Using W3 Total Cache on Cloud Sites

Dan Pock | Category: Common Fixes, Getting Started, Tutorials
Tagged with: browser caching • cache • caching • cloud sites • cloudsites • wordpress

Cloud Sites has a unique infrastructure setup that requires specific settings for the page cache to provide the best experience for a given site. Please use these settings when you are configuring W3 Total Cache instead of any other settings. These directions will provide an optimized configuration for W3 Total Cache on the Cloud Sites platform. This article assumes you have already installed the W3 Total Cache plugin. Continue reading “Using W3 Total Cache on Cloud Sites” →

How to Configure Cyberduck for Use with Storm Object Storage

Dan Pock | Category: Billing + Manage, Technical Support, Tutorials
Tagged with: bucket • Cyberduck • gui • manage • microsoft • object • object storage • storage • storm • storm object storage • Storm Server • windows

Storm Object Storage delivers a durable, secure, highly available solution for storage needs of virtually any size. With object storage access occurs via API calls to the object storage cluster, which replaces the need to rely on additional servers for dedicated storage.

Here we use the client Cyberduck to interact with Storm Object Storage. Cyberduck is available for download from https://cyberduck.io/?l=en.

Pre-Flight Check

These instructions are intended specifically for configuring Cyberduck for use with Storm Object Storage.
I’ll be working from a Microsoft Windows 8 desktop with Cyberduck already installed.

Continue reading “How to Configure Cyberduck for Use with Storm Object Storage” →

How to Login to Manage

J. Mays | Category: Billing + Manage, Getting Started, Series, Tutorials
Tagged with: account management • billing • manage • storm • Storm Server • virtual private server • VPS

Storm® Platform 101: Basic Interface Interaction

I. How to Login to Manage
II. An Introduction to Manage

The Manage interface is Liquid Web’s Account and Cloud Management Portal. From Manage it is possible to control your cloud servers and services, whether your deployment is one Storm® VPS (Virtual Private Server), or a combination of many Storm® Dedicated servers and other cloud services.

Manage will help you administer your private network, VPN (Virtual Private Network), CDN (Content Delivery Network), firewalls, upgrades, and much more!

Pre-Flight Check

These instructions are intended specifically for logging into Liquid Web’s Account and Cloud Management Portal, called Manage.

Continue reading “How to Login to Manage” →

How to Install WP-CLI

Dan Pock | Category: Featured Articles, Tutorials
Tagged with: cli • wordpress • WP-CLI • wpcli

WP-CLI is a command line tool for interacting with and managing WordPress sites. WP-CLI is very similar in functionality to what drush provides Drupal. If you are already familiar with using cli tools then this will be quick to pick up on. If not, then it may be a good time to start learning.

In this tutorial we’ll learn how to install wp-cli on a server and learn some basics. With WP-CLI you can speed up common maintenance, automate tasks, or even take backups.

Install wp-cli for All Users

Installing a tool like wp-cli on a server globally means that any user will be able to use the application. With WordPress being one of the most common CMS’ it’s helpful to have wp-cli installed for all users.

Pre-flight Check:

Root-level command line access via SSH is required to follow this tutorial.
PHP 5.3.29, or higher, will be required for wp-cli to function.
WordPress 3.7, or later, is required for wp-cli support.

To start you should do a quick test to see if wp-cli is already installed on the server:
wp
If you see the error below wp-cli is not installed, you can continue with the tutorial to install it on the server.

[root@host ~]# wp –info
-bash: wp: command not found

If you see actual command output, as shown below, then wp-cli is already installed.

To begin the install we will use curl to download the wp-cli.phar file:
curl -O https://raw.githubusercontent.com/wp-cli/builds/gh-pages/phar/wp-cli.phar
Then do a quick test of of download with the following:
php wp-cli.phar --info

Error: YIKES! It looks like you’re running this as root. You probably meant to run this as the user that your WordPress install exists under.If you REALLY mean to run this as root, we won’t stop you, but just bear in mind that any code on this site will then have full control of your server, making it quite DANGEROUS.

If you’d like to continue as root, please run this again, adding this flag: –allow-root

If you’d like to run it as the user that this site is under, you can run the following to become the respective user:

sudo -u USER -i — wp

In this case seeing the error above is a good sign, we were just verifying that the file executes correctly.
Next we will ensure that the file has the correct file permissions for execution:
chmod +x wp-cli.phar
Finally we will move the wp-cli.phar executable to global location to ensure all users have access.
sudo mv wp-cli.phar /usr/local/bin/wp

In this step we are also renaming the file to feel more like a traditional cli tool.

To ensure you’ve done the process correct you can do one final test. You’ll still see the same error from the test above since we’re running as the root user.
wp --info

Error: YIKES! It looks like you’re running this as root. You probably meant to run this as the user that your WordPress install exists under.If you REALLY mean to run this as root, we won’t stop you, but just bear in mind that any code on this site will then have full control of your server, making it quite DANGEROUS.

If you’d like to continue as root, please run this again, adding this flag: –allow-root

If you’d like to run it as the user that this site is under, you can run the following to become the respective user:

sudo -u USER -i — wp

Again, seeing the error above is a good sign, we were just verifying that the file executes correct.

Verify & Test wp-cli as a Site User

Now that wp-cli is installed globally you will want to test the tool from a user hosting a WordPress site. To do this you will login as root via SSH then:

su - wordpress
By executing this command you will then be logged in as the ‘wordpress’ user. Do take note that you’ll enter the actual username where it says ‘wordpress’.
Then you can run the following to get basic info about wp-cli:
wp --info

[wordpress@web01 public_html]$ wp –info
PHP binary: /opt/remi/php70/root/usr/bin/php
PHP version: 7.0.11
php.ini used: /etc/opt/remi/php70/php.ini
WP-CLI root dir: phar://wp-cli.phar
WP-CLI packages dir:
WP-CLI global config:
WP-CLI project config:
WP-CLI version: 0.24.1

As you can see from the above output running the wp-cli tool as a regular user does not trigger an error. You can also see that we’re running on a server with PHP 7.0.11 and wp-cli is at version 0.24.1.

Managing your suspended page in WHM

Dan Pock | Category: Getting Started, Technical Support, Tutorials
Tagged with: account management • cpanel • html • tutorial • whm

This tutorial will show you how to manage your suspended accounts page in WHM. This page is the one shown to a visitor when attempting to access a domain of a suspended account. The default page used for this is fairly generic and for some this may not be ideal. By customizing this page you can create a more personal experience for your suspended cPanel accounts.

Editing the Page Inline

With WHM opened in your browser, (a) type ‘Web Template Editor’ into the search box. This will sort the menu options for you, (b) now find and click “Web Template Editor” from the list.
With the Web Template Editor open you will find various default pages that you can make adjustments and customization to. In this case you will click “Account Suspended” to open the tab to adjust the account suspended page.

In order to edit this page you will need to have basic knowledge of HTML and CSS.
Once you have completed making the changes you’d like you can then click the “Save” button found below the text area.

Uploading an HTML Document

In some cases you may not want to simply modify the default WHM Account Suspended page. You may either plan to make vast number of changes, or you may already have another page created. When that’s the case, you can create the HTML page locally and then upload the file instead of manually making the changes.

The process begins the same as when making manual edits, using the directions above get to the Web Template Editor page and click “Account Suspended”. Now on the Web Template Editor with the Account Suspended tab open, scroll down to the area below the textarea. You will find a subsection titled: “Upload Your Own Template”.
Click the ‘Browse’ button and use the file selection window to navigate to the file you’d like to upload.
With a file selected for upload you are now ready to click the “Upload Template” button.

Once you hit the upload button you will be presented with a confirmation page.

Change an Account Package in WHM

Dan Pock | Category: Technical Support, Tutorials, WHM + cPanel
Tagged with: account management • cpanel • whm

In this article we will cover the process of upgrading and downgrading a cPanel account in WHM. This can be an important feature when you need varying predefined resource limits for your accounts. When reselling hosting this is especially useful as it can be common for clients to need their resource quotas adjusted as their business and site grows in popularity.

Upgrading and Downgrading an Account

For both upgrading and downgrading an account you will start the process the same way. You can get to this function through a few methods however we will use the ‘List Account’ page. To begin:

Login to WHM on your server and once open, type ‘list’ into the search box(a), this will sort the menu options for you. Then find and click “List Accounts”(b).
Now on the list account page, filter the results and find the account you’d like to adjust. Click the ‘[+]’ button to select the account.
With the account function area expanded click the “Change Plan” button.
Using the list on the page, select the package you’d like to change the account to. Then click the “Upgrade/Downgrade” button.

Performing multi-account functions in WHM

Dan Pock | Category: Technical Support, Tutorials, WHM + cPanel
Tagged with: account management • cpanel • whm

In this article we will cover the basics of using the Multi-Account functions in WHM to adjust various settings or configurations for cPanel accounts. We will go over how multi-account functions can adjust: IP Addresses, Account Packages, and Account Terminations.

To begin each process you will first open WHM and click the Multi Account Functions box.

After selecting the Multi Account Functions item you will then see a page with each function.
Here you will select the multi account function you’d like to use:

Change Sites’ IP Address
1. To change the IP address of multiple cPanel accounts you will then select “Change Multiple Sites’ IP Addresses”. On this page you will find a list of each cPanel account on the server, you will then click the checkbox next to each cPanel for the accounts you’d like to adjust.
2. On the next page you will see a list of domains you selected, each with a drop down selection of available IPs on the server. After selecting the IPs you’d like to assign to the accounts click the “Change IPs” button.
3. Finally, after clicking the “Change IPs” button you will be brought to a page showing the results of the IP change.
Modify/Upgrade Accounts
1. To modify or change the Account package related settings you will begin the same as the previous action. The difference being that you will then select “Modify/Upgrade Multiple Accounts”. The next page will present a similar list to that of Changing Multiple Sites’ IP. Here you will click the checkbox next to each site you’d like to adjust.
2. Once you’ve selected the accounts you’d like to adjust you will find the options available for mass assignment. In this example we’ll set the Theme and Package for the selected accounts.
3. After adjusting the values you’d like to adjust click the “Change” button. You will see a results screen similar to the following.
Terminating Accounts
1. In WHM 60 when attempting to terminate multiple accounts via the “Terminate Multiple Accounts” option you will first be prompted with the following screen.
2. After 15 seconds, or clicking the link, you will be on the interface where you can select accounts for termination.
3. Here you will select the accounts you’d like to terminate.
  
  Before clicking the button you should note the warnings presented on the page. All data associated with accounts selected for termination will be destroyed and this cannot be undone.
4. Once you have selected the accounts you’d like to terminate you will click “Remove selected accounts”.
  
  You will then be presented by an additional confirmation dialog below the button you just clicked.
5. After clicking the “Yes, remove the selected accounts” button you will see a final confirmation dialog.
  
  Finally, if you wish to continue, click the check box and the confirmation button. The accounts will be queued for termination and will no longer be on the server.

Managing your skeleton directory in WHM

Dan Pock | Category: Getting Started, Technical Support, Tutorials, WHM + cPanel
Tagged with: account management • cpanel • tutorial • whm

This article will show you how to create a default placeholder home page for your cPanel accounts. The ‘skeleton directory’ on linux based systems is a directory where default files and folders can be placed, upon creation of a new account these files will be duplicated into the new users folders.

With WHM opened in your browser, type ‘skel’ into the search box(a), this will sort the menu options for you. Then find and click “Skeleton Directory”(b).
On the Skeleton Directory page you will see the path to the default Skeleton directory. Below that you will find a short description of how this folder is used.

In most cases the WHM/cPanel skeleton directory can be found at: /root/cpanel3-skel

While unlikely, this folder may change in certain edge cases or potentially with WHM version changes.
In order to utilize this folder you will first need to add files, or folders, to this directory via FTP. Once you’ve placed files, or folders, in this directory you can create a new cPanel account and these items will be copied in automatically.

By using the skeleton directory you can automate some default configurations to improve the experience of new customers or to prevent new domains from being indexed without any valid content.

The concept of a skeleton directory is so flexible that you don’t have to use FTP to use it. If you’re savvy with using command line then you can SSH into your server, navigate to your cPanel skeleton directory and create or add files manually.

Managing your hosting packages in WHM

Dan Pock | Category: Getting Started, Technical Support, Tutorials, WHM + cPanel
Tagged with: account management • cpanel • whm

This article will teach you how to create, modify and delete hosting package presets within WHM. While you can configure each option individually when setting up an account you may find yourself using the same handful of overall settings for a lot of your sites. By creating hosting packages you able to define preset packages with varying resources, making account creation that much quicker.

Create a new Package

With WHM opened in your browser, type ‘package’ into the search box(a), this will sort the menu options for you. Then find and click “Add a Package”(b).
Now on the “Add a Package” page you will enter the package name(a), fill out the resources(b) & settings options(c) desired and finally click “Add”.
Upon clicking the Add button you will see a small confirmation box on the page.

Delete a Package

With WHM opened in your browser, type ‘package’ into the search box, this will sort the menu options for you. Then find and click “Delete a Package”.
On this page you will see a list of the packages on this server. Select the package(s) you’d like to remove and click the “Delete” button.
Upon clicking delete you will see a confirmation page as follows:

Edit a Package

With WHM opened in your browser, type ‘package’ into the search box, this will sort the menu options for you. Then find and click “Edit a Package”.
On the “Edit a Package” page you will see a list similar to the previous functions, select the package you’d like to edit and click “Edit”.
You will now see a screen similar to the page for creating a new package. You can adjust the Resource and Settings options as needed, then click “Save Changes”.

Creating a new site on Cloud Sites