How to Move Your Client’s Existing cPanel Child Account to Its Own Server

As a web hosting reseller, you may have multiple clients hosted under your main (or parent) account on a VPS or reseller server. If your client requests to have their own server then you will need to have them create their own AMP account by purchasing hosting directly from InMotion and then move their cPanel account to the new server.

It is also common to move a domain or account to its own server in order to balance resource usage. If you are hosting multiple domains on your VPS or reseller server and a particular domain requires its own server, splitting up the account(s) can help to reduce the resource usage needed for all your other domains to run on the same server. In this guide, you can learn how to move an existing domain from your VPS or reseller server to a new account on a shared server.

cPanel creation is no longer unlimited. Learn more about cPanel Pricing Changes and related FAQs.

• Before You Begin
• Purchase Hosting Subscription
• cPanel Account Restoration Request
• Test Site
• Update DNS
• Suspend & Remove Old Account

Before You Begin

When moving a domain there are many things to consider before beginning the process. In this section, you can learn a few tips and tricks to prepare your account to move a domain to another account on a shared server.

Create a Backup:

A full cPanel backup of the account that owns the domain should be created prior to beginning any work. This will ensure that if disaster strikes, you have a backup file to restore the account to its previous (working) state. Don’t forget to download that backup file to your local computer for safe keeping!

cPanel username:

Since the cPanel system utilizes the cPanel username in the directory structure (i.e. /home/exampl3/public_html/), it is possible that absolute path references break (causing unexpected behavior on your website) when restoring a cPanel account on a Shared Server. This is mainly due to the fact that the cPanel user (assigned upon purchasing hosting) can not be changed/modified. To ensure full functionality during testing, check your code and software configuration to make sure they include the new cPanel username (upon restore) or update absolute path references by replacing them with relative paths in your code.

Nameservers:

If the domain you are moving is using InMotion Hosting’s nameservers then after the domain has been moved, DNS authority changes will need to be made. It is best that you test the domain using a hosts file modification prior to requesting an update to the DNS authority for the domain. If you are using third party nameservers, then you will need to mnaually update the Zone file/records to include the IP address of the new server (after the move has been completed and you have tested the functionality of the site at its new location) using the interface design to integrate with your third party’s nameservers.

Verification:

In order to process any Technical Support request, verification is required. If there are two (2) accounts involved, BOTH ACCOUNTS NEED TO BE VERIFIED before any modifications between the accounts can be made by our Support Technicians. Therefore you should include the verification for both accounts when submitting a request for assistance with any steps outlined in this guide.

Purchase Hosting Subscription

Depending on your circumstances you or your client will need to purchase a new hosting subscription. By purchasing a new hosting subscription using your AMP account you can add it to your existing AMP to maintain the billing yourself. However, if your client will need to maintain their own AMP account moving forward, you will need to have them purchase a new hosting plan and setup their own AMP account.

Add a Hosting Subscription to Your Existing AMP

If you would like to maintain the new server under your existing AMP account, then you will need to follow the instructions below to add a hosting subscription to your account in AMP.

1. Log into your AMP.
2. From the Manage My Account, click on the Purchase New Hosting icon.
3. Choose the hosting subscription type you would like to purchase for the domain you are removing from your current plan. For example: Business Hosting
4. You will be navigated to the page which provides a description of each Business Class Hosting Plan. Review the features included and select the plan that meets your needs by clicking on the Order Now button below it. Then click on the term you would like to sign-up with.
5. You will be directed to the ordering process page, to configure your server. Select the Data Center you would like the new account located in, if you would like a Dedicated IP address, and leave the Content Management System Auto-Installer selection set at No, Thanks. Then click the CONTINUE button to proceed.
6. When you land on the Choose your domain name page, click the I already own this domain option. Then, enter the domain name you would like to use for this account.
7. Confirm your billing details and update them as needed. Under the Select a payment method choose the payment method you would like to use for this hosting subscription or click on Add new Payment Method to add another. Once you are done completing this form, click on the REVIEW MY ORDER button.
8. Finally, on the Review your order page, review your order details to ensure they were correctly entered. Then click on the I Agree checkbox and then on the CHECKOUT button.

Purchase a Hosting Subscription to Set up a New AMP Account

If your client would like to maintain their own AMP account, then they will need to follow the instructions below to purchase a hosting subscription to create a new AMP account.

1. Visit the InMotion Hosting Website.
2. Click the LEARN MORE button beneath the hosting subscription type of your choice.
3. You will be directed to a page which provides a description of the available hosting plans for the type you selected. Review the features included and select the plan that meets your needs by clicking on the Order Now button below it. Then click on the term you would like to sign-up with.
4. You will be directed to the ordering process page, to configure your server. Select the Data Center you would like the new account located in, if you would like a Dedicated IP address, and leave the Content Management System Auto-Installer selection set at No, Thanks. Then click the CONTINUE button to proceed.
5. When you land on the Choose your domain name page, click the I already own this domain option. Then, enter the domain name you would like to use for this account.
6. On the Are you a returning customer? page, enter an email address in the field labeled Please enter your email address under New Customer. Then, click the CONTINUE button.

   NOTE: This email address will be used as the AMP login. We recommend using a unique email address if you are a new customer of InMotion Hosting. If you already have an account with InMotion Hosting, you can log into AMP to add the hosting subscription to your existing AMP account. If you enter an email address that is already associated with an existing AMP account, then you will be prompted to proceed to log into AMP as an existing customer.

7. Enter your billing details. Under Select a payment method choose the payment method you would like to use for this hosting subscription and enter the information requested in the form. Once you are done completing this form, click on the REVIEW MY ORDER button.
8. Finally, on the Review your order page, confirm your order details to ensure their accuracy. Then click on the I Agree checkbox and finally, on the CHECKOUT button.

cPanel Account Restoration Request

Once you have the new server set up, simply upload the backup of the cPanel account you made to the new server. After you have uploaded that backup, submit your request to restore the cPanel account using the backup file you uploaded. We handle a variety of account restorations regularly. In order to expedite your restoration request, be sure to include the following details in your initial request:

• AMP account information for previous server.
• AMP account information for new server.
• cPanel account information for previous server.
• cPanel account information for new server.
• Domain name(s) to be moved.
• Database information used for the website(s).
• Location of site files/document root directory for website(s).
• File name of the cPanel backup to be restored.
• Authorization to overwrite the cPanel account data with the data restored from the backup.
• Verification for both accounts.

You may also use this template by copying and pasting it into your ticket submission:

Test Site

Once the move has been completed you should receive an email confirming the restoration is done. Then, you can test the website using the new server’s IP address in a hosts file modification. This will allow your computer to load the website as it appears on the new server (at its new IP location), without affecting how it appears for your visitors (at its old IP location).

Update DNS

When you are satisfied with the results of testing your website, you can proceed to send a request to change the DNS authority by simply replying to the most recent response to your initial cPanel account restoration request.

Suspend & Remove Old Account

Allow twenty-four (24) hours for the DNS changes to propagate. Then you can suspend the account on the old server. After suspending the account, check to ensure that the suspension has not caused any unexpected behavior with your domain. Once you are satisfied, you can then proceed to remove the cPanel account from your WHM.

Congratulations! Now you know how to move your client’s cPanel account from your account to its own account on a shared server.