Summary: This checklist walks you through your first 30 minutes on your new Liberation reseller VPS, from the welcome email to your first client account.

What you have

Every Liberation reseller plan is its own private VPS. It is never a shared server. Your VPS runs AlmaLinux 9 with cPanel & WHM and Imunify360 already installed, on Liberation-owned servers in Atlanta. You get full root and WHM access and a dedicated IPv4 address. Everything below happens on your own server.

Step 1: Find your welcome email

When your server is ready, we send a welcome email with your server details: the IP address, the hostname, and your root login. You can also find these details in the Liberation Client Area under Services. Store the root password in a password manager, and don't forward the email to anyone.

Step 2: Log in to WHM

  1. In your browser, go to https://YOUR-SERVER-IP:2087. Replace YOUR-SERVER-IP with the IP address from your welcome email.
  2. Your browser may warn that the connection is not private. This is expected when you connect by IP address, because the server's SSL certificate covers the hostname, not the IP. As long as you typed the IP from your welcome email, you can continue.
  3. Log in with the username root and the password from your welcome email.
  4. If this is the first login, WHM may ask you to accept the cPanel license agreement and confirm a few basic settings.

Step 3: Change the root password

  1. In WHM, go to Server Configuration » Change Root Password.
  2. Choose a long, unique password. The built-in password generator works well.
  3. Save the new password in your password manager.

If you ever lose the root password, open a ticket and we'll help you regain access.

Step 4: Set a branded hostname

Your hostname is the server's name. Pick a subdomain of your brand that won't host a website, for example server1.yourbrand.com.

  1. Wherever the DNS for yourbrand.com is managed, create an A record for server1 that points to your server's IP.
  2. In WHM, go to Networking Setup » Change Hostname, enter the new hostname, and save.
  3. After DNS updates, AutoSSL can issue a certificate for the hostname. You can then log in at https://server1.yourbrand.com:2087 without a browser warning.

Step 5: Set your nameservers

Private nameservers like ns1.yourbrand.com and ns2.yourbrand.com work on every plan. First register them as "child" (glue) nameservers at your domain registrar. Then enter them in WHM under Server Configuration » Basic WebHost Manager Setup. While you're on that page, set a contact email address so server notices reach you. For full instructions, see Set Up Private (White-Label) Nameservers.

Step 6: Create your first package

A package is a reusable plan for your clients, with limits for disk space, bandwidth, databases, and more. Go to Packages » Add a Package, give it a name (for example, "Starter"), set the limits, and save. For details, see Create Hosting Packages and Client cPanel Accounts in WHM.

Step 7: Create your first cPanel account

  1. Go to Account Functions » Create a New Account.
  2. Enter a test domain, a username, a strong password, and a contact email.
  3. Choose the package you just created, then click Create.

Every account you create counts toward your plan's account limit.

Step 8: Point a test domain

To confirm that everything works, point a domain you own at the server. You can either:

  • Change the domain's nameservers to your private nameservers, or
  • Keep its current DNS and point its A record (and www) to your server's IP.

Once DNS updates, visit the domain in your browser. AutoSSL should issue a free certificate within a few hours.

Step 9: Request your free migrations

If your clients are on another cPanel host, we'll move them for free, up to your plan's account limit, with no per-site fees. Open a ticket with the source host details. See Migrating Your Clients to Liberation for the information to include.

A note on email: Please don't set up mailboxes in cPanel. We recommend running business email through Liberation Email / Hub for Teams. Websites that need to send mail should use authenticated SMTP. Contact support for the SMTP relay details.

Your 30-minute checklist

  • Welcome email saved and server details confirmed in the Client Area
  • Logged in to WHM at port 2087
  • Root password changed
  • Branded hostname set
  • Private nameservers registered and entered in WHM
  • First package and cPanel account created
  • Test domain pointed and loading
  • Migration ticket opened

Still stuck? Open a ticket

Our U.S.-based support team is available 24/7. Open a support ticket from the Liberation Client Area and include your server's IP address and the step you're on. Tickets are private, so they are the safe place to share server details. Never post passwords in public forums or chats.

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