From a 5250 command line, follow these four steps:

1. GO LICPGM
2. Take option 10 (Display installed licensed programs)
3. Scroll down to the licensed program 2ZSVRPI
     (on my system it's the last entry)
4. Read the product description,
     containing version numbers for Zend Server and PHP
     in the form "Zend Server for IBM i [version] ( PHP [version])"

On my IBM i, I see:
2ZSVRPI   *INSTALLED   Zend Server for IBM i 5.6.0 ( PHP 5.3 )
so Zend Server is at 5.6.0 and PHP is 5.3.

Thanks to Zend’s Sam Pinkhasov for this tip.

Date: Thursday, April 5
Time: 11:15am ET
Registration (free): http://tinyurl.com/new-toolkit-20120405

Other presentations in the virtual conference include Jon Paris explaining why PHP is an excellent strategic choice on IBM i, two talks on mobile technology, and more.

I invite you to watch the webcast, ask questions, and learn more about the new toolkit.

The webcast is for COMMON members, so anyone wanting to hear it needs to join COMMON.

I based the presentation on my consulting practice that helps ensure high performance for PHP and Zend Framework applications on IBM i. Good performance is critical for customer acceptance of web sites and mobile applications.

Webcast link: http://www.common.org/index.php/webcasts/upcoming-webcasts.html

Anyone wishing to see just the slides can do that on my site: http://alanseiden.com/presentations and look for “Web performance first aid.”

Zend Core must be at 2.6.1+ because if you uninstall version 2.6.0 or lower,  portions of Zend Server will be uninstalled as well. Therefore, update your old Zend Core to 2.6.1+ before uninstalling.

Resources

• Instructions for safe removal of Zend Core for i5/OS
• Zend Core updates (scroll to bottom of that page)

Thank you to Alex for this honor. This site will continue to offer articles, presentations, event listings, and news about PHP, Zend Framework, IBM i, and other topics of interest to the PHP/i community.

I would like to start with Zend Framework on i5 [IBM i] with Zend Server and ZF’s DB2 database adapter. I got this error message:
Qualified object name SYSCOLUMNS not valid. SQLCODE=-5016

I told Thomas about an improved DB2 adapter, optimized for IBM i, that I’d created in cooperation with Zend. Its usage is explained in my presentation, “From Zero to ZF,” on my Presentations page: http://www.alanseiden.com/presentations/.

Thomas wrote back to say this adapter worked perfectly for him, eliminating the error and improving performance. I believe this DB2 adapter (or something similar) will eventually be included with Zend Framework 2.0, but until then, it works well as a custom adapter.

Boost performance by disabling unneeded extensions

I’ve noticed that Zend Server ships with most extensions enabled, presumably so that developers won’t have to see “extension not enabled” error messages. While the default configuration is fine as a starting point, developers should understand that each extension requires memory when loaded. When every bit of performance counts, it’s best to disable the unused extensions. Note: don’t disable anything till you read Several Extensions to Keep Enabled.

Managing PHP extensions

To manage extensions, Zend Server provides the “Server Setup / Extensions” tab. Each extension can be enabled or disabled with its “Turn on” or “Turn off” links. Changes do not take effect until the “Restart PHP” button is clicked.

Zend Server's Extensions page where PHP extensions are managed

Storage location for extension settings

Zend Server stores extension settings in a set of .INI files, one file per extension. On IBM i, the files are located in /usr/local/ZendSvr/etc/conf.d. Before making large-scale changes, you may wish to back up this folder. Then, if you discover you were overzealous in disabling extensions, you can compare the contents of conf.d with your backup to find out where you went wrong.

Several extensions to keep enabled

In addition to whatever extensions are required by a given application, I’ve found that several extensions are required by Zend Server itself. Do not disable these. So far, I’ve found that Zend Server requires these extensions to be enabled:

• ctype
• iconv
• json
• pdo_mysql
• simplexml (used by new open source toolkit)
• zip

If you accidentally disable an extension required by Zend Server, which you’ll discover when Zend Server fails to start properly, you must re-enable the extension in the correct .INI file and then restart Zend Server from a command line or menu. On IBM i, the command is STRTCPSVR SERVER(*HTTP) RESTART(*HTTP) HTTPSVR(ZENDSVR).

More performance tips to come

I plan to write about more techniques to improve PHP application performance, particularly on IBM i, that I’ve found to be effective in my consulting experience. Performance is a critical part of user experience that developers should not ignore. In addition to this practical need for good performance, I can speak for myself, at least, in saying I feel great satisfaction when I can take a slow application (sometimes the victim of an underpowered server) and, step by step, help it run faster and faster, till the performance is at least acceptable and sometimes quite fast. More to come.

I suggested these steps:

• Attend a conference this fall where PHP will be discussed in an IBM i context. Here is a list of conferences where I (and others) will be speaking. All these conferences are excellent. Pick one and get there.
• Watch webinars at Zend.com. These are geared for PHP on IBM i: http://www.zend.com/en/resources/webinars/i5-os
• If you would like to see details of what Zend Server can do, get in touch and I’ll ask a Zend friend to do a demo for you.
• Attend a local PHP user group, such as one from this PHP user group list.
• For basic PHP knowledge, try the many books available, or check out Zend’s online training. Contact me if you would like advice about training or have specific requirements.

NEUGC: April 11-13, 2011, in Framingham, Mass.
COMMON: May 1-4, 2011, in Minneapolis, Minn.

At each conference I’ll be presenting 6 talks:

• 4 about PHP on IBM i: web services, batch jobs, Zend Framework, and my research into best practices for db2
• one about making web development easier with free tools that run in a web browser (a fun one)
• one non-technical talk about how to stay healthy despite years of professional computer use (fun and interactive)

Both conferences have an exciting lineup of speakers and topics. I plan to learn a lot and meet many great people. If you are there, please say hello.