PHP-General - PHP interaction with Java

I need to develop a Java application that is to be placed on a server.

My question is how I can make PHP communicate with that application.
I need PHP to start it running, close it and in general pass various messages and information to it. PHP also needs to be able to receive messages and information (data, variables, arrays) from the Java application.

Any general indications that would put me on the right way would be most welcome.

Thomas

Check the PHP manual.

Are you referring to java server pages? I believe these can receive http data such as post data which can be sent with php.

Thank you for the reply. I am not sure what JSP is actually, I guess a scripting language for Java servers. In that case, no, it's not what I am thinking of. The server will probably be apache or so.

It's just supposed to be an application installed on such a server to handle some processes that PHP or another server-side scripting language probably would be too slow for.

Thomas

*new user so it won't let me post a url, but you can google Quercus Resin*

Quercus in Resin does what you are asking for, if I am reading your question correctly. We use Resin at my work for our app server and it integrates with Apache. It does have some very small differences in the way it interprets php code, so depending on your application you may need to do some debugging.
e.g. If you have an object with a property that is a string (not explicity cast) and then you have a string parameter, like from a request, both values are the same, it will not equate them as the same until you cast them both as strings.
procedural php code won't run well, from what I understand. So if you have some legacy php code you'll probably have to rewrite it.