How to Change a Server Hostname & Add DNS Entry in WHM

• Log in to WHM

  • Access your WHM at:
    https://yourdomain.com/whm or https://yourdomain.com:2087

  • Use your root username and password.

• Search for “Network”

  • In the WHM search bar, type Network.

  • Under Networking Setup, click Change Hostname.

• Enter the New Hostname

  • In the Change Hostname section, type the new fully-qualified domain name (FQDN).
    Example: server1.thamara.cloud

  • Click Change to apply.

• Confirm the Change

  • WHM will display a confirmation message while updating your hostname.

  • Ensure the new hostname resolves to your server’s main IP address.

• Add DNS Entry for Hostname

  • In the WHM search bar, type Add Entry for Your Hostname and open it.

• • Verify your server’s details and click Add Entry.

  • This automatically creates the correct “A” DNS record for the new hostname.

Hostname Rules & Recommendations

• Use a fully-qualified domain name (FQDN), e.g. server1.yourdomain.com

• Avoid hostnames starting with www, numbers, or ending with a hyphen (-)

• Keep it under 60 characters

• Don’t use hostnames that match a cPanel account or service subdomain (e.g., whm.example.com)

• Only use lowercase Latin letters

• Avoid socially inappropriate names — they appear in email headers

After the Change

• Services like MySQL and Exim may restart automatically.

• Some logs will update to use the new hostname.

• Access to Calendars and Contacts (CalDAV/CardDAV) may be temporarily unavailable, but will restore automatically once the hostname update completes.