Recently in our office at YIPL, we needed to increase the upload_max_filesize and post_max_size of one of our clients. We run on a virtual private server with WHM and cPanel.

The default php runs as a FastCGI with suexec enabled.

Here is how I configured apache to run custom php.ini.

1. Know where your existing php.ini file exists.

Just create a phpinfo.php file in your public_html or www folder. Use the phpinfo() function know the current location of default php.ini.

/home/username/public_html/phpinfo.php

<?php
phpinfo();
?>

Access the file with http://www.sitename.com/phpinfo.php.

2. Copy the file inside your cgi-bin folder

$ cp /usr/local/lib/php.ini /home/username/public_html/cgi-bin

3. Create a custom cgi executable to run php.

$ vim /home/username/public_html/php.cgi

Add following lines

#!/bin/sh
/usr/local/cpanel/cgi-sys/php5 -c /home/username/public_html/cgi-bin/
# Note, the parameter after -c is the location of new php.ini

Allow executable permission to the new php executable

$ chmod +x /home/username/public_html/cgi-bin/php.cgi

4. Modify .htaccess to run php with our new executable by adding the following lines at the top

$ head /home/username/public_html/.htaccess
Action application/x-httpd-php5 /cgi-bin/php.cgi


#.. other commands

5. Make sure new configuration is loaded.

The http://www.sitename.com/phpinfo.php file should now show /home/username/public_html/cgi-bin/php.ini as the loaded setting file.

6. Remove phpinfo.php for security purposes

$ rm /home/username/www/phpinfo.php

References

• http://drupal.org/node/147534
• http://forums.cpanel.net/f5/fastcgi-fcgid-php-ini-per-user-100133.html