php popen(exim) from a webpage - popen

Question

Problem: Apache accessing programs in /usr/bin
Platform:
Win/7 Pro Sp1
Apache 2.4
Php 5.6
Cygwin emulator gives Linux/Unix emu and has
Exim 4.84-1
program: sendit.php
hndl popen( exim ... )
fwrite(hndle, email_headers);
fwrite(hndle, email_body);
fflush(hndle);
fclose(hndle);
(a)launch from user account
php sendit.php -> exim/exim_main.log updated
reports 368 bytes sent to exim
-> email arrives
demonstrates sendit.php works & Exim config and permissions are correct
(b)launch from apache account uid(apache) gid(srvc)
php sendit.php -> exim/exim_main.log updated
reports 368 bytes sent to exim
-> email arrives
demonstrates sendit.php runs from any account
(c)launch from within a web page
Apache is run from its own uid/gid as in (b)
page.phtml sendit.php
-> NO update to exim log
-> no mail recv'd
reports same NNN bytes send to exim
NO I/O errors
I fwriting_stream 368 bytes ...
* wrote body fragment 368
* wrote total 368
I Wrote Body:(368) of 368
I Wrote EOT(5) of 5
I FLUSHING pipe
I closing pipe
I is closed pipe
I returning 3
adding -d+deliver+host_lookup+lookup+rewrite options to the popen(), yields nice trace - -
EXCEPT when run withing Apache - - nothing shows up
Apache cfg has ExecCGI in the directory and other php / perl programs run there.
Issue is Exim is not within the Apache environment (/usr/bin/exim)
So, created link /usr/bin/exim -> docroot/exim
and reference this instance popen(docroot/exim ...)
Still fails to deliver via pipe -> exim
Any ideas???
btw: have used popen in webpages several places with success
and yes, I verifed the popen return
$PIPE = popen( ... ...);if ($PIPE === false) die("*FE*);

Answer 1

STATUS: SOLVED 2015-05-30
Issue is Windows + Cygwin pathing
PHP tolerates Cygwin as $PATH is available.
Running within
Apache LoadModule php5_module "c:/php/php5.6/php5apache2_4.dll" does not
Must use an absolute WINDOWS path like
c:/cygwin/bin/exim-4.84-1.exe within the server.
php cmdPath_Tests.php
uses file_exists($path) exec to
find that path usable within Apache
Jeff#JeffPC7%
case 0 0 trying:
$ ls -l /usr/bin/exim
lrwxrwxrwx 1 Administrator None 24 Apr 6 09:19 /usr/bin/exim -> /usr/bin/exim-4.84-1.exe
Jeff#JeffPC7%
$ ls -l /usr/bin/exim /cygwin/bin/exim{,-4.84-1}.exe c:/cygwin/bin/exim-4.84-1.exe
case 1 1
ls: cannot access /cygwin/bin/exim.exe: No such file or directory
ls: cannot access /cygwin/bin/exim-4.84-1.exe: No such file or directory
lrwxrwxrwx 1 Administrator None 24 Apr 6 09:19 /usr/bin/exim -> /usr/bin/exim-4.84-1.exe
case 3 1 trying:
-rwxr-xr-x 3 Jeff None 1192467 Jan 25 19:16 c:/cygwin/bin/exim-4.84-1.exe
/usr/bin/exim
0 0 /usr/bin/exim
/usr/bin/exim-4.84-1.exe
0 1 /usr/bin/exim-4.84-1.exe
which: no exim-4.84-1.exe in (/cygwin/bin)
1 1 File Exists
cmd 1 1 trying: /cygwin/bin/exim-4.84-1.exe
results:
/usr/bin/exim-4.84-1.exe
2 1 trying: /usr/bin/exim-4.84-1.exe
I found:
3 1 trying: c:/cygwin/bin/exim-4.84-1.exe
cmd results:
2015-05-30 11:58:24 NP6FDA-000530-QD Completed
ie: email sent