Step-by-step guides and fixes for server administrators: cPanel, DirectAdmin, Windows Server, email, DNS, security and more. Free to read, tested on real servers. Press / to search.
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MySQL 8.0 End of Life: Safe Move to 8.4 or MariaDB
MySQL 8.0 left extended support in April 2026; this guide sets out the two realistic destinations for a cPanel server, the differences that matter between MySQL 8.4 LTS and MariaDB 11.8, and how to prepare, execute and verify either move through WHM.
September 29, 2026
MultiPHP Manager Bulk PHP Version Changes (cPanel 136+)
cPanel & WHM 136 added bulk PHP version management to MultiPHP Manager. This guide shows how to audit which domains run which version, move them in bulk, and script the same change with whmapi1.
September 29, 2026
Migrating a cPanel server to the cPanel CSF fork and verifying auto-updates
How to move a cPanel or WHM server from the abandoned ConfigServer CSF to cPanel's maintained fork, confirm the RPM is installed, make sure updates flow through upcp, and keep your existing rules and allow lists intact.
September 29, 2026
Rocky Linux cPanel to AlmaLinux 8/9: Safe Migration Before Updates Stop
cPanel & WHM 134 removed Rocky Linux support, so Rocky 8 and 9 servers cannot move past version 133. This guide covers the in-place conversion to AlmaLinux and the checks to run before and after.
September 29, 2026
Migrate cPanel to DirectAdmin: Safe Account Transfer
Moving accounts from cPanel to DirectAdmin using cpmove archives and DirectAdmin's import support, then working through the DNS, mail, PHP and SSL checks that separate a restored account from a working one.
September 29, 2026
MariaDB Not Starting After Upgrade: 5 Recovery Fixes
A recovery sequence for a cPanel server whose MariaDB refuses to start after a version jump, covering removed configuration variables, InnoDB crash recovery levels, running mariadb-upgrade, and application errors caused by stricter sql_mode defaults in 11.4 and later.
September 29, 2026
MariaDB Vector Search PHP: VECTOR Type (11.8/12.x)
A hands-on introduction to the native VECTOR column type and distance functions that arrived in MariaDB 11.7 and 11.8, showing how to create a vector index, insert embeddings from PHP with PDO, run nearest-neighbour queries and check that the index is being used.
September 29, 2026
MariaDB Unknown Variable After Upgrade: Fix Failed Startup
When MariaDB refuses to start after an upgrade with an unknown variable or unknown option error, the cause is a removed setting in my.cnf; this guide shows how to find it quickly, lists the variables removed across recent versions, and covers the related redo-log failure.
September 29, 2026
MariaDB support timeline 2026–2029: which LTS should your servers run?
The current MariaDB long-term-support and rolling-release schedule as of late 2026, what each version's end-of-life date means for hosting servers, how cPanel and DirectAdmin support differs, and a simple policy for deciding when to move.
September 29, 2026
MariaDB point-in-time recovery with binary logs (and 13.0’s innodb_log_archive)
How to enable and retain binary logs on a MariaDB hosting server so a customer's accidental DELETE can be undone to the second, the exact mariadb-binlog replay procedure, and what the innodb_log_archive feature in MariaDB 13.0 changes for recovery.
September 29, 2026
mariadb-dump vs mysqldump: modern backup commands and wildcard database dumps
How the mariadb-dump command differs from the mysqldump symlink it replaces, the options every hosting backup script should use, the wildcard database selection added in MariaDB 12.1, and how to check a dump is complete and restorable.
September 29, 2026
MariaDB 12.3 LTS: what changed and what breaks (reserved words, removed variables, Galera packages)
A hosting-focused review of MariaDB 12.3, the LTS released in May 2026, covering the new authentication and Oracle-compatibility features, the reserved words and removed variables that break existing configurations and queries, and the Galera packaging change.
September 29, 2026