Prerequisites checklist
- Your cPanel version is 9, 10, or 11
- The destination server is running Parallels Plesk for Linux
- Your Plesk version is 11.0.9+ with the latest updates installed
- The Migration and Transfer Manager component is installed on the Plesk server
- The Plesk server has at least one shared IP address and the same number of dedicated IP addresses as on the source cPanel server
- Plesk has Mailman mailing list manager installed and configured (only required if the source cPanel server hosts mailing lists)
- The source server accepts SSH connections from the destination server and password authentication for user root is enabled in the SSH server’s configuration (see Parallels Knowledgebase article #115625 for details)
- SELinux is disabled on the destination server (only for the duration of the migration process)
- Optional: The Plesk server uses same path to the virtual hosts directory as the source server (see instructions on how to change the path) Note: make sure that ‘
.skel‘ directory is present in the virtual hosts directory location specified by ‘HTTPD_VHOSTS_D‘
Migrated objects and settings
Plesk and cPanel have different business models and features, requiring the conversion of migrated objects during deployment on the destination server. For example, cPanel’s parked domains are converted to domain aliases in Plesk.
Some objects and settings cannot be migrated due to technical limitations. For example, passwords for FTP users are not migrated because they are encrypted by cPanel. Plesk generates new passwords for FTP users during the deployment process and reports them in the migration results report.
For a full list of migrated objects and technical limitations, refer to the Preparing for Migration: cPanel chapter from the Installation, Upgrade, Migration, and Transfer Guide from Parallels.
Migration
Open the Migration and Transfer Manager in the Plesk interface:
Tools & Settings → Migration & Transfer Manager and click on the Start New Migration button.
Step 1:
On the first step of the migration wizard, input the source server hostname (or IP address), the SSH server’s port, and the root user password. Then choose whether to migrate the whole server or to perform a selective migration. Leave the Use rsync transport option enabled — this will improve the speed and reliability of the data transfer, as well as lower the free disk space requirements for both the source and destination servers.
You can specify the location of temporary migration data on the source (Migration & Transfer Agent upload path) and destination (Temporary Files Location) servers. If the source server hosts large databases or if the option Use rsync transport had been disabled, it is recommended that you check these paths point to locations with enough free disk space.
Step 2:
If selective migration was selected in the previous step, the Migration and Transfer Manager wizard will present a screen with a list of accounts on the source server, each with a check-box to select. Additionally, you will be offered the choice to transfer all data, mail only, or everything except mail. By default, all data is migrated.
Step 3:
The next step — IP address mapping — allows you to choose an IP mapping scheme, i.e., which IP addresses domains will have on the destination server, based on the IP address they had on the source server. Two or more shared IP addresses can be mapped to a single shared IP address on the Plesk server, but mapping of dedicated IP addresses is done one-to-one. IP addresses are changed in domains’ DNS records and hosting setup during deployment.
Step 4:
After that, your migration will start. Progress can be monitored on the Migration & Transfer Manager screen. Upon completion, the Migration and Transfer Manager will report on the general status of the migration (Completed or Completed with errors):
If the migration finishes with errors, links to view or download the migration results report will be available on the migration process screen. To access it, click on the source server’s hostname in the list of migrations:
