Support for CloudLinux OS 8 will end on 31 May 2029 (see: CloudLinux operating system lifecycle). There is no need to reinstall the server: CloudLinux OS 9 can be installed in situ using the ELevate tool. ELevate is based on the Red Hat Leapp framework and upgrades the packages to the next major version.

This article is intended for those operating their own VPS or dedicated server. We update the servers for our shared hosting plans; you do not need to do anything in that regard.

Before you begin

• Create a full backup or a snapshot of the server. Following a failed update, restoring the backup is the safest solution. For KVM VPS, you can also create a snapshot. cPanel’s own backup function only backs up hosting accounts, not the system itself.
• Ensure you have access independent of SSH, such as a VNC console. The server will restart during the update, and if anything goes wrong, you will not be able to access it via SSH.

• Update the system and restart it to run the latest kernel:

  yum update -y
  reboot
  

• A valid CloudLinux licence is required.
• Expect some downtime. The update phase following the restart may take between 30 and 90 minutes. If the server is still unresponsive after two hours, the update has probably stalled.

Supported environments

The CloudLinux 8 → 9 update is currently supported in the following environments:

• Servers operating without a control panel or with a custom control panel: using the CloudLinux ELevate tool;
• cPanel: using cPanel’s own elevate-cpanel script;
• Plesk: using Plesk’s own cloudlinux8to9 tool.

DirectAdmin and other control panels are not supported for the 8 → 9 update.

It is currently not possible to upgrade from CloudLinux 9 to 10 in-place. A CloudLinux OS 10 server can be set up by converting AlmaLinux 10; see: Installing CloudLinux OS.

Updating on a server without a control panel

1. Install the ELevate package repository and the Leapp packages:

   sudo yum install https://repo.cloudlinux.com/elevate/elevate-release-latest-el$(rpm --eval %rhel).noarch.rpm
   sudo yum install -y leapp-upgrade leapp-data-cloudlinux
   

2. Run the preliminary check. This will not make any changes to the system:

   sudo leapp preupgrade
   

   The first run almost always reports an error; this is to be expected. The result is saved to the file /var/log/leapp/leapp-report.txt. Read it and resolve any issues (inhibitors) preventing the update. Pay particular attention to those packages that Leapp is unable to update.

3. If Leapp asks questions, these are logged to the file /var/log/leapp/answerfile. You can enter the answers using the leapp answer command, for example:

   sudo leapp answer --section remove_pam_pkcs11_module_check.confirm=True
   

4. Repeat the preliminary check until there are no remaining issues, then start the update and restart the server:

   sudo leapp upgrade
   sudo reboot
   

   Upon restart, the system automatically launches the ‘ELevate-Upgrade-Initramfs’ menu item and carries out the update there. This may take a long time, so please do not interrupt the process.

Update on a cPanel server

On cPanel servers, the update is carried out by cPanel’s own script, which manages both cPanel and the EasyApache packages. The server must have at least 4 GB of RAM, and cPanel must be running the latest version.

wget -O /scripts/elevate-cpanel https://raw.githubusercontent.com/cpanel/elevate/release/elevate-cpanel
chmod 700 /scripts/elevate-cpanel

# Ellenőrzés, nem módosít semmit
/scripts/elevate-cpanel --check

# A frissítés indítása
/scripts/elevate-cpanel --start

The script runs in several stages, involving multiple restarts. You can monitor its status using the command /scripts/elevate-cpanel --status and view the log using /scripts/elevate-cpanel --log. Always check the cPanel ELevate documentation for the exact requirements (such as supported cPanel release branches) before updating.

After the update

Check the system version and the Leapp logs:

cat /etc/redhat-release
cat /var/log/leapp/leapp-report.txt
cat /var/log/leapp/leapp-upgrade.log

# A régi főverzióból visszamaradt csomagok
rpm -qa | grep el8

If the log mentions .rpmnew files, review them and, if necessary, rename them to replace the old configuration files. Finally, check your websites, email and custom services. It is advisable to reinstall the dependencies for Node.js and Python applications.

If we operate your VPS (managed service), we will carry out the update on request.