In Progress CPANEL-41381 - Does is recommended to create a CPanel account using the hostname parent domain?

[actihost]

Hello, Does is recommended to create a CPanel account using the hostname parent domain?
Normally we never did this in the past but recently our data center ask us to setup a website in our hostname parent domain so they can configure PTR records as a policy to avoid spammers.

Example:

Hostname: server.example.com
Parent Domain CPanel account: example.com

I have check the WHM/CPanel documentation but its not clear if this is ok or recommended, I found this:

Change Hostname | cPanel & WHM Documentation

This interface allows you to change your server's hostname.

docs.cpanel.net

• Do not choose a hostname that a cPanel account on your server will use.

We are using this server to provide shared hosting services to hundreds of different domains for our customers and just want to make sure everything will continue working ok if we do this.

Thanks!

 

[cPRex]

Hey there! It's completely fine to create domains like this. You just want to make sure the specific subdomain you choose for the hostname is not being used for any web content. For example, you could create a cPanel account for domain.com, and then use host.domain.com as the hostname.

 

[Kenric Ashe]

Hey there! It's completely fine to create domains like this. You just want to make sure the specific subdomain you choose for the hostname is not being used for any web content. For example, you could create a cPanel account for domain.com, and then use host.domain.com as the hostname.

I suggest that the unclear documentation be updated to include your more detailed explanation.

 

[Kenric Ashe]

Woops, I just discovered that mail.domain.com is also not allowed.

The response from WHM:

The hostname may not begin with “mail.” because it conflicts with an automatically configured domain.

 

[cPRex]

@Kenric Ashe - can you let me know how we could make the documentation at Domains | cPanel & WHM Documentation more clear? We do have the following details on that page:

To create a domain, perform the following steps:

    Click Create a New Domain. A new interface will appear.

    Enter a fully qualified domain name in the Domain text box.

        To create a new domain, enter the new domain name. For example,example.com.

        To create a subdomain, enter a new name followed by a period (.) and then the website’s domain. For example, enter subdomain.example.com to create a subdomain of example.com.

    Optionally, you can specify the directory where you want the files for the domain to exist (the domain’s document root). To create this directory, deselect the Share document root with “example.com” checkbox, where example.com represents your main domain.

but we're always open to suggestions to improve things!

 

[ejsolutions]

Perhaps the addition of not to use reserved subdomains, will be sufficient. Examples: mail, cpanel, webmail etc.
Seasoned WHMers take this for granted, I guess.

 

[cPRex]

But even then, that user did get an interface error when that was attempted. When looking through the old docs at Subdomains | cPanel & WHM Documentation we don't have any details about the common subdomains listed.

 

[ejsolutions]

You said it yourself:

You just want to make sure the specific subdomain you choose for the hostname is not being used for any web content.

The displayed error message is correct.
The point I was trying to make is that the documentation should just be updated to show the 'reserved' words.

 

[cPRex]

I feel like we're confusing two areas here. The Domains area doesn't have any restrictions, but the previous comment was about the hostname creation on the server. On our hostname docs at Change Hostname | cPanel & WHM Documentation we do say this:

• Do not choose a potential service subdomain as a hostname (for example, cpanel.example.com or whm.example.com).

So I think that covers the issue being addressed.

 

[Kenric Ashe]

not being used for any web content.

Indeed, web content. I thought mail would work because mail != web. I wanted my server's hostname to be mail.domain.com for maximum email deliverability with the reverse PTR record on the server's ip address pointing at that hostname, but instead I changed the hostname to something that was not reserved.

 

[Kenric Ashe]

On our hostname docs at Change Hostname | cPanel & WHM Documentation we do say this:

• Do not choose a potential service subdomain as a hostname (for example, cpanel.example.com or whm.example.com).

So I think that covers the issue being addressed.

Yes but the instructions are not so clear in the actual form where the hostname is changed which also does not include a link to that docs page.

 

[cPRex]

Sure - I'll submit a request to get that added to the "Instructions" section on that page. That case is CPANEL-41381 and I'll be sure to post an update here once I hear back.

 

[cPRex]

Update - we're going to add the additional wording in version 108 when that is released.

 

[cPRex]

Update - this will be in version 108.0.0.