Re: native PHP in V5R4???

[Pete Helgren <Pete@xxxxxxxxxx>]

I am not a PHP expert by any stretch but the binary is accessed by 
Apache directly.  You configure the Apache server that runs native on 
the iSeries to use the PHP binary in PASE.  I am not sure how this 
"magic" is accomplished.  The following directives are in my Apache 
configuration:

 33    DirectoryIndex /catalog/index.php index.php index.html
 34    #
 35    # directives for PHP 
 36    <Directory /QOpenSys/php/bin>
 37         Options +ExecCGI
 38         order allow,deny
 39         allow from all
 40    </Directory>
 41    <Directory /www/phpserver/htdocs>
 42         Order Allow,Deny
 43         Allow From all
 44    </Directory>

So, in terms of implementation, it is pretty seamless.  You aren't 
running Apache AND PHP in PASE, just the PHP portion.  Would there be 
performance advantages to a "native" i5/OS version of PHP?  I don't 
know, but if it was running in i5/OS I'd bet that there would be more 
native access to DB2/400 built in and perhaps API's available to call 
from ILE programs.

I don't know enough about PHP internals to know what it would take to 
port it.  It is an interpreted language so writing procedures and method 
that mimic PHP functionality wouldn't be impossible.  Those internals 
are available since it is open source.  I just don't know how much 
interest there would be in a i5/OS version of the PHP server.

If I had the time, I might play with it. But, I am already behind on 
preparing my Common presentations so it'll have to wait until April 
1st!  ;-)

Pete Helgren


albartell wrote:

> >Poor job IBM - If you can produce a native version of Apache - how hard
> was it to do the same for PHP?
>
> This one made me think. . . Would they have to create a custom "IBM PHP"
> runtime similar to what they did with Tomcat? If so that would truly be a
> bummer because that would mean the future versions of PHP would have to go
> through the hands of IBM before it made its way to us.
>
> I am not real familiar with the PASE environment, but what makes it require
> two versions of Apache to be running? Is PASE almost like a different LPAR
> and acts as it's own OS?  Is it more that putting RPG CGI and PHP in the
> same Apache config would create a mess or is it not possible to have them
> both in the same config because they can't both see the same config?
>
> Aaron Bartell
>
>