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Target Settings

Overview

A target represents the group of packages that must exist on the server for a specific service to function properly. Packages can consist of RPMs for Red-Hat® systems (like AlmaLinux OS, CentOS, CloudLinux™, or Rocky Linux) or .deb packages for Debian® systems (like Ubuntu®).

What is a target setting?

The rpm.versions system uses the target setting to determine whether to install or uninstall that target’s specific packages. The target_settings section of the /usr/local/cpanel/etc/rpm.versions file contains the cPanel-provided default status for each target.

To override the cPanel-provided default statuses for each target presented in the /usr/local/cpanel/etc/rpm.versions file, update the target setting in the /var/cpanel/rpm.versions.d/local.versions file.

For example, to override the cPanel-provided default clamav package target, enter clamav:TARGET_STATE into the target_settings section of the /var/cpanel/rpm.versions.d/local.versions file. TARGET_STATE represents the target state of the package.

More:

For more information about the /usr/local/cpanel/etc/rpm.versions file, read our The rpm.versions File documentation.

Target states

The targets on your server may exist in any of the following states:

  • installed — The rpm.versions system ensures that the packages for that target are installed and functional.
  • uninstalled — The rpm.versions system ensures that the packages for that target are uninstalled.
  • unmanaged — The rpm.versions system ignores the packages for that target, regardless of whether they are installed on the server.
Warning:

You may experience problems with certain services if cPanel & WHM does not manage them:

  • The rpm.versions system does not update unmanaged packages. These packages require manual upgrades and maintenance.
  • If you upgrade a server with unmanaged FTP targets, problems may occur in cPanel’s FTP-related interfaces. For more information, read our How to Restore Missing FTP Interfaces in cPanel documentation.
  • Unmanaged package targets may become upgrade blockers for a future version of cPanel & WHM.
  • If a MySQL® package target is unmanaged, the system also blocks MariaDB® on the server. To successfully use a cPanel-managed installation of either MySQL or MariaDB, the rpm.versions system must manage both package targets.

For more information, read our How to Set or Unset Package Management documentation.

Legacy packages

The packages that WebPros International, LLC provided prior to the implementation of the rpm.versions system are now legacy packages. The settings in the /var/cpanel/cpanel.config file control these legacy packages.

  • The system stores these settings in the /usr/local/cpanel/etc/rpm.versions file.
  • The files in the /var/cpanel/rpm.versions.d/ directory can override the target_settings configuration.

Configuration file settings

The following list shows the settings in the /var/cpanel/cpanel.config file that control the actions of legacy packages:

  • ftpserver — pure-ftpd, proftpd, disabled
  • local_nameserver_type — bind, powerdns
  • mailserver — dovecot
  • mysql-version — For more information about the available version number for your OS, read our Supported MySQL/MariaDB versions documentation.
More:

For more information, read our The cpanel.config File documentation.

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