Improved PHP Performance and Reliability on Windows™

Zend and Microsoft have formed a multi-year strategic collaboration, to enhance the reliability and performance of PHP on the Windows platform. In response to joint customer demand, the two companies have created the first true production-quality PHP environment for Windows.

Zend Core is now certified for Windows Server 2008, enabling high-performance applications to be deployed with confidence on Microsoft’s recently released production server platform. Zend Core updated for Windows Server 2008 will be available in March.

Register to be notified when the certified version is available for download.

Integrated into Windows Server 2008 is FastCGI, which represents the maximum possible performance improvement currently available for Zend Core on the Windows platform.  These enhancements combine to produce a 200% - 300% improvement in performance over previous versions of PHP for Windows hosted systems – performance that is now comparable to Linux-based PHP servers.

For installation instructions on using Fast CGI with PHP and Zend Core as an IIS add-on component, for Windows Vista, Windows Server 2003 / IIS 6, or for Windows XP / IIS 5, click here.

PHP 5.2

PHP 5.2 is the fastest, most robust and reliable PHP version available. Zend certifies that this version is optimum for production environments. PHP 5 supports object oriented programming, easy web services and XML, and much more.

Unified "stack" installer

Simplified installation of the full PHP application stack, including web server, databases, extensions and Zend Framework, now with the capability for unattended deployment to work with leading system management tools.

Zend Admin GUI

Easy, web-based configuration performance benchmarking, easy configuration of extensions and monitoring for your PHP applications. The GUI also includes phpMyAdmin for web based MySQL administration.

Zend Core Subscriptions

Enables users to easily apply software updates from Zend Network, to keep their Zend Core version current with the latest patches, roll back to earlier releases, etc.

Zend Optimizer and Debugger

These extensions make it easy for PHP developers to ensure the quality of their PHP applications and to protect their applications from unauthorized use.

Bundled Zend Framework

Zend Framework is the industry leading open-source software framework for PHP 5 designed to simplify the development of next generation Web 2.0 applications. It eliminates the tedious details of coding, letting you focus on the big picture so you can get your applications done sooner. Its strength is in its highly-modular MVC design, making your code more reliable, reusable and easier to maintain. Please check it out — you may be surprised at how much it can help you. Highlights include:

• Showcase current trends in Web development (Web Services, Ajax, Search, Syndication, …)
• BSD license allows free use of frameworks functions in commercial applications
• Works well with existing PHP libraries (PEAR, Horde, Solar, etc.)

For more information on Zend Framework visit the Zend Framework web site.

Universal DB Support

Zend has packaged support for the most common databases in Zend Core. Zend, working with its database partners IBM, MySQL, and Oracle, has created a set of certified set of database drivers that are bundled with Zend Core. This provides a simplified install process and gives customers the out of the box database connectivity needed by most web applications.

Bundled Apache Web Server

Zend Core includes a bundled copy of the Apache web server. providing an easy to install LAMP/WAMP stack. In addition, the product supports configuration using the Microsoft IIS web server and existing Apache web servers.