cPanel & WHM Installation Customization Guide

1. Introduction

Before installing cPanel & WHM, you can customize several important configuration settings. These adjustments help ensure that the installation process is optimized, secure, and aligned with your server’s requirements.

2. Installation Methods

New installations of cPanel & WHM use the Fast Installation method by default. This method significantly reduces installation time by:

• Using tarballs to download certain cPanel & WHM components.
• Using system packages such as RPM or .deb to install the Perl local::lib library.
• On Red Hat–based systems (e.g., AlmaLinux, Rocky Linux, CloudLinux) it uses RPM packages.
• On Debian‑based systems (e.g., Ubuntu) it uses .deb packages.

3. Installation Options

You can customize the installation process using the following command‑line options:

• --confirm — Require confirmation before running the installer.
• --force — Force installation on unsupported configurations.
• --keep — Do not delete the target directory after installation.
• --nochown — Do not change ownership of extracted files.
• --noexec — Do not execute the installation script.
• --nox11 — Prevent launching an X terminal.
• --skip-cloudlinux — Skip automatic conversion to CloudLinux even if a license exists.
• --skip-wptoolkit — Skip automatic installation of WP Toolkit.
• --skip-imunifyav — Skip automatic installation of ImunifyAV.
• --target NewDirectory — Extract installation files into a custom directory.
• --tar arg1 — Access archive contents using the tar command.

4. Basic Server Setup

The /etc/wwwacct.conf file contains the basic configuration for cPanel & WHM. After installation, you can manage these settings in WHM’s Basic WebHost Manager Setup interface.

How to Create the wwwacct.conf File

• Create the /etc/wwwacct.conf file as the root user.
• Add each parameter on a separate line in the format KEY VALUE.

Example structure:

ADDR 192.0.2.0
NS2 ns2.domain.tld
CONTACTPAGER [email protected]
LOGSTYLE combined
CONTACTEMAIL [email protected]
HOMEMATCH home
TTL 14400
NSTTL 86400
NS ns1.domain.tld
ETHDEV eth0
ADDR6
HOST
NS4
DEFMOD jupiter
HOMEDIR /home
NS3
SCRIPTALIAS y

Important: You must define the following values: ADDR or ADDR6, DEFMOD, HOMEDIR, LOGSTYLE, NS, NS2, and SCRIPTALIAS.

5. Configuration Values

You can configure the following parameters in wwwacct.conf:

• ADDR — Shared IPv4 address
• ADDR6 — Shared IPv6 address
• CONTACTEMAIL — Administrator email address
• CONTACTPAGER — SMS notification address
• DEFMOD — Default cPanel theme
• ETHDEV — Default network interface
• HOMEDIR — Default home directory path
• HOMEMATCH — Pattern for home directory partitions
• HOST — Server hostname
• LOGSTYLE — Apache log format (combined)
• NS / NS2 / NS3 / NS4 — Default nameservers
• TTL / NSTTL — Default DNS TTL values
• SCRIPTALIAS — Enable or disable /cgi-bin/ alias

6. cpanel.config Settings

The installer reads the /root/cpanel_profile/cpanel.config file to apply predefined settings for Tweak Settings and other system configurations.

How to Configure

• Create /root/cpanel_profile/cpanel.config as root.
• Add settings in key=value format.

Example:

nobodyspam=1

Configuring the MySQL/MariaDB Version

Use the mysql-version key to define the database version. The value must contain only one decimal point (e.g., 8.0).

Important: Unsupported versions will cause installation failure.

7. Automatic Account Restoration

The /etc/cpanelacctrestore file allows automatic restoration of accounts during installation.

Steps:

• Create the /etc/cpanelacctrestore file.
• List each username on a separate line.
• Upload backup files to directories such as /home, /home2, /root, or /usr.

8. Release Tier Configuration

The /etc/cpupdate.conf file determines which cPanel & WHM release tier your server uses.

Example:

CPANEL=stable

9. The cpsources.conf File

The /etc/cpsources.conf file defines where your server retrieves update packages. Incorrect modifications may cause system issues.

If you see the following error, the file likely contains invalid data:

FATAL: Unable to retrieve tier version info: timeout

To fix this issue, move the file and run:

/usr/local/cpanel/scripts/upcp

10. Package Management on RHEL and Ubuntu

Using yum (RHEL‑based systems)

RHEL‑based systems use yum. Only vendor‑provided repositories should be used during installation.

Using apt (Ubuntu‑based systems)

Ubuntu systems use apt. Avoid third‑party sources to prevent system conflicts.

11. EasyApache 4 Configuration

You can preconfigure an EasyApache 4 profile by creating the /etc/cpanel_initial_install_ea4_profile.json file before installation.

Note: The file must be a valid JSON and a valid EasyApache 4 profile.

Conclusion

By customizing your cPanel & WHM installation in advance, you can build a secure, optimized, and fully tailored hosting environment. Proper configuration ensures smoother installation, better performance, and long‑term stability for your server infrastructure.