Session functions unknown.

[porsche911tt]

Any time PHP calls a session_ function (ie. session_register,
session_set_save_handler, session_start, session_id) I get an error.

This is an example code off php.net I used to test...

---

<?php
if (!session_is_registered('count')) {
session_register('count');
$count = 1;
}
else {
$count++;
}
?>
Hello visitor, you have seen this page <?php echo $count; ?> times.<p>;
<?php

the <?php echo SID?> (<?=SID?> can be used if short tag is enabled)

is necessary to preserve the session id

in the case that the user has disabled cookies

?>
To continue, <A HREF="nextpage.php?<?php echo SID?>">click here</A>

---

This is the error I get:

Fatal error: Call to undefined function:
session_is_registered() in /var/www/html/test.php on line 2

Mandrake 9.0 (just installed last night), PHP 4.2.1.

Thanks

Carlos

[eoghain]

Well the error that you are getting says that PHP can't find the session_is_registered() function. Are you sure your PHP was compiled with sessions enabled?

Write a page that looks like this and open it in your browser:

<?php
   phpinfo();
?>

Then scroll down looking for the header Session. Do you have it, is it enabled? If not you'll have to reconfigure, recompile, and reinstall PHP.

[porsche911tt]

Yeah I ran that script and there is no support for sessions. Like I said it is a fresh install of Mandrake, why would it not have session support?

Anyway, thanks for the help but now a have a more complicated question. You said "If not you'll have to reconfigure, recompile, and reinstall PHP." OK, how? I am pretty new to this, I have never tried to install anything on Linux any other way than with rpms.

Do I have to remove the rpm before I reinstall?
How do you reconfigure, recompile, and reinstall?

Thanks again.

Carlos

[eoghain]

There are detailed instructions at www.php.net.

But here are the basics:

1 - you will not have to remove the rpm's.
2 - you will need to download the latest version (www.php.net).
3 - you will need to unpack it and enter the directory that is created.
4 - you will need to run "./configure" with the options that you want activated. Look at your phpinfo() page to see what was used for your Mandrake binary. And read the instructions at www.php.net for any additions you want to add.
5 - you will need to run "make".
6 - you will need to become root and run "make install".
7 - you will have to stop and restart Apache.

It's not that hard, just a bit scary if you've never done it before. Trust me the instructions are very good.

[porsche911tt]

1 - you will not have to remove the rpm's.
Ok I left everything intact.
2 - you will need to download the latest version (www.php.net).
OK I got php-4.2.2.gz
3 - you will need to unpack it and enter the directory that is created.
OK I unpacked it. Does it matter where? I just created a new directory in my home directory.
4 - you will need to run "./configure" with the options that you want activated. Look at your phpinfo() page to see what was used for your Mandrake binary. And read the instructions at www.php.net for any additions you want to add.
Ok I tried some of the options but some did not work so I settled with ./configure --with-mysql.
5 - you will need to run "make".
Ok that took a minute or two.
6 - you will need to become root and run "make install".
Ok.
7 - you will have to stop and restart Apache.
***Ok. But my script <?php phpinfo(); ?> still shows that I am on version 4.2.1, nothing has changed.

Carlos

[eoghain]

You need to tell php where to find apache during the ./configure stage. If you don't tell it this then it doesn't know where to put the new .so file so that Apache will find it.

I'm not familiar with Mandrake so I don't know where it puts it's files, but on my RedHat install my Apache modules are placed in /etc/httpd/modules.

If you want to kill some time you should be able to run 'updatedb', and then 'locate libphp4.so' this will show you where all of your php shared objects are. Once you've found them you can rename the one that is in the Apache modules folder, and copy the latest version into it's place. Do the copy so if things don't work you can replace the working version. Finally restart Apache and check your phpinfo page.

[porsche911tt]

Mandrake does it a little different. In the /etc/httpd dir there are two links, extramodules -> ../../usr/lib/apache-extramodules/ AND modules -> ../../usr/lib/apache/ which contain the same files as those in RedHats /etc/httpd/modules (I had a RedHat server also to compare). But I tried /etc/httpd/modules and /etc/httpd/extramodules.

This is the error I get.

configure: error: Invalid Apache directory - unable to find httpd.h under /etc/httpd/modules

It is looking for httpd.h which is not on the computer anywhere I did a 'locate httpd.h', this file is on the RedHat server under /usr/include/apache/.

I updated the db did a 'locate libphp4.so' it reveals /usr/lib/apache-extramodules/libphp4.so on the Mandrake server the same as RedHat.

Thanks for you help, and patience.

Apache was install via rpm during the install does that make a difference?

Carlos

[eoghain]

It might. Usually when I install PHP I also install Apache, both from source, and I use the PHP configure switch --with-apxs=/path/to/apxs. You will probably need to use the --with-apache switch also.

You should read these pages and see if they help:
http://www.php.net/manual/en/install.apache.php
http://www.php.net/manual/en/installation.php
http://www.e-gineer.com/instructions/install-php4x-for-apache1xx-on-linux.phtml

Also I ran across this:
To install PHP as a loadable Apache module, you'll need the Apache apxs program. This comes with most versions of Apache, but if you're using the copy that was installed with your distribution of Linux, you may need to install the Apache development RPM package to access Apache apxs. You should be able to install this package by whatever means your software distribution provides. By default, RedHat and Mandrake will install the program as /usr/sbin/apxs, so if you see this file, you know it's installed.

[porsche911tt]

I could not find apache-devel (apxs) in Mandrake .... wierd ... everything was installed.

Anyway I figured I would just try it in RedHat just to learn:

I used ./configure --with-mysql=/usr/ --with-apxs=usr/sbin/

This worked my php is now at 4.2.2 I guess it is just Mandrake which is missing the apxs.

Thanks so much,

Carlos

[porsche911tt]

Ok I had so much fun installing php-4.2.2 I decided to try installing apache-2.0.4 also. This is how I installed them after I unpacked the files.

cd /usr/local/etc/apache
./configure --enable-layout=RedHat --enable-module=so
make
make install

cd /usr/local/etc/php
./configure --with-mysql=/usr --with-apxs2=/usr/sbin/apxs
make
make install

The apache install worked fine, however the php did not. During the 'make' right at the end it displayed this;

sapi_apache2.c: In function php_register_hook':
sapi_apache2.c:534: warning: passing arg 3 ofap_register_output_filter' makes pointer from integer without a cast
sapi_apache2.c:534: too few arguments to function ap_register_output_filter'
sapi_apache2.c:535: warning: passing arg 3 ofap_register_input_filter' makes pointer from integer without a cast
sapi_apache2.c:535: too few arguments to function ap_register_input_filter'
make[3]: *** [sapi_apache2.lo] Error 1
make[3]: Leaving directory/usr/local/etc/php-4.2.2/sapi/apache2filter'
make[2]: [all-recursive] Error 1
make[2]: Leaving directory /usr/local/etc/php-4.2.2/sapi/apache2filter'
make[1]: *** [all-recursive] Error 1
make[1]: Leaving directory/usr/local/etc/php-4.2.2/sapi'
make: [all-recursive] Error 1

I kind of ignored it to see if it would work anyway. But I get an error;

Syntax error on line 232 of /etc/httpd/conf/httpd.conf:
Cannot load /usr/lib/apache/libphp4.so into server: /usr/lib/apache/libphp4.so: undefined symbol: ap_block_alarms

I think that libphp4.so is still from apache-1.3.6 right? When does the new libphp4.so get made?

Also in the apache-1.3.6 modules directory there where a lot of .so files. In apache-2.0.4 there is only one file in the modules directory, namely httpd.exp, is this correct?

Thanks

Carlos

[eoghain]

I don't know I haven't installed Apache 2.x yet. There may be some compatibility issues with the Apache 2.x line and PHP.

I'd suggest that you go back to the latest 1.3 version of Apache and try installing that and see what happens.

[porsche911tt]

Okay I tried with apache-1.3.26, so I downloaded the latest version.

I just left it in the default dir so;

./configure --enable-module=so

Then PHP;

./configure --with-mysql=/usr --with-axps=/usr/local/apache/bin/axps

This all works fine, but then I need to add php support in the httpd.conf file. The problem is the .so files were not made. I am assuming they should have been created in the /usr/local/apache/libexec dir, the only file in that dir is httpd.exp

Thanks

Carlos

[eoghain]

I'm not sure, but have you checked the /etc/httpd/modules directory? This is were all of my Apache modules are on my RedHat machine.

Anyway here is how I configured my PHP:
./configure \
i386-redhat-linux \
--prefix=/usr \
--exec-prefix=/usr \
--bindir=/usr/bin \
--sbindir=/usr/sbin \
--sysconfdir=/etc \
--datadir=/usr/share \
--includedir=/usr/include \
--libdir=/usr/lib \
--libexecdir=/usr/libexec \
--localstatedir=/var \
--sharedstatedir=/usr/com \
--mandir=/usr/share/man \
--infodir=/usr/share/info \
--prefix=/usr \
--with-config-file-path=/etc \
--disable-debug \
--enable-pic \
--disable-rpath \
--enable-inline-optimization \
--with-apxs=/usr/sbin/apxs \
--with-bz2 \
--with-curl \
--with-db3 \
--with-exec-dir=/usr/bin \
--with-gd \
--with-gdbm \
--with-gettext \
--with-jpeg-dir=/usr \
--with-mm \
--with-mysql \
--with-openssl \
--with-png \
--with-postgres \
--with-regex=system \
--with-ttf \
--with-xml \
--with-zlib \
--with-layout=GNU \
--enable-debugger \
--enable-ftp \
--enable-magic-quotes \
--enable-safe-mode \
--enable-sockets \
--enable-sysvsem \
--enable-sysvshm \
--enable-track-vars \
--enable-yp \
--enable-wddx \
--without-dom \
--without-unixODBC \
--without-oracle \
--without-oci8 \
--without-pspell

I have added a few things and specifically asked it not to add others.

[eoghain]

Just another note, since we've gotten off topic here maybe you should repost your last post in the installation forum. You'll probably get much better help there on getting your install working.