Servers
Add the control panels your provisioning plugins talk to, test the connection, set capacity, and see how new services are placed.
A server is a control panel or host that a provisioning plugin creates accounts on. You only need servers if some of your products use a provisioning module. Products with the module None (manual service) do not use them.
Before you start#
Servers are tied to a provisioning plugin. Enable one under Plugins first: cPanel / WHM, DirectAdmin or Enhance. Until a plugin that uses servers is enabled, the Add server page only shows a notice with a link to Plugins.
The cPanel/WHM, DirectAdmin and Enhance plugins have not been tested against live servers. They follow each vendor's published API documentation. Try them on a test server and a test product before you sell anything with them. See cPanel and WHM, DirectAdmin and Enhance for what each plugin does.
Adding a server#
Open Servers in the admin menu and press Add server. The form has these fields.
| Field | Notes |
|---|---|
| Module | Which provisioning plugin this server belongs to. |
| Name | A label for you, such as "Web 1". |
| Hostname | The panel's host name, for example server1.example.com. |
| Port (optional) | Blank uses the module's default port. |
| Username (optional) | The account the plugin signs in as. What it should contain depends on the plugin. |
| Password / API token (optional) | Stored but never shown again. When editing, leave it blank to keep the saved value. |
| Use HTTPS | Connect over HTTPS. On by default for new servers. |
| Verify certificate | On by default. Turn off only for a self-signed certificate. |
| Active | Whether new services may be placed on this server. On by default. |
| Max services (optional) | Capacity. Blank means unlimited. |
| Notes (optional) | For your own reference. |
Each module can add its own options in an extra card below, for example nameservers. The plugin's page in the help center lists what to put in each field.
Testing the connection#
After saving, the Servers list shows a Test connection button on each row. It asks the plugin to contact the panel and shows either "Connection OK" or "Connection failed" with the reason. Run it after adding a server and any time you change credentials.
How new services are placed#
When an order is paid and its product uses a server-based module, Tidemark picks a server as follows:
- only servers of that module that are Active,
- only servers with free capacity, counting services that are active, suspended or pending against Max services,
- the one added first, if several qualify.
If no server qualifies, provisioning fails with the message "No active server with free capacity is available", the service stays pending and shows a Provisioning problem notice, and an email goes to your contact email (or the mail sender address if none is set). Add capacity or another server, then press Retry on the service.
The list shows Services (used / limit) per server and flags At capacity when it is full. Staff can also choose a server by hand in Edit service on a service (Server (optional), where Automatic uses the rule above).
Disabling and deleting#
To stop new services landing on a server, clear Active. Existing services are untouched. Administrators can delete a server from the danger zone on its page, but a server that still hosts active, suspended or pending services cannot be deleted. Move or terminate those services first.