PHP-FPM fails to start scripts

PHP-7.1.3 compiled from source, running on Fedora 25 with Apache-2.4.25

php-fpm is running but reports all scripts as "No Input File Specified" on 
the browser and "ERROR: Unable to open primary script: 
/httpd/iliffe//i_phpinfo.php (No such file or directory)" on the error log.  
[ This script is actually phpinfo() ].

I have been working with the Apache list to try and resolve this but have 
now been referred to the PHP list as not an Apache problem.

Environment:  the requested script is in the document root at /httpd/iliffe 
and does exist and is world readable.  
------------------------
namei /httpd/iliffe/i_phpinfo.php
f: /httpd/iliffe/i_phpinfo.php
 d /
 d httpd
 d iliffe
 - i_phpinfo.php
---------------------------

The Apache directive invoking this script is:

	ProxyPassMatch "^/.*\.php(/.*)?$" fcgi://127.0.0.1:9015/httpd/iliffe/

php-fpm is running on a TCP socket at 127.0.0.1:9015  It is in pool www.

Running strace on php-fpm yields the following info:  (relevant bit 
extracted from a 24,000 line trace report)

----------------------------
9223  12:25:52 lstat("/httpd/iliffe//i_phpinfo.php", {st_mode=S_IFREG|0644, 
st_size=213, ...}) = 0
9223  12:25:52 lstat("/httpd/iliffe", {st_mode=S_IFDIR|0755, st_size=4096, 
...}) = 0
9223  12:25:52 lstat("/httpd", {st_mode=S_IFDIR|0755, st_size=141, ...}) = 
0
9223  12:25:52 lstat("/httpd/iliffe/.user.ini", 0x7ffe0e20ae80) = -1 ENOENT 
(No such file or directory)
-------------------------------

and then about 30 lines further down the report:

-------------------------------

9223  12:25:52 lstat("/httpd/i_phpinfo.php", 0x7ffe0e208f30) = -1 ENOENT (No 
such file or directory)
9223  12:25:52 write(2, "ERROR: Unable to open primary sc"..., 95) = 95
9223  12:25:52 times( <unfinished ...>
9222  12:25:52 <... epoll_wait resumed> [{EPOLLIN, {u32=27169440, 
u64=27169440}}], 11, 1000) = 1
9223  12:25:52 <... times resumed> {tms_utime=0, tms_stime=0, tms_cutime=0, 
tms_cstime=0}) = 486185773
9223  12:25:52 setitimer(ITIMER_PROF, {it_interval={tv_sec=0, tv_usec=0}, 
it_value={tv_sec=0, tv_usec=0}},  <unfinished ...>
9222  12:25:52 read(10,  <unfinished ...>
9223  12:25:52 <... setitimer resumed> NULL) = 0
9222  12:25:52 <... read resumed> "ERROR: Unable to open primary sc"..., 
1023) = 95
9223  12:25:52 write(3, "\1\7\0\1\0X\0\0Unable to open primary s"..., 240 
<unfinished ...>
9222  12:25:52 write(3, "[20-May-2017 12:25:52] WARNING: "..., 169 
<unfinished ...>
-------------------------------------

Error logging starts AFTER the second attempt to open the file on the wrong 
path.

Note that the first lstat has the file (return code = 0) and it is a readable 
regular file {st_mode=S_IFREG|0644,  st_size=213, ...} 

The second attempt doesn't get the file: 

9223  12:25:52 lstat("/httpd/i_phpinfo.php", 0x7ffe0e208f30) = -1 ENOENT (No 
such file or directory)

because php-fpm is looking on the wrong path.  (missing second 
subdirectory).

So, my questions:

1.  why am I getting not found responses when php-fpm can find the script 
file and is permitted to open it?  

2.  why, when php-fpm has found the file already does it continue to descend 
the directory structure?

3.  why is the second attempt on the wrong directory?

4.  if this is a configuration problem on my part, where should I be looking 
to correct it?

I have also downloaded and tried php-fpm from the PHP-7.1.5 and it has the 
same problem.

Please let me know if any other information is required.

Thanks in advance.

John
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