Plesk “Unable to connect to database”: PleskDBException Fix
Fix Plesk "Unable to connect to database" and PleskDBException errors: start MariaDB, free disk space, repair .psa.shadow, plesk repair db and InnoDB crashes.
October 7, 2026
InnoDB Page Corruption: Recover a Crashed MariaDB on cPanel
Fix InnoDB page corruption on a cPanel MariaDB server: read the error, copy the data directory, use innodb_force_recovery safely, dump and rebuild, or restore from backup.
October 7, 2026
Asterisk CDR Reports from MySQL/MariaDB (FreePBX asteriskcdrdb)
Query FreePBX call detail records in asteriskcdrdb with SQL: calls per day, per extension, missed calls, top destinations, busiest hour, CSV export and indexes.
October 7, 2026
Restore a File, Database or Account from a DirectAdmin Backup (CLI, Tested)
Restore one file, one database or a whole account from a DirectAdmin .tar.zst backup on the command line. Tested on DirectAdmin 1.712 with real screenshots.
October 6, 2026
Find cPanel, DirectAdmin and MySQL Passwords from the CLI (and One-Time Login Links)
Short answer: cPanel and DirectAdmin do not keep the root, WHM or admin password anywhere you can read it back. They are normal Linux user passwords, stored only as hashes in /etc/shadow. You either reset them or, better, log in with a one-time login link created from the command line. What you can read as
October 6, 2026
MySQL/MariaDB won’t start: crash recovery runbook Pro
When MariaDB won't start after a crash, this runbook reads the error log first, matches the common causes, walks innodb_force_recovery levels 1 to 6 safely, and rebuilds from a dump on cPanel and DirectAdmin.
September 30, 2026
Disk full on a production server: recovery runbook Pro
A recovery runbook for a disk full on a production server: safe space to free first, inode exhaustion, what never to delete, and how to bring MySQL, Exim and Dovecot back cleanly after ENOSPC.
September 30, 2026
cPanel Migration Preflight Check Pro
A cPanel migration preflight check that compares the source server with the destination over SSH and prints a go/no-go report: versions, PHP, collisions, IPs, DNS, disk and database risks.
September 30, 2026
Restic Backup Script for Offsite Backups
A restic backup script for cron: dumps every MariaDB/MySQL database, backs up to any restic repository, applies daily/weekly/monthly retention, checks integrity and test-restores a random file.
September 30, 2026
MariaDB Slow Query Log Summary
Summarises the MariaDB slow query log without Percona tools: groups queries by fingerprint, ranks them by total time, count and rows examined, and prints the commands to turn logging on.
September 30, 2026
Upgrade MariaDB DirectAdmin: Safe CustomBuild Path to 12.3
A staged MariaDB upgrade path for DirectAdmin servers using CustomBuild, from the now end-of-life 10.6 through the 10.11 and 11.8 LTS releases to 12.3, with the configuration variables and reserved words that break each hop and how to roll back.
September 29, 2026
Upgrade MariaDB WHM Safely: Backups and mariadb-upgrade
A careful procedure for moving a cPanel server between MariaDB versions through WHM, covering the pre-flight checks, the backup that is your only rollback, the innodb_fast_shutdown setting that prevents redo-log surprises, and post-upgrade verification.
September 29, 2026