Recover Deleted AlmaLinux Binaries

Customer: AI | Published: 31.10.2025

During routine work on my AlmaLinux 9 server running cPanel + CloudLinux I accidentally wiped the entire /usr/bin directory while the machine was live. Services are still running for now, but many core binaries are missing and any restart will almost certainly fail. My absolute priority is data recovery: I need the lost server binaries restored (or cleanly replaced) without touching the user accounts, websites, e-mail or MySQL data that the box is still serving. Unfortunately, I have no usable backups to fall back on. Scope of work • Identify the safest way to bring back or rebuild the deleted binaries—whether that is file-system recovery tools (debugfs, extundelete, photorec, etc.) or a targeted rpm reinstall—while the server remains online. • Verify cPanel, CloudLinux and all standard services (apache/httpd, php-fpm, exim, dovecot, mysql/mariadb) start and run after restoration. • Preserve every customer file, database and configuration untouched; downtime must be kept to the absolute minimum. • Provide a concise report of commands executed and packages replaced so I can audit the fix later. Acceptance criteria 1. All essential binaries in /usr/bin and related paths are present and pass rpm ‑V or equivalent integrity checks. 2. A controlled reboot completes with no fatal errors and all cPanel services come up cleanly. 3. No user data loss or permission changes are introduced. If you have deep experience with AlmaLinux (or CentOS/RHEL), cPanel, CloudLinux, and low-level ext4 recovery, please outline your approach and the estimated time window you would need to execute it live.