php-mysql not installed

My os is mandrake 9.1 How is the php-mysql extension installed on this platform? I have mysql and php installed (as rpm packages). phpinfo() displays the configure command which does not include --with-mysql. phpinfo said that the extensions could be installed by doing urpmi php-theextension, so I ran urpmi php-mysql and that package was installed. phpinfo() now lists /etc/php/34_mysql.ini as an additional .ini file. But the phpinfo output still says that the mysql is not installed. Companion question: I do not have a configure command anywhere on my system. Should this command be there as part of the rpm install of php? I have already tried this question in several mandrake forums and had no takers.