Category: Web Hosting

  • Managee Account Suspension for cPanels under WHM

    Managee Account Suspension for cPanels under WHM

    Introduction-

    This functionality enables the suspension and unsuspend of accounts on your cPanel under your WHM server. For instance, you might want to temporarily deactivate accounts that are in default.

    Process: Go to “List of accounts” under your WHM

    The interface will display the action the system will take with incoming email for suspended cPanel accounts. You can edit this setting in WHM’s Exim Configuration Manager interface (WHM » Home » Service Configuration » Exim Configuration Manager).

    The interface lists all of the accounts on your server. The interface displays active, unsuspended accounts in white, and displays suspended accounts in red. In the example below, the example1.com account is suspended:

    The list of accounts in the Manage Account Suspension interface.

    Suspend an account

    To suspend an account, perform the following steps:

    1. Select the account that you wish to suspend.
    2. Enter a reason in the text box.
      Note: It is advisable to always provide a justification for account suspension. If the account is owned by a reseller, this rationale may assist the reseller in promptly addressing the issue.
    3. To ensure that resellers cannot unsuspend the account, select the Prevent resellers from unsuspending checkbox.
    4. Click Suspend.

    Unsuspend an account-

    To unsuspend an account, perform the following steps:

    1. Select the account that you wish to unsuspend.
      Remember: Only users with root privileges can unsuspend a locked account.
    2. To keep service proxying, select the Retain Service Proxying checkbox. Most users do not need to select this checkbox.
    3. Click Unsuspend.

    Limitations

    This interface has the following limitations:

    • 👉 The system will not suspend any of the account’s Amazon RDS™ remote databases.
    • 👉 This feature uses Apache® virtual host include files to redirect incoming web traffic to an Account Suspended interface.
    • 👉 You cannot change a suspended account’s password.
    • 👉 When you suspend an account, the system adds a special character to the front of the cPanel user’s password field. This special character creates an invalid hash, which results in an invalid password message to the cPanel user.
  • How to Use AI in Your Reseller Hosting Business?

    How to Use AI in Your Reseller Hosting Business?

    Artificial intelligence (AI) has emerged as a fundamental element across various sectors, yet its application in reseller hosting may not be immediately apparent. However, if you adopt a creative perspective, there are numerous opportunities to explore. Incorporating AI into your reseller hosting operations can significantly enhance efficiency in multiple areas. For instance, it allows for the swift automation of crucial, yet monotonous, tasks. Additionally, AI can improve customer support and optimize your marketing strategies. To assist you in harnessing this technology effectively, we will outline some of the most effective methods for integrating AI into your reseller hosting business today.

    Streamlining Key Repetitive Activities through Automation

    Whether you are an established hosting reseller or a newcomer to the field, you will encounter essential tasks that require repetition. One such task is collecting monthly payments from your clients. The challenge with these responsibilities lies in their manual execution, which can be quite time-intensive. While it is possible to assign these tasks to other team members, doing so may hinder their ability to focus on other activities that could drive progress.

    When utilized appropriately, artificial intelligence serves as an outstanding tool for automating various tasks. For instance, it allows for the generation of invoices with minimal effort on your end. Additionally, this technology enables you to monitor all customer subscriptions effectively.

    In addition to handling payments and invoicing, AI can also facilitate automation in the following areas:

    1. Generating tickets when problems occur
    2. Distributing newsletters
    3. Onboarding new clients
    4. Backing up websites and data

    Evaluating Customer Contentment

    Even when you execute every aspect correctly, it is inevitable that not all customers will be satisfied. Nevertheless, there are several strategies you can implement to enhance their experience prior to encountering negative feedback. Assessing their current levels of satisfaction is undoubtedly the most effective approach to achieve this.

    Manually analyzing all customer data to identify trends can be a daunting task, which is where artificial intelligence can be beneficial. By utilizing customer relationship management (CRM) software, you can gain deeper insights into which customers are content and which are not with your offerings. With this knowledge, you can take appropriate actions to improve their satisfaction in the future.

    Moreover, in addition to fostering better relationships with dissatisfied customers, AI can also be utilized to uncover potential upselling opportunities. This could lead to increased revenue, enabling you to reinvest in your business. Features such as star ratings and sentiment analysis can provide a clearer understanding of customer perceptions.

    AI Customer Assistance

    A frequent error in reseller hosting that should be avoided is overlooking customer support. In addition to employing actual team members, utilizing AI can enhance problem-solving efficiency.

    A prevalent application of AI in customer support is through chatbots, which can address common inquiries, enabling your team to concentrate on more urgent and intricate matters. Notable AI customer support platforms include Zendesk and Freshdesk. Your team can integrate these tools with their manual efforts to address each customer’s concerns more effectively.

    In addition to utilizing AI for customer support, it is beneficial to collaborate with a web hosting provider that possesses high-level expertise. This partnership will enhance the overall quality of your service offerings.

    Utilizing Artificial Intelligence to Enhance Marketing Efforts

    Up to this point, we have discussed the ways to utilize AI in your reseller hosting business for various internal processes. However, there are also innovative ways to incorporate it into your outbound marketing strategies.

    To thrive as a reseller hosting business, engaging in some form of marketing is essential. This is important not only for reaching your target audience but also for highlighting what sets you apart from your competitors. Nevertheless, it is important to note that marketing can be quite time-consuming.

    As a hosting reseller, it is advisable to include a marketing expert among your potential hires, while also utilizing AI to enhance their effectiveness. For instance, tools such as ChatGPT can assist in generating drafts for social media content. Additionally, platforms like Perplexity can facilitate research efforts. When incorporating AI into your marketing strategy, it remains essential to thoroughly proofread and edit the content to ensure it reflects your unique voice. Furthermore, you might want to explore the integration of AI with SEO practices.

    Overview

    AI is a crucial resource for any reseller-hosting enterprise aiming for sustainable growth. It can be applied across various domains, including customer support, project management, sales, and marketing. Assess the specific requirements of your business and explore the various methods to integrate AI accordingly.

  • How to increase the maximum file upload size limit in PHP & phpMyAdmin?

    How to increase the maximum file upload size limit in PHP & phpMyAdmin?

    Introduction –

    By default, cPanel establishes a maximum file upload limit of 2GB. Please refer to this guide to raise the upload threshold.

    Procedure-

    • 👉 Step-1: Log into WHM
    • 👉 Step-2: Navigate to “WHM / Software / MultiPHP INI Editor”
    • 👉 Step-3: Select the version of PHP that your site uses
    • 👉 Step-4: Increase the following variables
      1. upload_max_filesize
      2. post_max_size (This should be larger than or equal to upload_max_filesize)
      3. memory_limit (This should be larger than or equal to post_max_size)
      4. max_execution_time (Optional, but can prevent timeout errors for large files)
    • 👉 Step-5: Click “Apply”
    • 👉 Step-6: Repeat for all versions of PHP that you require larger file upload sizes for.

    NOTE: Please note, the maximum size for these variables is 2GB.

  • How to increase the maximum upload limit in phpMyAdmin ?

    How to increase the maximum upload limit in phpMyAdmin ?

    If a SQL file is uploaded through phpMyAdmin that exceeds the upload size limit and/or the post size limit, the following error will occur:

    1. phpMyAdmin – Error
    2. Incorrect format parameter

    This error is provided because only part of the file was uploaded due to the upload limit, which results in a corrupted import.

    To increase the maximum upload limit in phpMyAdmin, you must increase the cPanel PHP max upload size and cPanel PHP max POST size values. The maximum value these limits can be increased to is 2047 M. If your import file is larger than 2047 M, you must import the database via the command line.

    Step-By-Step Instructions-

    • 👉 Step-1. Log in to WHM as the root user.
    • 👉 Step-2. Navigate to “Home / Server Configuration / Tweak Settings” in WHM.
    • 👉 Step-3. Click on the PHP tab.
    • 👉 Step-4. For the “cPanel PHP max upload size” option, increase the upload limit to your desired value.
      • a. Values higher than 2047MB are not permitted.
    • 👉 Step-5. For the “cPanel PHP max POST size” option, increase the POST value to the same or higher.
      • a. Values higher than 2047MB are not permitted.
    • 👉 Step-6. Click Save.

    Once this is done, you’ll see that phpMyAdmin now shows the new maximum upload size on the import screen next to the upload button.

  • Importance of Web Hosting

    Importance of Web Hosting

    High-performing and trustworthy web hosting is very essential part for any successful website. Whenever anyone thinks for creating a new website, they keep web hosting as the last things in their mind. However, ignoring the choice of correct host can result disastrous effects on the website and hence on the business.

    With numerous choices it becomes very easy for anyone to merely select the cheapest option. But, web hosting must be seen as an important investment for any business. Hosting is like a foundation for any website. As people never build their home on any unstable foundation, likewise one must not go with a website with a low-quality host.

    So, let’s find the answers for; what is web hosting, how to decide which web host is a quality host, and most importantly what is the importance of web hosting.

    What is Web Hosting?

    Whenever any website is created it consists of numerous different files and these files require being stored in an order in such a place that they can be accessible anytime on the internet. Hence, web hosting companies rent space in their servers over a monthly or yearly fee. This process of keeping the website files in the server of any hosting provider is known as web hosting.

    Hosting providers have group of numerous servers which are called as data centers. Other than servers, they also offer various additional elements such as network connection equipment, security measures, backup power supplies, air conditioning systems, and many more.

    And the best part is, your website files will be available for 24/7 in the server of the hosting provider, hence, your website will be accessible on the web always.

    Additionally, your web host will take the responsibilities of: server maintenance, troubleshooting, hardware and software update, and lot more.

    How to decide which web host is a quality host?

    Today, there are hundreds of hosting companies available in the market, and also there variety of hosting types such as Shared, VPS, Dedicated, Cloud Hosting or we have Linux Hosting, Windows Hosting, WordPress Hosting, and definitely you don’t want to select anyone randomly.

    After understanding about website hosting, let’s learn how to decide which web host is a quality host.

    High Reliability and Server Uptime

    Reliability and server uptime denotes to how frequently your website will be obtainable online. Majority of hosts stick to 99.9% uptime. This provides room for any essential server maintenance which can temporarily take your site offline. Some web hosting companies even repay you for the time that is above their guaranteed uptime.

    Therefore, before finalizing any web hosting service provider, always verify uptime policy of the hosting provider and also check if they are giving any uptime guarantee. Since, there is no point in having a website if it remains offline whenever you need it the most.

    Bandwidth and Storage

    Bandwidth converts to the traffic amount and total page views that your website can handle every month. Nowadays, offering unlimited bandwidth became a common practice. In a shared hosting plan unlimited bandwidth offers does not actually mean unlimited.

    On the other hand, the storage limits widely vary across the hosting platforms and companies. Though, if you are not storing videos, or collecting and storing user data, or tons of media content, then you can possibly escape with using minimum storage levels.

    Great Customer Support

    No one certainly thinks about customer support until it is too late. But for any reason, if your website goes offline, then whatever you do, you can’t take it back online. That time only good customer support can only assist or help you.

    Therefore, testing the support team by yourself before selecting your hosting provider is very essential.

    Domain Management Tools

    The host which you purchase must be equipped with tools, like cPanel, using which you can easily manage your domain. Also, check for ability to add multiple domains or set up subdomains to a single hosting account.

    Clear Pricing

    Increase in hosting price is quite a common practice—unless you purchase hosting for multiple years at a single stretch. Therefore, make sure you choose a hosting company which has clear pricing terms, so that you can stay prepared whenever any increase in price is going to occur.

    Ability to Scale

    Lastly, look for host that can grow with your requirement. Any site doesn’t stay in the same size for its complete life. If you are starting a website, then you possibly want it to be a great success. Typically, this clearly means more traffic.

    Over time, you requirement from your web host will change. If initially it was a basic shared hosting plan, then later you might need to upgrade to any cloud hosting, or you may require web hosting for WordPress site.

    So, at the time of host selection make sure they offer scalable packages, or provide you the ability to upgrade to any different hosting plan.

    What is the importance of web hosting?

    The choice of web host will influence your website’s complete success. It doesn’t like a big deal, but picking a low-quality host can damage your website in a numerous ways. Therefore, it is very important to select the right web host.

    Let’s have a look on some of the major influences your web hosting provider will have on your website:

    • Your website’s security will be on the line.
    • You will get support whenever any issue occur.
    • You loss of sales will get minimize.
    • Your website’s performance and SEO will get boosted.
    • Your site content will remain secured.

    As you can understand now, the investment decision in web hosting matters a lot than your thinking. Hopefully, this article was helpful for you to have a better understanding about web hosting, and what to look for while choosing the web host for your website.

    For web hosting services, contact Build Websites today!

  • Moving Easily Emails from one CPANEL email server account to another

    Moving Easily Emails from one CPANEL email server account to another

    Moving an email account (including old emails) from one cPanel server to another is pretty easy to do yourself if you have some knowledge of cPanel and FTP. When you move your existing web hosting to a different server you face the issue of migrating the emails from old cPanel to the new cPanel. Many a times I have seen website owner sacrificing all old mail during the server change process, because their developer does not know what to do. The fact is that it is a very easy process and can be completed within 5 to 10 minutes.
    Requirements

    1. FTP access to both new and old server.
    2. cPanel access to the new server.

    Here is a step by step approach to successfully move your cPanel mail from OLD server to NEW Server.

    Step 1: Create email account on the NEW SERVER/Hosting with the same E-mail id and password


    Log on to the New Server CPANEL. Click the ‘Email Accounts’ icon and fill up the fields to create the email account. Make sure to keep the password same as the one you had on the Old Server. Choose any amount of disk space/unlimited you want.

    Step 2: Download and backup the email data from Old Server through FTP/CPANEL

    Use a FTP program like CuteFTP, filezilla or FireFTP to connect to the Old Server. From the root directory navigate to “mail/domainame.com/emailAccount”. There will be a lot of files there but we need just two folders. So, download the “new” and “cur” directories to you local machine. Save this as a back-up of your old mails. If you have a lot of emails this could take a while. Once you are done, log out of the FTP connection.

    Step 3: Upload/Transfer Email files to NEW SERVER

    Log in to the New Server and like we did on the Old Server.
    Navigate to the “mail/domainname.com/emailaccount/” directory.
    Upload the “new” and ”cur” directories here by overwriting the existing one.( Replacement needed as the folder should already be created since you already created the account in step 1.)
    Depending on the size of your mails it may take a while to upload them.

    Step 4: Updating/Reset Mail Quota on New Server

    We are done, you can now access your mails from cPanel. But there is one bug to be fixed. Your mail account would still show you 0MB/500MB or something like that. That’s because we just created the account, and cPanel never had any records of the mails coming in. So we have to update the Mail Quota.
    In the same directory where we added the email files in step 3 locate the maildirsize file. Both the server will have the file. Copy the contents from maildirsize file on Old Server to the one on the NEW SERVER.

    (Alternate Process: FTP to the OLD SERVER, open up the maildirsize file at “root/mail/domainname.com/emailAccount” and copy all of the contents and paste them into the maildirsize file on the NEW SERVER. You may have luck copying the maildirsize file on the OLD SERVER and pasting it on the NEW SERVER, however this did not work for me.)

    If the above step does not work for you, try editing the maildirsize file on New Server so that it matches the values on the Old Server.

    For your information:

    1. 1st row: 2097152000/1024/1024 = Available Space in B
    2. 2nd row: 1682448126/1024/1024 = Used Space in B
    3. From 3rd row they are sizes for more folders in your account.

    We are done now.

    Step 5: Update your NameServers from your domain

    You can update name servers from your domain registrar. Go to the domain control area where you will need to change two entities from ns1. oldnameserver.com and ns2.oldnameserver.com to ns1.newnameserver.com and ns2.newnameserver.com. It takes somewhere between an hour to 24 hours to take effect, but sometimes DNS propagation might be done within 15 minutes
    (Remember the Nameserver may still need some time to update. Wait for it.) Your new email account should now have all the old mails and folder exactly like your Old cPanel email account.

    Enjoy your time. Have fun.
    Thanks for reading this.

  • How To Redirect HTTP to HTTPS using .htaccess file (Apache Server)

    How To Redirect HTTP to HTTPS using .htaccess file (Apache Server)

    When you are adding SSL for your websites to make it’s secure, your web server will also continue to serve the HTTP version of your webpages. So to get Website Visitor/your audiences’ attraction, you need to redirect HTTP to HTTPS, and force SSL on your website. Here’s I am giving some examples “how to redirect HTTP to HTTPs using .htaccess file in Apache web server”.

    Steps to Redirect HTTP To HTTPS Using .Htaccess File

    Before you start the things-Kindly ensure you have mod_rewrite enabled in your Apache server. Then only your Apache server will apply the configuration in .htaccess file. After migrating your website from HTTP to HTTPS, you may need to use a database reporting software for monitoring the key metrics about your website/application like signups, purchases, revenue, etc. with the help of dashboards & charts, to make sure everything is working smoothly and issues are spotted early.

    Open .htaccess file

    You will usually find .htaccess file in the root folder (e.g /var/www/html/) of your site. You can open it with the help of code editor

    $ sudo vim /var/www/html/.htaccess

    Add Rewrite Rule to .htaccess

    Add the below mentioned rules to your .htaccess file, for redirecting HTTP to HTTPs

    RewriteEngine on

    # force ssl

    RewriteCond %{SERVER_PORT} ^80$

    RewriteRule ^(.*)$ https://%{SERVER_NAME}%{REQUEST_URI} [L,R=301]

    If the requested port is 80 (default for HTTP) then the above rewrite condition will check. In that case, it will match the entire URL and redirect to its HTTPS version. The server variable for website’s root URL is SERVER_NAME, and the URL stub that follows the domain name is REQUEST_URI. For permanent redirect here we use a 301 redirect. If you don’t need a permanent redirect then just use ‘R’ instead of ‘R=301’ in the above RewriteRule.

    By using virtual hosts also, you can redirect HTTP to HTTPS in your virtual host’s config file.

    <VirtualHost *:80>

    ServerName www.example.com

    Redirect permanent / https://www.example.com/

    </VirtualHost>

     

    <VirtualHost _default_:443>

    ServerName www.example.com

    DocumentRoot /var/www/html/example

    SSLEngine On

    # etc…

    </VirtualHost>

     

    In above mentioned case, we want to set up 2 virtual hosts – one for HTTP and the other one for HTTPS. The HTTP virtual host easily redirects all its requests to the HTTPs one. You can even use URL redirection to redirect to subfolder or redirect subfolder to subdomain.

    Restart Apache Server

    Restart Apache Server to apply changes

    $ sudo service apache2 restart

    Enjoy!

    For more guidance contact experts!