/usr/bin/python: bad interpreter: No such file or directory (Removed python rpms now python doesn't work and yum doesn't work)

Question

I was uninstalling OpenSSH with the following command:

for i in $(rpm -qa | grep openssh);do sudo rpm -e $i --nodeps;done

Then for some reason, I don't know why I thought this was a good idea, I ran this command to remove python:

for i in $(rpm -qa | grep python);do sudo rpm -e $i --nodeps;done

Now when I run sudo yum update I get the following:

bash: /bin/yum: /usr/bin/python: bad interpreter: No such file or directory

First line of /bin/yum reads:

#!/usr/bin/python

I then checked the /usr/bin directory for python

ls -lha /usr/bin | grep python

and got back nothing.

Solution

Search the web for the appropriate Python RPMs, download them manually eg. using wget or curl and install them manually using rpm -i.

From your comments I see that you have another machine with the same CentOS release, so you are lucky :). You can obtain exact information which packages to install. On that other machine, type

rpm -q -R yum

This will list all yum dependencies. For example, on an old release of CentOS I have access to, it lists the following:

/usr/bin/python
config(yum) = 3.2.29-40.el6.centos
pygpgme
python >= 2.4
python(abi) = 2.6
python-iniparse
python-sqlite
python-urlgrabber >= 3.9.0-8
rpm >= 0:4.4.2
rpm-python
rpmlib(CompressedFileNames) <= 3.0.4-1
rpmlib(FileDigests) <= 4.6.0-1
rpmlib(PartialHardlinkSets) <= 4.0.4-1
rpmlib(PayloadFilesHavePrefix) <= 4.0-1
rpmlib(VersionedDependencies) <= 3.0.3-1
yum-metadata-parser >= 1.1.0
yum-plugin-fastestmirror
rpmlib(PayloadIsXz) <= 5.2-1

You can ignore the entries that don't have python in their name as you didn't uninstall them. You can also ignore the python(abi) entry as it's just a feature provided by python package. So what is left is:

python >= 2.4
python-iniparse
python-sqlite
python-urlgrabber >= 3.9.0-8
rpm-python

Then for each of these packages run

rpm -q <packagename>

It will give you the exact filename/version of the package installed. For example, on the machine I have rpm -q python outputs python-2.6.6-36.el6.x86_64 and rpm -q python-iniparse outputs python-iniparse-0.3.1-2.1.el6.noarch. So you have to look exactly for these filenames in CentOS repositories. You can find the addressess of the repositories in files that are located within the /etc/yum.repos.d directory.

Download these RPM files and install them.

If yum still doesn't work, it is possible that Python packages depend on each other and something is still missing. Check the following on the other machine:

rpm -qa | grep python

and install all the indicated packages on the broken machine.

Comments

[Jono]

I found python 2.7.5 rpm and was able to install it via rpm -i. I can now run python and get python 2.7.5 interpreter

[Jono]

However, when I do a sudo yum update command I get the following error: Traceback (most recent call list): File "/bin/yum", line 29, in <module> yummain.user_main(sys.argv[1:], exit_code_True) File "/usr/share/yum-cli/yummain.py" line 236, in user_main errcode = main(args) File "/usr/share/yum-cli/yummain.py" line 90, in main base.getOptionsConfig(args) File "/usr/share/yum-cli/cli.py" line 161, in getOptionsConfig disabled_plugins=self.optparser._splitArg(opts.disabledplugi‌​ns)) TypeError: _getConfig() takes exactly 1 argument (9 given)

[raj]

Probably you need some additional Python modules as well.

[raj]

I just ran rpm -q -R yum on some old CentOS I have access to and it told me that yum depends on packages python-iniparse, python-sqlite, python-urlgrabber and rpm-python. When you uninstalled everything python-related, you probably uninstalled them, so you need to install them again.

[Jono]

I actually already installed python-iniparse, python-urlgrabber, and rpm-python. I did not do python-sqlite yet however. I found python-sqlite here: https://rpmfind.net/linux/rpm2html/search.php?query=python-s‌​qlite&submit=Search+‌​...&system=&arch=x86‌​_64. when I tried to do rpm -ivh python-sqlite.rpm it failed on a few two dependencies: libsqlite3.so.0 & python(abi) = 2.4. I am having trouble finding those rpms, do you have a link to the dependencies for python-sqlite?

[raj]

python(abi)=2.4 means it's a module for python 2.4, and you have 2.7.5. You must find a correct version for your system.

[Jono]

It's weird because when I run rpm -q -R yum it has a number of results but this one in particular confuses me: python(abi) = 2.7

[raj]

It means your yum requires python version 2.7.

[Jono]

Yet another dependency when trying to do rpm -ivh pythonabi.rpm, python < 2.4 is needed by pythonabi-1:2.3-3.el4.at.x86_64. I tried rpm -ivh python2.4-2.4-1pydotorg.src.rpm and it resulted in the following message: Updating / Installing... 1. python2.4 [100%] warning: user jafo does not exist - using root `` group jafo does not exist Now it still says failed dependencies when I try to rpm install pythonabi with same message of: python < 2.4 is needed by pythonabi-1:2.3-3.e14.at.86_64

[raj]

I would suggest you ask someone using the same CentOS version as you (maybe on some CentOS help forum?) that they give you exact versions/filenames of the RPMs you need to install.

[Jono]

I have another machine that is CentOS 7.9 (same as machine with issue). What command can I run to get all the .rpms needed to fix the yum issue?

[raj]

I have edited my answer to include instructions.

[raj]

If python-sqlite is not listed by rpm -q -R yum then you don't have to install it. Install whatever is installed on the other machine, do not follow literally the example I have shown.

[raj]

If there are still errors, you may try to do rpm -qa | grep python on the other machine and install all these packages, as the python packages may depend on each other, and you uninstalled all of them.

[Jono]

From what I can tell the results from rpm -q -R yum are now identical but I am still getting the original error when trying to use any command within yum

[raj]

It's not the results of rpm -q -R yum that are important to be identical, it's the actual installed packages that must be identical. rpm -q -R yum tells you what should be installed for yum to work, and not what is. Check rpm -qa | grep python

[Jono]

I did rpm -q python, rpm -q python-iniparse for each item from the rpm -q -R yum results and those version matched/were install on both now. rpm -qa | grep python are greatly different, working yum server (server2), has over 100 items, while broken yum server (server1), has only 14 items

[raj]

Something from those 100 items must be important. Try run rpm -q -R <packagename> on each item from rpm -q -R yum output, maybe you can determine what it is.