How to Update Your System
Valid for versions 102 through the latest version
Last modified: February 18, 2022
Overview
This document describes the steps to update various parts of your cPanel & WHM server.
Update cPanel and WHM
We strongly recommend that you regularly update cPanel & WHM on all of your servers. WHM displays the server’s current version in the upper right corner of the interface.
In the WHM interface
To update cPanel & WHM via the interface, use WHM’s Upgrade to Latest Version interface (WHM >> Home >> cPanel >> Upgrade to Latest Version). Note:
- You can use WHM’s Update Preferences interface (WHM >> Home >> Server Configuration >> Update Preferences) to update your server’s release tier. For an explanation of our release tiers, read our Product Versions and the Release Process documentation.
- If cPanel & WHM will not update, submit a ticket to cPanel Technical Support.
Manually
Note:
You can run the /usr/local/cpanel/cpanel -V
command to verify the current cPanel & WHM version.
To update cPanel & WHM from the command line, use the /usr/local/cpanel/scripts/upcp
script as the root
user. This script handles most of the updates on your cPanel & WHM system.
This script also calls a number of other scripts within the /usr/local/cpanel/scripts
directory to update most of the software on your system. The/usr/local/cpanel/scripts/upcp
script also runs the following scripts:
/usr/local/cpanel/scripts/rpmup
— Updates system software. You can run this script instead of theyum update
command./usr/local/cpanel/scripts/sysup
— Updates required operating system (OS) software dependencies.
Update Apache
Important:
EasyApache 4 updates Apache®, as well as other applications and libraries. We strongly recommend that you run EasyApache when a new Apache build becomes available.
To update EasyApache via the interface, click Run System Update in WHM’s EasyApache 4 interface (WHM >> Home >> Software >> EasyApache 4).
Update software and services
You can update many services and third-party software through both the WHM interface and manually.
cPAddons
To update cPAddons, use WHM’s Manage cPAddons Site Software interface (WHM >> Home >> cPanel >> Manage cPAddons Site Software). Note:
This feature allows you to select the cPAddons that you wish to update automatically.
MySQL
Warning:
Compatibility problems may exist with any software that you choose to install manually. For that reason, we only support MySQL® versions that we supply with cPanel & WHM.
To update MySQL via the interface, use WHM’s MySQL/MariaDB Upgrade interface (WHM >> Home >> SQL Services >> MySQL/MariaDB Upgrade).
Operating system kernels
Note:
After you update the kernel, you must reboot your server.
To update the kernel:
- Via the interface, select the Include kernel packages checkbox when you update your system with WHM’s System Update interface (WHM >> Home >> Software >> System Update).
- Manually, run the
yum update
command.
Perl
Warning:
- We strongly recommend that you allow your operating system’s distribution to control updates to both the system and cPanel Perl installations. Do not customize either Perl installation.
- cPanel, L.L.C. does not support updates of Perl beyond the operating system’s or cPanel’s distribution.
- We also do not support Perl downgrades. Your system will return Perl to the currently-supported version during the next system update.
- Neither your system Perl or cPanel-included Perl are likely to become corrupt. However, if you suspect that either instance of Perl is corrupt, a greater system issue may exist on your server. We recommend that you open a cPanel support ticket.
You can use the following methods to update Perl and Perl modules:
- Run the
yum update
command. - Run the
/usr/local/cpanel/scripts/upcp
script, which causes WHM to run the/usr/local/cpanel/scripts/check_cpanel_pkgs
script, which updates Perl. - Run the
/usr/local/cpanel/scripts/update_local_rpm_versions
script to update custom modules.
Note:
Instances of Perl on your server rely on packages for installation and maintenance.
PHP
You can use the following methods to update the Apache or system PHP installations:
Apache PHP
To update Apache’s PHP via the interface, use WHM’s EasyApache 4 interface (WHM >> Home >> Software >> EasyApache 4).
System PHP
To update the system PHP manually, run the /usr/local/cpanel/scripts/upcp
script.
PHP extensions and applications
Important:
You must manually update any PHP extensions that you installed manually.
To update extensions and applications:
- Via the interface, use WHM’s EasyApache 4 interface (WHM >> Home >> Software >> EasyApache 4).
- Manually, run the
/usr/local/cpanel/scripts/upcp
script.
Note:
To update cPAddons that you have installed, use WHM’s Manage cPAddons Site Software interface (WHM >> Home >> cPanel >> Manage cPAddons Site Software).
Packages
Warning:
Third-party repositories can cause problems with cPanel & WHM and updates from the OS repository. Be aware of the risks before you use a third-party repository.
To update packages, run the /usr/local/cpanel/scripts/upcp
script. Note:
You must manually update any manually-installed packages that cPanel & WHM’s default installation does not include. These packages will only receive an update if you have added them to the system repository.
Ruby Gems
Warning:
In cPanel & WHM version 66, we deprecated the legacy Ruby codebase and plan to remove it in a future release. This legacy Ruby codebase includes Ruby Gems.
When you install Ruby, cPanel & WHM only installs the required modules. To update these modules, run the /usr/local/cpanel/scripts/upcp
script.