What are the Windows Cache Extension for PHP?

[Flaco]

Hi everyone,
I have done basic thing in PHP programming language, so I am not having much knowledge about it. While going through the tutorials I just read about the Cache Extension of Windows for PHP. Since there was no proper description about it, I didn't got it. So thought to take some help from you guys. Please explain me what are the Windows Cache Extension for PHP? Help me as soon as possible.!!

[Bigga Lexx]

Windows Cache Extension for PHP is a PHP accelerator that is used to increase the speed of PHP applications running on Windows and Windows Server. Once the Windows Cache Extension for PHP is enabled and loaded by the PHP engine, PHP applications can take advantage of the functionality without any code changes. The extension is currently supported only on the following configurations :

• Windows XP SP3 with IIS 5.1 and "FastCGI Extension
• Windows Server 2003 with IIS 6.0 and "FastCGI Extension
• Windows Vista SP1 with IIS 7.0 and FastCGI Module

[Rob Dizzle]

PHP is a processing engine script that reads an input stream of data containing text and / or PHP instructions and other data flow occurs more commonly in HTML format. This means that on a web server PHP engine reads, analyzes, compiles and executes a php script whenever requested by a Web client. Reading, analysis and compilation of operations put additional load on the CPU and Web server file system and therefore affects the overall performance of a PHP web application. PHP bytecode (opcode) cache is used to store the compiled script bytecode shared memory so it can be re-used by the PHP engine for subsequent executions of the same script.

[DANIEL 602]

Even with the bytecode cache PHP enabled, the PHP engine has access to the script files in a file system. When the PHP scripts are stored on a remote UNC share files, file operations introduce significant performance overhead. Extending Windows cache for PHP includes a cache file that is used to store the contents of the PHP script files in the shared memory, which reduces the amount of file system operations performed by the PHP engine.

[Glenny]

PHP Scripts often include or work with files using relative paths of files. Each relative path has to be converted to an absolute path to the PHP engine. When a PHP application uses many PHP files and access them on routes, the operation of resolving relative paths to absolute paths can negatively impact application performance. Extending Windows cache for PHP provides a connection cache file path, which is used to store the mappings between file paths absolute and relative, thereby reducing the number of resolutions relative path to the PHP engine has to perform.

[kattman]

The following are the WinCache Functions :

• wincache_fcache_fileinfo - Retrieves information about cached files in the file cache
• wincache_fcache_meminfo - Retrieves information about file cache memory usage
• wincache_ocache_fileinfo - Retrieves information about cached files in the opcode cache
• wincache_ocache_meminfo - Retrieves information about opcode cache memory usage
• wincache_refresh_if_changed - Refreshes the cache entries for the cached files
• wincache_rplist_fileinfo - Retrieves information about resolve cache file path
• wincache_rplist_meminfo - Retrieves information about memory usage by the resolve cache file path