Skip to main content

We're currently improving our systems to provide you with a new, more unified login experience.

How to change the primary IP of a cPanel server

Aaron Horsley
  • Updated

Introduction

We highly recommend consulting with your network or system administrator prior to making any changes, as failing to configure the interface correctly can result in an unreachable server. Ensure that you have console or other out-of-band access to the server before attempting to make any of these changes. cPanel Support is unable to assist with making any of these changes.

cPanel utilizes the IP address assigned to the network interface. cPanel has no supported way to reconfigure the network interface from with WHM or via the API. We strongly encourage you to reach out to your system administrator or network team to assist with making changes to the network configuration. To change the primary IP, you must be familiar with running commands on the command line and using a command-line text editor.

 

Procedure

  1. Log into WHM as the 'root' user.
  2. Navigate to "Home / Server Configuration / Basic WebHost Manager Setup."
  3. Change the IP address set for "The IP address (only one address) that will be used for setting up shared IP virtual hosts" to the new IP address.
  4. Access the server's command line as the 'root' user via the server's remote console or out-of-band SSH.
  5. Edit the server's network configuration to replace the old network configuration with the new network configuration.
    Please note that the specific file or files to be updated depend on the OS the server is running and the network service running on the server.
  6. Run the /scripts/mainipcheck script to update the main cPanel IP address.
  7. Run the /scripts/fixetchosts script to update the /etc/hosts file.
  8. Restart the network service.
    Please note that the specific command to restart the network service depends on the OS the server is running and the network service running on the server.
  9. Run the /scripts/build_cpnat script if your server is configured for NAT.
  10. You will likely get disconnected at this time and will need to log in again via the new IP address.
  11. Run the /scripts/restartsrv_ipaliases script if your server has additional IP addresses added through the "Home / IP Functions / Add a New IP Address" interface in WHM.
  12. Run the ifconfig command and verify that the correct information is shown.
  13. Update the cPanel license to the new primary IP.
  14. Verify you can log in to WHM.

 

Additional resources

How do I transfer my cPanel/WHM license to another IP address?

IP Migration Wizard

 

Related articles