Score:0

Server

Apache cannot find PHP

MonkeyZeus

6/12/24, 7:00 PM

I have a shortcut:

c:/path/to/app1/current_php-cgi.exe.lnk

I am trying to do this:

FcgidWrapper "c:/path/to/app1/current_php-cgi.exe.lnk" .php

And Apache has no issue with the syntax but after reboot, any requests for a PHP file result in this error:

[Mon Jun 12 12:57:50.962946 2023] [fcgid:error] [pid 25564:tid 680]
(OS 193)%1 is not a valid Win32 application.:
mod_fcgid: can't run c:/path/to/app1/current_php-cgi.exe.lnk

^ separated to multi-line for easier reading

Is my desire simply unsupported?

If you want to know why, it's because I wish to have absolutely minimal downtime/reconfiguration when a PHP upgrade needs to happen. I want "app1" to have it's own PHP install and let app1 happily live even if "app2" might be ready for a PHP upgrade or maybe "app3" requires an older version of PHP.

2 + 0

php

mod-fcgid

apache-2.4

windows-server-2022

Score:2

Server

Marcus Müller

6/12/24, 8:41 PM

a link is not an executable that can be run as is, so that's not surprising. The error message is on point:

is not a valid Win32 application.

Hence

Is my desire simply unsupported?

Yes, but it's also that it doesn't make any sense. Instead of specifying a link there, just specify the path to the actual executable. That's why that path is configurable.

I want "app1" to have it's own PHP install and let app1 happily live even if "app2" might be ready for a PHP upgrade or maybe "app3" requires an older version of PHP.

You can have different FCGI wrappers for different locations. That's way more sensible than trying to bend some link.

+ 3

MonkeyZeus

6/13/24, 2:30 PM

So would this be a limitation of `mod_fcgid` not resolving `lnk` files? I'm able to successfully use `lnk`s in `bat` files and it has no problem with them.

Marcus Müller

6/13/24, 2:32 PM

no, that's not a restriction of mod_fcgid. You're simply attributing properties to .lnk files that they don't have. In a batch file, the command interpreter reads the link file and just executes the code. That happens only there and when you double-click in windows explorer. A lnk file on windows is *not* in a way equivalent to the executable it links to.

MonkeyZeus

6/23/24, 7:15 PM

I figured it out finally, see my answer below =)

Score:0

Server

MonkeyZeus

6/23/24, 7:10 PM

I've found that the most cross-compatible way to achieve my goal is to use a symlink to PHP's parent folder:

cd C:\path\to\app1\php
mklink /d current_php_dir C:\path\to\app1\php\8.2.1_x64

and then use this in the Apache config:

FcgidWrapper "c:/path/to/app1/php/current_php_dir/php-cgi.exe" .php

This now allows for the Apache app1 vhost, scheduled app1 tasks, and shell executions made by app1 to seamlessly point to the same PHP version at all times.

+ 0

Elon Musk

I sit in a Tesla and translated this thread with Ai:

EN: Apache cannot find PHP

Post an answer

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