Advanced User and Domain Management in DirectAdmin – Renaming Domains, Changing Usernames, Moving Domains, Merging Accounts, and Administrative Scripts

1. How to Rename a Domain in DirectAdmin

To rename a domain (e.g., domain1.com → domain2.com):

1. Go to User Level → Domain Setup → Change a Domain Name.
2. Select the domain and enter the new name.

Important Notes:

• Website files (public_html) and email accounts will be affected.
• Databases are not renamed; you may need to update script configurations manually.

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2. How to Change a Username

Run the following script as root via SSH:

cd /usr/local/directadmin/scripts
./change_username.sh olduser newuser

Security Tip: Always back up all databases (.sql) before renaming a user.

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3. How to Move a Domain Between Users

Use the built-in script:

cd /usr/local/directadmin/scripts/
./move_domain.sh domain.com olduser newuser

Notes:

• If newuser does not exist, create a temporary domain (e.g., fakedomain.com), move the real domain, then delete the fake one.
• To move databases, use rename_database_with_user.sh.

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4. How to Merge Two User Accounts

This is useful when reducing the number of accounts (e.g., for Personal license limits) or simplifying management.

Method 1: Promote User and Remove Old Account

cd /usr/local/directadmin/scripts
./user_to_reseller.sh fred
echo "fred" >> /usr/local/directadmin/data/admin/admin.list
perl -pi -e 's/^fred\n//' /usr/local/directadmin/data/admin/reseller.list
perl -pi -e 's/usertype=reseller/usertype=admin/' /usr/local/directadmin/data/users/fred/user.conf

Then log in as fred, delete the old admin account, and rename fred if needed.

Method 2: Restore Merge

If the user was deleted, rename the backup Error! Hyperlink reference not valid.

user.admin.fred.tar.gz → admin.root.admin.tar.gz

Then restore it.

Method 3: Manual Migration (Advanced)

• Move all domains from fred to admin.
• Move databases using rename_database_with_user.sh.
• Copy cronjobs manually:

crontab -u fred -l
crontab -u admin -e

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5. Fixing “Domain Already Exists” Errors

If DirectAdmin reports that a domain already exists, check the following:

• named.conf
• /etc/virtual/domains
• /etc/virtual/domainowners
• /etc/virtual/domain.com
• .nzf files in /var/named

Also check Multi-Server Setup if “Domain Check” is enabled.

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6. Why Some Users Do Not Appear in “Show All Users”

The cache file may be corrupted. Rebuild it:

da taskq --run="action=cache&value=showallusers"

Or delete the cache Error! Hyperlink reference not valid.

rm -f /usr/local/directadmin/data/admin/show_all_users.cache

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7. How to Send a Message to All System Email Accounts

1. Go to Admin Level → Show All Users → Advanced Search.
2. Set Items per Page = All.
3. Click Search → Select All → Send a Message.
4. Enable All E-Mail Accounts and E-Mail Only.

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8. Suspend/Unsuspend Users or Domains via Command Line (DA v1.595+)

/usr/local/directadmin/directadmin --suspend-user user=fred
/usr/local/directadmin/directadmin --unsuspend-user user=fred

/usr/local/directadmin/directadmin --suspend-domain domain=domain.com
/usr/local/directadmin/directadmin --unsuspend-domain domain=domain.com

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9. Disable Reseller Suspension on Overlimit

Edit the reseller’s reseller.conf:

suspend_at_limit=OFF

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10. Change the Package for All Users

Use this script:

OLD=custom
NEW=fancy
for i in `ls /usr/local/directadmin/data/users`; do
    if grep -q "usertype=user" /usr/local/directadmin/data/users/$i/user.conf; then
        perl -pi -e "s/package=$OLD/package=$NEW/" /usr/local/directadmin/data/users/$i/user.conf
    fi
done

Then open the new package in the panel and click Save.

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11. Change the Package for All Users Under a Specific Reseller

CREATOR="silver"
TOPACKAGE="gold"
for u in `grep "^creator=${CREATOR}$" /usr/local/directadmin/data/users/*/user.conf | cut -d/ -f4`; do
    perl -pi -e "s/^package=.*/package=${TOPACKAGE}/" /usr/local/directadmin/data/users/$u/user.conf
done

Then open and save the gold package.

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12. Disable mail_sni for a Specific Domain

Edit:

/usr/local/directadmin/data/users/username/domains/domain.com.conf

Add:

mail_sni=OFF

Then rewrite:

echo "action=rewrite&value=mail_sni" >> /usr/local/directadmin/data/task.queue
/usr/local/directadmin/dataskq d

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13. Send Heavy Notifications (e.g., brute force alerts) to Another Email

Edit the admin’s user.conf:

[email protected],[email protected]

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14. How to Block Specific Domains from Being Created

Copy the template Error! Hyperlink reference not valid.

/usr/local/directadmin/data/templates/forbidden_domains.list
→ /usr/local/directadmin/data/templates/custom/forbidden_domains.list

Add the domains you want to forbid.