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Fasthosts Internet

Parallels Plesk 10 Manual

Administrators Guide to Plesk 10

Page 1 of 43

Introduction ................................................................................................................................................................. 2

Before you begin ...................................................................................................................................................... 2

Logging in to the Plesk control panel ...................................................................................................................... 2

Securing access to the Plesk 10 control panel ........................................................................................................ 3

Configuring your new server ..................................................................................................................................... 5

Retrieving your Licence Key ..................................................................................................................................... 9

Setting up your nameservers ................................................................................................................................. 10

Plesk user accounts ................................................................................................................................................. 13

Server administrator ............................................................................................................................................ 13

Reseller accounts ................................................................................................................................................ 13

Client accounts .................................................................................................................................................... 14

Domain administrators ......................................................................................................................................... 14

Email users .......................................................................................................................................................... 14

Creating your own Subscription (Hosting your own website) ............................................................................. 14

Adding a new Reseller account .............................................................................................................................. 16

Adding a new Client account .................................................................................................................................. 18

Contact Information ............................................................................................................................................. 19

Access to Panel ................................................................................................................................................... 20

Subscription ......................................................................................................................................................... 20

Adding a domain to your server.............................................................................................................................. 22

Pointing a domain to your server............................................................................................................................ 24

Creating Glue Records ........................................................................................................................................... 25

Changing the DNS settings of a domain on your server ...................................................................................... 26

Edit an existing DNS record ................................................................................................................................ 28

Delete a DNS record ........................................................................................................................................... 28

Create a new DNS record ................................................................................................................................... 29

Adding a new mailbox to a domain ........................................................................................................................ 30

Changing an FTP password .................................................................................................................................... 32

Creating a Database ................................................................................................................................................. 33

Adding additional IP addresses to your server ..................................................................................................... 35

Adding an SSL certificate to a domain name ........................................................................................................ 36

Rebooting your server ............................................................................................................................................. 39

Changing a Plesk login password .......................................................................................................................... 40

Finding additional help for the Plesk control panel .............................................................................................. 41


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Introduction

Parallels Plesk Panel 10 is a powerful and intuitive online interface to help you easily manage

your Windows or Linux dedicated server. It can automate your web hosting experience, and help

you run a profitable business by allowing you to control your customers and their hosting

accounts.

This guide will help you get started with some of the basics of Plesk.

Note: While we are unable to offer telephone or email support for the Plesk

control panel, we have a comprehensive range of online guides and

tutorials to help you set up and administer your server. You can also find

additional help from Parallels, the makers of the Plesk control panel.

Before you begin

Before you begin you need to make sure you have the following information available:

Your dedicated server Administrator Login details.

The primary IP address assigned to your server.

The secondary IP address assigned to your server.

This information was sent to you in your server deployment email when your server was built.

The IP addresses assigned to your server can also be viewed through your Fasthosts control

panel.

Logging in to the Plesk control panel

Plesk uses port 8443, and can be accessed from your web browser using the primary IP

address assigned to your dedicated server.

Open your web browser and enter http://<your server's ip address>:8443, then click Go. For

example http://88.208.201.117:8443.


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You will be prompted to enter your

username and password, which were sent

to you in an email when your server was

first deployed. Once you've entered these

into the appropriate field, click Log in.

You are now logged in and ready to start configuring your server and setting up your websites.

Securing access to the Plesk 10 control panel

The Plesk control panel can only be accessed via SSL. This keeps it secure as all traffic to and

from the control panel is encrypted using a self-signed SSL certificate.

You can take further precautions to restrict access to your Plesk control panel by either blocking

selected IP addresses, or by blocking all IP addresses and only allowing selected IP addresses

access.


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Step 1 Log in to the Plesk control panel on your server as the server

administrator and click on the Settings icon in the Server

Management menu.

Step 2 Click the Restrict Administrative Access icon in the Security group.

Step 3 Click on Add New Network.

Step 4 Enter the IP address or Subnet mask

you want to allow or restrict in the

Subnet or IP address text box and

click Ok.

Quick tip: You can use * as a wildcard character to specify a range of IP

addresses. For example, 123.123.*.*.


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Step 5 The IP address will be saved and you will receive an on-screen confirmation. You can add as

many IP addresses or subnets as you like by repeating the steps above.

Step 6 To restrict administrator access to the Plesk control panel so the IP addresses you have added

to the list cannot login, select Allowed, excluding the networks in the list.

If you wish to allow administrative access only to the IP addresses you have added to the list,

select the option Denied from the networks that are not listed.

Important: If restricting access to only the IP addresses in the list, make

sure you use a static IP address, rather than a dynamic IP address,

otherwise you could have difficulty accessing your control panel if your

internet provider issues you with a new IP address.

Configuring your new server

The first time you log into the Plesk control panel you will be asked to view the Plesk terms and

conditions and configure your server. This process doesn't take long to complete.

We send you an email once your server is built. This contains the details you need to log into

your Plesk control panel. Visit the URL shown within the email, and then enter your Plesk

username and password in the text boxes provided.

Step 1 You will be shown the Plesk end user agreement. If you are happy with the terms shown in the

licence agreement, check the box marked I agree to the terms of this licence agreement, and

then click Accept.


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Step 2 Next you will see the Plesk configuration screen. This screen has four different sections that you

can configure:

Settings

We have already filled in a

hostname record for you to

use in this text box, so in

the majority of cases you

don't need to make any

changes to this field at all.

Important: If you are an advanced user, and wish to use a custom

hostname record, please ensure that the hostname you enter here resolves

to your server before completing this step.

Default IP address


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A list of IP addresses

assigned to your server is

available in the drop down

menu provided. Choose

the IP address which will

be the primary IP address

used by this server.

Important: Do not attempt to add an IP address that is not assigned to you.

This will not work and may result in your server becoming suspended.

Shared IP addresses

The Plesk control panel

allows you to assign IP

addresses to a specific

use, or to allow your IP

addresses to be shared

among all your users.

If you are planning on having multiple users on your control panel and don’t want to purchase IP

addresses for each user it’s recommended that you share these IP addresses to start with.

Administrators preferences

You will now be prompted

to change your Plesk

password. Enter and then

confirm your new

password in the text boxes

provided.


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Once complete, click OK.

Step 3 On the next screen, enter your company name and contact details in the text boxes provided

then click OK.


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Plesk is now configured on your server.

Retrieving your Licence Key -

When you first log into the Plesk control panel you will receive the following error:

Each time you install the Plesk control panel or Powerpack you will be provided with a new

product licence. Your server does not come with a product licence by default, but this can be

updated in just a few easy steps.

Click Retrieve keys.


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Your server will now connect

with Parallels to update your

licence information. This may

take a couple of minutes to

complete. Once done, click

OK to update your licence

key.

Setting up your nameservers

By default, Plesk is set up with one nameserver record. If you want to point your domain name to

your server you should create another nameserver record within the Plesk control panel.

Step 1 Log into your Plesk control panel as an administrator. Then

click DNS Settings in the Server section of the control panel.

Step 2 Click DNS Template Settings in the General section.


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Step 3 You will see that a nameserver called ns.<domain> has already been set up for you.

This is your first (primary) nameserver. To add a new nameserver click Add DNS Record at the

top of the screen.

Step 4 Enter the following in the text boxes provided:

Record Type: Select NS from the drop down list.

Domain name: Leave blank

Nameserver: ns1.<domain>

Once done, click OK.


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Your new nameserver will be listed as below.

Step 5 Finally, we need to create an A record to point your nameserver towards the IP address of your

server. Click Add DNS Record again, then enter the following in the text boxes provided.

Record type: A

Domain name: ns1

IP address: Enter the secondary IP address of your server.

Once done, click OK.


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You will now see an A record that points your new nameserver towards the secondary IP

address on your server.

Your nameservers are now set up within your control panel and any domains you add to your

server from this point on will be configured to use them.

You should now point your domain name towards your new nameservers.

Plesk user accounts

Before you can add any service to your server, you need to create a Customer or Subscription

that will be able to use these services. The Plesk control panel uses the following user account

hierarchy:

Server administrator

The server administrator has full access to all features of the Plesk control panel. This includes

the ability to create all other user accounts as well as the ability to manage server wide settings.

Reseller accounts

Reseller accounts are designed for your customers to sell your hosting services to their own


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clients. Resellers can create client accounts for their own customers, as well as creating hosting

and email services, but they cannot create other reseller accounts.

Client accounts

Client accounts provide end-user access to create individual hosting and email services. Clients

cannot resell any hosting services.

Domain administrators

Similar to the Client account, you can enable one domain administrator account per hosted

domain. This login allows users to set up and manage their website hosting and email services --

these accounts are disabled by default. In most circumstances, a Client account would be more

suitable.

Email users

Email users can login to the Plesk control panel to modify their email address. Each mailbox that

you create on a domain will be given access to their own control panel, from which the user can

change their mailbox password, and set up autoresponders and redirects (forwarders).

Creating your own Subscription (Hosting

your own website)

Step 1

Step 2

Log in to the Plesk control panel on your server.

Click Subscriptions in the Hosting Services menu.


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Step 3 Click Add New

Subscription.

Note: If you receive an error that you do not have enough resources to add

a reseller to your server you should update your licence key.

Step 4 You will be asked for all the information needed to set up your new subscription.

Enter the following in the boxes provided:

Domain name: Enter the domain name that you want to host on your server.

IPv4 address: The drop down list will provide you with all the available IP addresses you

can use to host on the domain name. Select an IP address from this list, which will be

the IP address of your website.

Quick tip: You can add extra IP addresses to your server as required. See

the chapter Adding additional IP addresses to on page 35.

IPv6 address: As above, but using IPv6 rather than IPv4 addresses. This can be left

blank unless your customer specifically requires an IP6 address for their website.

Username: Create a username for your customer. This username will be used to

manage website files and folders via FTP.

Password: Enter and then confirm a password for your customer in the text boxes

provided. This password will be used to manage website files and folders via FTP.

Service plan: The drop down menu will show all the service plans available to your

customer. You can create additional service plans through the Plesk control panel at any

time.

Add-ons: Add any additional features or services to your customers hosting package by

using the button marked >>. These services will be in addition to the standard range of


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services available in the chosen service plan.

Once done, click OK. Your

New Customer will be listed

and is ready for use.

Adding a new Reseller account


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Step 1

Step 2


Click Resellers in the Hosting Services menu.

Step 3 Click Add New Reseller.



Step 4 You will be asked for all the information needed to sign a reseller up to your hosting services.

Enter contact information, a username and password, and a Service plan the reseller can use in

the boxes provided and click OK.


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Your New Reseller will be

listed and is ready for

use.

Adding a new Client account


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Step 1

Step 2


Click Customers in the Hosting Services menu.

Step 3 Click Add New

Customer.



Step 4 You will be asked for all the information needed to sign a customer up on your hosting services.

This form is split into three main sections.

Contact Information


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Enter your customers

name, email address and

contact details in the text

boxes provided.

Access to Panel

Create a username and

password for your new

customer. This will be used

by your customer to access

the Plesk Control panel to

administer their own

domain name.

Subscription

This section allows you to add the domain name, type of hosting, and any additional resources

to your customers account.

If you do not want to add a domain name or hosting package for the customer, uncheck the box

marked Create subscription for the customer and skip to step 5.

Enter the following in the boxes provided:

Domain name: Enter the domain name that you want to host on your server.

IPv4 address: The drop down list will provide you with all the available IP addresses

you can use to host on the domain name. Select an IP address from this list, which will

be the IP address of your customer’s website.


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manage website files and folders (FTP).

Password: Enter and then confirm a password for your customer in the text boxes

provided. This password will be used to manage website files and folders via FTP.


customer. You can create additional service plans through the Plesk control panel at any

time.





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Once done, click OK. Your New

Customer will be listed and is

ready for use.

Adding a domain to your server

Each domain name must be associated with a customer, or contact, responsible for it. The

process is slightly different depending upon whether or not a customer has already been added

to your server.

This guide assumes that you have already added a customer to your control panel and will show

you how to add a new domain name to this customer. If you have not already created a contact

to assign this domain to see the chapter Creating your own Subscription (Hosting your own

website) on page 14 or Adding a new Client account on page 18.

Step 1

Step 2


Click Customers in the Hosting Services menu.


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Step 3 At the foot of the screen,

click Add New

Subscription.

Step 4 Enter the following in the boxes provided:

Domain name: Enter the the domain name that you want to host on your server.

IPv4 address: The drop down list will provide you with all the available IP addresses

you can use to host on the domain name. Select an IP address from this list, which will

be the IP address of your customer’s website.






manage website files and folders via FTP.

Password: Enter, then confirm a password for your customer in the text boxes provided.

This password will be used manage website files and folders via FTP.


customer. You can create additional service plans through the Plesk Control Panel at

any time.





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Once done, click OK. The new

hosting subscription will be listed

at the foot of the page.

Pointing a domain to your server

Once you’ve added hosting for a domain name through the Plesk control panel, you need to

point the DNS for that domain to your server. To do this you need to create Glue records.


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Creating Glue Records

Note: If your domain name is not registered with Fasthosts you should

follow the procedures of your domain registrar to create your glue records.

Step 1 Log into your Fasthosts control panel and click Domain Names.

Step 2 Click on the domain name that you just set up hosting for within your Plesk control panel. This is

the domain we need to create the glue records for.

Step 3 Click Glue Records in the Domain Management section of your control panel.

Step 4 Click Add Glue Record.

Step 5 The Add Glue Record pop up box will appear. You need to create two nameservers for your new

domain, ns.<domain> to point to the primary IP address of the server, and ns1.<domain> to

point to the secondary IP address.

Host Name: This is the sub domain name you would like to use for your glue record. For

example: ns1.ralphsdomainname.com.

IP Address: Enter the IP address of your new nameserver. 88.208.155.24 for example.


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Once you’ve entered the details for your new nameserver click Save. You will receive onscreen

confirmation that the glue records have been created.

Important: It may take up to 72 hours for your new glue records to become

active and start pointing to your dedicated server.

Changing the DNS settings of a domain on

your server

Your dedicated server gives you full control over the DNS of all domains hosted upon it. You can

manage your DNS records through the Plesk control panel.

Step 1 Log in to the Plesk control panel on your server. Then click

Domains in the Hosting Services menu on the left.

Step 2 Locate the domain name you would like to modify the DNS for, and click it's associated Control

Panel link.


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Step 3 Select the Websites & Domains tab.

Step 4 Click the DNS Settings

icon.

Step 5 You will be presented with a list of all DNS records currently set up on the domain.


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Edit an existing DNS record

Step 1 Locate the record you wish to change in the list and click on it.

Step 2 Enter your new DNS

record information and

click the Ok button.

Step 3 You will receive confirmation that the DNS properties have been changed, but the changes won't

be saved until you write them to the server. To do this, click the Update button.

Delete a DNS record

Step 1 Select the check box by the record(s) you want to delete, and click Remove.


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Step 2 Make sure the

Confirm removal box

is selected and click

Ok.

Step 3 On the next screen, click the Update button to save the DNS record deletion changes to the

server.

Create a new DNS record

Step 1 Click the Add Record icon above the DNS records list.

Select the type of DNS record you want to create from the Record type drop down list. The

options are:

NS: Create a nameserver record.

A: Create an A record.

AAAA: Create an A record for an IPv6 IP address.

CNAME: Create a Canonical Name record.

MX: Create a Mail exchanger record.

PTR: Create a Pointer record.

TXT: Create a Text record.

SRV: Create a Service Locator record.


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Step 3 Enter the details of the

new DNS record you're

creating. The information

Plesk asks for will vary

depending on the type of

record you are creating.

The built in help

documentation can

provide more information on what to enter on this screen if you need it.

When you are done, click Ok.

Step 4 On the next screen, click the Update button to save the DNS record deletion changes to the

server.

Adding a new mailbox to a domain

You can create and manage your mailboxes through the Plesk control panel to allow you and

your customers to send/receive mail through your server.

Step 1 Click Domains in the Hosting Services menu on the left.


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Step 2 Locate the domain

name you would like

to add the mailbox to,

and click it's

associated Control

Panel link.

Step 3 You will be logged in to

Plesk at the domain level.

Select the Mail tab.

Step 4 On the next screen you will see a list of any mailboxes that have already been set up on the

domain. Click the Create E-Mail Address button.

Step 5 Enter the following information on the General tab:

E-mail address: Enter the name of the mailbox you want to create.

Mailbox: Make sure this option is selected.

Password: Enter a password for the mailbox

Confirm password: Retype the password you have chosen.


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Step 6 Click OK. Your new mailbox will be created and you will receive an on-screen confirmation

message.

Changing an FTP password

File Transfer Protocol (FTP) is used to upload a website to your server. Your FTP sessions are

protected by a password, which you can change through your Plesk control panel for any of your

hosted domains.

Step 1

Step 2

Login to the Plesk control panel on your server.

Click Subscriptions in the Hosting Services menu.


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Step 3 Your hosting subscriptions will be

listed. Click on the Domain name for

which you would like to change the

FTP details.

Step 4 You will see the Overview

screen for the Hosting

subscription. Click Change

Hosting Settings.

Step 5

Step 6

Enter and then confirm a

new FTP password in the

text boxes provided.

Click OK to save your

changes.

Creating a Database

You can add a new MySQL database to your server from your Plesk 10 control panel.


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Step 1 In the Server Management menu, click Tools and Utilities.

Step 2 In the Resources section

click Database Servers.

Step 3 Click Add Database Server.

Step 4

Step 5

Enter a username to use when

connecting to the database in the

Administrator's username text

field, and choose and confirm a

strong password in the New

administrator's password and

Confirm new administrator’s

password fields.

Click OK to create your new

database.


Page 35 of 43

Adding additional IP addresses to your

server

Additional IP addresses are available for Fasthosts Dedicated and Virtual servers.

These can be ordered and purchased through your Fasthosts control panel. Once the IP

address has been purchased, it needs to be added to your server. You can do this through your

Plesk control panel.

Step 1 Log in to your Plesk control panel as an

Administrator user. Then, click on Tools & Utilities in

the Server Management menu.

Step 2 Click on the IP

Addresses icon.

Step 3 You will see a list of all

IP addresses currently

set up on your server.

Click the Add IP

Address icon above

the list.

Step 4 You will then be asked to enter the following information about your new IP address:

Interface: This drop down will list all network cards installed in the server. There should

only be one option to select from this list, just leave this as it is.

https://help.fasthosts.co.uk/app/answers/detail/a_id/234


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IP address and subnet mask: Enter your new IP address, followed by a slash, then

255.255.252.0. For example, 88.208.201.117/255.255.252.0.

IP address distributed as: If you intend to assign this IP address to one user or

domain, for example to support an SSL certificate, then select Dedicated. If this IP

address is to be shared between several domains then choose Shared. It is most likely

that you will require the Dedicated option, which is already selected by default.

SSL Certificate: Leave default certificate selected.

You will receive on-screen confirmation that the new IP address has been added to your server.

Adding an SSL certificate to a domain name

Step 1 Log in to the Plesk control panel on your server as the

server administrator and click on Domains in the Hosting

Services menu.

Step 2 Locate the domain name you would like to add the certificate to and click Control Panel.


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Step 3 Select the Websites &

Domains tab.

Step 4 Click on the SSL

Certificates icon.

Step 5 Click the Add SSL Certificate icon.

Step 6 Enter a Certificate Name to help you identify this certificate. In the example below we've named

it after the domain name the certificate is for, to make it quickly and easily identifiable.

Step 7 Select the level of encryption you require from the Bits drop down list. It is highly recommended

you choose 2048 or higher, if available.

You also need to enter your company address, the domain name the certificate will protect, and

a valid email address. These details must be accurate as they will be used to generate your


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private key.

Click the Request button when you've entered the information. You'll see a confirmation

message that the certificate has been created.

Step 8 Locate the newly created certificate in the list and click on it to see it's properties. Scroll down

and find the CSR section. Copy all the text that starts with -----BEGIN CERTIFICATE

REQUEST----- and ends with -----END CERTIFICATE REQUEST----- to the clipboard.

Step 9 Visit the web site of your chosen certificate authority and follow their procedures to purchase

your certificate. When prompted, paste the CSR text you copied in the previous step into their

online form. They will then generate your certificate. Save the generated certificate file to your

local machine.

Quick tip: You can purchase SSL certificates through the Fasthosts Control



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panel.

Step 10 Select the Websites & Domains tab, and click the SSL Certificates icon to go back to the SSL

certificates list. Click on the certificate you just created in the list to view it's properties again.

Step 11 Under the Upload

certificate files section,

click the Browse button

by the Certificate text box

and locate the file you just

saved to your machine

from the certificate authority.

Click the Send File button to upload the certificate to your server.

Note: Alternatively you can paste the contents of your newly generated

certificate into the Certificate text box under the Upload certificate as text

section, and click the Send Text button.

Rebooting your server

Fasthosts dedicated servers can be easily remotely rebooted from the Plesk control panel, or the

remote eRic card console.

Note: The recommended method of rebooting your server is through the

eRic card remote console. This is explained in our article: How do I reboot

my server?





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Step 1

Step 2


In the Server Management section of the control

panel, click Tools and Utilities.

Step 3 The option to restart your server is available within the Server Management section of the

control panel.

Important: Do not press Shut Down Server. This will shut down your server

completely and you will be unable to restart it remotely. If this does occur

please contact us to manually restart it.

Changing a Plesk login password

It is a good idea to change the password you use to login to your dedicated server's Plesk

control panel regularly to help keep your server secure.


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Step 1

Step 2

Log in to your Plesk control panel as the user you want to

change the password for.

Locate the My Profile section of the navigation menu on the

right of the page, and click Change Password.

Step 3 Enter your current password into the Old password text box, then choose and enter your new

password into the New password text box and retype it in the Confirm password text box.

Quick tip: The password must be between 5 and 14 characters long, and

cannot contain the username you use to login.

When you are done click the OK button.

Your password will be changed and you will receive on-screen confirmation.

Finding additional help for the Plesk control

panel

Plesk has a built-in help system which is easily accessible from the top-right of the page.


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If you can't find the help you require using the supplied documentation, Parallels Inc, the

company who create Plesk, have a comprehensive support website where you can find more

information to help you use the Plesk control panel to setup and administer your dedicated

server.

Guides and documentation:

http://www.parallels.com/uk/products/plesk/documentation

Parallels knowledge base: http://kb.parallels.com/products/?id=52

Flash tutorials: http://www.parallels.com/uk/products/plesk/tutorials

If you don't find the answer you need by following any of these links, Parallels also have a forum

where you can discuss your query with other Plesk users.

Plesk forum: http://forum.parallels.com

http://www.parallels.com/uk/products/plesk/documentation

http://kb.parallels.com/products/?id=52

http://www.parallels.com/uk/products/plesk/tutorials

http://forum.parallels.com/

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