This entry in our frequently asked questions is directed to advanced
users,
everything you do is at your own risk and responsibility.
Note! If you change your PHP configuration, things may stop
working, either immediately or later. See here for more info about the PHP versions and the webservers.
General info
Our webservers' standard PHP configuration is good enough for the
majority of applications. If you know you need different config
settings, you may customize the configuration at your own
risk. Such customization may be:
- IonCube
- Settings for error display, timezone, etc.
- Resource limits, e.g. memory (memory_limit, post_max_size,
upload_max_filesize), runtime (max_execution_time, max_input_time) etc.
MAY NOT be INCREASED or EXCEEDED.
As opposed to mod_php based solutions, you
cannot customize PHP config settings directly in
.htaccess.
If you try to do so, you will get "internal server error".
If you customize settings as those mentioned above, and you get
errors or malfunctions in your software, double-check that you have
not typoed or made other mistakes in your customizations. If you
cannot make it work at all, leave it to an expert, or revert to our
standard configuration. We cannot provide support for such
customization.
If you increase or exceed resource limits (which is not permitted), we
may have to deactivate the PHP code in question and/or the
configuration file. If your resource needs are greater than which we
can provide, you should use a dedicated server or virtual private
server.
PHP is configured at several levels
- Runtime level (in the PHP script, PHP_INI_USER, PHP_INI_ALL,
ini_set()
- Directory level (you decide, PHP_INI_PERDIR, use
.user.ini)
- System level (central configuration, we decide, "Master value",
PHP_INI_SYSTEM and our
php.ini)
- Hardcoded level (PHP compilation/installation, we do not change
anything from Debian's defaults)
PHP's web pages have an overview over available settings.
Configuration of the PHP_INI_USER and PHP_INI_ALL types can be set in
each script (or an include file), regardless of the installed PHP
version.
ini_set()
PHP_INI_USER
PHP_INI_ALL
Most requests for system level changes to variables are unnecessary,
the PHP developer/maintainer may set these in the program/script by using
ini_set(),
and it's very easy to check and confirm settings with ini_get().
Example ini_set() usage
<?php
ini_set("display_errors",1);
print(ini_get("date.timezone")."\n");
ini_set("date.timezone","Europe/Berlin");
print(ini_get("date.timezone")."\n");
?>
If you need to configure the timezone, replace Europe/Berlin with the timezone you require. Standard for our PHP is "Europe/Oslo", so you may wish to change that.
.user.ini
PHP_INI_PERDIR
PHP_INI_USER
Some settings cannot be performed in a program/script. If you create
your own .user.ini in the www folder,
you only need to specify your customizations, as opposed to in php.ini, where you also must
specify those you don't customize.
Example .user.ini
display_errors = On
date.timezone = "Asia/Jakarta"
If you need to configure the timezone, replace Asia/Jakarta with the timezone you want to use. See also PHP's supported timezone list.
Extensions, modules, and plugins
Many extensions can be installed in your own webhotel and loaded by a
modified php.ini. They cannot be loaded
with .user.ini.
We do not provide support for such extensions, even
if a very nice support person helped you install it the first time.
Several such extensions are so-called PHP accelerators or "optimizers", which essentially offer you the following two services:
- Theoretical performance improvements
- Obfuscated/encrypted source code
The theoretical performance improvements will often backfire as lost performance, because the accelerators assume that PHP is running as integrated, optimizable code (mod_php) in the webserver itself. Our webservers run PHP as CGI under uWSGI for added security, which means that your main interest will probably be in obfuscation/encryption.
Some PHP software require e.g. IonCube, your software vendor will
provide you with the information necessary for deciding what to
use. We do not provide support for such extensions.
The examples below are provided for your convenience only, and you may
use them as examples on how to load extensions in general, at
your own risk and responsibility.
IonCube
NOTE: We do not provide support for IonCube.
Users of PHP do not need their own php.ini. Instead, we recommend that you select IonCube in our control panel, click on "View/change" next to "PHP". The change may take 10-30 minutes.
You cannot have your own php.ini with this option. This is a simplification in, so that you won't have to figure out how to load IonCube via php.ini.
If you have an extension
from IonCube, make
sure that you use the version for Linux (x86-64) and your webhotel's
PHP version. You can load it by adding a separate line in
your php.ini. We do not provide support for IonCube.
Use the Linux (x86-64) version. The x86 version may also work.
Zend Optimizer/Zend Guard Loader
NOTE: We do not provide support for Zend Guard. Zend Guard does not exist for PHP 7.x and newer, and therefore no longer provide installation.
If you experience problems with Zend Guard, contact your software vendor's support service for upgrade to a version supporting PHP 8.
PECL/PEAR extensions (e.g. Imagick
Imagick and many other extensions are pre-installed and active.
To get a list of our installed and activated PECL/PEAR extensions, either
use phpinfo() or login
to login.domeneshop.no and enter the command pecl l and/or pear l.
You are free to install further PECL extensions to your own webhotel,
but not to our central servers. This is at your own risk. We do not
provide support for this.
Custom extensions
If you need to add/activate additional extensions, PHP permits the
use of the module's complete path in php.ini. This allows
the use of both modules installed by us, and those you choose to
install yourself. As an example, you can use:
extension=/home/1/m/myname/my_extension.so
This is also at your own risk and responsibility.
support
+47 2294 3333 (closed)
