cPanel Linked Nodes Roadmap

Overview

This document describes linked nodes, server profiles, how they work together, and the future plans for the linked nodes project.

Linked nodes

In cPanel & WHM version 86, we introduced WHM’s Link Server Nodes interface (WHM >> Home >> Server Configuration >> Link Server Nodes). This interface allows you to link two servers together, a parent node and a child node. The parent node can offload certain functionality to the child node (for example, mail).

Server profiles

In cPanel & WHM version 76, we introduced WHM’s Server Profile interface (WHM >> Home >> Server Configuration >> Server Profile). Server profiles optimize servers to perform specific tasks or functions. Each profile enables and disables a set of roles. Each role allows or disallows certain services related to the server’s task. For example, a server that runs a Mail server profile only enables services essential to mail. The profile disables all other services, such as Web Disk and FTP.

Important:

Server profiles provide performance improvements, not necessarily additional security.

Distributed accounts have the same level of access on the child node as they do on the parent node. This access allows linked nodes to work smoothly with existing systems. We are researching methods to transition to a reduced access security model in a future version.

Implementation

Together, these two interfaces allow you to optimize each server for separate, distinct functionality. This combination frees up resources on the parent node and allows you to optimize the hardware for each server.

  • For information about linked nodes, read our cPanel Linked Nodes Guide documentation.
  • For more information about server profiles, read our How to Use Server Profiles documentation.

A visual representation of the phases.

Phases

This project has several phases. Each phase will deliver more improvements, functions, and controls. You can read about each phase in the following section:

Phase Description Notes Status
1 Introduce server profiles
  • We introduced the Standard, Mail, Database, and DNS server profiles. These profiles let you optimize a server for a specific task or function.
  • Each profile enables and disables a set of roles. Each role allows or disallows specific services that relate to the server’s task.
 Complete
2 Improve email deliverability
  • Improve how a server will deliver, receive, and process email.
  • We added WHM’s Email Deliverability interface (WHM >> Home >> Email >> Email Deliverability). This interface helps you identify and fix any problems with your server’s DKIM, SPF, and PTR records.
 Complete
3 Manage API Tokens in cPanel
  • We introduced cPanel API tokens.
  • Users can issue these API tokens in cPanel’s Manage API Tokens interface (cPanel >> Home >> Security >> Manage API Token). This feature lets users create, list, update, and revoke API tokens.
 Complete
4 Standalone DNS server profile licensing Support of DNS server profile licenses. Complete
5 Link a new Standard parent node to a new Mail child node
  • Allow new cPanel accounts on a Standard parent node to connect to a Mail child node.
  • Assign the mail tasks for new cPanel accounts to a different server.
    		 Complete
    6 Transfer existing linked cPanel accounts between nodes
    • Support for transfers to and from a server with attached nodes.
    • Provide the ability to back up accounts with data from all of your server nodes.
    • Preserve a node setting when you transfer an account from one server to another.
      		 Complete
      7 Modify a cPanel account to offload mail Offload a cPanel account’s mail storage to a linked node in WHM’s Modify an Account interface (WHM >> Home >> Account Functions >> Modify an Account). Complete
      8 Modify a cPanel account to host mail locally Modify a distributed cPanel account to use only the local server in WHM’s Modify an Account interface (WHM >> Home >> Account Functions >> Modify an Account). Complete
      9 Production Ready Support a linked child node server with a Standard or Mail server profile in a production environment. Complete
      10 Future plans Performance and optimizations. In progress