session variables - memcache vs. database

[mottwsc]

I have different operations spread across multiple servers for a LAMP application.  I need a way for session data to be accessed across these multiple servers.  Using a database table to store session data was the first thought, but then someone suggested using memcache/memcached because it will be cleaner (since it is self-cleaning).  I want to use PHP's built-in session handling, but want to direct it elsewhere in terms of where it is stored.

 

I have two questions:

 

Is there a strightforward example which shows how to use PHP's built-in session handling but with the use of memcache?

 

Is there any reason I would use a database table instead of memcache?

 

Thanks!