Install Control

Control supports Ubuntu LTS as the primary platform and Debian stable as the secondary platform. The normal installation method downloads the current published Control release directly on the server.

Before you install

• Review Requirements and network access first.
• Keep working SSH access to the server.
• Choose a dedicated management hostname such as panel.example.com.
• Point that hostname at the server when you are ready to request a public certificate.
• Make sure the bootstrap management port selected by the installer can be reached from your administration network.
• Back up an existing server before installing new management software.

Update the operating system

On a newly provisioned server, install the available operating-system updates before installing Control:

sudo apt update
sudo apt full-upgrade

Review any package prompts before accepting changes. If an upgrade asks what to do with a locally modified SSH configuration such as /etc/ssh/sshd_config, do not replace it blindly while you are connected remotely. Keep the current configuration when it contains provider or administrator changes you still need, then review the packaged version separately.

After the upgrade, check that the SSH configuration is valid:

sudo sshd -t

No output means the SSH configuration passed the syntax check. Before rebooting a remote server, it is good practice to confirm that a second SSH session can connect successfully.

Check whether Ubuntu reports that a reboot is required:

if [ -f /var/run/reboot-required ]; then
  cat /var/run/reboot-required
fi

If a reboot is required, reboot the server and reconnect before continuing:

sudo reboot

You can then check for remaining package updates with:

apt list --upgradable

Ubuntu may occasionally defer phased updates even after a normal upgrade. Resolve failed or held package updates before installing Control; a deliberately phased Ubuntu update does not by itself indicate a Control problem.

Install directly on the server

Connect to the server over SSH, then run the direct installer from the Control Downloads page. The URL below is an example; use the direct-install URL shown on the Downloads page:

curl -fsSL 'https://downloads.example.com/control/bootstrap.php?channel=stable' \
  | sudo bash -s -- --panel-hostname panel.example.com

Replace panel.example.com with the hostname you want to use for Control. Use the exact direct-install URL shown on the Control Downloads page rather than guessing a release address.

The direct installer downloads the selected full release, verifies it and runs the supported Control installer. When installation completes, use the management address shown in the terminal. A browser certificate warning is expected while the temporary bootstrap certificate is in use.

Manual release install

If you need to transfer the release yourself, download the full control-v<version>.zip archive from the Control Downloads page. A source-only archive or standalone patch is not an install package.

Copy the ZIP to the server over SSH/SFTP, then connect to the server. For example:

scp control-v<version>.zip [email protected]:~/
ssh [email protected]

Use the administrative SSH account supplied by your server provider if it is not named ubuntu.

Extract the full release and run the supported installer:

unzip control-v<version>.zip
cd control-v<version>
sudo ./scripts/install.sh --install-deps --panel-hostname panel.example.com

New release archives and their extracted directory use the same short control-v<version> name.

--install-deps installs the base packages Control needs for its management interface and host terminal. Hosting runtimes and databases are selected later from Components or when a Site/application requires them.

Next

Continue with First sign-in and management TLS, then review Components before creating the first Site.