Installing cPanel & WHM

Last updated: May 19, 2011

Licensing

cPanel licensing is available for $10/Month or $120/Year and may be licensed upon request simply by issuing a support request through our dashboard.

Once your ip address is licensed you may execute /usr/local/cpanel/cpkeyclt from the command line to activate your license if cPanel is already installed.

Installation

DO NOT PERFORM IF YOUR VS IS SERVING CONTENT.
* cPanel requires a fresh/clean server and will overwrite your current configuration.

From the command line you will navigate to the /home directory, download the install file and execute the installation process as follows:

root@example [/]# cd /home
root@example [/home]# wget layer1.cpanel.net/latest
root@example [/home]# sh latest

Getting started - Initial setup

Webhost Manager (WHM) will now be accessible through your ip address over port :2087 and you may now proceed through the Initial Setup Wizard.

WHM Interface: https://youripaddress:2087/
Username: root
Password: [root password]

This Connection is Untrusted: This is simply because a self-signed certificate is installed by default.  Should you prefer a signed certificate please open a support request through our dashboard.

Step 1 - Agreement

  • Please read the license agreement.  This will need to be accepted in order to proceed.

Step 2 - Setup Networking

  • Server contact email address is a required field on initial setup.  The rest of the contact information may be defined as desired, left empty or modified at a later date.
  • Hostname should already be defined (default) and is based on the hostname of your virtual server.
  • Both resolvlers [primary and secondary] should already be defined for you by default.
  • Main Network/Ethernet Device (default)

Step 3 - Setup IP Addresses

  • You may use default settings simply by proceeding to the next step.

Step 4 - Nameservers

  • BIND should be default and may be preferred, but ulmately your choice unless you intend to manage DNS remotely then this service may be disabled.
  • Custom [NS1/NS2] nameservers should already be defined based on your hostname.
  • Add an 'A' entry for each nameserver and your hostname.  This will typically be the same ip address of your virtual server unless you will be managing a cluster.

Step 5 - FTP Configuration

  • Pure-FTPd should be default and may be preferred, but ultimately your choice unless you would like FTP services disabled.
  • While courier was a more traditional and reliable choice, dovecot is now default whereas the choice is yours unless mail services are not required and may be disabled if desired.  If courier is chosen it will then install by proceeding to the next step.
  • Enabling convert mailbox format should be enabled by default and may be preferred.
  • cPHulk is enabled by default, but may be disabled if you intend to install a more thorough firewall such as APF or CSF.

Step 6 - Quotas

  • Using the file system quotas should be default.

If you are seeing trial license in the top left corner you will need to activate your cPanel license once your ip address has been licensed by executing /usr/local/cpanel/cpkeyclt from the command line.

Tags: cPanel, whm, webhost manager, install