A backup file exists but the recovery dependency is missing

A fictional plant keeps copies of several controller configuration files and a recent historian export. During a recovery exercise, the team discovers that an engineering tool version, a required licence and one network-service dependency are unavailable. Nobody has tested the copied logic against the intended process configuration. A manager proposes marking the recovery plan complete because the backup job reported success. The exercise restores no live controller. Identify how recovery evidence differs from a file-copy result and explain how a controlled representative test can reveal missing dependencies without assuming that production shutdown, automatic logic download or an unverified return to operation is safe.