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Partner Program Overview & Prerequisites

1. Partner overview and prerequisites

The ServersCTL Partner Program provides an immediate additional income stream for anyone who operates more than one cPanel server. By installing the ServersCTL agent on each cPanel server and configuring the servers inside a Generic Linux Pool within the ServersCTL app, WHMCS can act as an orchestrator to manage replicated cPanel accounts. 

Partner mode connects three parts:

  1. A source cPanel pool containing the servers that currently host customer accounts.

  2. One or more approved recovery destinations controlled by the hosting provider.

  3. A paired WHMCS installation that handles ordering, billing, customer access and support.

The provider remains the merchant and support owner. ServersCTL supplies the replication, verification, recovery and routing control plane behind the provider's service.

Before activation, confirm:

  • You are signed in as the ServersCTL account owner.

  • You have a Generic Linux pool containing at least one cPanel server.

  • The ServersCTL agent is enrolled and reporting a recent heartbeat from each server.

  • You have an eligible second cPanel member or a linked Cloud DR recovery target.

  • Every source and recovery server used by a WHMCS product is also configured as an enabled cPanel server in WHMCS.

  • WHMCS uses the same normalised server hostname reported by the ServersCTL agent.

 

2. Activate your Partner account

Open Account → Partners.

Existing ServersCTL account

  1. Under Import your cPanel pool, choose the pool that hosts your WHMCS customer accounts.

  2. Optionally enter your HTTPS support URL. This is shown when a customer needs assistance.

  3. Select Activate Free Partner.

  4. Review the imported pool, recovery destinations and current capacity.

Pools that are not cPanel pools, or that have no recently reporting agent, are not available for import.

New provider starting from WHMCS

A provider without a ServersCTL login can begin from the WHMCS module connection screen:

  1. Enter the company name and owner email.

  2. Accept the Partner terms and submit the signed registration request.

  3. ServersCTL creates a provisional Partner workspace and connects the installation.

  4. Open the owner claim email within 24 hours.

  5. Choose a password of at least 12 characters to verify the owner and activate the account.

Infrastructure setup and hidden product drafts are available while the account is provisional. Customer provisioning and public status publication remain locked until the owner completes the claim.

3. Configure pools and recovery destinations

The Imported pool card controls the infrastructure available to Partner integrations.

Source pool

Choose the cPanel pool containing the live customer accounts sold from WHMCS. Account inventory is read from the enrolled cPanel servers and matched to WHMCS services by cPanel username and server identity.

Changing the source pool changes the inventory offered to the paired integration. Review existing protections before switching a live installation.

Standby targets

Select the cPanel servers that WHMCS customers may use as recovery destinations.

  • Pool member means another eligible cPanel member from the provider's infrastructure.

  • Cloud DR means a linked ServersCTL recovery target.

  • Leaving every target unchecked allows any eligible destination returned by the Partner API.

Free Partner uses direct server-to-server transfer and one recovery target by default. ServersCTL-hosted storage fallback requires an eligible paid Partner capability or an active Cloud DR subscription for the exact source pool and domain.

Support URL

Enter an HTTPS URL owned by the hosting provider, such as its WHMCS support department. Unsafe URL schemes are rejected. Customer-facing Partner pages do not link customers to ServersCTL support or pricing.

4. Connect and manage WHMCS installations

Download the current module from Account → Partners → WHMCS module, then follow the WHMCS module guide.

Approve a connection

  1. Activate ServersCTL Replication in WHMCS.

  2. Open the module and copy the displayed one-time pairing code.

  3. In ServersCTL, open Account → Partners → Connect WHMCS securely.

  4. Paste the code and select Approve this WHMCS.

  5. Confirm that the success message shows the expected WHMCS domain and public egress IP.

The pairing code expires after 15 minutes. Approval binds the installation to the public source IP observed by ServersCTL.

Changed WHMCS public IP

If the WHMCS server's public egress IP changes, installation authentication is rejected. Open the module to generate a fresh pairing code, then approve it from Account → Partners. The new approval replaces the old IP binding.

Disconnect an installation

Only the ServersCTL account owner can disconnect a paired installation.

  1. Find the installation under WHMCS module.

  2. Select Disconnect.

  3. Confirm the warning.

Disconnecting revokes that installation's sessions, nonces and pairing. Existing imported infrastructure, Partner customers and protection records are retained. The module must present a new one-time code before it can reconnect.

5. Plans, capacity and API access

The Capacity card shows the authoritative limits currently returned by ServersCTL:

  • Protected end customers used and allowed.

  • Paired WHMCS installations used and allowed.

  • Custom API keys used and allowed.

  • Permitted replication schedules.

  • Recovery targets per customer.

  • Direct-only or storage-fallback transfer capability.

The current Free Partner defaults are:

  • No expiry.

  • Five protected customers.

  • One WHMCS installation.

  • Weekly replication.

  • One recovery target.

  • No customer manual sync.

  • Direct server-to-server transfer with no general API storage fallback.

Paid Partner capabilities and prices may change. The values shown in Capacity and enforced by the Partner API are authoritative.

Upgrade

Select Upgrade Partner from the Capacity card to open the Partner checkout. WHMCS product pricing is still controlled separately by the hosting provider.

Advanced API access

Permanent sk_partner_… keys are for custom server-to-server integrations only. The official WHMCS module uses secure pairing and does not need one.

To create a custom-integration key:

  1. Select Create key under Advanced API access.

  2. Copy the plaintext key immediately; it is shown once.

  3. Store it in a secret manager.

  4. Revoke it from the same card when it is no longer needed.

The API root shown on the page ends in /api/partner/v1. See the Partner API technical reference for routes and security requirements.

6. Security and data handling

  • WHMCS never stores a ServersCTL password.

  • A new module creates its own 2048-bit RSA installation identity.

  • Pairing requests are signed and use timestamps and single-use nonces.

  • Installation sessions use short-lived, scoped tokens and are locked to the approved public source IP.

  • The module cannot use installation sessions to create or manage permanent Partner API keys.

  • SSH passwords used by guided server enrolment remain only in the current WHMCS request and are not sent to ServersCTL.

  • Cloudflare API tokens are encrypted while an order is pending, transferred through the authenticated Partner API, then removed from WHMCS after activation.

  • Downstream customer pages use the provider's brand. ServersCTL plan, price and support prompts remain visible only to the provider.

 

7. Troubleshooting and FAQ

 

No eligible cPanel pools

Confirm that the pool uses the Generic Linux profile, contains a cPanel server and has a recently reporting agent. Refresh Account → Partners after the next heartbeat.

No standby servers available

Add another cPanel member or link an eligible Cloud DR target. Confirm the destination agent is live and cPanel is detected.

Pairing code expired

Reload the WHMCS addon page to request a new code, then approve it within 15 minutes.

WHMCS reconnects with a new code

The most common cause is a changed public egress IP. Verify the IP shown in ServersCTL belongs to the WHMCS host before approving it.

An API key is requested during normal setup

Do not create or paste a permanent Partner key. Current module installations use secure pairing. The legacy-key field exists only for automatic migration of an older installation and is cleared after migration.

Does disconnecting WHMCS delete customer replicas?

No. Disconnect revokes only the selected installation's access. Infrastructure and Partner customer/protection records remain in ServersCTL.

Do downstream customers need ServersCTL accounts?

No. They order, pay, view status and use any permitted continuity actions inside the provider's WHMCS client area.

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