Essential Post-Installation Tasks for cPanel & WHM: Setup, Troubleshooting, and Security

Overview

This guide outlines the process for installing cPanel & WHM on an unsupported operating system. This method bypasses most of cPanel’s operating system detection and relies on the version you specify during installation. This feature was introduced in cPanel & WHM version 102.

Important Notice

Using unsupported operating systems is not recommended. This feature is experimental and may lead to unexpected behavior in cPanel & WHM. Please note that support for experimental operating systems is not provided.

Installation Steps

To install cPanel & WHM on an unsupported OS, execute the following command, where "operatingsystem" is one of the officially supported systems by cPanel & WHM:

For example, to force the system to assume the OS is AlmaLinux OS version 8, use this command:

Installation Guide: How to Install cPanel & WHM

To install cPanel & WHM on your server, follow these steps: Run the following command in your terminal:

This will change your current directory to the home folder, download the latest cPanel & WHM version, and initiate the installation process.

Important Notes:

• cPanel & WHM is designed for use with commercial hosting, and we only provide licenses for public, static IP addresses with valid DNS resolution. Dynamic, reserved, sticky, or internal IP addresses are not eligible for licensing.
• cPanel & WHM does not come with an uninstaller. If you decide to remove the software, you must reformat the server.
• Ensure you are installing cPanel & WHM on a fresh operating system installation.
• You must log in to the server as the root user to perform the installation. If you lack root access, please reach out to your system administrator or hosting provider.
• It is recommended to use the official cPanel & WHM installer, which will set up all required services. Installing additional services before or during the installation may cause compatibility issues, and some installations may fail if required services are installed improperly.
• By default, new installations of cPanel & WHM will proceed in "fast installation mode." If you need to customize the installation process, follow the steps in our Customize Your Installation guide.

System Requirements for cPanel & WHM Installation

This document outlines the minimum system requirements needed to install cPanel & WHM or cPanel DNSOnly® on your server.

Before proceeding with your installation, ensure your system meets the specific minimum requirements based on the operating system you plan to use. The following operating systems are supported by cPanel & WHM:

AlmaLinux OSCloudLinux™Rocky Linux™Ubuntu®

Make sure to check the detailed system requirements for each supported operating system before starting your installation process. This guide covers the necessary system requirements and configurations needed to install and run cPanel & WHM on AlmaLinux. For any issues, consult the troubleshooting or installation documentation provided by cPanel.

cPanel DNSOnly® Installation Overview

This guide walks you through the steps to install cPanel DNSOnly, which is used to set up and manage DNS clusters. DNSOnly allows you to run a DNS server without cPanel & WHM installed on the server.

System Requirements

• Ensure your server meets the system requirements for the specific operating system you're using.
• The server must be empty (no previous content).
• Ports 53, 953, and 2087 must be open for traffic.
• If you plan to use email notifications, ensure port 25 is also open.
• If you're using DNSSEC in your DNS cluster, all cluster servers must use PowerDNS.

Install cPanel DNSOnly

1. Access the Server:
   • Log in to the server and navigate to the /home directory.
2. Download Installation Files:
   • Use the following command to download the latest cPanel DNSOnly installation files:
   curl -o latest-dnsonly -L https://securedownloads.cpanel.net/latest-dnsonly
3. Execute Installation
   • Run the command to begin the installation:
     sh latest-dnsonly

Access cPanel DNSOnly

Once the installation is complete, access the cPanel DNSOnly interface:

1. Open a web browser and navigate to:
   https://< your-server-IP>:2087
   (Replace < your-server-IP> with your actual server's IP address.)
2. Log in with the root username and password.

DNSSEC Considerations

• DNSSEC Compatibility: If your DNS cluster includes domains with DNSSEC, ensure all servers in the cluster use PowerDNS. DNSSEC helps validate DNS records by comparing them with the DS record at the registrar.
• You can manage DNSSEC keys through cPanel’s Zone Editor (cPanel >> Domains >> Zone Editor).
• Use the /usr/local/cpanel/scripts/dnssec-cluster-keys script to synchronize and revoke DNSSEC keys in your DNS cluster manually.

Next Steps

For more advanced configuration, consult the cPanel DNSOnly and DNS Cluster Configuration documentation. This will help you fine-tune your server’s DNS setup and ensure it meets your needs, particularly in clustered environments.

Customizing Your cPanel & WHM Installation

This guide provides instructions on how to customize the installation of cPanel & WHM to suit your specific server setup. By modifying configuration files and installation options, you can adjust the installation process, manage services, and optimize the setup to meet your server's needs.

Installation Methods

The default installation method for cPanel & WHM is the fast installation method, which significantly reduces installation time by downloading essential components via tarballs and using system RPMs or .deb packages based on your server's operating system (OS). Red-Hat-based OS like AlmaLinux or CloudLinux use RPMs, while Debian-based systems like Ubuntu use .deb packages.

Installation Options

You can customize the installation using various command-line options:

• --confirm: Prompts for confirmation before starting the installation.
• --force: Forces the installation despite an unrecommended configuration.
• --keep: Prevents deletion of the target directory after installation.
• --nochown: Skips assigning permissions for extracted files.
• --noexec: Prevents the script from running after extraction.
• --skip-cloudlinux: Skips CloudLinux conversion if a CloudLinux license is present.
• --skip-wptoolkit: Skips WP Toolkit installation.
• --skip-imunifyav: Skips ImunifyAV installation.
• --target NewDirectory: Extracts files to a custom directory.
• --tar arg1 [arg2 ...]: Accesses archives using the tar command.

Basic Server Setup

For basic server configuration, cPanel & WHM uses the /etc/wwwacct.conf file. This file stores essential setup information, including:

Configuration Settings

You can adjust specific server settings in the /root/cpanel_profile/cpanel.config file before installation. The settings you choose here will be reflected in the /var/cpanel/cpanel.config file after installation. Common parameters include MySQL/MariaDB version, security settings, and email handling.

Account Restoration

If you're restoring accounts during installation, you can list the account backups in the /etc/cpanelacctrestore file. The backups should follow a specific naming convention like cpmove-{USER}.tar or backup-{MM.DD.YYYY}{HH-MM-SS}{USER}.tar.gz, and they should be stored in directories like /home or /usr.

Release Tiers

Control the product version by setting the release tier in the /etc/cpupdate.conf file. For example:

This ensures the server installs the stable release of cPanel & WHM.

YUM and APT Management

For RHEL-based systems, use YUM to manage packages, but ensure that only vendor-provided repositories are used, as third-party repositories can disrupt the installation. Certain packages, such as bind-chroot and exim, are excluded by default during installation. For Ubuntu-based systems, APT is used for package management, but similar precautions should be taken to avoid using unsupported repositories.

Troubleshoot Your Installation - cPanel & WHM

Overview

If you encounter problems after installing cPanel & WHM, this document provides troubleshooting steps to help resolve common installation issues. If these solutions don't work, consider submitting a ticket to cPanel Support. For cPanel Support access, refer to the Grant cPanel Support Access documentation.

Security Issues

• Problem : "There is a problem with this website's security certificate" appears when logging in.
• Explanation : cPanel & WHM installs a self-signed certificate, which modern browsers no longer recognize as secure.
• Solution : Replace the self-signed certificate with a purchased one via WHM’s Purchase and Install an SSL Certificate interface (WHM » Home » SSL/TLS » Purchase and Install an SSL Certificate).

License Errors

• Problem : License errors like "License File Expired" occur.
• Explanation : The license may be expired, improperly configured, or the system may have trouble connecting to the license servers.
• Solution : Follow the How to Fix License File Errors documentation to troubleshoot.

Perl Installation Errors

• Problem : Error message: "Fatal! Perl must be installed before proceeding!"
• Explanation : Perl is required for cPanel & WHM installation. If Perl isn't installed, the system attempts to install it but may fail.
• Solution : Run the following commands depending on your server OS:
• Red Hat-based systems :
  yum install perl
• Ubuntu :
  apt -y install perl-base

High CPU Load on Hyper-V

• Problem : High CPU load occurs when Hyper-V’s Dynamic Memory is enabled.
• Explanation : This is due to a sleep interruptibility issue in Hyper-V.
• Solution : Visit the LKML website for a patch and further details.

Package Installation Failures

• Problem : RPM or .deb packages fail during installation.
• Explanation : Package installation failures may arise due to system issues or network problems.
• Solution :
  • For RPM issues: Refer to RPM Installation Failures documentation.
  • For .deb issues (on Ubuntu), there's currently no specific guide.

Resolver Errors

• Problem :

  Warning:

  "The system DNS resolvers went missing when cPanel adjusted the hostname."

• Explanation : The hostname did not resolve during installation, and DNS resolvers were replaced with an automatically-issued hostname.
• Solution : Use WHM's Resolver Configuration interface (Home » WHM » Networking Setup » Resolver Configuration) to add or update DNS resolvers.

Hostname Issues

• Problem : Cloud-hosted server does not retain the hostname setting.
• Explanation : The cloud hosting provider’s dhclient script interferes with cPanel & WHM’s hostname configuration.
• Solution : Follow the Cloud-Hosted Hostname Solution documentation for a fix.

Installation Issues with ESET

• Problem : Installation issues occur with ESET® File Security.
• Explanation : Conflicts between ESET and cPanel & WHM existed in versions 88 and earlier.
• Solution : As ESET is a third-party product, cPanel does not provide support for third-party products, but you can disable or adjust ESET’s configuration.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, successfully setting up cPanel & WHM requires not only careful installation but also the completion of essential configuration tasks to ensure a smooth and secure environment. From logging into the WHM interface and configuring firewalls to resolving common installation issues like SSL certificate errors, license problems, and Perl installation failures, addressing these tasks ensures that your server functions optimally. By following the outlined steps and troubleshooting tips, you can maintain a secure and efficient hosting environment for both you and your clients.