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How to Install WordPress on Plesk Obsidian: A Beginner’s Guide

Installing WordPress on your UK Cheapest Plesk Obsidian server is incredibly easy, even if you’re new to web hosting. With Plesk’s user-friendly interface, you can set up WordPress in just a few clicks. Follow this guide to get your WordPress site up and running!

Step 1: Log In to Your Plesk Control Panel

Start by logging into your Plesk Obsidian control panel. You’ll find the login details in the welcome email from UK Cheapest, or you can log in at:

URL: https://your-domain.com:8443

Enter your username and password to access the dashboard.

Step 2: Go to the WordPress Toolkit

Once inside the Plesk dashboard, find the WordPress Toolkit on the left-hand menu. The WordPress Toolkit makes it simple to install, manage, and update your WordPress sites.

If you don’t see the WordPress Toolkit, navigate to Extensions in the menu and install the WordPress Toolkit extension for free.

Step 3: Install WordPress

With the WordPress Toolkit open, follow these steps to install WordPress:

  1. Click on Install WordPress in the top right corner.
  2. Select your domain or subdomain from the dropdown where you want to install WordPress.
  3. Choose installation path (leave blank if you want WordPress to be installed in the root directory of your domain).
  4. Under Installation Settings, enter your site title, admin username, password, and email. These will be used to log in to your WordPress dashboard.
  5. For security, make sure Enable HTTPS is checked if you have an SSL certificate installed. This will ensure that your site uses HTTPS.
  6. Click Install.

The installation process will begin, and within a few moments, your WordPress site will be ready!

Step 4: Access Your WordPress Admin Dashboard

Once WordPress is installed, you can access your WordPress admin dashboard:

  • In the Plesk dashboard, navigate to the WordPress Toolkit.
  • Under the list of installed WordPress sites, find your domain.
  • Click on the Log in to Admin Dashboard button. This will take you directly to the WordPress admin panel.

You can also access your dashboard by going to https://your-domain.com/wp-admin and entering your WordPress admin username and password.

Step 5: Customise Your WordPress Site

Now that you’re inside the WordPress dashboard, you can start customising your site:

  • Choose a theme by going to Appearance > Themes.
  • Install plugins by navigating to Plugins > Add New.
  • Create pages and posts from the Pages and Posts sections.

WordPress gives you complete control over your site, and with Plesk’s toolkit, managing updates, plugins, and security is easy.

Step 6: Enable Automatic Updates (Optional)

To keep your site secure and up to date, you can enable automatic updates for WordPress core, themes, and plugins:

  1. In the Plesk WordPress Toolkit, find your site and click Manage.
  2. Under Updates, enable automatic updates for WordPress core, plugins, and themes if desired.

If you haven’t already enabled SSL during the WordPress installation, you can do so now to secure your site with HTTPS:

  1. Go to Websites & Domains in the Plesk dashboard.
  2. Click on SSL/TLS Certificates under your domain.
  3. Select Let’s Encrypt to issue a free SSL certificate for your site.
  4. Once installed, Plesk will automatically configure your site to use HTTPS.

Congratulations! Your WordPress Site is Ready

That’s it! You’ve successfully installed WordPress on Plesk Obsidian. From here, you can start customising your site, installing plugins, and adding content. Thanks to Plesk’s easy-to-use interface, managing your WordPress site will be smooth and efficient.

Need further help? Don’t hesitate to reach out to our support team for assistance!

Access logs are not rotated on Plesk server: Rotation of files with multiple hard links is not allowed



This Plesk Obisidian issue was initially handled by Plesk Support, but the solution wasn’t ideal, as it applied changes to all configuration files, including those that didn’t require it. This resulted in duplicated options being added to the files.

Symptoms

  • Log rotation doesn’t rotate logs, resulting in no compressed .gz files being created.
  • Forcing log rotation for a specific domain results in the following error:
/usr/local/psa/logrotate/sbin/logrotate -v -f /usr/local/psa/etc/logrotate.d/example.com
(...)
considering log /var/www/vhosts/system/example.com/logs/access_log.processed log 
/var/www/vhosts/system/example.com/logs/access_log.processed has multiple (2) hard links. 
Rotation of files with multiple hard links is not allowed for 
/var/www/vhosts/system/example.com/logs/*.processed -- skipping.
(...)

Cause

This issue is due to product bugs, resolved in the following updates:

  • #PPPM-13562: “Fixed the issue where log rotation failed for files with two or more hard links.”
    Fixed in: Plesk Obsidian 18.0.60 (02 April 2024)
  • #PPPM-13473: “Log rotation now works correctly after updating to Plesk Obsidian 18.0.42.”
    Fixed in: Plesk Obsidian 18.0.43 (12 April 2022)
  • #PPPM-13519: “Log rotation now works correctly after updating to Plesk Obsidian 18.0.43 even if /usr/local/psa/etc/logrotate.conf was customized.”
    Fixed in: Plesk Obsidian 18.0.44 (24 May 2022)

Resolution

It is recommended to update your server to the latest Plesk version. For guidance, see: How to install Plesk updates.

Workaround

If updating is not possible, you can try adding the allowhardlink directive in the log rotation configuration files as a workaround.

If updating is not an option, you can manually add the allowhardlink directive to log rotation configuration files as a workaround. Follow these steps:

Before making any changes, it’s recommended to back up the existing configuration files. Run the following command:

cp -r /usr/local/psa/etc/logrotate.d/ /usr/local/psa/etc/logrotate.d_backup/

2. Create and Run a Script to Add the Directive

You can create a script that checks if the allowhardlink directive is missing in each log configuration file, and add it only if necessary.

    1. Open your terminal and create the script:
nano /root/add_allowhardlink.sh
    1. Paste the following script into the file:

#!/bin/bash

# Directory containing the logrotate configuration files
LOGROTATE_DIR="/usr/local/psa/etc/logrotate.d/"

# Loop through each configuration file in the directory
for config_file in "$LOGROTATE_DIR"/*; do
  # Check if the file contains "allowhardlink"
  if ! grep -q "allowhardlink" "$config_file"; then
    # If not, append "allowhardlink" after "copytruncate"
    sed -i '/copytruncate/a allowhardlink' "$config_file"
    echo "Added 'allowhardlink' to $config_file"
  else
    echo "'allowhardlink' already exists in $config_file"
  fi
done
    1. Save and exit the file by pressing CTRL + X, then Y, and Enter.
    2. Make the script executable by running:
chmod +x /root/add_allowhardlink.sh
    1. Run the script to apply the changes:
/root/add_allowhardlink.sh

3. Verify the Changes

Once the script has run, you can manually check some configuration files to ensure the allowhardlink directive has been correctly added. Run the following command to check a specific file:

cat /usr/local/psa/etc/logrotate.d/your-config-file

This solution ensures that the allowhardlink directive is only added to files where it’s missing, preventing duplicate entries.

Mail Autodiscover Feature in Plesk Obsidian for Linux

The Mail Autodiscover feature in Plesk Obsidian for Linux is designed to simplify the process of configuring mail clients, such as Outlook, Thunderbird, and mobile devices. It automatically detects and configures the email server settings (IMAP, POP, SMTP) for a domain’s mail accounts, reducing manual input.

Key Points about the Mail Autodiscover Feature

1. Purpose of Autodiscover

The autodiscover feature helps end-users by automatically setting up their mail clients without the need to manually enter server settings (such as the IMAP/POP and SMTP server names, ports, and security settings). It simplifies email account configuration by automatically supplying the correct mail server details based on the user’s email address.

2. How Autodiscover Works

When a user adds their email account to a mail client, the client sends an Autodiscover request (usually to autodiscover.domain.com or domain.com/autodiscover/autodiscover.xml) to fetch the server configuration. The mail client receives the necessary settings, such as:

  • Incoming mail server (IMAP or POP).
  • Outgoing mail server (SMTP).
  • Port numbers and security settings (SSL/TLS).
  • Username and other optional settings.

3. Autodiscover for Domains in Plesk

In Plesk, Autodiscover is enabled by default for email services and can be managed per domain. Plesk creates DNS records for autodiscover.yourdomain.com and related services during domain setup to enable mail autodiscovery.

4. Protocols Supported by Plesk Autodiscover

IMAP, POP3, and SMTP server settings are supplied by the Autodiscover feature. It also supports SSL/TLS settings for secure mail communication.

5. DNS and SRV Records for Autodiscover

To ensure that Autodiscover works properly, Plesk creates DNS SRV records for the domain’s mail service. These records point mail clients to the correct servers for IMAP/POP and SMTP. The typical DNS SRV records created for Autodiscover are:

  • _autodiscover._tcp.yourdomain.com
  • _imaps._tcp.yourdomain.com
  • _pop3s._tcp.yourdomain.com
  • _smtps._tcp.yourdomain.com

6. Supported Mail Clients

Autodiscover works with various popular mail clients that support this feature, such as:

  • Microsoft Outlook (for automatic email account setup).
  • Mozilla Thunderbird.
  • Apple Mail.
  • Mobile devices like Android and iOS.

7. SSL/TLS and Autodiscover

Plesk ensures that mail autodiscovery can work over secure connections. When properly configured, clients will receive SSL/TLS settings, ensuring that the email communication is encrypted.

8. Customising Autodiscover

If you need to adjust or customise the Autodiscover behavior in Plesk (for instance, for a different domain setup or custom mail server), you can modify the DNS SRV records or Autodiscover configuration.

9. Troubleshooting Autodiscover

If Autodiscover is not working correctly:

  • Verify that the correct DNS SRV records are in place.
  • Ensure that your mail server’s SSL certificates are correctly configured.
  • Check your firewall settings to make sure the mail ports (IMAP/POP and SMTP) are open.
  • Test using the Microsoft Remote Connectivity Analyser to see if Autodiscover is working for your domain.

10. Enabling/Disabling Autodiscover

In some cases, you may want to disable Autodiscover for specific domains. You can do this by removing or adjusting the DNS records in the Plesk DNS settings.

Example of an Autodiscover SRV Record in Plesk

Here is an example of how an SRV record for autodiscovery might look in Plesk:

ServiceProtocolPriorityWeightPortTarget
_autodiscover_tcp00443autodiscover.yourdomain.com
_imaps_tcp00993mail.yourdomain.com
_smtps_tcp00465mail.yourdomain.com

How to Enable/Manage Autodiscover in Plesk

1. DNS Setup

Go to Domains > DNS Settings and ensure that the correct SRV and A records for Autodiscover are present.

2. Mail Server Settings

Ensure your mail server (Postfix/Dovecot) is correctly configured to support Autodiscover. You can check mail server settings in Tools & Settings > Mail Server Settings.

3. SSL Configuration

Ensure that SSL certificates for the mail server and Autodiscover domain are valid and properly set up.

Conclusion

The Mail Autodiscover feature in Plesk Obsidian for Linux simplifies the setup of email accounts by automatically detecting mail server settings and configuring mail clients accordingly. It works with popular clients like Outlook and Thunderbird and relies on DNS SRV records and proper mail server configurations. To ensure it works, ensure correct DNS, mail server, and SSL setups.

Finding the Cheapest Web Hosting Without Compromising Quality

For many small businesses and individuals, getting online is a crucial step. However, web hosting costs can be daunting, especially for those on a tight budget.

Fortunately, affordable solutions exist without sacrificing reliability or security. If you’re looking for the cheapest web hosting services that offer great value, UK Cheapest is a trusted provider that has been helping people build websites for over 22 years.

In this article, we will answer common questions about cheap web hosting, so you can make an informed decision.

1. What is Cheap Web Hosting?

Cheap web hosting refers to affordable hosting plans designed to provide essential website services—such as storage, bandwidth, and security—at low prices. While the term “cheap” may imply low quality, many providers, like UK Cheapest, deliver reliable hosting with essential features without breaking the bank.

At UK Cheapest, you can find plans starting as low as £1, making it a top choice for individuals and businesses looking for inexpensive solutions without compromising performance.

2. What Should I Look for in Cheap Hosting?

When searching for the cheapest web hosting, it’s important to check for key features to ensure your website runs smoothly. Here are some essentials:

• Reliability: Look for at least 99.9% uptime to ensure your website is always accessible.

• Customer Support: Ensure the hosting provider offers 24/7 customer support, especially for beginners.

• Free SSL: Security is critical, so choose a provider that includes a free SSL certificate.

• Storage and Bandwidth: Even with a cheap plan, you need enough space and bandwidth to handle your site’s traffic.

UK Cheapest ticks all these boxes, offering affordable hosting plans with free SSL, 24/7 support, and reliable uptime.

3. Can Cheap Web Hosting Be Reliable?

Absolutely! Cheap web hosting doesn’t have to mean unreliable. Many providers like UK Cheapest have built a reputation for delivering high-quality services at affordable rates. When you choose a budget-friendly host, make sure they have good customer reviews, strong uptime, and responsive support teams.

At UK Cheapest, we’re proud of our positive reviews, which highlight our excellent customer service and dependable hosting performance. We provide hosting packages that ensure your site stays up and running smoothly, without any hidden fees.

4. What are the Benefits of UK Cheapest’s Hosting Plans?

UK Cheapest offers a range of hosting plans designed for different needs, all at competitive prices. Here’s what you get with our affordable hosting options:

• Free SSL Certificate: Ensure your website is secure and trustworthy.

• Fast Setup: Get your website online in minutes, even if you’re a beginner.

• 24/7 Customer Support: Our friendly and knowledgeable team is always here to help.

• Plesk Control Panel: Manage your website with ease using the popular Plesk interface.

• Free Migration: We offer a hassle-free migration service if you’re moving from another provider.

With prices starting at just £1 per month, UK Cheapest’s hosting plans are ideal for anyone looking to launch a website affordably.

5. How Do I Get Started with UK Cheapest Hosting?

Getting started with UK Cheapest is simple. You can register your first domain for just £1, and if you choose one of our hosting plans, you can get a free domain registration for the first year. Whether you’re launching a personal blog or a business website, we offer easy-to-use tools like the Homepage Builder and a free DNS Manager to simplify the process.

To take advantage of our cheap hosting offers, head to our website and choose the hosting plan that suits your needs. If you need help, our support team is always available to assist you with setup or migration.

No Compromise

Choosing the cheapest web hosting doesn’t mean compromising on quality or features.

With UK Cheapest, you get affordable hosting solutions that come with essential tools and support to ensure your website thrives. From free SSL certificates to 24/7 customer service, our hosting plans are designed to offer great value without the high cost. Get started today and enjoy the benefits of cheap and reliable web hosting with UK Cheapest!



Launch your Website Today!

Case Study: How Jake Launched a Successful Fitness Coaching Business Online

Background:

Jake Williams had always been passionate about fitness. A certified personal trainer, Jake spent years helping clients in person at the local gym. However, when the pandemic hit and gyms closed, his business took a significant hit. With no way to meet clients face-to-face, Jake needed a solution to keep his coaching business afloat. He knew that going online was his best option, but he had no idea how to set up a website or manage an online presence.

The Idea:

Jake envisioned offering virtual fitness coaching through his own website, where clients could book personal training sessions, access workout plans, and receive one-on-one consultations. He needed an easy-to-use, affordable platform that would allow him to transition his in-person services to a fully online model.

Solution:

Jake turned to UK Cheapest to build his online fitness coaching business. With their cost-effective web hosting and user-friendly tools, Jake was able to quickly get his website up and running. Here’s how he made it happen:

  1. Affordable Hosting & Domain Registration:
    Jake needed a professional website, but he was working with a limited budget. With UK Cheapest’s £1 domain registration, he secured his cheap domain name and chose a cheap web hosting plan that offered everything he needed to host his virtual coaching business. The affordable pricing allowed him to allocate more resources to growing his client base.
  2. Easy Website Setup with UKC’s Builder:
    With no experience in web design, Jake was worried about building a site. Luckily, UK Cheapest’s website builder made it simple. Using drag-and-drop tools, he created a sleek, modern website that showcased his services, offered a booking system for virtual training sessions, and featured a blog with fitness tips and workout routines. He was able to design the site himself without needing to hire a professional.
  3. Free SSL for Secure Bookings and Payments:
    Since Jake needed to accept payments for his coaching services directly on his website, he needed a secure platform. UK Cheapest’s free SSL certificate provided the security and trust he needed to handle client payments safely. This also made his website look professional, reassuring his clients that their personal information was protected.
  4. SEO Optimisation for Client Acquisition:
    UK Cheapest’s hosting plan included tools for SEO optimisation, which helped Jake make his website visible in search results. He optimised his site for key terms like “virtual fitness coaching” and “online personal trainer,” which quickly started driving organic traffic to his site. New clients were finding him online, and his coaching business began to grow.
  5. 24/7 Support for Website Management:
    Anytime Jake had questions or needed to make updates to his site, UK Cheapest’s 24/7 support team was there to help. Whether he wanted to add new workout programs or tweak his booking system, the support team guided him through the process, ensuring that his site was always running smoothly.

Results:

In less than six months, Jake’s fitness coaching business transformed from a local service into a fully online venture. His website allowed him to reach clients beyond his immediate area, offering virtual training to people across the UK. The ability to book sessions online and access tailored workout plans helped Jake stand out in the crowded fitness industry.

Thanks to his website, Jake now coaches more clients than ever, and he continues to add new services, such as group fitness classes and personalised nutrition plans. His blog has also grown in popularity, helping him engage with potential clients and establish his authority in the fitness world.

Conclusion:

Jake’s story is a perfect example of how UK Cheapest can help small businesses transition online, even with no technical experience. By providing affordable web hosting, user-friendly tools, and exceptional customer support, UK Cheapest gave Jake everything he needed to build a successful virtual fitness coaching business. Whether you’re a personal trainer like Jake or running any other small business, UK Cheapest has the tools to help you succeed online.

Ready to take your business online? Get started with UK Cheapest’s affordable web hosting today and make your dream business a reality!



Launch your Website Today!