Description:
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Ok, this seems a tricky one, so sorry for the long post. It's related to the way Apache2 and IIS work with COM objects. So maybe some combined Apache2/IIS/Database/COM skills are needed.

I want to connect to a DB (MSSQL in this case), but I need some features unavailable under php_mssql (asked to F. Kromman, thanks). So I'm forced to use COM/OLEDB via ADODB.Connection. COM works great now under PHP5 but...

I have this problem: 

If I use this combination:
PHP5+OLEDB(COM)+IIS: IIS keeps a pool of persistent connections so the next PHP scripts re-use this open connection and doesn't have to open a new one.

PHP5+OLEDB(COM)+Apache2: Apache2 works fine with the queries but at the end of my PHP script, the connection is closed, and every subsecuent PHP script has to open a new connection.

It's not a critical issue as long as your DB server is on the same machine as the Web Server:

Open new connection on Apache2: 0.02 secs.
Re-use existing connection on IIS: 0.002 secs.

But it does matter if both are on different machines and/or while on very heavy traffic web-sites.

My theory: not a COM guru, but maybe Apache2 lacks being compiled with some COM Apartment threading model which IIS already has. I'm really sad about being impelled to work with this COM/OLEDB shit but I'd really like to get this working on PHP5+Apache2 (will have to swap to PHP5+IIS if there is no way to solve this).

Thanks in advance


Reproduce code:
---------------
<?
// Win32, need MDAC and a SQL Server
$HOST = "your-sql-server";
$USER = "user";
$PASS = "pwd";
$DB = "database";

$dsn = "Provider=SQLOLEDB;Data Source=$HOST;User Id=$USER;Password=$PASS;Initial Catalog=$DB";
$charPage = CP_UTF8;

$db = new COM("ADODB.Connection", NULL, $charPage);
$db->Open($dsn);

// sample query to get all the SQL Server processes for your Database, along with the App that created them
// (Apache, IIS, others...)
$query="select distinct sd.name, sp.program_name from master..sysprocesses sp
	inner join master..sysdatabases sd on sd.dbid=sp.dbid 
	where sd.name='$DB'
	order by 1,2";

$rs = $db->Execute($query);

// some output
print "<table border=1>";
while (!$rs->EOF)	{
	print "<tr><td>".$rs->Fields["program_name"]->Value."</td><td>".$rs->Fields["name"]->Value."</td></tr>\n";
	$rs->MoveNext();
}
print "</table>";
$db->Close();  // doesn't really matter, IIS keeps connection open, Apache2 closes it even if this line is commented

?>

Expected result:
----------------
We list all the SQL Server open processes, during and after PHP script execution:

select distinct sd.name, sp.program_name from master..sysprocesses sp
	inner join master..sysdatabases sd on sd.dbid=sp.dbid 
	where sd.name='nc208'
	order by 1,2

While executing PHP5+Apache2:
database	Apache HTTP Server
database	SQL Query Analyzer                                                                                                              
database	SQL Query Analyzer - Object Browser                                                                                             

When PHP script ends:
database	SQL Query Analyzer                                                                                                              
database	SQL Query Analyzer - Object Browser                                                                                             

PHP5+Apache2 CLOSES CONNECTION --> not there when script finishes.

While executing the same on PHP5+IIS:
database	Internet Information Services
database	SQL Query Analyzer                                                                                                              
database	SQL Query Analyzer - Object Browser                                                                                             

When PHP script ends:
database	Internet Information Services
database	SQL Query Analyzer                                                                                                              
database	SQL Query Analyzer - Object Browser                                                                                             

PHP5+IIS KEEPS CONNECTION OPEN for re-use --> at least for 60 seconds, which is a default OLEDB driver setting I think.