I keep harping on the fact that with a DSO, you can swap out PHP
functionality as you see fit. Well here's a practical example. Suppose when
you originally installed PHP, you followed the exact configuration I
described earlier, i.e., you installed the DSO installation plus MySQL
support by entering a configure line that looks like this:
./configure --with-mysql=/[path to mysql] --with-apxs=/[path to apxs]
You built the module, restarted Apache, and all was well and good. You
go on for awhile, happily coding PHP. Then you decide to get all crazy and
instead of MySQL, you start using Oracle 8. Additionally, you want to
create images dynamically and work with encryption and hashing functions.
Oh my, what to do?!
First enter the PHP installation directory and type the following at the
prompt:
make clean
This command blows away any configuration caches and makefiles, so that
your new build doesn't get hung up on old values.
Next, just type a new configure line for all those crazy things
mentioned above, something like this:
./configure --with-apxs=/usr/local/bin/apache/bin/apxs
--with-gd=/usr/local/lib/gd1.3
--with-zlib-dir=/usr/local/lib/zlib-1.1.3
--with-mcrypt=/usr/local/bin/libmcrypt-2.2.6/lib
--with-mhash=/usr/local/bin/mhash-0.7.0 --with-oci8
Whoa! That's way more functionality than simple MySQL support. After the
configuration script does its thing and puts you back at the prompt, type:
make
Watch the makefiles build the module, and wait for the prompt. When the
prompt returns, and you've received no errors, type:
make install
Again, "make install" just plops the final module into the Apache
modules directory. Since the necessary modifications were made to
httpd.conf during the first instance of the DSO installation, you don't
need to make them again. All you should do is verify that the new module
has the proper date and time, and restart Apache. If you load another
phpinfo() file, you should see your modified configuration options. Easy as
pie.
If you were interested in adding the same functionality to a static
module installation of PHP, at this point you'd go back to the Apache
installation directory and configure and build it again, activating the
static PHP module. This takes more time, especially if you have a
complicated Apache installation that would have to be re-built. Of course,
it's up to you whether you use a static or dynamic module -- I can espouse
my preference for the DMO until I'm blue in the face, but you'll do what
you want, and that's just fine. It's just that I like keeping things
separate, as the more closely intertwined two things are, the harder it is
to separate and pinpoint problems when they arise. I'm too busy for
challenges these days -- I'm sure a lot of you are, too.
So ends the basic installation instructions for getting up and running
with PHP4 on a non-Windows platform. One final tip: The more functionality
you add to your installation, the more libraries and what-not will need to
exist (and in the right places). In other words, the more chances for
things to fail the first time around, until you get your ducks in a
row. Nine times out of 10, an installation problem has a simple fix (by
simply tracking down a library or two and re-configuring). For those
difficult times, however, the PHP-install mailing
list is, as I said before, an extremely valuable resource. And when
you become a pro at installing and configuring PHP, you might want to hang
out on the mailing list for a little while, just to return the favor by
helping out. Or maybe you'll be too busy learning how to do it all again,
but this time in Windows (but if you're not quite ready for
that, please jump ahead to learn about some Tweaky Things About
php.ini).
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