Using the cPanel/WHM Web Hosting Control Panel

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Using the cPanel/WHM Web Hosting Control Panel

Overview

cPanel/WHM is web hosting software that helps to automate and manage websites and web servers. The cPanel software is used to manage websites, while WHM is used by the system administrator to manage the webserver. Using cPanel/WHM you can set up and manage everything from a single website to an entire web hosting business. CPanel/WHM is only available for Linux Virtual Servers.

Using cPanel and WHM
cPanel/WHM License Editions
Accessing cPanel and WHM
WHM Initial Setup

Adding Users for cPanel Access
Backing Up Your cPanel/WHM Virtual Server
Configuring SSL

Securing cPanel/WHM
    ModSecurity Installation and Configuration

Adding additional IP addresses to cPanel/WHM
E-mail Configuration

Adding Additional Software to cPanel

Using cPanel and WHM

cPanel and WHM provide easy to use web interfaces that allow you to manage your websites and web server, as well as manage your own customers and resellers if you are providing web hosting.

For general assistance with using and configuring WHM and cPanel, the official documentation will have the most up-to-date information. There is a built-in Help system in WHM that is accessed by clicking on the life preserver icon on the right of any screen. This opens a panel with links to a FAQ, Forums, Documentation for both WHM and cPanel, and a way to contact cPanel directly.

The official cPanel and WHM documentation is here: cPanel/WHM Documentation Home. Make sure that you are looking at the correct documentation for your version of cPanel/WHM - to tell which version you are on, log in to WHM and look at the top of the screen. The version will be listed as WHM XX.YY.ZZ (Build ##). The version for WHM and cPanel are the same.

The built-in cPanel and WHM Help and the official cPanel and WHM documentation are the definitive guides on how to configure, use, and administer the software. While generally easy to use, cPanel and WHM have many available options and settings, and the best answers to any configuration or usage questions will come from the official documentation.

cPanel/WHM License Editions


There are four editions of the cPanel/WHM control panel. The only difference is the number of supported accounts. The four editions are as follows. 

  1. cPanel ADMIN Edition (5 Accounts) - This is the default edition for the cPanel/WHM template you have chosen. It is ideal for small to mid-level agencies and businesses, application developers, and web designers only needing a few accounts.
  2. cPanel PRO Edition (30 Accounts) - This edition is optimal for mid-level businesses and large agencies that are growing.
  3. cPanel Plus Edition (50 Accounts) - This edition is optimal for mid-level businesses and large agencies that are growing but not quite ready for a Premier license yet. Allows for scalability.
  4. cPanel Premier (100 Accounts) - This edition is intended for data centers, enterprise-level businesses, and larger web hosts

cPanel and WHM have many available options and settings, and the best answers to any configuration or usage questions will come from the official documentation.

You can easily upgrade your cPanel/WHM license to one of the other editions. Go to the eApps Store - Licenses and click on cPanel License Options. This will expand the screen, and you will be able to purchase the license you need. Our staff will install the license for you upon payment.

Accessing cPanel and WHM

Note! Before you can access cPanel, you will need to configure WHM. Please see the WHM Initial Setup section of this user guide for more information.

After you order your cPanel/WHM Virtual Server, it may take up to two hours before it is available to you. The Virtual Server has to be provisioned, and then cPanel/WHM has to be installed. Once cPanel/WHM has been installed, our Billing department will purchase a license for you, and then our Technical Support department will install that license. Once these steps have been completed, you will be notified via e-mail.

Once cPanel/WHM has been installed and licensed, you will be able to log in and begin setting up your web server for your websites and users. You can access cPanel/WHM in two ways: 1) from the Customer Portal, or 2) using a direct URL.

  • Accessing cPanel/WHM from the Customer Portal - from the Customer Portal, go to My Cloud > Virtual Servers, and select the Virtual Server where cPanel/WHM is installed. Click on the magnifying glass to the right of that Virtual Server, this takes you to the Product Details page. Depending on what type of Virtual Server you have, you can login from the WHM and cPanel buttons or from URL links. Note that there are two buttons or URLs here: one for WHM and one for cPanel. For WHM use the root password of the Virtual Server which is on the Details page. cPanel logins are created in WHM.

  • Accessing cPanel/WHM from a Direct URL - you can access either cPanel or WHM from a direct URL instead of going through the Customer Portal. For WHM use https://IP_ADDRESS:2087, where IP_ADDRESS is the primary IP of your Virtual Server. The URL for cPanel will be  https://IP_ADDRESS:2083, where IP_ADDRESS is the primary IP of your Virtual Server.

WHM Initial Setup

Before you can use cPanel, you will need to set up WHM. This is where you will do some basic setup for the web server. The WHM Initial Setup is done using the Initial Setup wizard.

The WHM Initial Setup wizard is intuitive and fairly easy to use, but if you have any questions please consult the official WHM Initial Setup Wizard documentation.

To access WHM, use either the Control Panel - WHM link from the Customer Portal, or the direct URL. See Accessing cPanel and WHM if you need more information.

Once you have connected to the Virtual Server you will be on the WHM Login screen. Log in as follows:

  • Username - log in as root
  • Password - enter the password you set for the root user when you provisioned the Virtual Server

There are six steps to the WHM Initial Setup:

Step 1 - Agreement
Step 2 - Setup Networking
Step 3 - Setup IP Addresses
Step 4 - Nameservers
Step 5 - Services
Step 6 - Set Up Quotas

After the WHM Initial Setup is complete, you will be able to make selections from the Feature Showcase, and then continue to WHM.

Step 1 - Agreement

When you log in to WHM for the first time, you will need to accept the End User License Agreement (EULA). If you do not accept the EULA you will not be able to use the cPanel/WHM software.

Step 2 - Setup Networking

  • Contact Information - You are required to enter an e-mail address for server contact information. This can be any valid e-mail address. You can also enter in SMS, AIM, or ICQ contact information if desired.

  • Hostname - this will be pre-populated with the server hostname that you entered when the Virtual Server was provisioned. You should generally have no need to make any changes here.

  • Resolvers - this will be pre-populated with the eApps primary and secondary nameservers. You can enter a third resolver if you have one.

  • Main Network/Ethernet Device - this is set by default to the eth0 interface on the Virtual Server. You should have no need to make changes here.

Once you have entered your Contact Information and reviewed the other options, click Save & Go to Step 3.

Step 3 - Setup IP Addresses

If you purchased additional public IP addresses as part of your Virtual Server provisioning process, you can add them here. More information about adding new IP addresses can be found here: Set Up IP Addresses. If you do not need to add any new IP addresses, click on Skip This Step and Use Default Settings to continue.

Step 4 - Nameservers

Leave this section at the defaults - if additional configuration is needed it can be done from WHM directly. Click on Save & Go to Step 5 to continue.

Step 5 - Services

Leave this section at the defaults, and make any configuration changes in WHM directly. Click on Skip This Step and Use Default Settings to continue.

Step 6 - Set Up Quotas

Leave this at the default, and click on Finish Setup Wizard.

Feature Showcase

After you finish the Setup Wizard, you will be on the Feature Showcase. Here you can enable highlighted features available for WHM and cPanel. Make sure to carefully read the available documentation for each feature you wish to enable.

If you have selected any Features, click on Save Settings, otherwise click on Exit to WHM. This completes the WHM Initial Setup and takes you to the WHM main screen.

Adding Users for cPanel Access

After WHM is set up, you can begin to add users for cPanel. Even if you are the only person using the Virtual Server, you will need to add a cPanel user. You cannot access cPanel as the same root user that you use to access WHM.

Users (Accounts) are added from Account Functions in WHM. You can find Account Functions two ways:

  1. From the WHM Home screen, find the Account Functions section and click that item.
  2. From the left navigation pane, scroll down to Account Functions and click that item.

Each method takes you to the same location in WHM - the Account Functions screen.

Click on Create a New Account. This is where you will enter the information for the new cPanel account. More information about creating a new account can be found here: Create a New Account.

Backing Up Your cPanel/WHM Virtual Server

There are three options for backing up your cPanel/WHM Virtual Server:

  1. WHM Backup (built-in to WHM)
  2. eApps Basic Backup Service
  3. eApps Enterprise Backup Service

There is no automatic backup available for Virtual Servers, so you will need to select a backup option that meets your needs. If you do not implement a backup solution, then your data is at risk for total loss.

  • WHM Backup - this is built in to WHM, and allows you to backup and restore files and directories. The WHM Backup functions are in Backup in WHM. You can find Backup two ways:

    1. From the WHM Home screen, find the Backup section and click that item.
    2. From the left navigation pane, scroll down to Backup and click that item.

    By default this option is disabled, you will need to enable it in Backup Configuration. More information about configuring backup from WHM can be found here: WHM Backup.

    NOTE - the WHM Backups are kept on the same Virtual Server, so if you rebuild or cancel the server your backups will be lost.

There are also several options available for backing up your files available through eApps:

  • Enterprise Backup Service - the Enterprise Backup Service (using Acronis) allows file level control for backup and restore, a web interface to manage your backups, and allows frequent backups. Using a technique when you setup your backup schedule, you can also ensure the integrity of your MySQL databases.

  • Basic Backup Service - this allows you to schedule a once daily recurring backup of the entire Virtual Server, and keep a specified number of backups available for restore. There is no file level control and no MySQL database integrity with the Basic Backup.

More information about the backup services available through eApps is available here - eApps Online Backup Services

Configuring SSL

Using WHM you can create a self-signed SSL certificate, or generate the files needed to purchase a commercial SSL certificate. You can also install an SSL certificate purchased from a Certificate Authority (CA).

All of these functions can be done from SSL/TLS in WHM. You can find SSL/TLS two ways:

  1. From the WHM Home screen, find the SSL/TLS section and click that item.
  2. From the left navigation pane, scroll down to SSL/TLS and click that item.

Each method takes you to the same location in WHM - the SSL/TLS screen. The official documentation for SSL/TLS functions in WHM is found here: SSL/TLS. Below are some key features you will use for SSL:

  • Generate an SSL Certificate and Signing Request - generate the files for a commercial SSL certificate (SSL key file, Certificate Signing Request) or create a self-signed SSL certificate. More information about generating an SSL certificate can be found here: Generate an SSL Certificate and Signing Request

  • Install an SSL Certificate on a Domain - once you have received the commercial SSL certificate for the domain, you can install it here. More information about installing an SSL certificate can be found here: Install an SSL Certificate on a Domain.

  • Purchase and Install an SSL Certificate - you can purchase an SSL certificate for your domain(s) from a third party vendor. NOTE - eApps offers no free support or assistance for any SSL certificate NOT purchased through the eApps Store. More information about the SSL certificates available through eApps can be found here: eApps SSL Certificates.

Securing cPanel/WHM

The security of your cPanel/WHM Virtual Server is your responsibility and should be one of your top priorities. WHM has a large number of security features that can be used to enhance the security of your Virtual Server and users, including the ModSecurity web application firewall.

The security features are configured from Security Center in WHM. You can find Security Center two ways:

  1. From the WHM Home screen, find the Security Center section and click that item.
  2. From the left navigation pane, scroll down to Security Center and click that item.

The security tools available allow you to make changes and enhancements to the security of your web server, mail server, PHP applications, and users. Please review the official WHM Security documentation to understand the available options: Security Center.

ModSecurity Installation and Configuration

ModSecurity is a Web Application Firewall, used to defend against attacks to web application, and to allow for more detailed HTTP traffic monitoring to detect threats. ModSecurity runs as an Apache Web Server module and is configurable on a per-domain level.

Recent versions of cPanel/WHM have ModSecurity installed by default. If you are using version 11.40 or newer, the ModSecurity (mod_security) Apache module is installed by default. If you are on an older version of cPanel/WHM, please see the ModSecurity documentation on how to install and enable it: Apache Module: ModSecurity.

The default ModSecurity installation is for the web server itself at a global level. To manage this configuration, go to ModSecurity Configuration in the Security Center. Each ModSecurity option has a link to the ModSecurity Reference Manual if you need further information about what that option does.

You can also manage custom ModSecurity rules in the ModSecurity Tools section of the Security Center. More information about ModSecurity Tools can be found here: ModSecurity Tools.

ModSecurity can also be installed at the customer domain level, so that a cPanel user can enable or disable individual domains within ModSecurity. However, this is not enabled by default. In order to enable ModSecurity at the domain level, you will need to do one of the following:

  • Enable from WHM login - Feature Showcase - depending on your WHM setup, you may be presented with a Feature Showcase screen when you first log in to WHM. On this screen find ModSecurity, and enable it. Then click on Save Settings at the bottom of the screen.

  • Enable from WHM Packages - Feature Manager - in WHM, go to Packages, and then Feature Manager. Click the Edit button, and in the list that appears look for Mod_Security Domain Manager. Check the box for that feature, and then click on Save at the bottom of the screen.

With either method, this will add ModSecurity to the Security section in the cPanel Control Panel. The user can then Enable or Disable ModSecurity for their domains. More information about the ModSecurity Domain Manager can found here: ModSecurity Domain Manager.

ModSecurity at the domain level uses the settings defined in WHM, there is no control for an individual user or domain over the ModSecurity rules.

Adding additional IP addresses to cPanel/WHM

By default, your cPanel/WHM Virtual Server comes with one public IP address. You will need to purchase additional IP addresses if you do any of the following:

  • You have more than one website using SSL - each standalone website using SSL requires its own public IP address.
  • You are using private nameservers - private nameservers require a public IP address for each nameserver.

To purchase additional public IP addresses, you will need to go to the Upgrade/Downgrade options for your Virtual Server, and purchase the IP addresses (not Internal IPs) that you need. More information can be found here: Upgrade/Downgrade Resources for your Virtual Server.

Once you have purchased the additional IP addresses, you can add them to WHM: Add a New IP Address.

More information about how to use and manage IP addresses can be found here: IP Functions.

E-mail Configuration

When you add a new Account to WHM, the domain is added to the mail server. This means that the domain owner or user can manage e-mail addresses for their domain in the cPanel Control Panel. More information about how to set up and use cPanel Mail functions can be found here: cPanel Mail.

There are also tools to manage the mail server in WHM in Email. You can find Email two ways:

  1. From the WHM Home screen, find the Email section and click that item.
  2. From the left navigation pane, scroll down to Email and click that item.

Each method takes you to the same location in WHM - the Email screen. In Email you can view and manage reports and the mail queue, and do some troubleshooting. More information about the functions available in Email are found here: Email.

Adding Additional Software to cPanel

The software that is available for cPanel users to install is managed in WHM using cPAddons. The default cPAddons include software like WordPress and OSCommerce, but other applications can be added.

The cPAddons are installed from WHM in cPanel. You can find cPanel two ways:

  1. From the WHM Home screen, find the cPanel section and click that item.
  2. From the left navigation pane, scroll down to cPanel and click that item.

Each method takes you to the same location in WHM - the cPanel screen. In this screen, you can install and manage cPaddons.

To install a cPAddon, click on Install cPAddons Site Software. This takes you to a screen that shows the currently available cPAddons. To install one, click the box to the left of the name and then click on Update cPAddon Config. This will start the install process. Wait a few minutes, and scroll to the bottom of the screen. If you see a [Back] button, the install is complete.

In the cPanel Control Panel, you can go to Software and Services > Site Software to see the applications available.

You can also add third party applications as cPAddons. One place to look for additional addons is the cPanel Application Catalog. Contact the vendor you wish to purchase an addon from, and they will give you a Vendor's Information URL that you can add to the cPAddons so that you can install their software.

More information about adding cPAddons, including adding new vendors, can be found here: Install cPAddons.

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