Hi Milan,
many thanks: your help gave me a big step further in right direction.

--- In firebird-php@yahoogroups.com, Milan Babuskov <milanb@...> wrote:
>
> apt-get install php5-devel (or whatever it is called)
> apt-get install build-essential

It's name is php5-dev, found it with Synaptic.

> Once you're done, do to ext/interbase and run 'phpize'.
Ran 'phpize'.

> ./configure --with-interbase=shared,/path/to/firebird

Here problems arose:
checking for InterBase support... yes, shared
checking for isc_detach_database in -lfbclient... no
checking for isc_detach_database in -lgds... no
checking for isc_detach_database in -lib_util... no
configure: error: libgds, libib_util or libfbclient not found! Check
config.log for more information.

Firebird is dispersed in some directories (there is nothing in
/opt/firebird) Installation is in /usr/lib/firebird/2.0 but
libfbclient.so is in /usr/lib. I tried both (and some others), but
without luck.
config.log is 13K, don't post it here. But when ./confure test to link
any of the three libs, message are like:
configure:3790: checking for InterBase support
configure:3833: result: yes, shared
configure:3944: checking for isc_detach_database in -lfbclient
configure:3979: gcc -o conftest -g -O2
-Wl,-rpath,/usr/lib/firebird/2.0/lib -L/usr/lib/firebird/2.0/lib
conftest.c -lfbclient >&5
/usr/lib/gcc/i486-linux-gnu/4.1.3/../../../../lib/libfbclient.so:
undefined reference to `_Unwind_RaiseException'
/usr/lib/gcc/i486-linux-gnu/4.1.3/../../../../lib/libfbclient.so:
undefined reference to `_Unwind_GetLanguageSpecificData'
/usr/lib/gcc/i486-linux-gnu/4.1.3/../../../../lib/libfbclient.so:
undefined reference to `_Unwind_Resume'
/usr/lib/gcc/i486-linux-gnu/4.1.3/../../../../lib/libfbclient.so:
undefined reference to `_Unwind_DeleteException'
/usr/lib/gcc/i486-linux-gnu/4.1.3/../../../../lib/libfbclient.so:
undefined reference to `_Unwind_GetTextRelBase'
/usr/lib/gcc/i486-linux-gnu/4.1.3/../../../../lib/libfbclient.so:
undefined reference to `_Unwind_SetIP'
/usr/lib/gcc/i486-linux-gnu/4.1.3/../../../../lib/libfbclient.so:
undefined reference to `_Unwind_GetDataRelBase'
/usr/lib/gcc/i486-linux-gnu/4.1.3/../../../../lib/libfbclient.so:
undefined reference to `_Unwind_GetRegionStart'
/usr/lib/gcc/i486-linux-gnu/4.1.3/../../../../lib/libfbclient.so:
undefined reference to `_Unwind_SetGR'
/usr/lib/gcc/i486-linux-gnu/4.1.3/../../../../lib/libfbclient.so:
undefined reference to `_Unwind_GetIP'
collect2: ld returned 1 exit status
configure:3985: $? = 1
configure: failed program was:
| /* confdefs.h. */
| #define PACKAGE_NAME ""
| #define PACKAGE_TARNAME ""
| #define PACKAGE_VERSION ""
| #define PACKAGE_STRING ""
| #define PACKAGE_BUGREPORT ""
| /* end confdefs.h. */
|
| /* Override any GCC internal prototype to avoid an error.
| Use char because int might match the return type of a GCC
| builtin and then its argument prototype would still apply. */
| #ifdef __cplusplus
| extern "C"
| #endif
| char isc_detach_database ();
| int
| main ()
| {
| return isc_detach_database ();
| ;
| return 0;
| }
configure:4003: result: no

Any hints?