Hi
I am installing php5, mysql, openssl, and apache2, and I am following the instructions out of the book 'PHP and MySQL Web Development'. After successfully installing all but apache, I ran ./configure for apache (with a few other options). It finished successfully, but make can't find a library, which exists. Below is the last few lines of output from make and an ls command I executed.

EDIT: Here is the command I ran to configure (taken out of the book)
SSL_BASE=../openssl-0.9.7d ./configure --enable-ssl --enable-module=src/modules/php5/libphp5.a --prefix=/usr/local/apache2 --enable-shared=ssl
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
mod_env.la modules/metadata/libmod_setenvif.la modules/ssl/libmod_ssl.la modules/http/libmod_http.la modules/http/libmod_mime.la modules/generators/libmod_status.la modules/generators/libmod_autoindex.la modules/generators/libmod_asis.la modules/generators/libmod_cgi.la modules/mappers/libmod_negotiation.la modules/mappers/libmod_dir.la modules/mappers/libmod_actions.la modules/mappers/libmod_userdir.la modules/mappers/libmod_alias.la modules/mappers/libmod_so.la server/mpm/prefork/libprefork.la os/unix/libos.la -lm /home/mike/files/httpd-2.2.0/srclib/pcre/libpcre.la /home/mike/files/httpd-2.2.0/srclib/apr-util/libaprutil-1.la -lexpat /home/mike/files/httpd-2.2.0/srclib/apr/libapr-1.la -lrt -lcrypt -lpthread -ldl
libtool: link: cannot find the library `/home/mike/httpd-2.2.0/srclib/apr/libapr-1.la'
make[1]: *** [httpd] Error 1
make[1]: Leaving directory `/home/mike/files/httpd-2.2.0'
make: *** [all-recursive] Error 1
linux:/home/mike/files/httpd-2.2.0 # ls /home/mike/files/httpd-2.2.0/srclib/apr
. apr.pc config.layout emacs-mode libapr.dsp Makefile passwd tables
.. apr.pc.in config.log exports.c libaprnw.mcp.zip Makefile.in poll test
apr-1-config atomic config.nice export_vars.c libapr.rc memory random threadproc
apr-config.in build config.status file_io .libs misc README.dev time
apr-config.out buildconf configure helpers libtool mmap renames_pending user
apr.dsp build.conf configure.in images LICENSE network_io shmem
apr.dsw build-outputs.mk docs include locks NOTICE strings
apr.exp CHANGES dso libapr-1.la .make.dirs NWGNUmakefile support
linux:/home/mike/files/httpd-2.2.0 #

Hi anubis ,
I configured httpd2 from tarball source like :
$ ./configure --prefix=/home/mike/files/httpd-2.2.0 --enable-so --enable-ssl --with-mpm=prefork --enable-modules=all --enable-mods-shared=all --enable-deflate

And then I built httpd supported ssl , php successfully .

Give configure above a chance ?

did you use:
MAKE THEN MAKE INSTALL
OR DID YOU USE
MAKE THEN CHECKINSTALL TO CREATE RPM PACKAGE OF HTTPD. BECAUSE I AM GETTING THE SAME ERROR MESSAGE EVERYTIME I TRY TO USE CHECKINTALL

I've never used "checkinstall". Have you tried installing what you built anyway and see what happens? Proceed with "make install" and see what happens when you fire up Apache.

Personally, I prefer using DSO (dynamic shared objects) for Apache than compiling stuff into Apache, as you appear to be doing.

Peace...