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Doc Bug #59886 Suggestions for improving install docs
Submitted: 2011-08-07 19:15 UTC Modified: 2014-02-01 11:06 UTC
From: adam at acdinternet dot com Assigned: krakjoe (profile)
Status: Closed Package: APC (PECL)
PHP Version: 5.3.2 OS:
Private report: No CVE-ID: None
View Developer Edit
 [2011-08-07 19:15 UTC] adam at acdinternet dot com 
Description:
------------
I'm on Ubuntu Lucid LTS 10.04 so followed the advice to use the 'php-apc' package: http://packages.ubuntu.com/lucid/php-apc

This packages APC version 3.1.3p1-2. That release isn't listed on the pecl page but '3.1.3p1' is listed as 'beta'.

I hit a problem with APC so wanted to try the latest stable release. Did 'sudo pecl install apc'. That didn't work: 'make test' fails. I did 'sudo apt-get install libpcre3-dev' and THEN the command works. If that's a dependency of some sort, I didn't see it mentioned in the current docs.

So having upgraded safely to APC 3.1.9, my problem remained. I was trying to access 'apc.php' but it looped endlessly until Firefox called it a day. It took a few minutes to think this is because I already have BasicAuth set up within that directory. That was competing with apc.php's authentication and it broke without giving out any clues. I turned off apc.php authentication and that resolved my basic problem.

'apc.php' being available isn't mentioned very clearly: bring that useful tool to the user's attention on the 'installation' page?

A few suggestions to improve the documentation:

- Point out the need for libpcre3 if you want to do the pecl install instead of using the Deb/Ubuntu package.
- Point out that Basic Auth will clash if it already exists but is left on in apc.php.
- Mention the availability of the 'apc.php' tool in more places.

In dev terms it may also be worth improving apc.php's handling where it's already in a protected directory. This probably isn't an edge case because you'll most want apc.php when you're in dev, which is when you'll most want a more general Basic Auth.

Thanks for the work of course and hope these suggestions are useful.

Best regards,

Adam Knowles

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 [2014-02-01 11:06 UTC] krakjoe@php.net
-Status: Open +Status: Closed -Assigned To: +Assigned To: krakjoe
 [2014-02-01 11:06 UTC] krakjoe@php.net 
The apc.php script is mentioned quite clearly in the runtime configuration section of the manual.

We cannot possibly know the requirements for every package for every nix out there, libpcre(3) is a requirement of the build process of PHP itself, many extensions and much of PHP expect there to be pcre headers available. It would not be sensible to try and document this for every extension to which it applies, sufficient to say that if you are engaged in rolling your own, you know about this already.

Questions resolved, its worth a mention that this bug is reported for an unsupported version of PHP, and is not connected to security. This is sufficient to close the bug.

If a current stable version of PHP, the manual, and APC are still not satisfactory, please report the bug for a stable, supported version of PHP.

Thanks for taking the time to make PHP better :)
 
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