x-httpd-php5s <— s! on Bluehost

Question

I'm trying to replicate a web-site on a test-server. However, on the test-server, .php files don't get interpreted. I found that the cause is a .htaccess file in the document root. Its contents:

# Use PHP5 Single php.ini as default
AddHandler application/x-httpd-php5s .php
RewriteEngine On
#RewriteRule ^$ index.php [QSA]
RewriteRule ^(.*)$    /web/$1

How do I configure Apache2/PHP5 to support the handler application/x-httpd-php5s ? Is there any software-package which makes this handler available?

Update: It may be a handler specific to Bluehost.com. Am currently investigating this...

Update 2: To avoid having to change the .htaccess file, which would introduce inconsistencies, I added a handler "application/x-httpd-php5s" to Apache:

AddHandler application/x-httpd-php5s .php
Action application/x-httpd-php5s /cgi-bin/php5

However, that handler will not behave as on the production server, where it causes the PHP interpreter to use a php.ini in the document root and use it for all subdirectories. A somewhat ugly workaround is, for example, to symlink that php.ini to the global php.ini on the test-server.

Answer 1

I have been using Bluehost for a long time. What you are talking about is only the php.ini file that gets loaded.

AddHandler application/x-httpd-php5s .php

Loads a single php.ini file for all sites hosted on there server. That php.ini file is usually found in the public_html folder.

If you change it to;

AddHandler application/x-httpd-php5 .php

Then the server will look for php.ini in the same folder as your .htaccess file.

The "s" at the after the 5 means single.

Answer 2

AddHandler application/x-httpd-php5s is the source handler.

All you have to do is change it to AddHandler application/x-httpd-php5 .php

Answer 3

I have since convinced my client to move away from Bluehost, for performance reasons. So it's a non-issue for us now. However, from what I've seen, I am pretty certain that x-httpd-php5s this is a Bluehost specific handler.