This guide describes installation of PHP with FastCGI on IIS7 / IIS8 server.

Actual PHP versions work with IIS via FastCGI interface. We will explain how to install FastCGI and configure it to work with PHP.

• Installing the FastCGI Extension for IIS 7
• Windows Server
• Windows 7 and Windows Vista SP1
• Download and Install PHP
• Configure IIS 7 to Handle PHP Requests
• Using IIS Manager
• Setting FastCGI Configuration for Optimal Performance
• Configure default document in IIS
• Testing PHP CGI

Installing the FastCGI Extension for IIS 7 / IIS 8

Windows Server

Add the CGI role service by going to Server Manager -> Roles -> Add Role Services. This enables both the CGI and FastCGI services:

Windows 7 and Windows Vista SP1

Add the CGI feature by going to Control Panel -> Programs and Features -> Turn Windows features on or off. This enables both the CGI and FastCGI services.

Download and Install PHP

1. Download a PHP package for Windows 
   You need the latest version of PHP v5.6 family. Choose ZIP package VC11 x86 Non Thread Safe.
   
   Warning Box Title
   

   Please note that PHP v7.* and x64 versions are not supported at this time.

2. Extract the contents of PHP zip package to a folder on your server, e.g. C:\PHP\
3. Make a copy of the php.ini-production file and name it php.ini
4. Open the php.ini and setup the following parameters. Every parameter already exists in the php.ini and you just need to find it, uncomment (by removing ";" character from the beginning of the line), and change its value. Make sure that you do not have one of these options specified twice in the php.ini file.
   

   memory_limit = 256M
   post_max_size = 128M
   extension_dir = "C:\PHP\ext"
   upload_tmp_dir = "C:\PHP\upload"
   upload_max_filesize = 128M

   max_execution_time = 600
   max_input_time = 600
   max_input_vars = 2000

   cgi.force_redirect = 0
   cgi.fix_pathinfo = 1
   fastcgi.impersonate = 1

   extension=php_curl.dll
   extension=php_mbstring.dll
   extension=php_exif.dll
   extension=php_gd2.dll
   extension=php_ldap.dll
   extension=php_mysqli.dll
   
   session.save_path = "C:\PHP\session"

   session.use_cookies = 1

   Extensions Loading Order
   

   It is required to load "php_mbstring.dll" extension before "php_exif.dll". Make sure that order of extensions in your php.ini is the same as shown above.

5. Create "upload" and "session" sub-directories in the C:\PHP\ directory. You can use different names, just make sure that they match upload_tmp_dir and session.save_path parameters that you've set in the php.ini.
6. Setup date.timezone parameter in php.ini, for example:
   
   date.timezone = "America/New_York"
   

   Chose your city or at least a city from your time zone.

   You can find the full list of possible date.timezone values on PHP.net website.
   
   
7. Save the php.ini.
8. To test if the PHP installation is successful, run the following from the command line prompt:
   
   C:\PHP>php -i
   
   
   If PHP Fails to Start

   VC9 Versions are compiled with the Visual Studio 2008 compiler and have improvements in performance and stability. The VC9 versions require you to have the Microsoft 2008 C++ Runtime (x86)  or the Microsoft 2008 C++ Runtime (x64)  installed. You may need to download these extensions on old versions of Windows if PHP is unable to start.

Testing PHP CGI

After installing the FastCGI extension, and registering and configuring the PHP CGI, you can use KMP normally.

Restart the IIS server to apply all changes that you've made.

To test, create and request an info.php page in your site that contains the following:

You see something like: 

Note that the Server API indicates that PHP is hosted in FastCGI mode.