PHP - SQL Server 2005 express to 2008 standard problem

Question

I have a PHP app running happily on the following system:

• web app: PHP version 5.2.3
• OS: Windows Server 2003 Standard 32 bit
• database: SQL Server 2005 (express)
• web server: IIS 6

I'm trying to get the same thing running on the following:

• web app: PHP version 5.2.11
• OS: Windows Server 2008 Standard 64 bit
• database: SQL Server 2008 Standard 64-bit
• web server: IIS 7

After doing the install and setup I usually do, phpinfo() is running but there is no MSSQL section. I've looked around and found some MS documentation to set up the system using a php_sqlsrv.dll and tried that but it seems to use a different interface to connect to the database (no more mssql_connect(), now it's sqlsrv_connect()). Is this the only way to connect php to SQL Server 2008 or do I just have the setup wrong? If I can go back to PHP 5.2.3 and have it work, that will be fine but I didn't want to undo what I have if it won't help.

Thanks,

Answer 1

There is an extensive tutorial on MSDN on how to do this.

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc793139%28SQL.90%29.aspx

Answer 2

The extension named php_mssql.dll is linked with an old Microsoft library (ntwdblib.dll). This library was last updated with MS SQL Server 6.5. It's a 32 bit library and does not support many of the new features introduced in newer versions of the database. It is possible to compile a version of the extension using FreeTDS. That will give access to the latest version of the TDS protocol. This also allows you to access SQL Server from a Linux/Unix based system.

The extension named php_sqlsrv.dll is developed and maintained by Microsoft gives much better support for the newer versions of SQL server and it should work in both the environments you describe.