Install Centos 7 WHM/Cpanel
Overview
cPanel is a Linux-based web hosting control panel offering a graphical interface and automation tools to streamline web hosting. It adopts a 3-tier structure, catering to administrators, resellers, and end-users, enabling them to manage different aspects of website and server administration through a web browser. Beyond the graphical interface, cPanel provides command line and API access, allowing third-party software vendors, web hosting organizations, and developers to automate standard system administration processes.
What characteristics does cPanel have?
Here’s a breakdown of the mentioned features:
Email System:
- Setup multiple email accounts for users.
- Webmail interface for online access to emails.
- Spam blocker and filters to enhance email security.
Security:
- Tools to secure websites and reduce the risk of attacks.
- Support for third-party security add-ons to enhance protection.
File Management:
- Graphical interface to visualize and manage files, folders, and directories.
- Facilitates easy organization and arrangement of files.
Domain Management:
- Simplifies the creation of hosting accounts for customers.
- Streamlines domain management processes.
Requirements
WHM/cPanel Installation Guide
cPanel provides a custom installation script to install and configure the whole cPanel system. We will just have to download the file and run it.
The command is below.
cd /home && curl -o latest -L http://httpupdate.cpanel.net/latest && sh latest
The command above navigates to the /home directory, downloads the latest cPanel installation script, and executes it. Once the installation is complete, you’ll see a completion message at the bottom, similar to the example below:
2016-07-23 17:33:18 938 ( INFO): After ensuring that your firewall allows access on port 2087, you can configure your server.
2016-07-23 17:33:18 938 ( INFO):
2016-07-23 17:33:18 938 ( INFO): 1. Open your preferred browser
2016-07-23 17:33:18 938 ( INFO):
2016-07-23 17:33:18 938 ( INFO): 2. Type https://185.144.156.21:2087 in the address bar
2016-07-23 17:33:18 938 ( INFO):
2016-07-23 17:33:18 938 ( INFO): 3. Enter the word root in the Username text box
2016-07-23 17:33:18 938 ( INFO):
2016-07-23 17:33:18 938 ( INFO): 4. Enter your root password in the Password text box
2016-07-23 17:33:18 938 ( INFO):
2016-07-23 17:33:18 938 ( INFO): 5. Click the Login button
2016-07-23 17:33:18 938 ( INFO):
2016-07-23 17:33:18 938 ( INFO): Visit https://go.cpanel.net/whminit for more information about first-time configuration of your server.
2016-07-23 17:33:18 938 ( INFO):
2016-07-23 17:33:18 938 ( INFO): Visit http://support.cpanel.net or https://go.cpanel.net/whmfaq for additional support
2016-07-23 17:33:18 938 ( INFO):
2016-07-23 17:33:18 938 ( INFO): Thank you for installing cPanel & WHM 11.56!
That’s all! After installing WHM/cPanel, we will configure WHM to your needs.
Configuring cPanel/WHM
To access WHM, open your web browser and enter your server’s IP address followed by ‘:2086’, for example, http://185.144.156.21:2086. Log in using the ‘root’ username and your password.
Upon logging in, you’ll encounter an initial setup wizard. The first page will display the end-user license agreement.
Click ‘I Agree/Go to Step 2′.
On the following page, provide your email address, server hostname, and resolvers. Disregard the other fields as they are optional, but ensure not to leave the mentioned fields empty as they are required.
Once you’ve filled in the information, scroll down the page and click ‘Save & Go to Step 3‘.
Proceed to the third page, which is the IP address setup console. Here, you can add additional IP addresses if you have them. If you only have one IP address, simply click on ‘Go to Step 4‘.
In the next step, you’ll configure nameservers. If you wish to run your own nameservers from within WHM, you can enable this setting. Choose from Bind, MyDNS, or NSD. Keep in mind that if you plan to host your own nameservers, you’ll need to provide two additional IP addresses, one for each nameserver.
To add your own nameservers, select one from Bind, MyDNS, or NSD. Enter the nameserver hostname in the Nameserver 1 and Nameserver 2 fields and add an IP address entry for each nameserver hostname.
If you choose to disable nameservers in WHM, remember to provide your external nameservers in the Nameserver 1 & Nameserver 2 fields.
On the services page, you can configure your FTP, Mail, and CPHulk Protection settings. Choose your preferred FTP server from ProFTPD, Pure-FTPd, or disable FTP altogether.
Additionally, you can select the mail server from Dovecot or disable it. You also have the option to enable CPHulk Brute Force Protection.
Once your configuration is complete, click on ‘Save & Go to Step 6‘.
In the final section of the setup page, you’ll be prompted to choose between using file system quotas or not using them. Opt to use file system quotas, and once you’ve made your selection, click on ‘Finish Setup Wizard‘.
That’s it! You can now add third-party add-ons, upload your site files, and further customise WHM/cPanel to suit your requirements.