NT PHP5 Upgrade

[dvanburen]

We will be upgrading the Windows servers to PHP5 in the near future. We need feedback on how long you need to prepare for the upgrade. Please bear in mind this is time to prepare, not time to put it off until the last minute.

[opt2004]

Instead of working on new upgrades, why doesn't Vortech fix the bugs in the last HSPHERE upgrade first.

[dvanburen]

Please keep comments relavent to the topic

[cleonard]

I'd say 2 weeks lead time . . . a couple servers at a time and once successful, blow through them as you did with the Unix servers.

Will there be an opportunity to run php4 on a per account basis like there is with the unix servers??

[dvanburen]

Originally Posted by cleonard

Will there be an opportunity to run php4 on a per account basis like there is with the unix servers??

Probably not. PHP4 is EOL on December 31, 2007.

[Brangwyn]

Personally I would have expected that you wouldn't drop support until 08-08-2008 the PHP EOL notice is a little missleading, they say support will cease on 31-12-2007 which seems to really relate to feature enhancements or bug fixes, but security related fixes will still be published right up until 8-08-2008 .. as the PHP4 fork is pretty stable anyway I would expect (and will be myself) continuing to support up until that date.

However, as to the question at hand I would like to see about a months forward notice for planning, I would though like to see both 4 and 5 supported side by side.. I lost quite a large number of accounts when PHP5 was rolled out on Unix due to PHP4 not initially being available and I'd like to avoid the same on Windows if possible.

[powvex]

I agree php4 should be supported until end of year at least.

[dvanburen]

The problem is that there is no reasonable method of running both side by side on windows unless we move to Hsphere 3.0. Unfortunately that is not an option at this time. As is the windows servers should have had php5 almost 6 months ago (or earlier). In order to remain competitive we should update. We have no problem giving a large lead time, but at this point it is one or the other.

[Brangwyn]

I guess putting the pitfalls of HSphere aside, they are basically as easy to run side by side as the procedure you are already following now for .NET1 and .NET2, you can run both in CGI mode, or one in fastCGI one in ISAPI or I believe even both in fastCGI mode with Microsoft's new wrapper just a simple mapping change in IIS really.

[dvanburen]

The problem with that is we expect a much larger volume of customers to want php5. We won't run ISAPI as it is much more difficult to track abuse.

[Brangwyn]

I guess it depends on configuration, personally I prefer IASPI for security reasons and it's easier to track abuse as i run each domain application isolated so I can see just from a quick look at task manager exactly what domains are consuming high CPU etc.

[dyntech]

Not being a PHP programmer I don't know what the difference will be and/or what it means to me. Is there features/functions that will cease to work? Do we have to re-create anything that was done in PHP4?

I certainly appreciate the thoughtfulness of asking but I do not know how to answer without knowing what the difference will mean to me.

[TheDesigners]

Originally Posted by dvanburen

The problem is that there is no reasonable method of running both side by side on windows unless we move to Hsphere 3.0. Unfortunately that is not an option at this time. As is the windows servers should have had php5 almost 6 months ago (or earlier). In order to remain competitive we should update. We have no problem giving a large lead time, but at this point it is one or the other.

Any idea when H-Sphere 3.0 will be installed?

[dvanburen]

No, I am afraid not.

[sheptech]

Originally Posted by dyntech

Not being a PHP programmer I don't know what the difference will be and/or what it means to me. Is there features/functions that will cease to work? Do we have to re-create anything that was done in PHP4?
I certainly appreciate the thoughtfulness of asking but I do not know how to answer without knowing what the difference will mean to me.

Check the PHP5 Migration Guide for specifics:
http://www.php.net/manual/en/migration5.php