latest apache + php4 custom compile question (apache 1.3.14-1 + php4.0.3pl1-7)

["Terry Katz" <katz@advanced.org>]

Hello,
  My systems have a custom compiled version of apache and php4 on them
(compiled from debian source).. The reason for this is that we use Oracle as
our back end database (please don't stop here, we pretty much hadn't much
other choice then to use oracle after our stress tests and various other
requirements failed under both mysql and postgresql, and we cannot wait for
the upcoming improvements/features to each of them).. in order to get oracle
support into php it has to be recompiled (obviously) .. however, because the
oracle libraries are linked against pthreads, php has to be as well (libc
issue I read about in the php4 bug database) .. Apache also has to be linked
against pthreads to link in the php4 linked against oracle which is linked
against pthreads ..

  In all previous versions of apache (1.3.12-2 and previous) and php4
(4.0.3pl1-5 and previous), I was able to make the trivial adjustments to get
everything to work (php4 Makefiles have to be adjusted because ldap and lber
libs have to be linked before the oracle clntsh library ... but thats a diff
story).... However, in the latest versions I'm experiencing problems with
the custom compiles ..

  I can compile both apache and php4 from source w/out modification and all
works well .. However, once I add the pthread library to apache ('export
LDFLAGS=-lpthread' in debian/rules), apache segfaults on load with php (with
mhash,mysql and curl extensions loaded, all other extensions are fine if i
remove those three).. I can get away with php4 without mhash and curl but I
need the mysql libs in there .. but it doesn't work .. (this is before even
linking in oracle).. this happens with both php debian binaries + custom
compiled ones against pthreads ...

  Would this be an apache .. php .. or mhash/mysql/curl library problems? I
couldn't easily get the libraries linked against pthreads (setting ldflags
just caused the binaries to be linked, not the libraries)...

  Or... is there an easier/better way of doing this?  I would like to keep
my systems as stock debian as possible .. Its never been a problem
recompiling just apache+php, but if after every upgrade I need to start
recompiling things then that could become a pain .. We also try to always
have the latest technologies available so we keep with the unstable distro
(of course we test out the upgrades on other systems first .. so currently
nothing is broken .. we just can't upgrade until we find a solution;)

Thanks,
  Terry