Please check back on this page frequently as it will be updated as we obtain feedback during testing.

Near the end of 2013, Webserve will undergo a number of upgrades and enhancements. This document will provide you with details on the changes being made as well as how you can test these upgrades on your website prior to it being moved into production.

The exact timing of the upgrade will depend on your feedback after testing. Hence we need your help.

General List of Changes

  • RHEL 4 32 bit -> RHEL 6, 64 bit
  • Apache 1.3.39 -> Apache 2
  • PHP 5.2 -> PHP 5.3
  • Perl 5.8.8 -> Perl 5.16
  • GCC 3.4.6 -> GCC 4
  • Python 2.5 -> Python 2.7
  • IUauth -> CAS

Testing Your Site

As part of the upgrade process, web developers need to test the impact of the upgrades on their Webserve accounts prior to the upgrades being moved into production. This is especially true for accounts that have applications that have been developed or downloaded into the account. A simple process has been established to accommodate this testing. For instructions on how to test see: Testing your site

Specific Changes That May Cause Problems

Most Webserve accounts will not experience any problems with the upgrade, however in some rare cases applications may stop functioning as expected. Below are known issues that may be caused as part of the upgrade. We've provided documentation on what the issues are and how they can be addressed.

Updated Mar 5, 2013 

Controlling PHP Version

PHP 5.3 will become the default version of PHP. Files with the following extensions will use PHP 5.3 : 

.php, .phtml, .php4
Older PHP versions (PHP5.2 and PHP4) are available if absolutely needed, but a .htaccess file must be prepared to map file extensions to the older versions. PHP 5.4 will also be available. For instructions on how to switch versions of PHP see: Controlling the version of PHP executed

PHPRC and php.ini

A few accounts use a .htaccess file to define PHPRC – an environment variable that points to the php.ini file that should be used in place of the global php.ini file. For example:

SetEnv PHPRC /ip/account/location/php.ini

The end result with PHP 5.3 is that the global php.ini is not read – only the one defined in the .htaccess file via PHPRC. This may cause applications to fail due to the more restrictive defaults set in PHP 5.3 (as described in the link below). For instructions on how to read the global php.ini first, followed by a php.ini file in your account see: PHPRC and php.ini

Changes to .htaccess files

Using multiple authentication methods in .htaccess files is no longer supported.

This old module allowed a combination of Network ID authentication and local password files. For example:

AuthUserFile IUauth 
AuthUserFile /ip/account/my_password_file

For instructions on how to correct this problem see: Changes to .htaccess files