Webstack - PHP85 Installation

Created by: Lester Caine, Last modification: 7 May 2026

Things are definitely starting to pull together! The problem with the simple switching from PHP8.4 to PHP8.5 by SUSE is that PHP8.5 does not include the two firebird drivers, or rather pdo_firebird which should be included with a standard PHP install has gone missing. I was of cause anticipating a lot of aggro replacing my PHP8.4 builds with 8.5 ones, but in reality it was something of a doddle. Of cause it would have been a little easier if I had removed the lock on zypper that blocked php8* packages from being updated (zypper removelock 'php8*') That had been put in place initially to protect the php8.4 install.

First problem is to get the source code to work with and for pdo_firebird that is in the master php-src repository. Just a matter of cloning a copy into /srv/git and then navigating down to php-src/ext/pdo_firebird. The three simple steps and we have the required file in the modules folder of this extension.

cd /srv/git
git clone https://github.com/php/php-src.git
cd php-src/ext/pdo_firebird
phpize
CPPFLAGS=-I/usr/include/firebird ./configure
make

Then it's just a matter of copying it over to the main php extensions directory

sudo mv modules/pdo_firebird.so /usr/lib64/php8/extensions/pdo_firebird.so

php-firebird is no more difficult, and we start with the code maintained in the FirebirdSQL account on github, and running the same sequence once again.

cd /srv/git
git clone https://github.com/FirebirdSQL/php-firebird.git
cd php-firebird
phpize
CPPFLAGS=-I/usr/include/firebird ./configure
make
sudo mv modules/interbase.so /usr/lib64/php8/extensions/interbase.so

It would be nice at some point to rename this extension and only support the fbird_ commands but it works ... These were the only two extensions missing from my install as the initial test of php showed and as soon as the two were installed it fired up clean.

srv10:/etc/webstack # php -v
Zend OPcache requires Zend Engine API version 420240924.
The Zend Engine API version 420250925 which is installed, is newer.
Contact Zend Technologies at http://www.zend.com/ for a later version of Zend OPcache.

PHP Warning:  PHP Startup: interbase: Unable to initialize module
Module compiled with module API=20240924
PHP    compiled with module API=20250925
These options need to match
 in Unknown on line 0
PHP Warning:  PHP Startup: PDO_Firebird: Unable to initialize module
Module compiled with module API=20240924
PHP    compiled with module API=20250925
These options need to match
 in Unknown on line 0
PHP 8.5.5 (cli) (built: Apr 21 2026 17:29:13) (NTS)
Copyright (c) The PHP Group
Zend Engine v4.5.5, Copyright (c) Zend Technologies
    with Zend OPcache v8.5.5, Copyright (c), by Zend Technologies
srv10:/etc/webstack # php -v
PHP 8.5.5 (cli) (built: Apr 21 2026 17:29:13) (NTS)
Copyright (c) The PHP Group
Zend Engine v4.5.5, Copyright (c) Zend Technologies
    with Zend OPcache v8.5.5, Copyright (c), by Zend Technologies

No need for opcache extension as OPcache is compiled into PHP8.5 - no separate ini needed, appears under 'Z' (Zend OPcache) in phpinfo, not under 'O'!