely ran:

yum remove python

which apparently removed yum itself being written or depends on python.

Now I don't know what to do and to make matters worse, I am a complete Linux newbie (command line or otherwise).

Running rpm -iv http://centos.mirrors.hoobly.com/6.0/os/x86_64/Packages/python-2.6.5-3.el6.x86_64.rpm gives:

Retrieving http://centos.mirrors.hoobly.com/6.0/os/x86_64/Packages/python-2.6.5-3.el6.x86_64.rpm
Preparing packages for installation...
        package python-2.6.5-3.el6.x86_64 is already installed

and its a x86_64 server no question about it as "uname -a" gives:

Linux xxxxxx 2.6.32-71.29.1.el6.x86_64 #1 SMP Mon Jun 27 19:49:27 BST 2011 x86_64 x86_64 x86_64   GNU/Linux

One more thing: ls /usr/bin/pyth* -la gives:

lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root    6 Dec  4 20:31 python2 -> python
-rwxr-xr-x 2 root root 4864 Nov 12  2010 python2.6
-rwxr-xr-x 2 root root 4864 Nov 12  2010 python;4edbd894

Solution

Pick a mirror from the list of CentOS 6 mirrors and install the packages you need using rpm. You would need to deal with dependencies. Lucky for you, I have a pretty bare VM with CentOS 6 x86_64 installed.

I snapshot the VM, ran yum remove python and had some fun getting through some circular dependencies. Final result:

# --nodeps: because of circular dependency between python and python-libs
rpm -i --nodeps http://centos.mirrors.hoobly.com/6.0/os/x86_64/Packages/python-libs-2.6.5-3.el6.x86_64.rpm
rpm -i http://centos.mirrors.hoobly.com/6.0/os/x86_64/Packages/python-2.6.5-3.el6.x86_64.rpm
rpm -i http://centos.mirrors.hoobly.com/6.0/os/x86_64/Packages/pygpgme-0.1-18.20090824bzr68.el6.x86_64.rpm
rpm -i http://centos.mirrors.hoobly.com/6.0/os/x86_64/Packages/python-iniparse-0.3.1-2.1.el6.noarch.rpm
rpm -i http://centos.mirrors.hoobly.com/6.0/os/x86_64/Packages/python-pycurl-7.19.0-5.el6.x86_64.rpm 
rpm -i http://centos.mirrors.hoobly.com/6.0/os/x86_64/Packages/python-urlgrabber-3.9.1-7.el6.noarch.rpm 
rpm -i http://centos.mirrors.hoobly.com/6.0/os/x86_64/Packages/rpm-python-4.8.0-12.el6.x86_64.rpm 
rpm -i http://centos.mirrors.hoobly.com/6.0/os/x86_64/Packages/yum-metadata-parser-1.1.2-14.1.el6.x86_64.rpm
# --nodeps: because of circular dependency between yum and yum-plugin-fastestmirror
rpm -i --nodeps http://centos.mirrors.hoobly.com/6.0/os/x86_64/Packages/yum-plugin-fastestmirror-1.1.26-11.el6.noarch.rpm
rpm -i http://centos.mirrors.hoobly.com/6.0/os/x86_64/Packages/yum-3.2.27-14.el6.centos.noarch.rpm

Replace the mirror which whatever one you want. Also, make sure the architecture matches. That should do the trick though!

Oh one more thing: If I were you, I'd run a yum upgrade right after you're done installing the RPMs.

Comments

[Rabih Kodeih]

That would be great

[Rabih Kodeih]

After running the first rpm commands, python is being reported as unrecognized command: -bash: python: command not found

[NukaRakuForgotEmail]

Python will not work till the 2nd RPM file is installed. Hate to be one of "those" but try to understand the command before pasting it. Perhaps a man rpm is in order.

[Rabih Kodeih]

I ran all the first set of 8 commands, that is. The last two are for yum and what you said is obvious. Although running them again gives an 'already installed' message. Perhaps my python directory structure is messed-up or something. And by the way, after installing yum anyway, running yum is giving: "-bash: /usr/bin/yum: /usr/bin/python: bad interpreter: No such file or directory"

[NukaRakuForgotEmail]

Run rpm -iv http://centos.mirrors.hoobly.com/6.0/os/x86_64/Packages/pyth‌​on-2.6.5-3.el6.x86_6‌​4.rpm and paste the output as an edit to your question. Also, are you sure you are running x86_64? Run uname -a and paste the output of that in the edit as well please.

[Rabih Kodeih]

Ok that did the trick, I just renamed "python;4edbd894" to "python" in the "/usr/bin" directory and yum ran normally though I have no idea from where did that name ("python;4edbd894") come from.