PHP binary modules that are compiled against PHP will break and need recompiling when the PHP internal API version changes. Clearly this dependency ought to be encoded in the RPM database to avoid unexpected breakage of apps. Therefore the Core PHP package should have a Provide of php(API), php-api or something similar with a version number appropriate to the API that it contains. e.g.: Provides: php(API) = 20020918 Bug #170131 and http://marc.theaimsgroup.com/?t=113745441400005 have references to this problem.
Good idea. "php-api = <integer>" added for 5.1.2-5.
on reflection this should probably have been: php-devel Provides php-api and php Provides php-abi No doubt someone will moan about the API/ABI thing at some point :) (actually, come to think of it, php-devel doesn't Provide anything...maybe that's a new bug)