Setting Up Your Server for ComusThumbz

What This Guide Does

This guide walks you through setting up a web server to run ComusThumbz. You'll learn how to prepare your hosting environment step-by-step, whether you're using a control panel like cPanel or HestiaCP, or setting up a fresh server yourself.

By the end of this guide, your server will be ready to install and run ComusThumbz with all video processing, image handling, and site features working correctly.

[Screenshot: page-overview]

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Who This Guide Is For

This guide is written for site owners who need to prepare a server for ComusThumbz. You should use this guide if:

• You just purchased hosting or a server and need to configure it
• You're migrating ComusThumbz to a new server
• Your current server isn't working correctly and you need to fix the setup

You do NOT need programming or advanced technical knowledge to follow this guide. We'll provide clear, step-by-step instructions for each hosting type.

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Choosing Your Hosting Type

ComusThumbz can run on several types of hosting. Here's what you need to know about each one:

Hosting Types Compared

Type	Difficulty	Best For	Starting Cost
cPanel Hosting	Easiest	Small to medium sites	$10-30/month
HestiaCP VPS	Easy	Growing sites, full control	$20-50/month
Plesk Hosting	Easy	VPS, dedicated servers	$30-100/month
Cloudways	Easy	Managed cloud hosting	$25-100/month
Manual VPS Setup	Medium	Tech-savvy users	$5-50/month
Shared Hosting	Variable	NOT recommended for production	$5-15/month

What Your Server Needs

At minimum, your hosting needs:

• 1 GB RAM (4 GB or more recommended for video sites)
• 1 CPU Core (4+ cores recommended)
• 10 GB disk space (depends on how much content you'll host)
• Ubuntu 20.04+ or similar Linux operating system

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Understanding the Setup Process

No matter which hosting type you choose, the setup process follows these same basic steps:

1. Select the right software versions - Making sure you have recent, compatible software
2. Configure settings - Adjusting limits and permissions for video uploads
3. Install required tools - Adding software that processes videos and images
4. Upload ComusThumbz files - Putting the application on your server
5. Set permissions - Making sure the software can read and write files
6. Schedule automated tasks - Setting up background jobs that process videos
7. Run the installer - Completing the setup through your web browser

We'll walk through each step for your specific hosting type.

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Setting Up cPanel Hosting

cPanel is the most common control panel on shared and VPS hosting. Here's how to configure it for ComusThumbz.

Step 1: Choose Your PHP Version

1. Log in to your cPanel account
2. Find the section called Software
3. Click MultiPHP Manager
4. Check the box next to your domain name
5. From the dropdown, select PHP 8.3 (or the highest 8.x version available)
6. Click Apply

[Screenshot: cpanel-php-version]

Step 2: Adjust PHP Settings

1. Go back to the Software section
2. Click MultiPHP INI Editor
3. Select Editor Mode at the top
4. Choose your domain from the dropdown
5. Find and update these settings:

memorylimit = 512M
maxexecutiontime = 600
uploadmaxfilesize = 500M
postmaxsize = 500M
maxinputvars = 10000

1. Click Save at the bottom

Step 3: Enable Video Processing Functions

On shared hosting, you may not be able to do this yourself. Contact your hosting provider and ask them to enable these PHP functions for your account:

exec

• shellexec
• passthru
• procopen
• popen

Tell them: "I need these functions enabled for video processing on my site."

If you have WHM access (VPS or reseller hosting):

Log in to WHMGo to Service Configuration > PHP Configuration Editor

1. Find the setting called disablefunctions
2. Remove the functions listed above from that line
3. Click Save and Rebuild

Step 4: Create Your Database

1. In cPanel, go to Databases > MySQL Databases
2. Under Create New Database, enter a name like comus
3. Click Create Database
4. Scroll down to Add New User
5. Create a username and strong password
6. Click Create User
7. Scroll down to Add User To Database
8. Select your database and user from the dropdowns
9. Click Add
10. Check ALL PRIVILEGES on the next screen
11. Click Make Changes

Step 5: Upload ComusThumbz Files

Option A: Using File Manager

1. In cPanel, go to Files > File Manager
2. Navigate to the publichtml folder
3. Click Upload at the top
4. Upload your ComusThumbz zip file
5. Once uploaded, right-click the zip file and choose Extract
6. Delete the zip file after extracting

Option B: Using FTP

1. Use an FTP program like FileZilla or WinSCP
2. Connect using these details:

• Host: yourdomain.com or ftp.yourdomain.com
• Username: your cPanel username
• Password: your cPanel password

1. Navigate to the publichtml folder
2. Upload all ComusThumbz files to this folder

Step 6: Set Up Automated Tasks

ComusThumbz needs to run background tasks every minute to process videos and maintain your site.

1. In cPanel, go to Advanced > Cron Jobs
2. Under Add New Cron Job, set the timing to: (every minute)
3. In the Command box, enter:

/usr/bin/php /home/username/publichtml/ct/admin/cron/sitecron.php >> /home/username/publichtml/ct/logs/cron/sitecron.log 2>&1

Replace username with your actual cPanel username.

1. Click Add New Cron Job

Step 7: Complete the Installation

1. Open your web browser
2. Go to: https://yourdomain.com/install/
3. Follow the 7-step installation wizard
4. When asked for database details, use the information from Step 4
5. After installation completes, delete the /install/ folder

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Setting Up HestiaCP (VPS)

HestiaCP is a free, modern control panel for virtual private servers. It gives you more control than shared hosting.

Step 1: Add Your Domain

1. Log in to HestiaCP at https://your-server-ip:8083
2. Click the WEB tab at the top
3. Click the green Add Web Domain button
4. Type your domain name
5. Check the box for SSL Support
6. Check the box for Let's Encrypt
7. Click Save

[Screenshot: hestiacp-add-domain]

Step 2: Select PHP Version

1. Stay on the WEB tab
2. Find your domain in the list
3. Click the wrench icon next to it
4. From the PHP dropdown, select PHP 8.3
5. Click Save

Step 3: Connect via SSH

For the remaining steps, you'll need to connect to your server using SSH. This lets you type commands directly.

On Windows:

• Download PuTTY or use Windows Terminal
• Connect to your server's IP address
• Use port 22
• Login with your HestiaCP username and password

 

On Mac/Linux:

• Open Terminal
• Type: ssh username@your-server-ip
• Enter your password when prompted

 

Step 4: Enable Video Processing

By default, HestiaCP disables the functions needed to process videos. Let's fix that.

Type these commands one at a time:

sudo nano /etc/php/8.3/fpm/php.ini

This opens a text editor. Press Ctrl+W to search, then type disablefunctions and press Enter.

You'll see a long line that looks like:

disablefunctions = exec,passthru,shellexec,system,procopen,popen,...

 

Remove these words from the line: exec,passthru,shellexec,procopen,popen

Press Ctrl+X to exit, then Y to save, then Enter to confirm.

Now restart PHP:

sudo systemctl restart php8.3-fpm

 

Step 5: Adjust Upload Limits

Still in SSH, run the same command to edit the PHP configuration:

sudo nano /etc/php/8.3/fpm/php.ini

Use Ctrl+W to search and update these values:

• Search for memorylimit and change it to 512M
• Search for maxexecutiontime and change it to 600
• Search for uploadmaxfilesize and change it to 500M
• Search for postmaxsize and change it to 500M
• Search for maxinputvars and change it to 10000

Save (Ctrl+X, then Y, then Enter) and restart:

sudo systemctl restart php8.3-fpm

 

Step 6: Install Video Processing Software

ComusThumbz uses FFmpeg to process videos. Install it:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install ffmpeg

Verify it worked:

ffmpeg -version

 

You should see version information. If you see an error, FFmpeg didn't install correctly.

Step 7: Upload Your Files

Back in HestiaCP (in your browser):

Click the FILES tab

1. Navigate to: /home/username/web/yourdomain.com/publichtml/
2. Click Upload and select your ComusThumbz zip file
3. After uploading, click Extract on the zip file
4. Delete the zip file

Step 8: Set Up Automated Tasks

Back in SSH, type:

crontab -e

If asked to choose an editor, select nano (usually option 1).

Add this line at the bottom:

     /usr/bin/php /home/username/web/yourdomain.com/publichtml/ct/admin/cron/sitecron.php >> /home/username/web/yourdomain.com/publichtml/ct/logs/cron/sitecron.log 2>&1

Replace username and yourdomain.com with your actual values.

Save (Ctrl+X, then Y, then Enter).

Step 9: Complete Installation

1. In your browser, go to: https://yourdomain.com/install/
2. Follow the installation wizard
3. After completion, delete the /install/ folder

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Setting Up Plesk

Plesk is a popular control panel for VPS and dedicated servers.

Step 1: Add Your Domain

1. Log in to Plesk
2. Click Websites & Domains on the left
3. Click Add Domain
4. Enter your domain name and configure settings
5. Enable SSL/TLS support and select Let's Encrypt
6. Click OK

Step 2: Configure PHP

1. Under Websites & Domains, find your domain
2. Click PHP Settings
3. Select PHP 8.3 (FPM application)
4. Scroll down and set these values:

memorylimit = 512M
maxexecutiontime = 600
uploadmaxfilesize = 500M
postmaxsize = 500M
maxinputvars = 10000

1. Click Apply or OK

Step 3: Enable Video Processing Functions

Still in PHP Settings:

1. Scroll to Additional directives section
2. Add this line:

disablefunctions =

(That's just disablefunctions = with nothing after the equals sign)

1. Click Apply or OK

Step 4: Install FFmpeg

Connect to your server via SSH and run:

For Ubuntu/Debian servers:

sudo apt install ffmpeg

 

For CentOS/AlmaLinux servers:

sudo dnf install ffmpeg

 

Verify:

ffmpeg -version

 

Step 5: Create Database

1. In Plesk, go to Databases
2. Click Add Database
3. Enter database name: comusthumbz
4. Create a username and strong password
5. Grant all privileges
6. Click OK

Step 6: Upload Files

Option A: Plesk File Manager

1. Go to Files in Plesk
2. Navigate to httpdocs/
3. Upload your ComusThumbz files

 

Option B: FTP/SFTP
Use the credentials shown in Plesk under FTP Access

Step 7: Set Up Automated Tasks

1. Under your domain, click Scheduled Tasks
2. Click Add Task
3. Set schedule to run every minute:
4. Command:

/usr/bin/php /var/www/vhosts/yourdomain.com/httpdocs/ct/admin/cron/sitecron.php >> /var/www/vhosts/yourdomain.com/httpdocs/ct/logs/cron/sitecron.log 2>&1

1. Click OK

Step 8: Run Installer

Go to https://yourdomain.com/install/ and complete the setup.

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Setting Up Cloudways

Cloudways provides managed cloud hosting with an easy-to-use panel.

Step 1: Launch Your Application

1. Log in to Cloudways
2. Click Launch > Application
3. Select Custom PHP as the application type
4. Choose your server size (2 GB RAM minimum recommended)
5. Select cloud provider (DigitalOcean, Vultr, AWS, etc.)
6. Enter names for your application and server
7. Click Launch

Wait a few minutes for your server to be created.

Step 2: Configure PHP

1. Click on your application
2. Go to Application Settings > PHP Settings
3. Set these values:

• PHP Version: 8.3
• Memory Limit: 512M
• Max Execution Time: 600
• Upload Max Filesize: 500M
• Post Max Size: 500M
• Max Input Vars: 10000

1. Click Save Changes

Step 3: Enable Video Processing

Click on your Server (not application)Go to Settings & Packages > AdvancedFind PHP FPM Settings

1. In the disablefunctions line, remove: exec, shellexec, passthru, procopen, popen
2. Save changes

Step 4: Install FFmpeg

1. Go to Server > Master Credentials
2. Note the SSH username and password
3. Connect via SSH using these credentials
4. Run:

sudo apt install ffmpeg -y

1. Verify:

ffmpeg -version

Step 5: Upload Files

1. In Cloudways, go to your Application
2. Note the SFTP details under Access Details
3. Use an SFTP client to upload files to the publichtml/ folder

Step 6: Set Up Automated Tasks

In Cloudways, go to your ApplicationClick Cron Job ManagementClick Add Cron Job

1. Schedule: (every minute)
2. Command:

php ~/publichtml/ct/admin/cron/sitecron.php >> ~/publichtml/ct/logs/cron/sitecron.log 2>&1

1. Click Add

Step 7: Complete Installation

Visit https://yourdomain.com/install/ to complete setup.

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Running the Installation Wizard

After setting up your server, the final step is running the ComusThumbz installer. This is the same process regardless of which hosting you chose.

How to Access the Installer

Open your web browser and go to:

https://yourdomain.com/install/

 

Replace yourdomain.com with your actual domain.

The 7 Installation Steps

Step 1: Requirements Check

The installer automatically checks if your server is ready. You'll see a list of requirements with green checkmarks or red X marks.

Green checkmarks mean everything is fine. Red X marks mean something needs to be fixed before you can continue.

Common issues:

• Missing PHP extensions - go back and make sure you installed all required software
• Wrong PHP version - select PHP 8.3 in your control panel
• Permissions errors - contact your host for help

 

Click Next when all critical items are green.

Step 2: Database Setup

Enter the database information you created earlier:

Host: Usually localhost (don't change this unless your host said otherwise)

• Database Name: The name you created (like comusthumbz or usernamecomus)
• Username: Your database username
• Password: Your database password
• Table Prefix: Leave as tbl (recommended)

Click Next. The installer will create all the database tables automatically.

Step 3: Configuration

The installer automatically sets up your configuration file. You don't need to do anything here - just click Next.

Step 4: Folder Setup

The installer creates all the folders needed for uploads, logs, and temporary files. Click Next.

Step 5: Default Data

The installer adds essential default data like categories and settings. Click Next.

Step 6: Admin Password

Choose a strong password for logging in to your admin panel. You'll use this to access:

https://yourdomain.com/ct/admin/

 

Write down this password somewhere safe.

Click Next.

Step 7: Completion

You'll see a success message. The installer will remind you to delete the /install/ folder.

This is important: Delete the install folder right away for security.

To delete it:

• Go to your File Manager or FTP
• Find the folder called install in your main directory
• Delete it completely

 

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Making Sure Everything Works

After installation, check these items to make sure your server is working correctly.

Test 1: Can You Access the Admin Panel?

Go to: https://yourdomain.com/ct/admin/

You should see the login page. Login with the password you created in Step 6 of installation.

If you see an error, your web server might not be configured correctly. Review the server setup steps for your hosting type.

Test 2: Are Background Tasks Running?

Wait about 5 minutes after setting up your cron job, then check if it's working.

Via cPanel/Plesk/Cloudways:
Use the File Manager to navigate to:

ct/logs/cron/sitecron.log

 

Open this file. You should see entries with timestamps showing the cron job is running.

If the file is empty or missing:

• Go back and check that you set up the cron job correctly
• Make sure you used the right path for your hosting type
• Wait a few more minutes and check again

 

Test 3: Can You Upload Videos?

1. Log in to your admin panel
2. Go to Content > Video Upload
3. Try uploading a small video file (under 50 MB for testing)
4. After upload completes, check the video status

The video should show as "Processing" or "Active" within a few minutes. If it stays "Pending" forever, your video processing isn't working - see the Troubleshooting section below.

Test 4: Is Your Site Secure?

Visit your site at: https://yourdomain.com

Look for the padlock icon in your browser's address bar. If you see "Not Secure" instead, your SSL certificate may not be installed correctly.

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Troubleshooting Common Problems

Problem: Videos Stay "Pending" Forever

What you see: You upload a video, but it never finishes processing. It stays stuck at "pending" status.

How to fix it:

1. First, check if your automated tasks are running (see Test 2 above)
2. If the cron log is empty, your scheduled task isn't running - review Step 6 or 7 in your hosting setup
3. If the cron is running, check if video processing functions are enabled:

• Go back to Step 3 in your hosting setup
• Make sure exec and related functions are enabled
• Contact your host if you can't enable them yourself

1. Check if FFmpeg is installed:

• Connect via SSH
• Type: ffmpeg -version
• If you see an error, FFmpeg isn't installed - go back to the FFmpeg installation step

Problem: Upload Fails with "File Too Large"

What you see: When uploading large videos, you get an error saying the file is too large.

How to fix it:

Go back to Step 2 in your hosting setup and make sure you set these values:

• uploadmaxfilesize = 500M
• postmaxsize = 500M

 

Also, if you're using Nginx (you'll know if you set it up manually), you need to add this to your server configuration:

clientmaxbodysize 500M;

 

Problem: Can't Log In to Admin Panel

What you see: You go to https://yourdomain.com/ct/admin/ but see a 404 error or can't access it.

How to fix it:

1. Make sure you deleted the /install/ folder after installation
2. Check that you uploaded all files correctly - there should be a folder called ct with an admin folder inside it
3. Check file permissions - your web server needs to be able to read the files
4. If you set up the server manually, make sure URL rewriting is enabled (modrewrite for Apache)

Problem: "Permission Denied" Errors

What you see: Various errors mentioning "permission denied" or "cannot write to file."

How to fix it:

The web server doesn't have permission to write to certain folders. You need to fix file permissions.

For cPanel/Plesk/Cloudways users:
Contact your hosting support and tell them: "I need the web server to have write permissions on the ct/logs, ct/uploads, and ct/cache directories."

For manual server setup:
Connect via SSH and run:

cd /path/to/your/site

chmod -R 775 ct/logs ct/uploads ct/cache

 

Problem: Database Connection Failed

What you see: During installation, you get "Connection refused" or "Access denied."

How to fix it:

1. Double-check your database username and password - these are the most common mistakes
2. Make sure the database exists - log in to your control panel and verify you created it
3. Make sure the database user has ALL PRIVILEGES on the database
4. Try using localhost as the host (not your IP address or domain name)

Problem: Site Is Slow or Times Out

What you see: Pages take forever to load or you get timeout errors.

How to fix it:

1. Check if you set maxexecution_time = 600 in your PHP settings
2. If you're on shared hosting, you may have hit resource limits - contact your host or upgrade to VPS
3. Clear your browser cache and try again
4. Check if your server has enough RAM - video sites need at least 1 GB, but 4 GB is better

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What to Do Next

Now that your server is configured and ComusThumbz is installed:

1. Secure your admin panel - Change the default admin password to something strong
2. Configure storage - Set up CDN or storage servers for your video files
3. Add content - Start uploading videos and building your site
4. Customize appearance - Adjust colors, logos, and layout to match your brand
5. Set up payments - Configure payment processors if you plan to charge for content

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Related Guides

Guide	When to Use It
Configuration Setup	After server setup - configure site settings, features, and options
Storage Servers	After basic setup - configure where videos and images are stored
Video Upload	When adding content - learn how to upload and manage videos
User Management	When managing members - add, edit, and control user accounts

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Getting Help

If you're stuck and these troubleshooting steps don't help:

1. Check the error logs in your control panel
2. Look at ct/logs/php-error.log for error messages
3. Contact your hosting provider - they can check if your server meets requirements
4. Review the step-by-step instructions for your hosting type again

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You're all set! Your server is ready to run ComusThumbz. Move on to configuring your site settings and adding content.