diff --git a/pkgs/development/interpreters/php/builder.sh b/pkgs/development/interpreters/php/builder.sh
index 3fd315a533d2..a8e36aac9bf6 100644
--- a/pkgs/development/interpreters/php/builder.sh
+++ b/pkgs/development/interpreters/php/builder.sh
@@ -2,7 +2,15 @@ source $stdenv/setup
 
 alias lex=flex
 
-configureFlags="--with-libxml-dir=$libxml2 --with-apxs2=$apacheHttpd/bin/apxs --with-apr-util=$apacheHttpd"
+configureFlags="$configureFlags \
+  --with-libxml-dir=$libxml2 \
+  --with-apxs2=$apacheHttpd/bin/apxs \
+  --with-apr-util=$apacheHttpd"
+
+if test -n "$unixODBC"; then
+    configureFlags="$configureFlags --with-unixODBC=$unixODBC"
+fi
+  
 makeFlags="APXS_LIBEXECDIR=$out/modules $makeFlags"
         
 genericBuild
diff --git a/pkgs/development/interpreters/php/default.nix b/pkgs/development/interpreters/php/default.nix
index c81d253741f9..d60b130fce0b 100644
--- a/pkgs/development/interpreters/php/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/development/interpreters/php/default.nix
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-{stdenv, fetchurl, flex, bison, libxml2, apacheHttpd}:
+{stdenv, fetchurl, flex, bison, libxml2, apacheHttpd, unixODBC ? null}:
 
 assert libxml2 != null;
 
@@ -11,8 +11,13 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation {
   
   inherit flex bison libxml2 apacheHttpd;
 
-  buildInputs = [flex bison libxml2 apacheHttpd];
   builder = ./builder.sh;
 
+  buildInputs = [flex bison libxml2 apacheHttpd];
+
+  inherit unixODBC;
+  
+  odbcSupport = unixODBC != null;
+
   patches = [./fix.patch];
 }
diff --git a/pkgs/development/libraries/mysql-connector-odbc/builder.sh b/pkgs/development/libraries/mysql-connector-odbc/builder.sh
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..7bf6f996bbce
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkgs/development/libraries/mysql-connector-odbc/builder.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+source $stdenv/setup
+
+configureFlags="$configureFlags \
+  --with-mysql-path=$mysql \
+  --with-unixODBC=$unixODBC"
+
+genericBuild
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/pkgs/development/libraries/mysql-connector-odbc/default.nix b/pkgs/development/libraries/mysql-connector-odbc/default.nix
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..47c14a4d793d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkgs/development/libraries/mysql-connector-odbc/default.nix
@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+{stdenv, fetchurl, mysql, libtool, zlib, unixODBC}:
+
+stdenv.mkDerivation {
+  name = "mysql-connector-odbc-3.51.12";
+  builder = ./builder.sh;
+  src = fetchurl {
+    url = http://ftp.snt.utwente.nl/pub/software/mysql/Downloads/MyODBC3/mysql-connector-odbc-3.51.12.tar.gz;
+    md5 = "a484f590464fb823a8f821b2f1fd7fef";
+  };
+  configureFlags = "--disable-gui";
+  buildInputs = [libtool zlib];
+  inherit mysql unixODBC;
+}
diff --git a/pkgs/servers/sql/mysql/default.nix b/pkgs/servers/sql/mysql/default.nix
index a74b16b3836b..a736b421f390 100644
--- a/pkgs/servers/sql/mysql/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/servers/sql/mysql/default.nix
@@ -11,4 +11,6 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation {
   };
 
   buildInputs = [ps ncurses zlib perl];
+
+  configureFlags = "--enable-thread-safe-client";
 }
diff --git a/pkgs/system/all-packages-generic.nix b/pkgs/system/all-packages-generic.nix
index 3bbcfe4d3c03..8c255d215608 100644
--- a/pkgs/system/all-packages-generic.nix
+++ b/pkgs/system/all-packages-generic.nix
@@ -808,7 +808,7 @@ rec {
   };
 
   php = (import ../development/interpreters/php) {
-    inherit stdenv fetchurl flex bison libxml2 apacheHttpd;
+    inherit stdenv fetchurl flex bison libxml2 apacheHttpd unixODBC;
   };
 
   guile = (import ../development/interpreters/guile) {
@@ -1252,6 +1252,10 @@ rec {
     inherit fetchurl stdenv;
   };
 
+  mysqlConnectorODBC = import ../development/libraries/mysql-connector-odbc {
+    inherit fetchurl stdenv mysql libtool zlib unixODBC;
+  };
+
   ### DEVELOPMENT / LIBRARIES / JAVA
 
   saxon = (import ../development/libraries/java/saxon) {