install the latest PHP 5.3.9 onto BlueOnyx, alongside the old PHP, so that BlueOnyx control panel still uses the old one.

Your sites can choose to run the old or new version.

Because it requires compiling PHP from source, the below will yum install the gcc compiler and various devel packages.
BlueOnyx does not install these as standard (I believe a security decision).
The PHP configure compiler options I have chosen are fairly standard, but of course you can change them to suit.
Installation is done in /home/my_extras.

mkdir /home/my_extras
cd /home/my_extras
mkdir -p usr/local/php53 etc/php53 etc/php53.d
yum install \
gcc \
libicu-devel \
libxml2-devel \
mysql-devel \
libpng-devel \
libjpeg-devel \
curl-devel \
bzip2-devel \
gettext-devel \
gmp-devel \
pcre-devel \
freetype-devel \
gd-devel \
aspell-devel \
db4-devel \
libxslt-devel \
php-xml
cd ~

wget http://uk.php.net/get/php-5.3.9.tar.bz2/from/this/mirror

tar xvjf php-5.3.9.tar.bz2
cd php-5.3.9
./configure \
--prefix=/home/my_extras/usr/local/php53 \
--with-config-file-path=/home/my_extras/etc/php53 \
--with-config-file-scan-dir=/home/my_extras/etc/php53.d \
--with-bz2 \
--with-db4=/usr \
--with-curl \
--with-exec-dir=/usr/bin \
--with-freetype-dir=/usr \
--with-png-dir=/usr \
--enable-gd-native-ttf \
--without-gdbm \
--with-gettext \
--with-gmp \
--with-iconv \
--with-jpeg-dir=/usr \
--with-openssl \
--with-pspell \
--with-pcre-regex=/usr \
--with-zlib \
--with-layout=GNU \
--enable-exif \
--enable-ftp \
--enable-magic-quotes \
--enable-sockets \
--enable-sysvsem \
--enable-sysvshm \
--enable-sysvmsg \
--enable-wddx \
--with-kerberos \
--enable-ucd-snmp-hack \
--enable-shmop \
--enable-calendar \
--with-mysql=mysqlnd \
--with-mysqli=mysqlnd \
--with-pdo-mysql=mysqlnd \
--with-mysql-sock=/var/lib/mysql/mysql.sock \
--with-libxml-dir=/usr \
--with-gd=/usr \
--with-regex=system \
--with-xsl=/usr \
--enable-mbstring


gmake
gmake install

Now for each site you want to use PHP 5.3 do

vi /etc/httpd/conf/vhosts/site1.include

Add the entries:
ScriptAlias /php53-cgi /home/my_extras/usr/local/php53/bin/php-cgi
Action application/x-http-php53 /php53-cgi
AddHandler application/x-http-php53 .php

Also add this in /etc/httpd/conf/vhosts/preview if you make use of the site preview


remember to restart yout httpd so your server will use the new php

here is a link to raq550 running blueonyx and having a php upgrade
upgrade php info

Thats it.
All at your own risk, of course :)