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[ME]

Todd Cary said:
> To enable InterBase support configure PHP --with-interbase[=DIR], where
> DIR is the InterBase base install directory, which defaults
> to/usr/interbase.
>  >>>
> I am not sure where to put this command...at what stage in the process
> Mike detailed so well.  The "phpinfo()" command says that Interbase is
> not included: http://209.204.172.137:8080/testphp.php.

Excellent detective work. The testphp.php file you created shows you that
the copy of php that was packaged for the system you are using does not
include support for interbase.

Some clarification:
When you install a package (like the RedHat php package) you are
installing a copy of php that was "configured and built" by someone else.
The options like "--with-interbase[=DIR]" is a option that can only be
added before php is built.

This means you will need to build your own php after all.

Do you have any experience configuring, compiling and building things?
Such experience will help you, but if you have not, it should not be too
difficult.

Step 1: (shortened)
Install Apache

Step 2: verify your install of apache has a program "apxs"
# which apxs
If you see something like a path to a program called "apxs" then you have it.

Step 3: Download a copy of the php-4.x source code to /usr/local/src:
Visit http://www.php.net/ and locate a download for php 4.3.2
I found this:
http://us2.php.net/get/php-4.3.2.tar.gz/from/this/mirror

Yes, you may see php 5.x is out, but that is beta and in testing. Go with
the stable 4 to start with.

move the download to /usr/local/src/
(you may not have a src directory in /usr/local, so you may need to add one.

Step 4: unpack
# cd /usr/local/src
# tar -zxvf php-4.3.2.tar.gz

Step 5: configure php (this is where the "--with-interbase[=DIR]" would be
used along with other options.)

There are docs on installing PHP in the php directory:
# less INSTALL
It contains information in detail on how to install php. The rest of this
is cursory.

# cd php-4.3.2
# ./configure | less -i

look at the options. Copy down the options you want. As a minimum, I would
suggest starting with:

# ./configure --with-apxs=/path/to/apxs/from/the/"which/command/above/apxs
--enable-track-vars --with-pear --with-interbase

You may want to add more

After you run that, you will want to see if it finds any problems. It may
report being unable to find files or packages. If so, look to see the
names of the files it cannot find. Some files may be part of other
packages, or you may need to provide explicit paths to them (like
interbase.)

If Interbase is not installed or interbase does not have its files needed
by php (to include support for it) in /usr/interbase , then you will need
to install interbase (if not installed) or include the path to your
interbase files as part of the command issued above.

Step 6: "build"
Once you have the ./configure command from the php source directory
finishing without error, you can build it:

# make

Step 7: install

Once "make" builds a new copy of php for you without error, you can
install it:
# make install

Step 8: configure your web server
The INSTALL file from the php dir should cover this.

The apache config file may need to be altered to specify what modules
(including mod_php) should be included and what directories should be
permitted to parse php files.

Step 9: restart apache and test
The new modules wont be used unless apache is restarted or told to re-read
its config file and reload modules. Asking apache to restart is probably
safer.

# apachectl stop
# apachectl start

> In the system I put together 3 years ago, I was able to integrate it:
> http://209.204.172.137:8080/testphp.php

This is the same URL as above, and shows the PHP was built this year. This
one also does not list interbase support as being included. :-/

Is there a different URL that points to the machine built 3 years ago?

> In spite of the negative reports I have read about Apache 2, I would
> like to try and use the issued RH 9 setup with just the addition of
> Interbase (which I have installed) in PHP.

We have some users who have used Apache 2, they might have ideas for this.

> Maybe I am asking for something that is not possible.  However, isn't
> there some script that is part of my RH 9 that tells PHP what to include
> during the setup?

As I understand it, support for inerbase in php must be chosen before php
is built. The pre-built copy of php that you are using does not have
support for interbase. If there are no other pre-packaged php for RedHat 9
that come prebuilt with interbase, it looks like you may have to build
your own.

The check you included to see if your copy of php had this support was a
good one. If your installed php had such support, you would not need to
build anything more.

> Sorry for these questions, but as I have said, this is a world that
> speaks a different language (and I think it is quite a bit simpiler than
> the Windows environment - just have to learn it).

Yep, but there is a difference; what you learn in the linux world is
almost entirely applied to future generations of Linux use, while in the
windows world, the items you memorize are often lost in future versions as
names of options and locations on where they are configured will change.

The Advanced Windows user is a database of memorized facts

The Advanced Linux user has learned how to configure things and spends
time learning "how" instead of memorizing facts.

-ME