PHP mysqlnd redirection extension mysqlnd_azure

The source code here is a PHP extension implemented using mysqlnd plugin API (https://www.php.net/manual/en/mysqlnd.plugin.php), which provides redirection feature support. The extension is also available on PECL website at https://pecl.php.net/package/mysqlnd_azure.

Important notice: There is a limitation that for Azure MySQL, redirection is only possible when the connection is configured with SSL, and it will only support TLS 1.2 with FIPS approved cipher for redirection.

Option Usage

In 1.0.x versions, the option is with name mysqlnd_azure.enabled. When redirection is turned on, but connection does not use SSL, or server does not support redirection, or redirected connection fails to connect for any non-fatal reason while the proxy connection is still a valid one, it will fallback to the first proxy connection. The detailed usage of the option enableRedirect is as follows: (Version 1.0.x. Config name: mysqlnd_azure.enabled. Valid value: on/off. Default value: off)

off(0)	- It will not use redirection.
on(1)	- It will use redirection if possible (Connection is with SSL and Server supports/need redirection). - If connection does not use SSL, or server does not support redirection, or redirected connection fails to connect for any non-fatal reason while the proxy connection is still a valid one, it will fallback to the first proxy connection.

Since 1.1.0RC1, the logic changes as follows:

• The option mysqlnd_azure.enabled is renamed to mysqlnd_azure.enableRedirect, and there is a new option value "preferred" provided.
• The detailed usage of the option enableRedirect is as follows:

(Version 1.1.0RC1. Config name: mysqlnd_azure.enableRedirect. Valid value: on/off/preferred. Default value: off)

off(0)	- It will not use redirection.
on(1)	- If SSL is off, no connection will be made, return error: "mysqlnd_azure.enableRedirect is on, but SSL option is not set in connection string. Redirection is only possible with SSL." - If on server side redirection is not supported, abort the first connection and return error: "Connection aborted because redirection is not enabled on the MySQL server or the network package doesn't meet meet redirection protocol." - If server supports redirection, but the redirected connection failed for any reason, also abort the first proxy connection. Return the error of the redirected connection.
preferred(2)	- It will use redirection if possible. - If connection does not use SSL, or server does not support redirection, or redirected connection fails to connect for any non-fatal reason while the proxy connection is still a valid one, it will fallback to the first proxy connection.

Name and Extension Version

Extension name: mysqlnd_azure

Required PHP min version: PHP7.2.15+ and PHP7.3.2+.

Valid version:

• 1.0.0 Change: initial version. Limitation: cannot install with pecl on linux; cannot work with 7.2.23+ and 7.3.10+
• 1.0.1 Change: with pecl install command line support on linux. Limitation: cannot work with 7.2.23+ and 7.3.10+
• 1.0.2 Change: fix compatibility problem with 7.2.23+ and 7.3.10+. Limitation: crash when working with PDO interface with flag PDO::ATTR_PERSISTENT=>false
• 1.0.3RC Change: fix the crash problem when working with PDO interface with flag PDO::ATTR_PERSISTENT=>false. This version is marked as beta, so please use pecl install mysqlnd_azure-1.0.3RC to install when using pecl.
• 1.0.3 Change: Remove the use of is_using_redirect flag. More strict validation and new test cases with php built-in web server.
• 1.1.0RC1 Change:
  1. Rename option mysqlnd_azure.enabled to mysqlnd_azure.enableRedirect, and add a new option value "preferred".
  2. When enableRedirect is "preferred", it will use redirection if possible. If connection does not use SSL, or server does not support redirection, or redirected connection fails to connect for any non-fatal reason while the proxy connection is still a valid one, it will fallback to the first proxy connection.
  3. When enableRedirect is "on", SSL is off, no connection will be made, return error "mysqlnd_azure.enableRedirect is on, but SSL option is not set in connection string. Redirection is only possible with SSL."
  4. When enableRedirect is "on", but on server side redirection is not supported, abort the first connection and return error "Connection aborted because redirection is not enabled on the MySQL server or the network package doesn't meet meet redirection protocol."
  5. When enableRedirect is "on" and server supports redirection, but the redirected connection failed for any reason, also abort the first proxy connection. Return the error of the redirected connection.

Following is a brief guide of how to install using pecl or build and test the extension from source.

Step to install using PECL

The PECL link is available at https://pecl.php.net/package/mysqlnd_azure. Following steps assume that php and php-mysql have already been normally installed on each platform.

Setup

Linux

Example to install required tools for php7.3 on Ubuntu:

• sudo apt-get install php-pear
• sudo apt-get install php7.3-dev

Example to install required tools for php7.3 on Redhat 7.4:

• sudo yum --enablerepo=epel,remi-php73 install php-devel
• sudo yum --enablerepo=epel,remi-php73 install php-pear
• //If you cannot find the package, there may be a need to renable related repository, e.g. enable REMI,EPEL using following command
• rpm -Uvh https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/epel/epel-release-latest-7.noarch.rpm
• rpm -Uvh http://rpms.famillecollet.com/enterprise/remi-release-7.rpm

Install

Linux

sudo pecl install mysqlnd_azure

For beta version like 1.0.3RC, please specify the version number, e.g. pecl install mysqlnd_azure-1.0.3RC

Windows

Download the corresponding dll package from the DLL link on https://pecl.php.net/package/mysqlnd_azure. Extract the zip file, find the dll file named with php_mysqlnd_azure.dll, and put it under extension_dir (Follow the configure step below to get the value).

You may use following command to check the thread safety setting of the php:

• php -i | findstr "Thread"

If you cannnot determine the x86/64 version of the php, you may use following script to figure out:

switch(PHP_INT_SIZE) {
    case 4:
        echo '32-bit version of PHP', "\n";
        break;
    case 8:
        echo '64-bit version of PHP', "\n";
        break;
    default:
        echo 'PHP_INT_SIZE is ' . PHP_INT_SIZE, "\n";
}

Configure

The configuration step is same with that of build from source. Check content below for Linux or Windows platform.

Step to build on Linux

Setup

• Install phpize for build using following command

  • Ubuntu: apt-get install php7.x-dev
    //use the version that corresponds to your PHP version, i.e. if you use PHP7.3, use php7.3-dev here

  • Redhat: yum install php7x-php-devel
    //e.g. php72-php-devel. after install if you still cannot find phpize or php-config, you need to link phpize and php-config in order to make it work correctly:

    • ln -s /opt/remi/php72/root/bin/phpize /usr/bin/phpize
    • ln -s /opt/remi/php72/root/bin/php-config /usr/bin/php-config
    • //If you cannot find the package, there may be a need to renable related repository, e.g. enable REMI,EPEL using following command
    • rpm -Uvh https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/epel/epel-release-latest-7.noarch.rpm
    • rpm -Uvh http://rpms.famillecollet.com/enterprise/remi-release-7.rpm

Compile

• Chose your folder to hold the source code, e.g. mysqlnd_azure, and cd to it
• git clone https://github.com/microsoft/mysqlnd_azure .
• git checkout to corresponding branch
• run
  • phpize
  • ./configure
  • make
• After that, you will find a .so file named mysqlnd_azure.so under ./modules folder.

Install and configure

Then you can run make install to put the .so to your php so library. However this may not add the configuration file for you automatically. So the alternative way is using following steps:

• run php -i, you will find two field extension_dir and Scan this dir for additional .ini files, you can find it using php -i | grep "extension_dir" or grep "dir for additional .ini files".
• put mysqlnd_azure.so under extension_dir.
• under directory for additional .ini files, you will find the ini files for the common used modules, e.g. 10-mysqlnd.ini for mysqlnd, 20-mysqli.ini for mysqli. Create a new ini file for mysqlnd_azure here. Make sure the alphabet order of the name is after that of mysqnld, since the modules are loaded according to the name order of the ini files. E.g. if mysqlnd ini is with name 10-mysqlnd.ini,then name the ini as 20-mysqlnd-azure.ini. In the ini file, add the following two lines:
  • extension=mysqlnd_azure
  • mysqlnd_azure.enableRedirect = on/off/preferred
    • Notice: since 1.1.0RC1, if this value is set to on, the connection must be configured with SSL, and it requires server support redirection. Otherwise, the connection will fail. Please check the Option Usage section for detailed information.

Step to build on Windows

Set up

There need more steps to build the extension under Windows, and it willl use the php-sdk-binary-tools developed for help. The detailed step is decribed on https://wiki.php.net/internals/windows/stepbystepbuild_sdk_2. And it is repeated here:

• If compiling PHP 7.2+: Install Visual Studio 2017 If compiling PHP 7.4+: Install Visual Studio 2019

• If compiling PHP 7.2+ open either the “VS2017 x64 Native Tools Command Prompt” or the “VS2017 x86 Native Tools Command Prompt”.

• Fetch the latest stable SDK tag from https://github.com/Microsoft/php-sdk-binary-tools The new PHP SDK is required, when building PHP 7.2+ Read the PHP SDK specific notes on the Github repository page

• Run the phpsdk_buildtree batch script which will create the desired directory structure:

  • phpsdk_buildtree phpdev

• The phpsdk_buildtree script will create the path according to the currently VC++ version used and switch into the newly created directory. cd to C:\php-sdk\phpdev\vX##\x##, where: vX## is the compiler version you are using (eq vc14 or vs16) x## is your architecture (x86 or x64) For example: C:\php-sdk\phpdev\vc15\x64\ for PHP7.2+

• Under the folder, git clone php source code from https://github.com/php/php-src.git Fecth the related version, e.g. PHP-7.2.20

• cd to php-src directory

• use the PHP SDK tools to fetch the suitable dependencies automatically for a valid branch by calling

  • phpsdk_deps -u

• Extract mysqlnd_azure code https://github.com/microsoft/mysqlnd_azure to the php-source-code-folder\ext\mysqlnd_azure(a new directory need to create), e.g. to C:\php-sdk\phpdev\vc15\x64\php-src\ext\mysqlnd_azure. Or create another folder with name "pecl" which is in parallel with php source, e.g. C:\php-sdk\phpdev\vc15\x64\pecl, and extract the code there in folder mysqlnd_azure. After this, the code directory should look like C:\php-sdk\phpdev\vc15\x64\php-src\ext\mysqlnd_azure, or C:\php-sdk\phpdev\vc15\x64\pecl\mysqlnd_azure

Compile

• Invoke the starter script, for example for Visual Studio 2017 64-bit build, invoke
  • phpsdk-vc15-x64.bat
• checkout to corresponding branch
• run buildconf
• run configure.bat --disable-all --enable-cli --with-mysqlnd --enable-mysqlnd_azure=shared
• run nmake
• after that, you will find a dll under .\x64\Release_TS\ with name php_mysqlnd_azure.dll, this is the target library.

Install and configure

• Use php -i | find "extension_dir" to find the extension_dir, copy php_mysqlnd_azure.dll there
• Use php -i | find "Loaded Configuration File" to find the ini file location, modify the ini file with the following extra lines:
  • Under the Dynamic Extensions section add:
    • extension=mysqlnd_azure
  • Under the Module Settings section add:
    • [mysqlnd_azure]
    • mysqlnd_azure.enableRedirect = on/off/preferred - Notice: since 1.1.0RC1, if this value is set to on, the connection must be configured with SSL, and it requires server support redirection. Otherwise, the connection will fail. Please check the Option Usage section for detailed information.

Test

• Currently redirection is only possible when the connection is via ssl, and it need that the redirection feature switch is enabled on server side. Following is a snippet to test connection with redirection:

  echo "mysqlnd_azure.enableRedirect: ", ini_get("mysqlnd_azure.enableRedirect"), "\n";
  $db = mysqli_init();
  //The connection must be configured with SSL for redirection test
  $link = mysqli_real_connect ($db, 'your-hostname-with-redirection-enabled', 'user@host', 'password', "db", 3306, NULL, MYSQLI_CLIENT_SSL);
  if (!$link) {
     die ('Connect error (' . mysqli_connect_errno() . '): ' . mysqli_connect_error() . "\n");
  }
  else {
    echo $db->host_info, "\n"; //if redrection succeed, you will find the host_info differ from your-hostname used to connect
    $res = $db->query('SHOW TABLES;'); //test query with the connection
    print_r ($res);
	$db->close();
  }