Description:
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After upgrading from 5.2.13 to 5.3.2, the Apache site I upgraded failed to function.  After reviewing the log files, I noticed that PHP couldn't access the php_mssql.dll extension.  Lo and behold, it was removed from the 5.3 series!  Yet, I see NO REFERENCE to this being done in the 5.3.2, 5.3.1 and 5.3.0 change logs.  This is a pretty MAJOR change...especially for those people using the module!

If you could, please add a note in the change logs stating it was removed, and the following text to the Windows download page to save people the nightmare I went through last night:

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If you are currently running PHP 5.2 and utilizing the php_mssql.dll (Microsoft SQL Server) extension, it has been removed from 5.3.  This was due to the fact that PHP 5.3 is now compiled using the updated VC9 libraries, which no longer includes the ntwdblib library.  Ntwdblib provided the connectivity layer used by the php_mssql.dll extension, and is severely outdated.

If you require connectivity to Microsoft SQL Server, Microsoft has provided an extension that works on the Windows platform only:
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?displaylang=en&FamilyID=ccdf728b-1ea0-48a8-a84a-5052214caad9

Please note that you will need to recode portions of your PHP script to utilize the new library, as it does not use the “mssql_” prefix on functions (it uses “sqlsrv_” as it’s prefix.)

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Thank you!