massive database modification

[Anon]

I need to turn three 100,000+ record tables into two other ones. How can I run a PHP script using MYSQL to create such tables without having to worry about timing out. I need to run a PHP script but not from the web. Does anyone know how to do this in unix?

[toma42]

Question 1:
http://www.php.net/manual/en/function.set-time-limit.php

Question 2:
http://phpbuilder.com/columns/darrell20000319.php3

[Anon]

When running a shell script do I SSH into unix and run the script at the command line? I tried running a file with the hello world shell script called hello.php at the command line and got "No such command.".

What are the benefits of having a shell script?

[[deleted]]

1. yes. If the script failed it is most likely because of a bad 'shebang' line, the
   #!/usr/local/bin/sh
   line. it must point to an existing sh or bash or whatever it says there.

2. they take fewer resources than PHP, and they work on any un*x machine.