The CloudLinux OS editions (Solo, Admin, Legacy and Shared Pro) are all based on the same system; the difference lies in the licence. We have compared the features of these editions in the article on CloudLinux OS editions. On a server where the system is already installed, it is therefore usually possible to switch between editions by changing the licence, without the need for reinstallation.

This article is intended for those operating their own VPS or dedicated server and requires root access.

Switching using an activation key

1. Obtain the activation key for your new licence from your CloudLinux Network (CLN) account, or from the supplier from whom you purchased the licence.

2. Please re-register the server with the new key:

   rhnreg_ks --force --activationkey=<new_activation_key>
   

   The command requires confirmation. If you are running it from a script, you can skip the confirmation by using the --migrate-silently switch.

Switching in the case of an IP-based licence

With an IP-based licence, the licence is linked to the server’s IP address; there is no activation key. Once the new licence has been assigned to the IP address, please re-register the server:

clnreg_ks --force

What you need to know

• Please release the old licence. If you are switching from a CloudLinux OS Legacy (Shared) licence, remove the server from the ‘Servers’ section of your CLN account; otherwise, the old licence will remain in use.
• Switching to the Admin edition with an IP-based licence. If you are converting an existing AlmaLinux or Rocky Linux server directly to the Admin edition, use the command cldeploy -i --to-admin-edition; see: Installing CloudLinux OS. This switch only selects the installation method; it does not modify the licence itself.
• The Solo edition is not available on CloudLinux OS 6 and 7 systems. You can only switch to Solo from such a server by performing a migration to a new server running a supported version.
• The Solo and Admin editions have a limited number of accounts (one and five hosting accounts respectively). If there are more accounts on the server than this, please reduce the number of accounts before switching, or choose a Legacy or Shared Pro licence.
• Check the features. After switching, check in CloudLinux Manager to see whether the features of the new edition (for example, PHP X-Ray and AccelerateWP for Shared Pro) are available, and whether your previous settings (such as limits) have been retained. In the Admin edition, for example, limits are disabled by default.

If you are unsure whether the planned change is possible on your server, please consult your licence provider or CloudLinux support team before making the change.

If you purchased your CloudLinux licence from us, please contact our support team to request a licence replacement, and we will carry it out.