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Web Hosting and cPanel Documentation

Replication

cPanel Web Hosting Account Replication

Replication

Documentation related to cPanel Replication

Replication

cPanel Web Hosting Account Replication

What replication is

Replication keeps a spare copy of your cPanel account on a second First2Host server.

Think of it as a spare house key:

Your live website and email stay on the production server.
In the background, we copy the account (files, databases, email, cPanel settings) to a recovery server.
Visitors keep using the live server. Nothing on your website changes during a normal copy.
If the live server has a serious problem, you (or we) can point your website's DNS at the recovery copy so the site can come back online.

Replication is not:

A downloadable backup you store on your PC (use cPanel backups for that).
Instant “undo” for a file you deleted five minutes ago. Copies run on a schedule (for example, weekly, or daily or even hourly).
Automatic. DNS does not move until someone confirms a recovery action.

Words you will see

Word	Meaning
Production	The server your site uses today.
Recovery / Standby	The spare server holding the copy.
Protected copy	A completed, checked replica of the account.
LIVE	Where visitors are sent right now.
READY	The spare copy is waiting. It is not taking public traffic.

Where to open it

Log in to your First2Host client area.
Go to Services → My Services.
Open the hosting package you want to protect.
Open Replication & Recovery.

If you have not ordered it yet, you will see a short setup wizard instead of the live/recovery picture.

Turn replication on

You order replication from the same client area as your hosting. It is an add-on on that hosting package. Your main hosting does not get replaced.

Before you start

The hosting account must be active.
You need to know who holds DNS for the domain:
- First2Host nameservers (most shared hosting) — choose First2Host DNS.
  - If you use our DNS, your domain will be pointed to name servers similar to fr-dns.f2hcloud.com, us-dns.f2hcloud.com
- Cloudflare (orange cloud / you changed nameservers to Cloudflare) — choose Cloudflare DNS and have an API token ready.

Step by step

Open the hosting service → Replication & Recovery.
Start the guided setup.
Account — pick the cPanel account to protect (usually there is only one).
Recovery target — leave automatic unless we have asked you to pick a server.
How often — choose how often a new copy should be made (weekly, daily, or more often if offered). More frequent copies cost more. Weekly is the simple starter.
DNS — choose First2Host DNS or Cloudflare DNS. See the DNS page in this chapter.
Review — check the account, frequency and price.
Activate — continue to the invoice. Pay it (some weekly plans may show as already paid).

After payment, a Building your recovery service screen runs. It activates protection, assigns the recovery server, packages the account, copies it, restores it, then checks the copy. You can leave this running. When it finishes, Replication & Recovery shows production LIVE and recovery READY.

If something is missing

No accounts listed — the hosting package may not be active, or it is not a cPanel service. Open a support ticket.
No frequencies listed — that plan is not offered on this package. Ask support.
Cloudflare check fails — the token cannot edit DNS for this exact domain. Fix the token and try again. You do not need to re-buy.

Check that copies are working

Open Replication & Recovery on the hosting service.

Healthy looks like this

Production is marked LIVE.
Recovery is marked READY.
Last verified / recovery point shows a recent successful copy.
DNS shows Ready (or Connected if you use Cloudflare).
Recent continuity activity lists copies that completed or were verified.

A copy in progress shows a transferring/replicating state. Wait for it to finish. Do not start DNS recovery while a copy is still running unless support tells you to.

Buttons you can use without moving the website

Button	What it does
Replicate now	Makes a fresh copy now. Visitors stay on production. Use this before a risky change, or if the last copy is old.
Activity	History of copies and checks. Verified means that copy finished successfully.

Replicate now does not change DNS and does not point visitors at the spare server.

When to worry

Open a ticket if:

Recovery never becomes READY after the first copy should have finished.
Activity shows repeated failures.
DNS stays Not connected after you saved Cloudflare.
The picture still shows “not active” after the invoice is paid (wait a few minutes, then refresh).

DNS for recovery

DNS is the address book of the internet. Recovery only works if we can update the records that send visitors (and usually mail) to a server IP.

When DNS is configured correctly, any outage on the production service will move all of your cPanel/webmail/website/POP3 traffic to the recovery server. Replication will resume to the previous primary server once it's contactable.

You choose the DNS provider when you order. You can review it later under DNS & recovery / Manage DNS.

Option A — First2Host DNS (usual)

Choose this if the domain uses First2Host nameservers.

You do not paste any API keys. We update the website, mail, webmail, cPanel and FTP records together when you confirm a recovery.
You should see DNS Ready on the Replication screen.

Option B — Cloudflare DNS

Choose this only if the domain’s DNS is in your Cloudflare account.

You will be asked for:

Cloudflare Account ID — 32 characters, from Cloudflare → Account home.
API token — with Zone DNS Read and Edit on this domain.

Click Verify and save DNS provider. We check the token against that domain, then store it encrypted. The token is not shown again.

If verification fails, the token is wrong or it cannot see that zone. Create a new token limited to the domain and try again.

What recovery changes

A confirmed DNS switch updates all of the account’s matching A records that still point at the old server IP. That includes the main domain and names such as www, mail, webmail, cPanel and ftp when they share that IP.

It does not invent new hostnames that never existed in DNS.

After DNS moves

Some visitors see the new server in minutes. Others can take up to a couple of hours because of DNS caches.
Email can lag behind the website. Do not assume mail has moved at the same second as the homepage.
cPanel login from the client area follows the server that is LIVE.

Switch to recovery (and come back)

These actions move real visitors. They are not a preview. Use them for a real outage, or a planned test to ensure replication is working or when you want to move your entire cPanel account and website to a different region. You can replicate to multiple regions and move your website to these regions at your choosing.

You will get a preflight checklist first. Read it. Confirming after a pass does change DNS. The checklist itself does not.

The three recovery actions

Action	When to use it	What happens
Switch DNS to recovery	Production is down, and you already have a good verified copy.	Uses the latest verified copy. Moves DNS. Does not take a new copy first. Faster.
Replicate & Cut Over	You want the newest data, then to go live on recovery.	New full copy → restore → checks → then DNS. Takes longer. Safe to close the browser; it keeps running.
Return DNS to production	Recovery is live and production is healthy again.	Moves DNS back. Does not delete the spare copy.

Some packages only show some of these buttons.

How to switch (simple path)

Open Replication & Recovery.
Confirm recovery is READY and a copy is verified.
Choose Switch DNS to recovery (or Replicate & Cut Over if you need a brand-new copy first).
Wait for the checks. Fix anything that fails. Do not confirm a failed check.
Confirm only when you intend to move the live site.
Wait until the screen says recovery is LIVE (or Production is live again if you were returning). Click Done if a result window stays open — that is normal.

Coming back to production

Make sure the original server is working.
Use Return DNS to production.
Confirm after the checks pass.
Production should show LIVE and recovery READY.

You can leave traffic on recovery if production is still not safe. There is no automatic bounce-back.

Tests

If Test live recovery is shown, it still performs a real DNS switch. Always Return DNS to production when you have finished the test.

Do not

Confirm a DNS change as a “click to see what happens”.
Cancel the replication add-on while recovery is LIVE. Fail back first. Cancelling deletes the spare cPanel copy. Your main hosting stays, but the replica is destroyed.
Start a second cutover while one is already running.

Common questions

Does a normal copy take my site offline?
No. Copies run in the background. Visitors stay on production until you confirm a DNS switch.

How old is my spare copy?
Look at Last verified / the recovery point on Replication & Recovery. Use Replicate now if you need a newer copy without moving DNS.

I use Cloudflare. Do I still pick First2Host DNS?
No. If Cloudflare holds the DNS zone, pick Cloudflare DNS and save a working token. Otherwise recovery cannot update the records visitors use.

My nameservers are still First2Host.
Pick First2Host DNS. You should not need a Cloudflare token.

Can I keep both servers in sync forever after a failover?
After a switch, treat recovery as live. Use Replicate now / scheduled copies in the direction the panel allows. Return DNS to production when you want visitors back on the original server.

What happens if I cancel replication?
The spare recovery account is deleted. The original hosting package stays. If DNS is still on recovery, cancellation is blocked until you return DNS to production.

The result window is still on screen after a successful return.
Click Done. That reloads the page. It does not mean the switch failed.

Who do I contact?
First2Host support, from your client area ticket. Send the domain name and a screenshot of Replication & Recovery.

Quick checklist

Replication ordered and paid on the correct hosting package
Recovery shows READY
A copy is verified
DNS is Ready (First2Host) or Cloudflare is Connected
You only confirm DNS changes when you mean to move the live site