How to completely remove an application as well as the configuration files?

[steve]

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
Hash: SHA1

Jason Wilson wrote:
> 
> On Sun, 7 Sep 2008, Ashley Benton wrote:
> 
>> On Sun, Sep 7, 2008 at 6:12 PM, Jason Wilson <jwilson at noosaj.com> wrote:
>>
>>>
>>> On Sun, 7 Sep 2008, Ashley Benton wrote:
>>>
>>>> On Sun, Sep 7, 2008 at 5:44 PM, Leonard Chatagnier
>>>> <lenc5570 at sbcglobal.net>wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> --- Ashley Benton <chuaukantli at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>> Hi,
>>>>>> I am trying to install apache2, php5, and my sql and
>>>>>> I messed up somewhere.
>>>>>> Apache was working but stopped when I tried to use
>>>>>> ssl. After hours of
>>>>>> trying to find where I messed up I wanted to remove
>>>>>> apache2 and reinstall
>>>>>> it. My problem is sudo apt-get remove apache2 then
>>>>>> sudo apt-get install
>>>>>> apache2 reinstall apache 2 like it was and doesn't
>>>>>> delete my configuration
>>>>>> files. I tried sudo apt-get purge apache 2 but
>>>>>> apache 2 is still here the
>>>>>> way I configured it. What could I do to completely
>>>>>> uninstall apache2 and
>>>>>> reinstall it with its original configuration files?
>>>>>> By doing ls -l I found some file like that :"books~"
>>>>>> I am guessing that some
>>>>>> files that were saved after a crash but I don't know
>>>>>> how to open them. They
>>>>>> should be in my home directory but are not (or at
>>>>>> least I can't see them)
>>>>>> How can I open them and delete them? I tried
>>>>>> lost+found but it wasn't there
>>>>>> neither.
>>>>>> Your help would be appreciated
>>>>>> Thank you
>>>>>> Meg
>>>>> sudo aptitude purge <pkgname> should do it. I don't
>>>>> know for sure about apt-get but I think it's something
>>>>> like sudo apt-get remove --purge <pkgname>.  Either
>>>>> should remove the conf files but if not for some
>>>>> unknown reason you could do locate apache and remove
>>>>> any related files manually using the rm command or
>>>>> better still use the mv command so you could retrieve
>>>>> them if needed.
>>>>> HTH,
>>>>>
>>>>> Leonard Chatagnier
>>>>> lenc5570 at sbcglobal.net
>>>>
>>>> Thank you for your answer. I tried apt-get remove --purge and it told me
>>>> 'Package apache2 is not installed', so not removed' Now I am completely
>>> lost
>>>> because ls -l /etc/apache2 list me:
>>>> -apache2.conf, -conf.d, -envars, -httpd.conf, -mods-available,
>>>> -mods-enabled, -ports.conf, -sites-available, -sites-enabled, -ssl
>>>> Why can I see the files and directories with ls -l /etc/apache2 if it is
>>> not
>>>> installed? I thought that ls -l would show me only what is installed, am
>>> I
>>>> wrong?
>>>> Thanks
>>>> Meg
>>> Obviously you tried the --purge option _after_ you uninstalled it. Am I
>>> not correct? Any time you would like to completely remove software, you
>>> can either use your package manager to completely remove it, or you can
>>> use the --purge option with your apt command. The ls -l command lists
>>> contents in the directory you are currently working in or the directory in
>>> which you specify for ls to look in. ls -l doesn't _show_ you everything,
>>> ls -a does; however, the uninstallation didn't completely remove
>>> everything. Perhaps you could try reinstalling apache, then use the purge
>>> option to completely remove it, then reinstall it, _or_ you could just
>>> sudo rm everything.
>>>
>>> Jason
>>
>> It is possible that you are right. So I tried sudo apt-get install apache2
>> then apt-get remove --purge apache2 as well as aptitude purge apache2 (after
>> reinstalling between the two operations) then well as dpkg -P.
>> Each time sudo /etc/init.d/apache2 restart apache 2 which is not installed
>> is working!
>> Is there a reason why it is working when it should have been removed (Did it
>> installed twice or more times and removed one of them?)
>> Now it seems that apache 2 is working with my configuration files as I
>> modified  them but I'd like to understand why I can't uninstall it from the
>> command line! Oh I forgot it is working but not installed! How is it
>> possible?
>>
>> Meg
>>
> 
> How this happened, I'm not quite sure. I don't *think* Linux installs more 
> than one installation of a program, in the way that Windows does. However, 
> I also don't understand why apt-get --purge didn't completely remove 
> everything, including configuration files and others. Can somebody 
> enlighten us as to how/why this happened? Perhaps you do have two 
> instances of apache2 installed and only one was removed. You could always 
> test-drive this theory and see if it is, in fact, right or wrong.
> 
> Jason
> 

I havent been following the thread since beginning, but, I dont believe
apache2 config files are removed by default when removing apache2.  you
have to do it yourself, maybe some sort of failsafe for un intentionally
removing something you shouldnt have?   This is the case with my debian
server anyway, Ive gone through exactly the same scenario with it.  A
nice saving grace expecially with all the customization thats required
to serve multiple sites!





- --
Steve Reilly

http://reillyblog.com
-----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE-----
Version: GnuPG v1.4.6 (GNU/Linux)
Comment: Using GnuPG with Mozilla - http://enigmail.mozdev.org

iD8DBQFIxGhAUpqfZIdKFyERAus/AKCu/UHThEBQ1u+azClE+V7ElZanUACgicJN
r2nxBm/8kGlIkV1SM6e7llg=
=xBYn
-----END PGP SIGNATURE-----