PHP was compiled with this options ..  ( php4.3.0 ... php4.4.0dev i'm trying many version of php, i think this is apache problem)
'./configure' '--prefix=/usr' '--exec-prefix=/usr' '--bindir=/usr/bin' '--sbindir=/usr/sbin' '--sysconfdir=/etc' '--datadir=/usr/share' '--includedir=/usr/include' '--libdir=/usr/lib' '--libexecdir=/usr/libexec' '--localstatedir=/var' '--sharedstatedir=/usr/com' '--mandir=/usr/share/man' '--infodir=/usr/share/info' '--prefix=/usr' '--with-config-file-path=/etc' '--disable-debug' '--enable-pic' '--disable-rpath' '--enable-inline-optimization' '--enable-force-cgi-redirect' '--with-bz2' '--without-curl' '--with-db3' '--with-dom' '--with-exec-dir=/usr/bin' '--with-gd' '--with-gdbm' '--with-gettext' '--with-jpeg-dir=/usr' '--with-mm' '--without-openssl' '--with-png' '--with-regex=system' '--with-ttf' '--with-zlib' '--with-layout=GNU' '--enable-debugger' '--enable-ftp' '--enable-magic-quotes' '--enable-safe-mode' '--enable-sockets' '--enable-sysvsem' '--enable-sysvshm' '--enable-track-vars' '--enable-yp' '--enable-wddx' '--with-mysql' '--without-unixODBC' '--without-oracle' '--without-oci8' '--with-pspell' '--with-xml'

This is my Apache configure script -

CFLAGS="-O6" ; export CFLAGS
LIBS="-lpthread" ; export LIBS

./configure \
"--with-layout=Apache" \
"--prefix=/usr/httpd" \
"--enable-suexec" \
"--server-uid=apache" \
"--server-gid=apache" \
"--suexec-caller=apache" \
"--suexec-docroot=/home" \
"--suexec-userdir=" \
"--suexec-uidmin=500" \
"--suexec-gidmin=500" \
"--sbindir=/usr/httpd/sbin" \
"--logfiledir=/var/log/httpd" \
"--runtimedir=/var/run" \
"--proxycachedir=/var/cache/httpd" \
"--localstatedir=/var" \
"--disable-rule=WANTHSREGEX" \
"--enable-module=all" \
"--enable-shared=max" \
"--enable-module=auth_dbm" \
"--disable-shared=env" \
"--disable-shared=log_config" \
"--disable-shared=mime" \
"--disable-shared=include" \
"--disable-shared=dir" \
"--disable-shared=cgi" \
"--disable-shared=asis" \
"--disable-shared=actions" \
"--disable-shared=rewrite" \
"--disable-shared=access" \
"--disable-shared=auth" \
"--disable-shared=expires" \
"--disable-shared=headers" \
"--disable-shared=setenvif" \
"--disable-shared=alias" \
"$@"

Did you happen by any chance to INSTALL php into running Apache?? In these cases, only doing 'apachectl stop' will help.

And have you tried with Apache 1.3.27 ???
(that is the latest RELEASE version of Apache)

I'm using CVS version of apache .. 
now i tring stop apache and start..
i'm using php as php-cgi ( not module )

this problem active after i update apache from 1.3.26 and no php update

Server version: Apache/1.3.28-dev (Unix)
Server built:   Dec  2 2002 14:25:07
Server's Module Magic Number: 19990320:13
Server compiled with....
 -D HAVE_MMAP
 -D HAVE_SHMGET
 -D USE_SHMGET_SCOREBOARD
 -D USE_MMAP_FILES
 -D HAVE_FCNTL_SERIALIZED_ACCEPT
 -D HAVE_SYSVSEM_SERIALIZED_ACCEPT
 -D SINGLE_LISTEN_UNSERIALIZED_ACCEPT
 -D DYNAMIC_MODULE_LIMIT=64
 -D HARD_SERVER_LIMIT=2048
 -D HTTPD_ROOT="/usr/httpd"
 -D SUEXEC_BIN="/usr/httpd/sbin/suexec"
 -D DEFAULT_PIDLOG="/var/run/httpd.pid"
 -D DEFAULT_SCOREBOARD="/var/run/httpd.scoreboard"
 -D DEFAULT_LOCKFILE="/var/run/httpd.lock"
 -D DEFAULT_ERRORLOG="/var/log/httpd/error_log"
 -D TYPES_CONFIG_FILE="conf/mime.types"
 -D SERVER_CONFIG_FILE="conf/httpd.conf"
 -D ACCESS_CONFIG_FILE="conf/access.conf"
 -D RESOURCE_CONFIG_FILE="conf/srm.conf"

And are you using the 'php-cgi' binary, and not the 'php' binary? They are 2 different things..

yes i'm using php in apache as cgi 
each member have php in own cgi-bin dir.

Apache catch it trought Action bla-bla-bla.. 
before update of apache server work more 3 month with php.
i'm install new apache with same configuration options as prevision apache 1.3.26

# ./php -v
PHP 4.4.0-dev (cli) (built: Dec  5 2002 10:40:15)
Copyright (c) 1997-2002 The PHP Group
Zend Engine v1.4.0, Copyright (c) 1998-2002 Zend Technologies
# ./php-cgi -v
PHP 4.4.0-dev (cgi), Copyright (c) 1997-2002 The PHP Group
Zend Engine v1.4.0, Copyright (c) 1998-2002 Zend Technologies
Press any key to continue...

and one more question.. 
new php can compile ONLY php(cgi version not libphp.la)  and not CLI ... ?

Apache problem obviously if it worked fine with 1.3.26..

now i normaly stop and start apache .. after 20 min in process list i have 3 php <defunct>,
20 min was work fine php scripts start and stops fine.

okey now i trying downgrade  to latest release apache if this help im post it here.

oh, i remember one thing!.. after update apache i'm add module mod_auth_mysql .. may it his work ?

So, did you read this warning?
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
|                        *** WARNING ***                             |
|                                                                    |
| You chose to compile PHP with the built-in MySQL support.  If you  |
| are compiling a server module, and intend to use other server      |
| modules that also use MySQL (e.g, mod_auth_mysql, PHP 3.0,         |
| mod_perl) you must NOT rely on PHP's built-in MySQL support, and   |
| instead build it with your local MySQL support files, by adding    |
| --with-mysql=/path/to/mysql to your configure line.                |

yes. i read it.. but this no help.. i'm downgrade from Apache 1.3.28-dev to 1.3.27 and all work fine as old time ago ;)))))   It's realy Apache Develop Bug