How to configure initial WHM settings (VPS and Dedicated server)

If you have VPS/Dedicated server with us, on your first login to WHM you will be prompted to specify initial WHM settings in Setup Wizard. All these settings can be changed later in WHM if required.

This guide will provide you with the basic information needed to complete initial WHM setup and start working with your server.

Step1

cPanel/WHM license agreement

Carefully check the license agreement provided by cPanel and click I agree/Go to Step 2 button.

Step 2

Setup Networking

In Contact Information section you can specify the means of alerting you about server status. We recommend setting up non-local email account in Contact email address field and enabling at least one of the optional communication methods

In Hostname section you can specify the hostname of your VPS/Dedicated server.
cPanel requires hostname to be in format name.domain.tld

In Resolvers section you can specify DNS resolvers which will be used for outgoing DNS queries by your server.

It is recommended to keep default addresses for primary and secondary resolvers.
For the third resolver you can specify one of free public DNS services of your choosing, for example IP address of Google Public DNS server.

In Main Network/Ethernet Device section it is recommended to use the device suggested by default.

Step3

IP addresses

Click on Skip This Step and Use Default Settings and proceed to Step 4

Step 4

Nameservers

Here you need to specify nameserver program which will be used on your server, you can refer to cPanel recommendations to choose nameserver program most suitable for your needs.

Default option – BIND works for most users, so if you are unsure which option to choose pick this one

In Nameservers specification section input your private nameservers you would like to use

In the last section input IP addresses for your private nameservers which were provided in welcome email.

NOTE 1: you can use single IP address for both nameservers as well, however it is always recommended to use different IP addresses if it is possible.

NOTE 2: In order to make these nameservers operable you also need to register them at your current registrar side with the same IP addresses. If you domain is registered with us, please follow this guide.

In Add A Entries for Nameservers & Hostname menu input your server main IP address and save the changes

Wait till WHM configures your nameservers and takes you to Step 5.

Step 5

Services

In this section you can select FTP and Mail programs, enable cPHulk module.

We recommend using default selection for FTP program – Pure-FTPD

In Mail Configuration you can choose mail program.

Dovecot suggested by default should be used unless you have other specific needs.

It is recommended to keep “Convert mailbox settings file format” option checked if you opted to enable a mail server

cPHulk is a basic protection tool for your server from brute-force attacks (password-guessing attacks) so we recommend enabling it.
In advanced settings you can specify time periods for temporary blocks and other cPHulk settings.
You may refer to official cPanel documentation for more information regarding cPHulk configuration here.

Last option here is related to Perl environment location.
Certain scripts and CGI applications may require a Perl installation in the /usr/bin/perl directory, which cPanel&WHM does not require anymore.
For more information please read cPanel documentation here.

Keep this option unchecked if you do not plan to use such scripts

Step 6

Quotas

In the final stage you can install disk space tracking system used for cPanel accounts disk space usage monitoring.
We recommend leaving this option checked.

Once done click Finish Setup Wizard which will redirect you to WHM main menu