[phpesp-general] I have a php error "Failed to initilize storage module"

[<chh...@UC...>]

safari browser on an apple ibook OS X 10.3.7 sees the following error:

Fatal error: session_start(): Failed to initialize storage module. in
/var/www/html/phpESP/admin/
manage.php on line 11

for 

http://visarts-undergrad.ucsd.edu/phpESP/admin/manage.php

background:

this is a fairly stock install of Redhat AS 3 
httpd-2.0.46-44.ent
libghttp-1.0.9-8.1
redhat-config-httpd-1.1.0-4

php-ldap-4.3.2-19.ent
php-mysql-4.3.2-19.ent
php-odbc-4.3.2-19.ent
php-4.3.2-19.ent
php-imap-4.3.2-19.ent

mysql-3.23.58-2.3
mysql-server-3.23.58-2.3
mod_auth_mysql-20030510-1.ent
mysql-devel-3.23.58-2.3
mysql-bench-3.23.58-2.3
php-mysql-4.3.2-19.ent
libdbi-dbd-mysql-0.6.5-5

php is both recognized by apache and according to the php test page has the correct mysql
modules 
load:

http://visarts-undergrad.ucsd.edu/test.php

I have mysql installed and running from the command line.  databasename, username,
password work 
from the command line:
I have put mysql databasename, username, and password in to mysql_create, mysql_populate, 
php.ini.php
ran the scripts with sudo just fine no errors

This is with the 1.7rc1 as well as 1.6.1.  only visual differnt is that 1.7 has the error
on line 11 and 1.6 
has it on line 9


any suggestion what I might be missing?  any info that might be helpful?

thanks
Chris