Problems with php-cli and mysql, why is mysql_pconnect() not available?

I've installed various PHP packages to be able to use PHP with Apache but also in the commandline. From both I need to be able to connect to MySQL databases. Pretty simple right? That's what I thought but with php-cli I receive following error:

Fatal error: Call to undefined function mysql_pconnect()

I have tried starting from scratch by removing all depending packages and configuration like this:

sudo apt-get --purge remove php5 libapache2-mod-php5 php5-cli php5-mysql

Then I've run following command to install the packages:

sudo apt-get install php5 libapache2-mod-php5 php5-cli php5-mysql

Then I've found out which php.ini the cli uses like that:

php -r "phpinfo();" | grep php.ini

Which gives me this:

Configuration File (php.ini) Path => /etc/php5/cli/php.ini

Then i've uncommented 'mysql.so' in the extensions section but when i do and run following command it says:

PHP Warning:  Module 'mysql' already loaded in Unknown on line 0

So for some reason he thinks it is already loaded, but with or without the 'mysql.so' enabled the php cli does not find the 'mysql_pconnect' function.

I know there's a sections to enable persistent connections, it on by default and the standard function 'mysql_connect' is also not available.

What am I missing? Thanks!

UPDATE:

As suggested by Bart S. 'php -r "phpinfo();" | grep mysql':

MYSQL_SOCKET => /var/run/mysqld/mysqld.sock
MYSQL_INCLUDE => -I/usr/include/mysql
MYSQL_LIBS => -L/usr/lib -lmysqlclient
mysql.allow_persistent => On => On
... and more

From Jaka Jančar. 'php -v' shows:

PHP 5.1.2 (cli) (built: Feb 11 2009 19:55:22)

And from php interactive mode 'php -r 'var_dump(extension_loaded("mysql"));' gives nothing!

From stackoverflow

• php -i | grep mysql
  

  The first line should contain:

  Configure Command =>  '../configure' ... '--with-mysql=shared,/usr'
  

  Also check

  grep extension_dir /etc/php5/cli/php.ini
  

  Should be something like: extension_dir = /usr/lib/php5/extensions Then check permissions of /usr/lib/php5/extensions/mysql.so and if it's properly linked:

  ldd  /usr/lib/php5/extensions/mysql.so
  

• Does pconnect in cli mode make sense? maybe this is "working as intended".

  Note: Note, that these kind of links only work if you are using a module version of PHP. See the Persistent Database Connections section for more information.

  http://de2.php.net/mysql_pconnect

  Sander Versluys : mysql_connect doesn't work either. And i would think mysql_pconnect should work, but idd it does not make sense, i'm using the sphyder search engine cli scripts. and i'm using it exactly like docs tell me.