Install PHP 5 on Red Hat Enterprise Linux version 4

Posted on in Categories Howto, lighttpd, RedHat/Fedora Linux, Tips last updated October 18, 2006

It appears that many people or sys admin want to run php 5 on Red Hat Enterprise Linux. Unfortunately Redhat does not provide this package (RPM file) for RHEL. You can download source code and install php 5 from official php site. This requires compiler collection on your system. Download source code and just follow instructions presented in INSTALL or REDME file.

Another option is search and installs PHP 5 packages. You can download x86_64 PHP 5 package here. Use wget command to download these packages and rpm command to install new packages. But first remove old php4 package using rpm -e command.

Alert: This post is outdated. Please use the latest version of RHEL/CentOS v6.x+ for PHP 5.x. The author no longer support php 5 rpm on RHEL 4.x.

However these rpm packages 64 bit so if you are running 32 bit os rebuild RPM file.

Step # 1: Download src rpm

# cd /tmp
# wget http://www.cyberciti.biz/files/lighttpd/rhel4-php5-fastcgi/php-5.1.4-1.esp1.src.rpm
# rpm -ivh php-5.1.4-1.esp1.src.rpm

Step #2: Rebuild RPM for 32 bit RHEL version

# cd /usr/src/redhat/SPECS
# rpmbuild -bb php.spec

It will take some time to compile and rebuild RPM files.

Step #3: Install new php5 RPM file

Remove old php4 rpm. Go to /usr/src/redhat/RPMS directory and install PHP5 RPM files.

Please note that PHP 5 is not official supported by Red Hat on RHEL 4.0. You are using these packages on your own risk 😉

Posted by: Vivek Gite

The author is the creator of nixCraft and a seasoned sysadmin and a trainer for the Linux operating system/Unix shell scripting. He has worked with global clients and in various industries, including IT, education, defense and space research, and the nonprofit sector. Follow him on Twitter, Facebook, Google+.

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54 comment

  5. Assuming that you have 40 GB hard disk
    Create one partition and Install Windows 2000 in 10GB first
    Next install linux and create 2 partition
    Ext3 for 10GB
    Swap 512MB
    Install MBR on first partition and let the grub boot both oses.

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  6. checking for mSQL support… no
    checking for MSSQL support via FreeTDS… no
    checking for MySQL support… yes, shared
    checking for specified location of the MySQL UNIX socket… no
    checking for MySQL UNIX socket location… no
    checking for mysql_close in -lmysqlclient… yes
    checking for MySQLi support… yes, shared
    checking whether to enable embedded MySQLi support… no
    mysql_config not found
    configure: error: Please reinstall the mysql distribution
    error: Bad exit status from /var/tmp/rpm-tmp.5476 (%build)

    RPM build errors:
    Bad exit status from /var/tmp/rpm-tmp.5476 (%build)

    I updated to mysql5 RPMs from the mysql site. not sure how ti fix this. ideas?

    Reply Report comment

  9. I’m just did a fresh install of Redhat Enterprise V4 along with Apache 2 and mySQL that came with the install. I purposely did not install any PHP as the version that comes with the package is version 4. (I need to install version 5).

    I understand these instructions up to Step 3…”Go to /usr/src/redhat/RPMS directory and install PHP5 RPM files.”

    How do you “install”? Do you mean copy them into the directory?

    Reply Report comment

  11. I am trying to build php5.1.2 from fc5 source but I keep running into a compiler error concerning the flag “-Wno-pointer-sign”. Is it necessary? I have RHEL v4. I updated gcc to 3.4.6 in an attempt to fix the problem. I’ve included an excerpt of the config.log below.

    Thanks.

    ==begin

    configure:2547: gcc -O2 -g -pipe -m32 -march=i386 -mtune=pentium4 -fno-strict-aliasing -Wno-pointer-sign conftest.c >&5
    cc1: error: unrecognized command line option “-Wno-pointer-sign”
    configure:2550: $? = 1
    configure: failed program was:
    | /* confdefs.h. */
    |
    | #define PACKAGE_NAME “”
    | #define PACKAGE_TARNAME “”
    | #define PACKAGE_VERSION “”
    | #define PACKAGE_STRING “”
    | #define PACKAGE_BUGREPORT “”
    | /* end confdefs.h. */
    |
    | int
    | main ()
    | {
    |
    | ;
    | return 0;
    | }
    configure:2589: error: C compiler cannot create executables

    ==end

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  14. rpm -ivh php-5.1.4-1.esp1.src.rpm
    1:php ########################################### [100%]

    Please, I need your help.What I have to do now?
    I have a RHEL4 and PHP 4.3.9 is running… I want to upgrade it to v.5. After step #3 what I have to do?

    Reply Report comment

  16. Thank you nixcraft for your reply, this is what it returned:

    # rpmbuild -bb php.spec
    cat: /usr/include/httpd/.mmn: No such file or directory
    error: Failed build dependencies:
    bzip2-devel is needed by php-5.1.4-1.esp1.x86_64
    curl-devel >= 7.9 is needed by php-5.1.4-1.esp1.x86_64
    expat-devel is needed by php-5.1.4-1.esp1.x86_64
    gmp-devel is needed by php-5.1.4-1.esp1.x86_64
    aspell-devel >= 0.50.0 is needed by php-5.1.4-1.esp1.x86_64
    httpd-devel >= 2.0.46-1 is needed by php-5.1.4-1.esp1.x86_64
    libjpeg-devel is needed by php-5.1.4-1.esp1.x86_64
    libpng-devel is needed by php-5.1.4-1.esp1.x86_64
    pcre-devel >= 4.5 is needed by php-5.1.4-1.esp1.x86_64
    libc-client-devel is needed by php-5.1.4-1.esp1.x86_64
    net-snmp-devel is needed by php-5.1.4-1.esp1.x86_64

    Oh my god…

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  18. Is there no direct rpm package for php on RHEL4 that will not require an building.

    When i attempted building the php.spec file i get
    error: Failed build dependencies:
    aspell-devel >= 0.50.0 is needed by php-5.1.4-1.el4s1.2.i386
    httpd-devel >= 2.0.46-1 is needed by php-5.1.4-1.el4s1.2.i386
    pcre-devel >= 4.5 is needed by php-5.1.4-1.el4s1.2.i386
    libc-client-devel is needed by php-5.1.4-1.el4s1.2.i386
    postgresql-devel is needed by php-5.1.4-1.el4s1.2.i386
    unixODBC-devel is needed by php-5.1.4-1.el4s1.2.i386
    net-snmp-devel is needed by php-5.1.4-1.el4s1.2.i386

    i presume will ask me to use up2date to get this packages. Unfortunately I cannot seem to use up2date becase i dont have serials on my Redhat edition.

    is there any other way please

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  20. error: Failed build dependencies:
    aspell-devel >= 0.50.0 is needed by php-5.1.2-5.i386
    httpd-devel >= 2.0.46-1 is needed by php-5.1.2-5.i386
    libjpeg-devel is needed by php-5.1.2-5.i386
    libpng-devel is needed by php-5.1.2-5.i386
    sqlite-devel >= 3.0.0 is needed by php-5.1.2-5.i386
    pcre-devel >= 4.5 is needed by php-5.1.2-5.i386
    libtool >= 1.4.3 is needed by php-5.1.2-5.i386
    libc-client-devel is needed by php-5.1.2-5.i386
    mysql-devel >= 4.1.0 is needed by php-5.1.2-5.i386
    postgresql-devel is needed by php-5.1.2-5.i386
    unixODBC-devel is needed by php-5.1.2-5.i386
    net-snmp-devel is needed by php-5.1.2-5.i386
    libxslt-devel >= 1.0.18-1 is needed by php-5.1.2-5.i386
    gd-devel is needed by php-5.1.2-5.i386
    freetype-devel is needed by php-5.1.2-5.i386

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  21. If you have php4 installed in your system already its better to uninstall it along with all the dependency. or when you try to install with rpm force it to install and use –no-deps so it will not check the dependency

    Reply Report comment

  23. Hi,

    I am using PuTTy to remotely install using root and I am on step 2, rebuilding rpm. Unfortunately my internet connection was disconnected.

    By theory, what I see here is only what is being done in the server. Will my rebuilt stopped and I need to redo it? Or it may already finished? How do I check that?

    Regards,
    Alex

    Reply Report comment

  25. Hello I can get to the final step just fine, but when I got to install php i receive this error.

    error: open of php-pear-4.3.9-3.22.4.i386.rpm failed: No such file or directory
    error: Failed dependencies:
    php-pear is needed by php-5.1.4-1.esp1.i386

    When I down this package and put it in the same directory as the other rpms it still gives the same error even though i have the –aid option set when trying to install. Any suggestions?

    Reply Report comment

  26. I get the same error last posted.

    error: open of php-pear-4.3.9-3.22.4.i386.rpm failed: No such file or directory
    error: Failed dependencies:
    php-pear is needed by php-5.1.4-1.esp1.i386

    Any solution

    Reply Report comment

  28. Question,

    I am trying this method of installing PHP5 on our RHEL 4 dev box, and wanted to know if you, nixcraft, or anyone else who gotten this to work is available to assist with this matter.

    I am getting the dependencies error and have found that up2date did not, in fact, bring the dependencies up-to-date enough for the reubilt rpm to work.

    Thanks In Advance

    –JJP

    Reply Report comment

  29. Hi All,

    I can solve most of the problem by mounting
    the CD then trying to install it, but what I notified is those package is not available from CD1 to CD4, Do any one have any idea about what/how can I move on…
    # rpmbuild -bb php.spec
    =======================
    cat: /usr/include/httpd/.mmn: No such file or directory
    error: Failed build dependencies: httpd-devel >= 2.0.46-1 is needed by php-5.1.4-1.esp1.i386
    libc-client-devel is needed by php-5.1.4-1.esp1.i386
    postgresql-devel is needed by php-5.1.4-1.esp1.i386
    net-snmp-devel is needed by php-5.1.4-1.esp1.i386
    =======================

    Thanks,

    Ratana

    Reply Report comment

  30. Sheesh, this is why people think Linux is hard (including me). I’ve been dumped into a Sysadmin position with virtually no experience (I know — don’t even go there!). We are running RHEL 3 (and no, it can’t be updated for some reason).

    I’ve been trying to install PHP 5 (currently have PHP4) so I can get Apache2 to run 4 and 5 concurrently. I can’t delete PHP 4 because some apps require it, and I need PHP 5 for some other apps.

    I can’t get up2date to work – something about all the registration channels being full.

    I tried the steps above and got a whole bunch of dependency failures… so now what? (This whole thing has me close to tears!)

    Reply Report comment

  31. Amanda,

    Upgrade your Linux distro to RHEL 5, as support for PHP4 is dead (deadline is 31, Dec – 2007). After that no one will support or update php 4. This is how to only tested on RHEL 4 and it is not supported by Red hat. Tell you developers / users that they must upgrade application to php 5.

    Hope this helps.

    Reply Report comment

  32. When I compile I get an error, I’am using RHEL 4

    D/php-5.1.4/TSRM -I/usr/src/redhat/BUILD/php-5.1.4/build-cgi/ -I/usr/include -O2 -g -pipe -m64 -o ext/ldap/ldap.la -export-dynamic -avoid-version -prefer-pic -module -rpath /usr/src/redhat/BUILD/php-5.1.4/build-cgi/modules -L/usr/kerberos/lib -L/usr/kerberos/lib64 ext/ldap/ldap.lo -lldap -llber
    /usr/bin/ld: /usr/lib/gcc/x86_64-redhat-linux/3.4.6/../../../../lib64/libc-client.a(osdep.o): relocation R_X86_64_32 against `a local symbol’ can not be used when making a shared object; recompile with -fPIC
    /usr/lib/gcc/x86_64-redhat-linux/3.4.6/../../../../lib64/libc-client.a: could not read symbols: Bad value
    collect2: ld returned 1 exit status
    make: *** [ext/imap/imap.la] Error 1
    make: *** Waiting for unfinished jobs….
    error: Bad exit status from /var/tmp/rpm-tmp.90947 (%build)

    I also tried to us FC6 as suggested above but had a depency problem on something called sqlite-devel
    which I think doesn’t exist on RHEL

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  37. I have same problems like Mike:
    /usr/bin/ld: /usr/lib/gcc/x86_64-redhat-linux/3.4.6/../../../../lib64/libc-client.a(osdep.o): relocation R_X86_64_32 against `a local symbol’ can not be used when making a shared object; recompile with -fPIC
    /usr/lib/gcc/x86_64-redhat-linux/3.4.6/../../../../lib64/libc-client.a: could not read symbols: Bad value
    collect2: ld returned 1 exit status
    make: *** [ext/imap/imap.la] Error 1
    make: *** Waiting for unfinished jobs….

    Mike, what I have to do now?

    Reply Report comment

  41. When installing php-5.1.4-1.esp1.src.rpm got below errors

    Configuring SAPI modules
    checking for AOLserver support… no
    checking for Apache 1.x module support via DSO through APXS… no
    checking for Apache 1.x module support… no
    checking for mod_charset compatibility option… no
    checking for Apache 2.0 filter-module support via DSO through APXS… no
    checking for Apache 2.0 handler-module support via DSO through APXS…

    Sorry, I cannot run apxs. Possible reasons follow:

    1. Perl is not installed
    2. apxs was not found. Try to pass the path using –with-apxs2=/path/to/apxs
    3. Apache was not built using –enable-so (the apxs usage page is displayed)

    The output of /usr/sbin/apxs follows:
    Can’t exec “/usr/bin/apr-config”: No such file or directory at /usr/sbin/apxs line 48.
    Use of uninitialized value in scalar chomp at /usr/sbin/apxs line 53.
    -O2 -g -pipe -m32 -march=i386 -mtune=pentium4
    apxs:Error: /usr/bin/apr-config not found!.
    configure: error: Aborting
    error: Bad exit status from /var/tmp/rpm-tmp.71083 (%build)

    RPM build errors:
    Bad exit status from /var/tmp/rpm-tmp.71083 (%build)

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  42. I not the greatest at this yet, but I was following the instruction to install PHP and ran across these errors. What I am missing?

    httpd-devel >= 2.0.46-1 is needed by php-5.1.4-1.esp1
    libjpeg-devel is needed by php-5.1.4-1.esp1
    libpng-devel is needed by php-5.1.4-1.esp1
    pcre-devel >= 4.5 is needed by php-5.1.4-1.esp1
    file >= 4.0 is needed by php-5.1.4-1.esp1
    libc-client-devel is needed by php-5.1.4-1.esp1
    mysql-devel >= 4.1.0 is needed by php-5.1.4-1.esp1
    unixODBC-devel is needed by php-5.1.4-1.esp1
    libxslt-devel >= 1.0.18-1 is needed by php-5.1.4-1.esp1
    freetype-devel is needed by php-5.1.4-1.esp1

    Reply Report comment

  44. Hi all
    I managed to install the packages from the FTP site on a RHEL4 64 bit system, without rebuilding the RPMS.
    Works well thanks.
    The people doing our web development have now advised that they require mssql support to work I have installed freetds on the server.
    How do I get PHP support for MSSQL working.
    Is there another module?

    Reply Report comment

  45. All the steps went okie but php test is fail 🙁

    Some of the bugs:

    Bug #27908 (default handler not being called) [ext/xml/tests/bug27908.phpt]
    Bug #26614 (CDATA sections skipped on line count) [ext/xml/tests/bug26614_libxml.phpt]

    Is it usual ?

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  46. rpm -Uvh php-5.1.4-1.esp1.i386.rpm
    error: Failed dependencies:
    php = 4.3.9-3.22.12 is needed by (installed) php-devel-4.3.9-3.22.12.i386
    php = 4.3.9-3.22.12 is needed by (installed) php-imap-4.3.9-3.22.12.i386
    php <= 4.4.0 is needed by (installed) php-sqlite2-1.0.2-200608291859.i386
    php = 4.3.9-3.22.12 is needed by (installed) php-pear-4.3.9-3.22.12.i386
    php = 4.3.9-3.22.12 is needed by (installed) php-mysql-4.3.9-3.22.12.i386
    php = 4.3.9-3.22.12 is needed by (installed) php-mbstring-4.3.9-3.22.12.i386
    php = 4.3.9-3.22.12 is needed by (installed) php-gd-4.3.9-3.22.12.i386
    php = 4.3.9-3.22.12 is needed by (installed) php-domxml-4.3.9-3.22.12.i386

    How do I remove the old php 4? I think that’s the problem for me.

    Reply Report comment

  47. Hi Chirag,
    I did a rpm -e for each packages.
    Then I ran an rpm -e –nodeps for packages that depend on one another (eg for php-pear and php).
    Just out of curiosity Is there a better way to do this?
    S

    Reply Report comment

  50. hi,
    sorry, where did you find that php5 is not supported in RHEL4.0???
    could you pass me the link?
    I need to convince my team of developers that is not suitable migration

    thanks in advance and sorry about my English

    Reply Report comment

  54. Hii, i wanna ask
    im using RHEL 4 and had installed PHP5 using this tutorial

    but when i’m using command php -v

    there are error looking like this

    PHP Warning: PHP Startup: Unable to load dynamic library ‘/usr/lib64/php/modules/domxml.so’ – /usr/lib64/php/modules/domxml.so: cannot open shared object file : No such file or directory in Unknown on line 0

    can give me advise

    Reply Report comment

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