php shared host and mod_security

Question

I'm having difficulty with a php script using copy() on a shared remote host. I've read here the host may simply not allow the use of the copy() function. I started a trouble ticket and the trouble was half fixed and blamed on mod_security. I persisted and now my script is working. A strange last response, after the fix was this:

"Unfortunately as these are shared servers we are unable to make any custom modifications to the server configurations. The most customization you can perform are PHP settings. Any server related settings are unable to be modified."

What could this person be referring to when they say "PHP settings"? Note the site uses cPanel.

And another strange thing is my php CMS app. is now doubling edits (as if I was inserting rather than updating) in the database. This is not the case on my test server. How can a fix in mod_security cause mysql updates to behave differently?

Answer 1

When he refers to PHP settings, he means overriding some directives of the server's php.ini file with your own php.ini.