Troubleshooting Common Plesk Issues
8 mins read

Troubleshooting Common Plesk Issues

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Plesk is a powerful and user-friendly control panel used by web hosts and server administrators worldwide. However, like any software, users may encounter issues from time to time. These problems can range from minor glitches to more complex server-related concerns. In this blog, we’ll address some of the most common Plesk issues and provide step-by-step solutions to resolve them.

1. Troubleshooting Common Plesk Issues Plesk Panel Won’t Load or Access Denied Errors

Problem: You try to access your Plesk panel via your browser, but it doesn’t load. Instead, you may encounter errors like “Access Denied” or “502 Bad Gateway”.

Possible Causes:

  • Incorrect firewall settings or blocked ports.
  • Plesk services (such as the Apache or nginx web server) are not running.
  • Corrupted configuration files.

Solution:

  1. Check the Firewall: Ensure that the appropriate ports (usually 8443 for HTTPS) are open and accessible. You can check this by running the following command:bashCopy codesudo ufw allow 8443 Or check your server’s firewall (e.g., iptables or cloud firewall settings).
  2. Restart Plesk Services: Sometimes, a service might fail to start. Restarting Plesk services can resolve this:bashCopy codesudo service psa restart
  3. Check the Apache or nginx Web Server: If the web server is not running, restart it:bashCopy codesudo systemctl restart apache2 # For Apache on Ubuntu/Debian sudo systemctl restart nginx # For nginx
  4. Review Logs: Check Plesk’s log files for errors. You can find logs in:
    • /var/log/plesk/panel.log
    • /var/log/plesk/httpsd_error_log

2. Plesk Update Failures

Problem: When attempting to update Plesk or install new updates, the process fails or hangs.

Possible Causes:

  • Incomplete previous updates or corrupted packages.
  • Insufficient server resources (disk space, memory).
  • Conflicts with third-party extensions or plugins.

Solution:

  1. Check Disk Space: Ensure that your server has enough free space to download and apply updates:bashCopy codedf -h
  2. Re-run the Update Command: Use the Plesk command-line tool to force an update:bashCopy codeplesk installer update --accept-eula
  3. Fix the Plesk Package Database: If the update fails due to corrupted packages, you can attempt to fix it with the following command:bashCopy codeplesk repair installation
  4. Remove Conflicting Extensions: Disable or remove any third-party extensions that may be conflicting with the update:bashCopy codeplesk bin extension --disable <extension_name>

3. Email Sending Issues (SMTP Failures)

Problem: Emails are not being sent or received correctly from your Plesk-managed server. You might get errors like “SMTP server not found” or “Connection timed out”.

Possible Causes:

  • Incorrect mail server settings (SMTP, POP3, IMAP).
  • DNS or SPF/DKIM misconfigurations.
  • Firewall or port blocking issues.

Solution:

  1. Verify Mail Server Settings: Check the mail server (Postfix, Exim) configuration under Plesk. Make sure the SMTP port (usually 25, 587, or 465) is open and correctly configured in the firewall.
  2. Check DNS and MX Records: Ensure that the domain’s DNS settings and MX (Mail Exchange) records are pointing to the correct server:
    • Use online tools like MXToolbox to check the DNS and MX record status.
  3. Enable SPF and DKIM: Set up SPF (Sender Policy Framework) and DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail) for improved email delivery and to avoid being flagged as spam. This can be done in Plesk’s Mail Settings.
  4. Check for IP Blacklisting: If your IP address has been blacklisted by email services, it may prevent successful delivery. Check your server’s IP with tools like Blacklist Check and follow the unblocking process if necessary.

4. Website Downtime or “503 Service Unavailable” Errors

Problem: Websites hosted on Plesk are intermittently going down, or users are receiving a “503 Service Unavailable” message.

Possible Causes:

  • Overloaded server resources (e.g., CPU or RAM).
  • Misconfigured web server (Apache/nginx).
  • Problems with PHP settings or limits.

Solution:

  1. Check Resource Usage: Monitor the server’s CPU and RAM usage. You can use top or htop to check which processes are consuming resources.bashCopy codetop If the server is running out of resources, consider upgrading your hosting plan or optimizing resource usage.
  2. Check Web Server Logs: Inspect the web server logs for errors that might be causing downtime:
    • Apache: /var/log/apache2/error_log
    • nginx: /var/log/nginx/error.log
  3. Increase PHP Limits: If the issue is related to PHP, increase the PHP limits (memory_limit, max_execution_time) in the Plesk settings. Go to Tools & Settings → PHP Settings.
  4. Optimize Database Performance: Overloaded databases can also cause downtime. Use Plesk’s Database Management tools to optimize or repair databases.

5. Plesk Backup and Restore Failures

Problem: Plesk backup fails or the restore process doesn’t complete successfully.

Possible Causes:

  • Corrupt backup files.
  • Insufficient disk space for storing backups.
  • Permissions issues or ownership conflicts.

Solution:

  1. Check Disk Space: Ensure that your server has sufficient disk space for the backup files:bashCopy codedf -h
  2. Repair Backup Database: If the backup file is corrupt, you might need to repair the Plesk backup database using the following command:bashCopy codeplesk repair backup
  3. Check Backup Permissions: Ensure the Plesk user has the necessary permissions to access the backup directory and restore the data.
  4. Manually Restore the Backup: If the automated restore fails, you can try restoring manually from the backup file, located at /var/lib/psa/dumps/.

6. Plesk Not Responding or “Service Unavailable” Errors for Specific Domains

Problem: Plesk is running, but you encounter issues where only certain domains are inaccessible, showing errors like “Service Unavailable”.

Possible Causes:

  • DNS misconfigurations.
  • Apache or nginx configuration issues.
  • Permission issues with domain directories.

Solution:

  1. Check DNS and Hosting Settings: Ensure the domain’s DNS settings are correct and pointing to the right server. Verify domain settings in Plesk under Domains.
  2. Restart Web Server: Restart the Apache or nginx services to ensure that the configurations are correctly applied:bashCopy codesudo systemctl restart apache2 # For Apache sudo systemctl restart nginx # For nginx
  3. Check Permissions: Ensure the correct permissions are set for the domain’s directory. You can reset the permissions with:bashCopy codechown -R psaadm:psaadm /var/www/vhosts/<domain_name>
  4. Check Logs for Specific Domain Errors: Investigate the error logs related to the affected domain for more information.

7. Unable to Create or Manage Databases

Problem: You are unable to create new databases or manage existing ones via Plesk’s database management tools.

Possible Causes:

  • Database service (MySQL or PostgreSQL) is down.
  • Plesk misconfigured or lacking necessary permissions.
  • Corrupt database configurations.

Solution:

  1. Restart Database Service: Restart MySQL or PostgreSQL service:bashCopy codesudo systemctl restart mysql # For MySQL sudo systemctl restart postgresql # For PostgreSQL
  2. Repair Plesk Database: Run the following to repair database issues related to Plesk’s configuration:bashCopy codeplesk repair db
  3. Check Permissions: Ensure that the Plesk user has appropriate permissions to access and modify databases.

Conclusion

Plesk is a robust and reliable platform for web hosting, but like any software, it can present occasional issues. Understanding the common problems and how to resolve them will help you maintain smooth operations for your websites and clients. By following these troubleshooting tips, you should be able to quickly diagnose and fix most Plesk-related issues.

Remember to regularly update your server, monitor resource usage, and back up your data to avoid potential problems in the future.

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