Most of the time, you'll find PHP is used on a non-Windows OS, running
as a module of the Apache Web server. This means that when you compile PHP
from the source, using either the --with-apache or --with-apxs
configuration options, you're creating a separate file that goes in the
Apache modules directory. You then need to recompile Apache, activating
your PHP module in the process. When you recompile Apache, the PHP parsing
engine becomes part of the Web server, making request processing a quicker
and more streamlined process.
There are two types of modules used with Apache: static and dynamic.
Creating a static PHP module means that once you create the module and
compile it into Apache, you're done. If you need to add more functionality
to PHP, you must recompile PHP and, subsequently, Apache, since you'll be
integrating a new version of the module.
The dynamic module (DSO, for "dynamic shared object") version of PHP
saves you gobs of time in the long run. If, at some point, you decide
recompile a PHP DSO to add or delete functionality, you don't have to
recompile Apache when you recreate the DSO. All you need to do is stop and
then restart Apache, which is why this combination of Apache and PHP as a
DSO has been gaining in popularity since the PHP development team made it a
possibility.
It might also be good for you to at least know about the CGI version of
PHP. The CGI binary version of PHP isn't a module. Rather it's a
standalone binary that lives in cgi-bin and waits for something to do. With
the CGI version of PHP, all requests for PHP-driven pages are run through
the binary, then served through the Web server, a process that obviously
eats up a lot more time than a module.
Personally, I recommend the DSO installation because if you're anything
like me, you'll want to add or delete elements of PHP when they become
available or you find you don't need the functions anymore. Look at it this
way: Suppose you build a simple version of PHP with just database support,
then a few days later you decide you want to install encryption support.
All you have to do is type "make clean" (to get rid of previous
configuration settings and makefiles), add the new configuration option to
your configuration command, then type "make" and "make install" to build a
new module. This new PHP module will be dumped in the proper location for
Apache, and all you have to do is restart Apache for the proper module to
be loaded, not recompile it. Want to take something away, like that
encryption support you just compiled in? No problem. Again, just type "make
clean" to clean out the old stuff, use a configuration command that doesn't
include encryption support, then type "make" and "make install" to build
the new module, then just restart Apache.
Because the DSO installation is so easy to use, it's by far my favorite.
In fact, I recommend it so highly that it's the method I'll be showing you
in this tutorial. (If you want to learn about the static installation,
there's a fine file called Install in the PHP distribution that you can
peruse to your heart's content.)
Before getting started with your installation, you need to have two very
important things: the ability to get around the command line and an ANSI C
compiler. If you can change directories and edit a file, you've got the
first requirement covered. If you don't have a clue what to do with the
command line, then you should probably buy a book like Learning
the Unix Operating System (Nutshell Handbook) or look in your operating
system manuals, take the time to learn about your OS, and come back to this
tutorial when you're ready.
The second requirement can be met by executing a "which" or "find" on
your machine for gcc, bison and flex. If you have these programs, you're
set. If not, you'll have to install them from your OS installation CDs, or
visit http://www.GNU.org, grab them from
an FTP site, then install them from the downloaded files.
Once you've determined you have the proper tools and abilities, the next
step is to to set some things up in Apache to make sure that your PHP
installation runs smoothly, so we'll take care of that first.
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