How to remove service proxying for the migrated cPanel accounts manually on the source server?

So, you have just migrated your cPanel accounts to a new server, but there’s still some unfinished business – removing service proxying from the old one. If you don’t do this, your source server might keep handling requests for the migrated accounts, causing unnecessary load and even confusion. Obviously, that’s not what you want. Let’s go step by step and clean things up properly. Check out this post to learn how to remove service proxying for the migrated cPanel accounts manually on the source server.

What is Service Proxying in cPanel?

Before you jump in, let’s quickly cover what service proxying actually does. When cPanel accounts are moved from one server to another, the original server may still act as a proxy for services like email, web, or MySQL. That means, even though your websites are running on the new server, the old server or say the source server might still be processing some requests. Yeah, not ideal. That’s why manually removing service proxying is super important. It makes sure that all traffic is directed to the right place – reducing the risk of errors, delays, or unnecessary resource usage. Of course, you can’t afford extra trouble!

How to remove service proxying for the migrated cPanel accounts manually on the source server? | A Step-by-step Guide

Step 1: Check the Proxy Settings

First, you need to confirm whether service proxying is still active on the source server. Run the following command in SSH:

bash
grep -Ri proxy /var/cpanel/

This will list all configurations where proxying is enabled. You will likely see references to email services, MySQL, or even web requests. Well, now that you have found the problem areas, it’s time to start cleaning them up. Let’s do it!

Step 2: Disable Email Proxying

One of the most common services that keep proxying after migration is email. If the migrated cPanel account’s email was being handled by the old server, you need to stop that. Here’s how you do it:

Open the Exim configuration file:

bash
nano /etc/exim.conf.local

• Check for any references to the old server acting as a mail proxy.
• Remove or comment on the relevant lines.
• Save the file and restart Exim:

bash
systemctl restart exim

And just like that, your old server is no longer handling emails for the migrated accounts.

Step 3: Remove Proxy Subdomains

Now, let’s talk about proxy subdomains. These are often created automatically and need to be removed manually. You can do this by:

• Going to /var/cpanel/userdata/USERNAME/
• Finding and deleting files related to webmail.domain.com, cpanel.domain.com, etc.
• Running the following command to rebuild the Apache configuration:

bash
/scripts/rebuildhttpdconf
systemctl restart httpd

This step will make certain that the source server no longer tries to redirect requests for cPanel, WHM, or webmail services.

Step 4: Update DNS Records

Now, you know what? A lot of problems happen just because DNS records aren’t updated properly. So, let’s fix that.

• Log in to WHM on the old server.
• Go to Edit DNS Zone.
• Remove any records pointing to the old server’s IP.
• Make sure all records now point to the new server’s IP.
• Save the changes and restart the DNS service:

bash
systemctl restart named

This step makes sure that all requests go straight to your new server without the old one getting in the way.

Step 5: Clear Cached Settings

Even after making all these changes, cached settings can sometimes keep service proxying active. The easiest way to clear this is:

bash
rm -f /var/cpanel/proxydomains
/scripts/updateuserdomains

Then, restart cPanel services:

bash
systemctl restart cpanel

And just like that, the old server stops acting like it still has something to do with your migrated accounts. Still, if you need this server thing to be handled by the experts or if you want to buy servers – connect with the top server provider, Lease Packet.

Final Step: Make Sure Everything Works

Before calling it a day, double-check everything. Try accessing email, cPanel, and websites from the new server. If anything still seems to be going through the old server, repeat the steps above.

One final trick – run this command to see if any unexpected services are still running on the old server:

bash
netstat -tulnp | grep LISTEN

If you see anything that shouldn’t be there, track it down and stop it. Bingo, you did it!

Why This Matters & How Lease Packet Can Help?

You know what, server migrations can be tricky, and even small misconfigurations can cause big headaches. That’s why getting the right hosting provider onboard is always the best thing to do. Lease Packet offers powerful dedicated servers, VPS, and cloud solutions that ensure smooth migrations with minimal downtime. Also, if you ever get stuck, Lease Packet’s support team is always ready to help you sort things out.

Bottom Line

Of course, you can now manually remove service proxying yourself (now that you know how), but why not start off with a hosting provider that simplifies everything from the start? So, if you haven’t already, check out Lease Packet’s servers – you can connect with experts to learn more about this! Also, custom plans and great offers are available at the moment – so you might wanna hurry if you don’t want to miss some never-come-again deals!!

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