Submitted by eddieb on Tue, 06/30/2015 - 20:33
I know it is possible to run a parallel version of PHP in Virtualmin. I currently run 5.4.16 along with 5.3.3 in CentOS 6.x
Parallel versions are a pain to deal with. Extra PHP packages (for example, mCrypt) are hard to find/install/maintain. The cli defaults to the main version.
Is is possible to, in CentOS 7.1, to make php 5.6.x as the only, or at least the main (in /etc/php) version, without breaking virtualmin?
This is going to determine if I can keep using (and paying) for Virtualmin or I will have to move to something like Debian.
Thank you
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Virtualmin doesn't have strong opinions on what PHP version you use. If there are PHP 5.6 packages you want to use, Virtualmin will support them (possibly with a few configuration tweaks, which we're happy to help you figure out). Virtualmin also supports Debian, if you want to switch operating systems.
Submitted by andreychek on Tue, 06/30/2015 - 21:14 Comment #2
I wanted to mention that Ubuntu 14.04 comes with PHP 5.5.9, and Debian 7 comes with PHP 5.6.9.
Both of those distributions are very well supported by Virtualmin.
There isn't a PHP 5.6.x package available for CentOS 6 in any of the repositories we regularly test. However, there are some out there in other third party repositories.
We usually recommend against using third party repositories... but if you wanted to try that, I might suggest trying it first on a test server, before changing the PHP version on your live server.
Since Virtualmin has Grade A support for Debian 7 and Ubuntu 14.04, if you were considering a OS switch anyhow, you might consider one of them. Migrating to a new server is straight forward, and can be done with the following instructions:
https://www.virtualmin.com/documentation/system/migrate
Submitted by eddieb on Tue, 06/30/2015 - 21:58 Comment #3
Great, thanks.
Can I make PHP 5.6, or whatever is available for centOS via a 3rd party repo, the only or at least the main/default/cli (/etc/php) install in Virtualmin/CentOS?
Thanks
Submitted by andreychek on Tue, 06/30/2015 - 22:07 Comment #4
The only alternate PHP version we test with CentOS is the one that comes with the SCL repository... that one is designed to run side-by-side with your existing PHP version.
There are other third party repositories out there with alternate PHP versions designed to replace your existing PHP packages.
We generally recommend against those, as we don't do any testing with them, and they usually require changes to the PHP configuration in order to work properly.
That said, they can work, and a number of users in the Virtualmin community do use those.
If you choose to use one of those, my suggestion would be to test it out first on a test server before attempting to install it on your live server.
As Joe mentioned, if you run into problems trying to get PHP from a third party repository working, let us know and we can offer some assistance. But I highly recommend against installing it onto your live server until you've had a chance to experiment with it on a test server.