PHP pages not being parsed

Anon

OK, it took hours to read the documentation to read the instructions, and get these ./configure parameters:

Apache 2.0.28:
./configure --enable-so --enable-dav --enable-cgi --enable-rewrite --enable-speling

(Most of that is irrelevant, but the enable-so is there. ./httpd -l returns a dozen things, including http_core.c and mod_so.c)

PHP 4.1.1:
./configure --with-apxs2=/usr/local/apache2/bin/apxs --enable-force-cgi-direct --with-mysql=/usr/share/mysql --with-java=/usr/local/j2sdk1.4.0

(Again, most irrelevant except that the apxs is pointing to the right place.)

THEN:
Add -lz to the Makefile, after freaking bloody freaking hours of freaking troubleshoothing, make && make install.

THEN:
Copied php.ini-dist to /usr/local/lib/php.ini, and also to /usr/local/lib/php/php.ini. (First is mentioned in docs, second just looks more logical.) No modifications.

THEN:
In the file /usr/local/apache2/conf/httpd.conf ensured LoadModule php4_module modules/libphp4.so is there. Also added AddType application/x-httpd-php .php

And that's it. It should work.Run ./apachectl restart. No errors, looks ok.

BUT there is not listing for PHP in ./httpd -l.
AND PHP pages are served up as text, or I am invited to download it like a file.

What in the freaking hell is going on??

Yes, I am PO'd. Thanks for your time, if you should happen to respond. I do appreciate you using some of your Saturday to offer a hand.

Anon

This message seems to have disappeared from the list?? Test.

tasistro

Dude, you need to do some Tai Chi man.

Saludos
Gerardo

BTW:
What distro are you using name/version?
What are you installing (as in file name version)?

Anon

Yes. Yes, you're right.
See, I went outside, and took three deep breaths before answering your questions: the version (PHP4.1.1) is in the original post. And the distro version is SuSE 7.1.

Do you feel the distro is going to have an impact? Might it be effecting the way Apache fails to parse the PHP pages, using the module? Or the way Apache is (maybe) not loading the module at all? How would I be able to tell if either of those were true?

Anon

hell, we all have problems installing things at some point or other, but to call a whole platform a crock of doodoo is a little short-sighted.

I was going to say dumbass, but then thought better of it.

I agree with what vincent said in the earlier thread - go play with windows if you can't handle linux. Ther must be a thousand pages out there describing how to do it right. Hey, listen, just a thought but why not do a search on google with "how to install php on linux". I haven't done it, but I can bet my left testicle it'll draw some decent how-to's into the limelight.

Better still, have you tried to install a stripped down simple php program - ie without a thousand --with-xxxxx. Checked httpd.conf to make sure php is set to be used?

Dunno about you, but where I'm from, one gets nowhere by bad-mouthing things one knows nothing about.

Anon

Look, I'm obviously doing something wrong. Granted. This mess is caused by changes I have made to my system since I installed the distro. Granted. And I'm no linux guru. Granted.

But on the other hand, I'm not a total neophyte. I've used computers for years, in consumer and technical environments.

And I simply cannot get this thing going. I have done research - dozens, perhaps hundreds of searches, with error messages, keywords, whatever came to mind. You'll notice I did solve one hurdle, adding a reference to -lz in the Makefile. Since then, I've discovered that adding --with-zlib to the command line is equally functional.

Then, a second hurdle - after upgrading Perl to 5.6.1, Apache installations left the shebang lines in the bin scripts to #!replace/this/line/with/perl/path. That one, again, took research. But I solved it, more by tracking the error messages than by postings.

Then, after everything looks like it's working properly, and I have painstakingly followed every instruction, and read all the READMEs and INSTALLs and whatever else, I find that Apache is simply not using the PHP module. It does something with it, because without compiling PHP with -zlib, Apache will not load it. But still, Apache will not parse/render PHP pages, and on 404 error pages does not mention PHP in the bottom left corner.

Am I frustrated? Yes. Is this my fault? To some extent. Is this also a symptom of a piece of crap software? Yes. Is this considered normal for our beloved linux? Yes. Is that then a reflection on the quality of linux? I think so, and I can bloody well say so.

So take your preaching, and go to hell.

tasistro

What file extension are you using on your scripts.

Try running your pages from the prompt to check the php interpreter

php %your page here%

What are SuSE's RPM equivalents. Don't you have those apps for easy install in the distro CDs.

Saludos
Gerardo

Anon

Thanks for the concrete suggestion of testing from the command line. But I got it figured out. This needs to be added to the httpd.conf:

<FilesMatch ".php">
SetInputFilter php
SetOutputFilter php
</FilesMatch>

It's documented in ~/php-4.1.1/sapi/apache2filter/README

It's 22:30. The whole freaking day has been wasted on this. Just insane. And it's not as if this is useful knowledge. The next bastard programmer that comes along is going to use different syntax anyway.

Cripes, the next version of each individual distro is probably going to change how that gets done. Probably another freaking proprietary SuSE configuration file.

tasistro

Glad you could solve it. I understand your frustration. We all started from square one too. I have had some really frustrating moments too, specially a year ago when I started. Tried to install apache/mysql/php on RedHat 6.2 from source. No luck. Turned to the RPMs to break the ice and learn the basics first.

Linux has this "problem" you can control a lot more than in a windows environment. It can and will drive you mad at moments. The difference here is control. Windows has the same if not more variables to set. Just take a look a the registry. BTW you can't vi it since its binary. Windows handles everything in a more bundled fashion. Everything is premade. Remember all those loose security settings in IIS.

Personally I love to have a console at hand. Something I dislike about Windows is moving away from a text only interface altogether. They were the last to embrace a GUI and the first to drop the prompt, go figure.

Hold on things will get better. BTW take a look at all the posts on the Windows forum. The grass really isn't greener on the other side. One day lost in configuring is nothing compared to what you would loose with Windows (in)stability in the long run. You could fix your problem, try fixing a memory leak or a blue screen of death.

Saludos
Gerardo

Anon

Pretty Stupid, I hear you.

But, PHP was a piece of cake compared to getting JavaServlet Pages up and running and having my files in a directory I want to keep them in.

I swear I almost went insane.

Why all these magic things to type in all the magic files?

.samuli