The Configuration Cluster is a server interface that enables you to link the master server to other additional servers. In the context of cPanel and WHM hosting, a “Configuration Cluster” or “Server Configuration Cluster” typically works as a feature that allows multiple cPanel & WHM servers to work together as part of a cluster.
It provides redundancy, which helps ensure that if one server in the cluster fails, another can take over, minimizing service disruption. Clustering can be used for load-balancing web traffic. It distributes incoming web requests across multiple servers, preventing any single server from becoming overwhelmed with traffic.
This clustering is often used to distribute the load, improve redundancy, and enhance the scalability of a hosting infrastructure. cPanel provides a feature known as “Server Clusters” to facilitate this.
On your VPS or Dedicated Server, you can easily add more servers to the configuration cluster by following these steps:
- Visit WHM’s DNS Cluster interface via WHM -> Home -> Clusters -> DNS Cluster
- Click to Enable DNS Clustering
- Click the Change button
- Click Return to Cluster Status
- Select the server to add to the DNS cluster
- Add a new server to the cluster menu
- Click Configure
- In the Remote cPanel & WHM DNS host text box of the cPanel DNS Remote Configuration interface
- Enter the hostname or IP address of the nameserver to add to the cluster
- Enter the WHM username for the nameserver
- Enter the nameserver’s API token hash or remote access key in the Remote server access hash text box
- To automatically configure the DNS cluster on the remote server – Select Setup Reverse Trust Relationship
- To synchronize the new server with other nameservers simply select Synchronize Zones Immediately option
- To specify the server’s DNS role, select a setting from the DNS Role menu
- Click the Submit button
For deleting a server from the DNS cluster:
- Visit the DNS Cluster interface via WHM -> Home -> Clusters -> DNS Cluster
- In the Modify Cluster Status text box, select Disable DNS Clustering
- Click Change, then Click Return to Cluster Status
- Log in to the servers that remain in the cluster
- Navigate to the DNS Cluster interface via WHM -> Home -> Clusters -> DNS Cluster
- Locate the server that you wish to delete
- Click the x icon under the Actions heading
To make changes in your server in the DNS cluster:
- Locate the server that you wish to edit
- For DNS changes – In the DNS Role menu, select a new role for the server
- Click the save icon to save your changes
- Next, to edit a server’s configuration settings
- Click the edit icon under the Actions heading
- The cPanel DNS Remote Configuration interface will appear
- Make your changes to the server’s settings
- Click the Submit button
Remember that the API tokens can be generated in the WHM’s Manage API Tokens interface. Simply navigate to WHM -> Home -> Development -> Manage API Tokens page.
If you own a Linux-based server at Sangkrit.net, you can simply copy the changes made to the master server to all other servers by navigating to WHM -> Home -> Server Configuration -> Update Preferences settings on the master server. This simply outs all changes to all servers on the cluster.
Another feature called DNS clustering allows multiple cPanel & WHM servers to synchronize their DNS zone data. When a change is made to a DNS record on one server, it is automatically replicated to the other servers in the cluster. This provides redundancy and load balancing for DNS requests.
cPanel & WHM allows you to set up specialized DNS-only servers that manage DNS records for your websites. These servers work in conjunction with your primary cPanel & WHM servers to handle DNS queries, improving performance and reliability.