adding extension to apt-installed PHP

[Kevin Brown]

> I'm running Debian testing/unstable.  I've recently upgraded to PHP
> 5.1 via apt. I'd like to start using PDO (PHP Data Objects,
> object-oriented database abstraction), but I'm not sure how to get it
> installed/configured on my system.
> 
> PDO is included in the PHP 5.1 source :
> 
> "If you're running a PHP 5.1 release, PDO is included in the
> distribution; it will be automatically enabled when you run
> configure. It is recommended that you build PDO as a shared
> extension, as this will allow you to take advantage of updates that
> are made available via PECL." 
> (http://www.php.net/manual/en/ref.pdo.php).
> 
> But : I don't see any mention of it on my system (in php.ini or by
> using 'locate'), so I'm thinking maybe it wasn't included in the
> version I got via apt.  If that is right, is there a way to extend
> the version I have, or do I need to start from scratch and compile my
> own PHP?  Since PDO can be installed as a shared extension, is there
> a way to compile just the extension and then link it into my existing
> PHP?
> 
> In a more general question, how can I find out how the PHP I have was
> compiled?

vi index.php

<?
phpinfo();
?>

:wq

load index.php up in your browser through your webserver.

e.g. http://localhost/index.php