A Linux server is one of the best operating systems for server purposes. It is secure, powerful, fast, and free. But setting up a Linux server is time-consuming — you should have proper technical skills in computer and networking technology. You can skip all of that technical skill by using a powerful tool called WHM/cPanel. WHM (WebHost Manager) or cPanel is a Unix-based web hosting control panel that provides a graphical interface and automation tools designed to simplify the process of hosting a website. All configurations are done through a web user interface.
WHM/cPanel has a 3-tier structure that provides functionality for administrators, resellers, and end-user website owners to control the various aspects of website and server administration through a standard web browser. It supports CentOS, Ubuntu, Debian, Red Hat Linux, and FreeBSD.
It is very easy to set up a VPS with WHM/cPanel. For those who have fewer technical skills, you can follow the standard step-by-step guide to make your server live and running.
WHM Initial Setup
To access your WHM, you need to type https://YourIP:2087 in your web browser address bar, and it will ask you for root login. Give username root and the password from your provider (it should be in your email). Then it will bring you to the WHM initial setup, which only takes 6 steps:
- Agreement
Read it and if you agree, choose “I Agree/Go To Step 2.” - Setup Networking
Under the Contact Information heading (fill all required fields marked with *): In the Server Contact Email Address field: enter the email address at which you wish to be contacted if your server has a problem. Under the Hostname heading: Enter your server’s hostname into the “This Server’s Hostname” field. Example: server1.yourdomain.com Under the Resolvers heading: Enter your DNS server, provided by your service provider. See your email — it is usually provided there. Under the Main Network/Ethernet Device heading: In the “Select the main network/Ethernet device” menu, select the device you would like to use for your connection. - Setup IP Addresses
In this page, you need to add at least one IP address as the main IP address. If you purchased more than one IP address, you can add them on this page. To add: a. Enter the new IP address(es) into the “IP Address(es) to add” field. b. Click “Add IP(s)”. Note: if you only have one IP address, skip this step. - Setup Nameservers
Nameservers are responsible for spreading your server’s DNS information throughout the Internet. DNS allows visitors to access websites on your server. Usually it looks like: ns1.yourdomain.com, ns2.yourdomain.com. This nameserver would be added to your name registrar, so when people type your website address, it will resolve to your server. To add nameserver domains:- Enter the first nameserver into the Nameserver 1 field. Usually ns1.yourdomain.com.
- Enter the second nameserver into the Nameserver 2 field. Usually ns2.yourdomain.com.
- Add A entries: a. Click the “Add ‘A Entries’ for all Nameservers” checkbox. b. Enter the IP addresses for each of your nameservers. c. Click “Add ‘A Entries’ for Hostname” if you would like to add an A entry for your server’s hostname. d. If you clicked the “Add ‘A Entries’ for Hostname” checkbox, enter the IP address for your server.
- Setup Services
On this page you can choose what FTP server and mail server program you like. Just check the radio button to choose. Any FTP server and mail server is fine — ask your ISP administrator to know which one is better for you. - Set Up Quotas
This page allows you to add account quota packages. There are many options to set up — quotas for disk size, bandwidth, FTP accounts, mail accounts, subdomains, and more. If you wish to sell hosting services then you need to set up your package here. If not, skip this step. - Just press the finish setup and your server is ready to go.
Here is the basic setup of your server with WHM/cPanel installed. It is easy to use and reliable. There are a couple of things you need to set up after this, like updating the nameserver for your domain, creating an account, and testing. I will publish it in the next article. Stay tuned. Thanks.