When one of your hosting customers reports a problem, WHM gives you most of what you need to find the cause without waiting for anyone. This guide is for Domain India cPanel reseller customers: a fixed debugging routine, the WHM and cPanel tools to use at each step, and the server facts that explain the most common faults.
Reproduce the problem first, then check in order: the account is active and on the right package, it isn't hitting resource limits, the error log names a cause, DNS points at the right server, and email settings are right. Use List Accounts in WHM to open the customer's cPanel, where Resource Usage, Errors and MultiPHP Manager live. On our cPanel servers, add ?t= and any text to a URL to bypass the nginx cache while you test. If the cause is server-wide, open a ticket with the domain, the exact error and what you checked.
1. The routine
- Reproduce.Open the site, panel or mailbox yourself, in a private browser window. Note the exact error and the time.
- Classify.Decide whether it is the account, DNS, the application, resources, email or access (an IP block).
- Diagnose.Use the checks in sections 2 to 7, in order. Most faults show up by step 4.
- Fix.Change one thing at a time, so you know what worked.
- Verify.Test again with a cache-busting URL, and ask the customer to confirm.
- Record.Note the cause and fix. Repeat problems on the same account often point to a plugin, a script or an undersized package.
Ask the customer early whether the problem affects everyone or only them. A site that loads on mobile data but not on their office connection is almost always an IP block (section 7), not a site problem.
2. Check the account status
In WHM, open List Accounts and search for the domain or username. Check that the account is not suspended, that it is on the package you expect, and that its disk use is below its quota. A full disk quota causes failed uploads, broken database writes and bounced email all at once.
Also check your own reseller service. If the invoice for your reseller plan goes unpaid past its due date, every account under it can stop. See your hosting services and invoices in the Domain India client area.
From List Accounts you can open the customer's cPanel directly, which you need for most of the checks below.
3. Check resource usage
Every account on our cPanel servers runs inside CloudLinux with its own CPU, memory, process and I/O limits. In the customer's cPanel, open Resource Usage and look for faults around the time of the problem.
| What the visitor sees | Usual cause | Where to look |
|---|---|---|
| 508 Resource Limit Is Reached | Entry-process limit hit | Resource Usage faults |
| 500 or 503 under load | Memory or process limit hit | Resource Usage faults |
| 504 Gateway Timeout | A request ran longer than 90 seconds (most sites stop a request earlier, after about 60 seconds) | Slow code, large imports or external calls |
On our cPanel servers, most sites stop a request after about 60 seconds and nginx ends any request at 90 seconds with a 504, so raising max_execution_time does not help. An account that faults regularly needs caching, fewer plugins, or a bigger package. See understanding the Resource Limit Is Reached error and checking hosting resource usage.
4. Read the error log
The error log usually names the file and line at fault. In the customer's cPanel, open Metrics › Errors for recent entries, and check the error_log file in the folder of the script that failed. Raw access logs are in ~/logs.
| Error | Common causes on our servers | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| 500 Internal Server Error | A php_value or php_flag line in .htaccess, a PHP fatal error, or a bad plugin update | Remove the line and set PHP options in MultiPHP INI Editor; read the error log |
| 403 Forbidden | Wrong permissions, a missing index file, or a security rule | Files 644, folders 755; check the index file |
| 404 Not Found | Missing file or broken rewrite rules | Check the path; re-save WordPress permalinks |
PHP does not run as an Apache module on our servers, which is why php_value lines in .htaccess give a 500. Guides: troubleshooting 500 Internal Server Error, resolving HTTP error 403 Forbidden and reviewing error logs in cPanel and DirectAdmin.
On our cPanel servers, nginx sits in front of Apache and caches successful pages for up to 120 minutes. It can keep serving an old copy while Apache returns an error, or keep showing an error after you fix it. Add ?t= and any text to the URL, such as https://customerdomain.com/?t=123, to see what the server returns right now.
5. Check PHP settings
In the customer's cPanel, MultiPHP Manager sets the PHP version per domain, and MultiPHP INI Editor changes values such as memory_limit and upload_max_filesize. New accounts default to PHP 8.3, and versions up to 8.5 are available. Check what the application supports before changing it; for WordPress, see wordpress.org's requirements.
Some functions are disabled on our shared servers for security, including exec, shell_exec, proc_open, popen and fsockopen. Scripts and plugins that depend on them fail, and so do Composer scripts (customers can re-run Composer with --no-scripts). See PHP disabled functions on shared hosting and resolving PHP memory errors.
6. Check DNS and email
DNS. Look up what the world sees before editing anything:
dig +short NS customerdomain.com
dig +short A customerdomain.com
dig +short MX customerdomain.comThe A record should match the account's IP in List Accounts. If the domain uses your nameservers, you can correct records in WHM under DNS Functions › Edit DNS Zone. If DNS is hosted elsewhere, such as at Cloudflare, the fix has to be made there. After a nameserver change, allow a few hours, and up to 24 to 48 hours, for every network to update.
Email. Check, in this order:
- The MX record points where the customer's mail is hosted. On cPanel, the default MX is the domain itself at priority 0.
- Email Routing in the customer's cPanel matches: Local if mail is hosted on this account, Remote if it is hosted elsewhere, such as Google Workspace.
- The mailbox and the account are within their quotas.
- The sender is within the outgoing limit: 200 messages per hour per account on our cPanel servers.
The server mail queue and the server's IP reputation are managed by us. If you suspect either, open a ticket. Client setup problems are covered in I can receive mail but I cannot send it.
7. Check for an IP block
Our servers block an IP address automatically after repeated failed logins to cPanel, FTP or email. The site, cPanel and webmail then stop loading for everyone on that connection, while working for everyone else. The usual cause is an old password saved in a phone's mail app or an FTP client. Have the customer fix the password on every device first, then send you their public IP address, and open a ticket with it so we can check the firewall.
8. When to send it to us
Some things only we can change: the server firewall, the mail queue, server-wide settings, and anything that affects several of your accounts at once. Open a ticket from the client area with:
- the domain and cPanel username;
- the exact error, a screenshot, and when it started;
- the results of your
digchecks and the relevant error log lines; - the customer's public IP, if only some people are affected;
- what you have already checked and changed.
Reseller customers get the same support as every Domain India customer: 24/7 live chat, and tickets get a first response within 15 minutes; how long a fix takes depends on the issue. For a wider checklist, see troubleshooting website not loading issues for reseller hosting.
On DirectAdmin reseller hosting, the routine is the same, but you open a customer's panel from List Users › Impersonate, and there is no nginx cache in front of Apache.
9. Domain India reseller hosting
Domain India sells white-label reseller hosting with cPanel/WHM or DirectAdmin, with CloudLinux isolation, Imunify360 security and weekly JetBackup backups on the server. You create and manage your customers' accounts yourself. Compare plans on the reseller hosting page.
How do I see why a customer's site shows a 508 error?
Open the customer's cPanel from List Accounts in WHM and check Resource Usage. A 508 means the account hit its entry-process limit; the fix is caching, fewer heavy plugins, or a bigger package.
Why does a php_value line in .htaccess cause a 500 error?
PHP does not run as an Apache module on Domain India's servers, so Apache rejects php_value and php_flag lines. Remove the line and set the value in MultiPHP INI Editor in cPanel.
Why does a site still show an error after I fixed it?
On Domain India's cPanel servers, nginx caches successful pages for up to 120 minutes in front of Apache. Add ?t= and any text to the URL to see what the server returns now.
Why do I get a 504 Gateway Timeout on long imports?
On Domain India's cPanel servers, nginx stops waiting at 90 seconds, so any longer request returns a 504, and most sites stop a request even earlier, after about 60 seconds. Raising max_execution_time does not help; split the task into smaller batches.
Can I check the server mail queue as a reseller?
The server mail queue and IP reputation are managed by Domain India. Check MX records, Email Routing and quotas yourself, and open a ticket if you suspect a queue or blacklist problem.
What should I send Domain India support about a customer issue?
The domain and cPanel username, the exact error with a screenshot and start time, your dig results and error log lines, the customer's public IP if only some people are affected, and what you have already tried.
Ready to work through a case? Start from List Accounts in WHM, keep this routine to hand, and open a ticket in the client area when the cause is on our side.
Send us the domain, the exact error and what you have checked, and we will pick it up from where your checks stopped.
Open a ticket