# 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

<table id="bkmrk-word-meaning-product"><colgroup><col></col><col></col></colgroup><tbody><tr><th colspan="1" rowspan="1">Word

</th><th colspan="1" rowspan="1">Meaning

</th></tr><tr><td colspan="1" rowspan="1">**Production**

</td><td colspan="1" rowspan="1">The server your site uses today.

</td></tr><tr><td colspan="1" rowspan="1">**Recovery** / **Standby**

</td><td colspan="1" rowspan="1">The spare server holding the copy.

</td></tr><tr><td colspan="1" rowspan="1">**Protected copy**

</td><td colspan="1" rowspan="1">A completed, checked replica of the account.

</td></tr><tr><td colspan="1" rowspan="1">**LIVE**

</td><td colspan="1" rowspan="1">Where visitors are sent right now.

</td></tr><tr><td colspan="1" rowspan="1">**READY**

</td><td colspan="1" rowspan="1">The spare copy is waiting. It is not taking public traffic.

</td></tr></tbody></table>

### Where to open it

1. Log in to your First2Host [**client area**](https://my.f2h.cloud).
2. Go to **Services** → **My Services**.
3. Open the hosting package you want to protect.
4. Open **Replication &amp; 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

1. Open the hosting service → **Replication &amp; Recovery**.
2. Start the guided setup.
3. **Account** — pick the cPanel account to protect (usually there is only one).
4. **Recovery target** — leave automatic unless we have asked you to pick a server.
5. **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.
6. **DNS** — choose **First2Host DNS** or **Cloudflare DNS**. See the DNS page in this chapter.
7. **Review** — check the account, frequency and price.
8. **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 &amp; 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 &amp; 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

<table id="bkmrk-button-what-it-does-"><colgroup><col></col><col></col></colgroup><tbody><tr><th colspan="1" rowspan="1">Button

</th><th colspan="1" rowspan="1">What it does

</th></tr><tr><td colspan="1" rowspan="1">**Replicate now**

</td><td colspan="1" rowspan="1">Makes a fresh copy **now**. Visitors stay on production. Use this before a risky change, or if the last copy is old.

</td></tr><tr><td colspan="1" rowspan="1">**Activity**

</td><td colspan="1" rowspan="1">History of copies and checks. **Verified** means that copy finished successfully.

</td></tr></tbody></table>

**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.

<p class="callout success">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. </p>

You choose the DNS provider when you order. You can review it later under **DNS &amp; 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:

1. **Cloudflare Account ID** — 32 characters, from Cloudflare → Account home.
2. **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)

T**hese 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

<table id="bkmrk-action-when-to-use-i"><colgroup><col></col><col></col><col></col></colgroup><tbody><tr><th colspan="1" rowspan="1">Action

</th><th colspan="1" rowspan="1">When to use it

</th><th colspan="1" rowspan="1">What happens

</th></tr><tr><td colspan="1" rowspan="1">**Switch DNS to recovery**

</td><td colspan="1" rowspan="1">Production is down, and you already have a good **verified** copy.

</td><td colspan="1" rowspan="1">Uses the **latest verified copy**. Moves DNS. Does **not** take a new copy first. Faster.

</td></tr><tr><td colspan="1" rowspan="1">**Replicate &amp; Cut Over**

</td><td colspan="1" rowspan="1">You want the **newest** data, then to go live on recovery.

</td><td colspan="1" rowspan="1">New full copy → restore → checks → then DNS. Takes longer. Safe to close the browser; it keeps running.

</td></tr><tr><td colspan="1" rowspan="1">**Return DNS to production**

</td><td colspan="1" rowspan="1">Recovery is live and production is healthy again.

</td><td colspan="1" rowspan="1">Moves DNS **back**. Does not delete the spare copy.

</td></tr></tbody></table>

Some packages only show some of these buttons.

### How to switch (simple path)

1. Open **Replication &amp; Recovery**.
2. Confirm recovery is **READY** and a copy is **verified**.
3. Choose **Switch DNS to recovery** (or **Replicate &amp; Cut Over** if you need a brand-new copy first).
4. Wait for the checks. Fix anything that fails. Do not confirm a failed check.
5. Confirm only when you intend to move the live site.
6. 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

1. Make sure the original server is working.
2. Use **Return DNS to production**.
3. Confirm after the checks pass.
4. 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 &amp; 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 &amp; Recovery**.

### Quick checklist

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