404 on all URLs after suspend/unsuspend or restore when Jailed Shell is enabled (virtfs + RDocumentChRoot)

Khachatryan Arman

• December 03, 2025 08:52

 

Hi,

I’m seeing an issue that affects only accounts which:

• have Jailed Shell enabled, and

• are then suspended/unsuspended or terminated and restored from backup.

Environment

• AlmaLinux 8, WHM/cPanel 130.x

• Apache 2.4 (EA4)

• PHP handler: ea-php74 via PHP-FPM (per-user)

• Example account: multimal, main domain: multimall.am

What happens

After Suspend → Unsuspend or Terminate → Restore of this account (with Jailed Shell enabled):

• Any URL (/, /index.php, /test.php, /test-static.txt) returns 404.

• Files definitely exist in /home/multimal/public_html.

• PHP-FPM pool and socket are correct.

• There are no entries for these requests in /etc/apache2/logs/domlogs/multimall.am.

• In Apache error_log I see, for example:

   

  client denied by server configuration: /home/multimal/public_html, referer: https://multimall.am/

In the vhost I have the ruid2/jail block:

 

<IfModule ruid2_module> RMode config RUidGid multimal multimal RDocumentChRoot /home/virtfs/multimal /home/multimal/public_html </IfModule>

So Apache is trying to serve the domain from /home/virtfs/multimal.
After suspend/unsuspend or restore, this virtfs for the user seems to be in a bad state: Apache cannot access the docroot and denies the request before it even reaches PHP/FPM (404 even for a simple test-static.txt, and domlog is empty).

What actually fixes it

If I go to WHM → Account Functions → Manage Shell Access and change this user from Jailed Shell to Disabled (or Normal) shell, then:

• the vhost is rebuilt without RDocumentChRoot /home/virtfs/USER ...;

• after /scripts/rebuildhttpdconf and Apache restart, all URLs start working again (static and PHP).

So in this case the real root cause is Jailed Shell / virtfs + RDocumentChRoot after suspend/unsuspend or restore.

Additional note about .htaccess

Independently, the account’s docroot .htaccess (restored from backup) also contained the standard MultiPHP handler:

 

<IfModule mime_module> AddHandler application/x-httpd-ea-php74 .php .php7 .phtml </IfModule>

With PHP-FPM enabled this AddHandler conflicts with the FPM SetHandler and can cause 404 only for .php (static files still work).
However, in the case described above, even a plain static file was 404, so the critical issue was definitely Jailed Shell / virtfs. Disabling Jailed Shell is what made the site work again.

Question

• Is this a known issue with Jailed Shell + mod_ruid2 (RDocumentChRoot /home/virtfs/USER) after suspend/unsuspend or terminate/restore?

• Is there an official way to repair/rebuild virtfs for a single user so that Jailed Shell can be safely used again after these operations?

Thanks.

• 

  cPRex Jurassic Moderator

  • December 04, 2025 16:03

  Hey there!  I don't believe this is a known issue, but I couldn't reproduce this one a test server with the settings you outlined.  Could you create a ticket so this can be investigated directly on the server?

  0
• 

  Khachatryan Arman

  • December 09, 2025 13:10

  Hi Rex,

  can't create ticket. Our license under Contabo

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• 

  cPRex Jurassic Moderator

  • December 09, 2025 15:32

  You are always able to open a ticket, it just may not be directly to us.

  https://support.cpanel.net/hc/en-us/community/posts/35919412082327-Confusion-around-Partner-Support-licenses-and-contacting-cPanel-support

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• 

  Jason Cutajar

  • March 18, 2026 10:19

  Hi Khachatryan, are you able to post some results of how this was resolved please?

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