cPanel and WHM uses comprehensive installers that take most of the effort out of installing the complex cPanel and WHM software package. You will need the following to install cPanel and WHM:
A basic server install of one of the supported operating systems listed at http://www.cpanel.net/products/cPanelandWHM/linux/sys_requirements.htm
A cPanel license (cPanel and WHM will not run without a license file).
NOTE: You can obtain a license from an authorized cPanel distributor or partner. For a list of distributors, please see http://www.cpanel.net/partners/index.html. A free 15 day test license can be obtained at http://www.cpanel.net/store.
Before you begin:
cPanel and WHM should only be installed on a blank server with a fresh operating system install. No data should be on the server that you wish to keep. This includes but is not limited to web pages, configuration files, scripts, user accounts. The installer makes many changes to your system including downloading needed packages and configuring them for you. Because of the considerable amount of changes that cPanel will make to the system, the suggested method of uninstalling the cPanel and WHM software is to reformat the server.
A fresh install with minimal installation options is recommended. Development tools libraries (gcc, C, etc) and wget are required. cPanel and WHM will install Apache, MySQL, exim, PHP, etc. You do not need to install any of these services beforehand.
You should ensure your package management (or ports) system is properly configured (yum, apt-get, up2date, ports).
You also need to make sure that /etc/resolv.conf contains valid nameservers that allow you to resolve domains properly. To test this, try :
dig domain.com@serverip
(replace domain.com with the name of a well known domain and replace serverip with the ip address of a nameserver in /etc/resolv.conf)
The hostname
of this server should be a Fully Qualified Domain Name that will not be
used elsewhere on the server. You should never set your hostname
to an name that is already used (www, ftp, mail, etc) or to the name of
an account on the server (www.domain.com).
This means that your hostname
should never be a domain name and especially not the name
of your domain!!
If you would like cPanel Inc
to do your installation for you and you have obtained a license, you may
request an installation at http://support.cpanel.net/.
Make sure to provide your IP, the root pass of your server, and the operating
system installed on the server. We do not charge for installations.
The following partition scheme is recommended:
NOTE: Different partition schemes are suitable for different types of hosting. Some servers may require space to be allocated in different ways than others. This recommended scheme is an attempt to provide enough space for many different types of hosting but it is no substitution for real world experience. This partition scheme may need to be varied to suit the needs of your specific setup.
/boot 35 Megabytes (MB)
/usr 8192+ MB (8192MB if you have an 80GB drive, 10240MB for a 100GB drive, 20480MB for a 200GB drive, etc.)
/var 2500+ MB
/tmp 512+ MB
/ 2048 MB
/home grow to fill disk
swap 2x memory size
NOTE: The "/tmp" directory is a special directory that is required to be writeable by all users and processes on the system. In general, directories that are writable by all users and processes are cause for security concern, however this directory is a special case. To minimize any security impact as a result of having an unsecured "/tmp" directory, it is recommended that "/tmp" be mounted on a seperate partition in order to take advantage of the "no exec" option available under both Linux and FreeBSD. If a separate mount point exists for "/tmp", then the installer will verify and potentially remount the partition with the "no exec" option. Additionally, the installer will ensure that the sticky bit is set on the directory and that the other permissions are correct. If "/tmp" is not mounted on a separate partition, the installer will create a file system disk image of 512 Mb and mount "/tmp" on the newly created disk image with the "no exec" directive. Under most circumstances, 512 Mb is sufficient for the "/tmp" partition; however, your system may require additional space. It is therefore recommended that you include a separate partition for the "/tmp" mount point (sized according to your size specification) prior to installing cPanel.
Minimum CPU/RAM/HD:
P266
256 Meg of ram
20 GB of space (Partition sizes required to host multiple account. Less than 500MB is needed for new files)
To install cPanel and WHM
Make sure you are logged in as root.
# cd /home
# wget http://layer1.cpanel.net/latest
# sh latest
The installer has now started, and will take between 30 and 60 minutes depending on your machine. If you are asked any questions press the Enter key, or q if there is no default. After the installation is complete, you need to setup WebHost Manager - refer to Logging on for the First Time for more information.
NOTE: You must be on a stable internet connect to install cPanel. If your shell session disconnects during the installation of cPanel, the installation will be aborted. You can restart the installation by using "sh latest" again however, we recommend reformatting your machine and starting over to ensure there are no problems with the installation.
Logging On
Please refer to Logging on for the first time or Logging on to start using your interface.