two different PHP versions, two different user accounts, same machine?

[WebDevGuy]

Here's a good article about setting up two different PHP version on the same machine at the same time.
http://cms.227net.com/apache/run_php...5_concurrently

Rather than have to append ":8080" to each URL you want to use, can you set up two different user accounts (windows xp pro) each with a different version of php with all else being equal?

For example, I would add a user called, "PHP5 - MySQL5" which would have PHP version 5 and MySQL 5. Then set up another user account for PHP 4.3 and MySQL 4.1.

I've figured out, with longneck's help, how to run two different verisons of MySQL at the same time but this new idea would help keep everything separate.

Any thoughts or idea expansion is appreaciated!

[kyberfabrikken]

You can have two separate apache.conf files, and then write a script which swap them, and restart the apache service.

[dreamscape]

You can also run them on the same Apache on the same port at the same time, if you run at least one as a CGI. I do this, running PHP 4 as CGI and PHP 5 as an Apache DSO. It works fine for development, and saves on having to restart Apache any time you want to switch (I did that route for a bit, but really grew tired of it quickly, so went this route).

I've got .php4 mapped to the PHP 4 CGI, and .php to the PHP 5 DSO by default. And I've also got the PHP 4 CGI setup so that I can change a directory or site to map .php to PHP 4 by simply using this in .htaccess (which I just comment/uncomment on sites I want to test in both PHP 4 and PHP 5):

AddType application/x-httpd-php4 .php

[Dr Livingston]

This is an interesting idea, isn't it? I mean not so much of the pairing of version 4 and 5 but more in regards to how it would work with version 5 and 6; Considering that it's said that version 6 of PHP will be available towards the years end...

The WAMP I use at the moment gives me the option to run (easily) both version 4 and 5 but obviously I'm completely ignorant of version 4 now.

Kyber...

> You can have two separate apache.conf files, and then write a script which swap them, and restart
> the apache service.

Would you be willing to give more details and maybe an example?

[Ren]

Running 2 versions of MySQL shouldn't be a problem, did it for awhile with 4 & 5.. just have to ensure they both have different service names. So can "net stop mysql5" "net start mysql4" etc.

As for PHP, I use IIS (on a server os) so can have multiple websites, and therefore have independant .php mappings. Just stop one web service, and fire up another.

[kyberfabrikken]

> You can have two separate apache.conf files, and then write a script which swap them, and restart
> the apache service.

Would you be willing to give more details and maybe an example?

That's how WAMP does it actually. I use that package too.
Have a look at the file C:\wamp\scripts\switch.php.

[Dr Livingston]

Well, I can't find the specific file you refer to, but there are a few others. Didn't realise it was as simple as that though...

Thanks.

[jabba_29]

Hi,

Interesting comments, and glad you found the article helpful

I actually have 3 instances of PHP running as I just upgraded the latest PHP 5 version. I have MySQL 3x and MySQL 4x running concurrently too - again over different ports, but this is just a simple change in the php.ini file for this one. Haven't upgraded to 5 yet, that seemed a bit tricky.

Would be interesting to see if you could run apache if you could run Apache under different users, but it would never happen as you can't run 2 things through the same port - and I am pretty sure you have to specify the port for Apache when you use anything other than port 80.

I thought about trying to set up subdomains running different PHP versions but I don't think this would be possible with PHP running both as modules.

I, too, tried the CGI and module mix before, but I actually found this approach easier, though dreamscape's method is easy!

I don't find it too much hassle to set the port number to the url, I only use this for testing at home anyways.

[XoloX]

There's a file in Windows 2K & XP at %WINDIR%\system32\drivers\etc\hosts (95, 98 & Me are bound to have one too, just don't know where).

Amongst other things, it's used to map localhost to 127.0.0.1. Expanding on this, you can map several names to 127.0.0.1 and in your Apache config set-up several Virtual Hosts with different HostName's. This way you can run both on :80. Don't know if that's much better than :8080 though. Well, atleast it looks better! And the most fun is that you can use (almost) any hostname, like "___foo", "microsoft.com", etc. Fun if you want to confuse someone

EDIT: Hmm, never thought about Apache preventing you from running multiple Virtual Hosts on :80... So I'm not actually sure if this will work, but I still think (/hope) it will. Guess I'll have to try it out later today.

[been]

Well, I can't find the specific file you refer to,

It's not standard in the wamp package, but in an add-on. After installing, you'll find the switch.php in the php4 subdirectory.

[thierrybo]

I personally use two batch files (this one is php4to5.bat) :

net stop apache
rename C:\httpd\php php-5.1.1
rename C:\httpd\php-4.3.11 php
rename "C:\Apache\conf\httpd.conf" httpd.conf.PHP5
rename "C:\Apache\conf\httpd.conf.PHP4" httpd.conf
net start apache

With a shortcut in the QuickLaunch bar, changing from PHP4 to PHP5 is just one easy click, 0.1 second to change. What can be easier for a developement system ?

Oh yes, naturally you need to build two php.ini files, one for each PHP version inside each directory, and set the PHPRC environment variable to point to C:\php so that the running version of PHP will always find its ini file.

[Eugene Bond]

Actualy it is possible to run both php4 and php5 at one time as modules.
You just need to patch (manualy) several files.
It works on my home PC and works perfect.
Here is article how to patch it, but it's on Russian only. If anybody want to translate it - I can help.

[thierrybo]

I tried your method except I used php 4.3.11 as normal setup and patched files for 5.1.2. Only the first module used after restarting Apache 1.3 works. i.e, if I run http://localhost:81/phpinfo.php to run PHP5, it works, and phpinfo says c:\php5\ph5.ini is used. However if I try to use PHP4 after PHP5, with http://localhost/phpinfo.php, I get not output, the browser freeze. If I restart Apache and run first http://localhost/phpinfo.php to use PHP4, it works, but then I can't use PHP5 after that.

[Eugene Bond]

thierrybo
I have no any problems with it.
May be you don't patch everything you need? Or it's just configuring problem?

Did you make add type in global server scope (wrong) or for needed virtual host only?
addType application/x-httpd-ph5 .php

[thierrybo]

I added it within a virtual host. It was what I understood from an online translation from russian to english, then english to french !

Nut never mind, It was just a try!

[Serberus]

I read that FastCGI lets you run 4 and 5 concurrently - I've yet to read up on the specifics yet though!