Impending End of Life Announcements from the EasyApache Team

[Infopro]

Reposted from the cPanel Blog:

Just like other times in life, sometimes you have to know when to call it a night and retire gracefully. We’re busting out the hard hats and crowbars to say goodbye to our old friends, Apache 1.3/2.0, PHP 5.2, and Microsoft® mod_frontpage, by the end of 2013. While they may be *End-of-Life*, they’ll live on in our memories.

We have marked Apache versions 1.3 and 2.0 as *End-Of-Life*, and they will be removed from EasyApache by the end of 2013. The Apache Software Foundation has ended development and support for both versions, so continued use of those versions poses a risk for security vulnerabilities. We *strongly* recommend that you migrate to a newer and supported version of Apache, such as version 2.2 or 2.4. Both of the newer versions of Apache are available through the EasyApache interface.

*UPDATE:
Previously, PHP 5.2 was scheduled to be removed at the end of August 2013. That date has now been changed to correlate with the removal of Apache 1.3, 2.0, and mod_frontpage at the end of 2013.

*Removed:
PHP 5.2 will be moved to the Custom Modules (“Opt Mods”) section of EasyApache by the end of August 2013.

Since Microsoft® discontinued support for mod_frontpage extensions on Linux servers in 2006, we have also marked the FrontPage service in cPanel & WHM as *End-Of-Life*. FrontPage will be removed from EasyApache by the end of 2013. We *strongly* recommend that you use another method to publish content, such WebDAV or FTP. After FrontPage has been marked as *End-Of-Life*, it will still be available as a Custom Module (“Opt Mods”) for EasyApache; however, we *strongly* discourage its use.

For more information about WebDAV, please visit WebdiskMobile - cPanel Documentation.

For more information about FTP, please visit FTP Accounts - cPanel Documentation.

This is an early notification of pending product changes. Apache 1.3, Apache 2.0, PHP 5.2, and Microsoft® mod_frontpage are still currently available through EasyApache, but we will remove them by the end of 2013.


Original Blog Post: Impending End of Life Announcements from the EasyApache Team

 

[inthukha]

Good step, always be updated with the updated packages. implement PHP 5.4 and Apache 2.4.4

 

[Kent Brockman]

Hi, PHP 5.2 will then be removed by the end of 2013, definitely, finally? What about PHP 5.3? when does its support ends?

 

[ScottTh]

Hi Kent,

PHP 5.2 will be moved to the Custom Modules (“Opt Mods”) page by the end of August 2013: EasyApache: Custom Modules

The EasyApache team released version 3.20.3 on 7/15/2013. This released contained the last updated from PHP in the 5.3 series. We have marked 5.3 as End of Life and set PHP 5.4 as the default PHP option in EasyApache. Here is the change log from that release: Implemented Case 73025 Update PHP to 5.3.27 to resolve CVE-2013-04113 (drop 5.3.25, mark 5.3.26 and 5.3.27 as End-of-Life, and set latest 5.4 to default version).

The EasyApache team is currently working on implementing PHP 5.5. Stay tuned in the near future for our release announcement!

Thanks for the PHP questions and please let us know if you have any more.

 

[Kent Brockman]

Ok. this lead me to think that cPanel will never plan to support dual PHP configs again. As it's used to be back in past versions from 2010. That's right?

 

[kdean]

I think EasyApache 4 is supposed to support multiple PHP installs, but that's been rumored for years now. Seems a bit slow.

 

[ScottTh]

I think EasyApache 4 is supposed to support multiple PHP installs, but that's been rumored for years now. Seems a bit slow.

Hi Kent and kdean,

kdean, please head over to the cPanel Feature Request site and vote on Kent's "multiple PHP install" feature request. This is the best way to pursue new functionality in EasyApache.

Allow to install multiple PHP 5.x versions | cPanel Feature Requests

Kent, thanks for submitting this request and the EasyApache team is monitoring the progress of the request. I've spoken with many other EasyApache users who would like to see the same exact functionality in EasyApache. It's also a discussion that the team has had many times.

Thanks

 

[kdean]

Looks like I already up-voted the multiple PHP versions request.

I just remember reading some info from cPanel that was written a few years ago saying it was planned for the next version of EasyApache since it required a complete rewrite of EA to implement it… but that was years ago. I mean people were talking about PHP 5.2 and 5.3 at the time and now 5.4 and 5.5 are now becoming a concern. This should be an absolutely requires featured so one doesn't need to but a bunch of extra servers just to cover more than 1 PHP.

 

[Kent Brockman]

Kent, thanks for submitting this request and the EasyApache team is monitoring the progress of the request. I've spoken with many other EasyApache users who would like to see the same exact functionality in EasyApache. It's also a discussion that the team has had many times.

Hello Scott. I'd wish this feature request obtain more heads up, since several of the competing hosting management solutions already allow to choose between several PHP editions with the click of a button, and it's a shame that the most widely adopted hosting solution, cPanel, don't include this feature. Please take in account that sometimes websites owners cannot afford an upgrade of the code, and small providers cannot purchase separated servers to host one version of PHP or another depending of what's needed to host (which is what I'm doing by now).

Moreover, I believe I've readed the following somewhere in this forum: cPanel does install a separated, updated version of PHP, to use with some internal processes and third party apps, independently of what you compiled with EasyApache. Is this right?

 

[nospa]

PHP 5.2 should be available as currently, because we still need this for some of our users. As cPanel developers does not make any backports or patches to 5.2 , it does not cost you (cPanel) anything to allow users install PHP 5.2.

And another thing. It is UNACCEPTABLE to post such information on the blog. Who has time to read your blogs???? You should ask your users, make questionary for users, and if there will be some part of us who still need PHP 5.2 or other things which you want to remove , you should allow us to install it!

I pay over 1000 USD monthy for my licences, and I think I should expect better threating!

 

[Zepplin]

Cloudlinux with cagefs supports multiple PHP versions - PHP Selector is a CloudLinux component that sits on top of CageFS. It allows each user to select PHP version & module based on their needs.

Would be nice to see similar in cPanel as well.

 

[ScottTh]

We're getting off topic in this post. Please head over to the Feature Request site to vote on multiple PHP installations and to discuss your thoughts on it.

Allow to install multiple PHP 5.x versions | cPanel Feature Requests

This post is specifically an announcement about maintenance in EasyApache by the end of 2013.

Thanks.

 

[nospa]

I will repeat, maybe you did not understand me well...:

PHP 5.2 should be available as currently, because we still need this for some of our users. As cPanel developers does not make any backports or patches to 5.2 , it does not cost you (cPanel) anything to allow users install PHP 5.2.

And another thing. It is UNACCEPTABLE to post such information on the blog. Who has time to read your blogs???? You should ask your users, make questionary for users, and if there will be some part of us who still need PHP 5.2 or other things which you want to remove , you should allow us to install it!

I pay over 1000 USD monthy for my licences, and I think I should expect better threating!

 

[Infopro]

Hi nospa, are you on the mailing lists?
Mailing Lists | cPanel, Inc.

 

[ScottTh]

I will repeat, maybe you did not understand me well...:

PHP 5.2 should be available as currently, because we still need this for some of our users. As cPanel developers does not make any backports or patches to 5.2 , it does not cost you (cPanel) anything to allow users install PHP 5.2.

And another thing. It is UNACCEPTABLE to post such information on the blog. Who has time to read your blogs???? You should ask your users, make questionary for users, and if there will be some part of us who still need PHP 5.2 or other things which you want to remove , you should allow us to install it!

I pay over 1000 USD monthy for my licences, and I think I should expect better threating!

Hi nospa,

I want to address and answer all your concerns.

First, we understand that some administrators still need access to PHP 5.2 and we will still continue to provide PHP 5.2. Instead of seeing it as an option on the PHP page in EasyApache by default an administrator will need to download PHP 5.2 from our Custom Opt Mod page and then install it on their server. After downloading and installing you will be able to build EasyApache with PHP 5.2. PHP 5.2 will retain all the functionality that it currently provides, although it is no longer maintained by PHP and will not be updated.

Infopro's suggestion about our mailing list is a very good idea too. I understand that you're very busy and that it can be hard to keep up with all the communication tools used today so the mailing list would be a good option. It'll keep you updated with what's happening with cPanel&WHM right in your email inbox.

Mailing Lists | cPanel, Inc.

We're always interested in hearing from all the cPanel and EasyApache users. The best way to communicate with us is through the Feature Request site. Here you can submit ideas that you'd like to see integrated into cPanel&WHM and EasyApache. Other members of the Feature Request community can vote on a feature request and the folks here at cPanel will keep you updated on the project.

cPanel Feature Requests

Please let me know if you have any more questions. Thank you.

 

[Kent Brockman]

First, we understand that some administrators still need access to PHP 5.2 and we will still continue to provide PHP 5.2. Instead of seeing it as an option on the PHP page in EasyApache by default an administrator will need to download PHP 5.2 from our Custom Opt Mod page and then install it on their server. After downloading and installing you will be able to build EasyApache with PHP 5.2. PHP 5.2 will retain all the functionality that it currently provides, although it is no longer maintained by PHP and will not be updated.

Nice.
Unfortunately Custom Mods aren't positively shown in the EasyApache screens, so that no many people is aware of its availability. Since this thread I realized that PHP4 is still available as a Custom Mod, which surprised me because it's not advertised in EasyApache.

 

[nospa]

Yes, I'm on mailing lists, and did not get any information about PHP 5.2

I think , PHP 5.2 should be available as currently by default in EA. You can mark it whatever you want - END OF LIFE, KILLED or BANNED but it should be available the same way it is now. Custom Mods isn't well shown, they are something that we need to dig again in documentation. We don't have time to read documentations each Apache rebuild. It does not cost you anything to keep it as currently. I'm not the only person who need 5.2. We have developed our own system to appile all security patches from 5.3 into 5.2 since it became end-of-life by PHP development team. Out PHP 5.2 is fully patched because all security patches from 5.3 is easy implemented into 5.2. I knot that your developers could say "we do not support custom patches" etc. But this is not a clue. As 5.2 is not something such old as PHP 4 or PHP 3, it is available on almost 80% of hosting companies, you should not make us difficult to maintain our customers and put this PHP 5.2 marked whatever you want, but available as it is now in EA. Please discuss this with your developers and clarify them not to make us life more difficult it is now...

 

[cPanelMichael]

Hello

We appreciate your input on this matter. Our blog is becoming a useful way of communicating information to customers. However, I encourage you to voice any ideas you have about a better contact method (e.g. direct emails) on our feature request system:

Submit A Feature Request

I would like to emphasize that implementing a custom opt module with EasyApache is straightforward. We provide you with the packaged module, and you run a few basic commands to implement it with EasyApache. It's essentially three commands:

cd /var/cpanel/easy/apache/custom_opt_mods
wget http://easyapache.cpanel.net/optmods/$NAME.tar.gz
tar -C /var/cpanel/easy/apache/custom_opt_mods -xzf $NAME.tar.gz

Our support team is also available at all times if you have trouble with these commands. To note, the best way to have your voice heard about the product is by opening a feature request. For instance, you can open a feature request noting that you feel PHP 5.2 should remain a standard module. This allows other users and hosting companies to vote and add their feedback to the request.

Thank you.

 

[mtindor]

Michael,

Could we get some clarification? The version of PHP 5.2 available in EasyApache right now is PHP 5.2.17. However, on the blog ( Impending End of Life Announcements from the EasyApache Team | cPanel Blog ), Scott states that it is PHP 5.2.9 that will be available via the Opt Mods page.

I'm sure that anyone who requires continued use of PHP 5.2 would want to be using PHP 5.2.17 rather than PHP 5.2.9. So I'd appreciate some clarification regarding which version of PHP 5.2 will be available once direct support for PHP 5.2 is removed from EasyApache.

Thanks

Mike

 

[nospa]

Just leave 5.2.17! Don't ask me for feature requests, and other things, I don't have time to seach forums , I work for my clients, and I don't want to have more and more work because your developers have some idea to remove something which is good and working and which is something I need!

I posted feature request for this but I don't see it ....