Offplanet

Help & FAQs

How to get help: (1) Read the relevant section on this page first. (2) Use the support chat bubble on offplanet.ca for short keyword tips. (3) If you are still blocked or need account-specific work, sign in to billing.offplanet.ca → Support → New ticket (see Support tickets).

Support path

  1. FAQs on this page — fastest self-serve: find your topic (DNS, WordPress, billing, migrations, etc.) and follow the checklist.
  2. Support chat on offplanet.ca — for short questions; the assistant points you back here and to the client portal when needed.
  3. Support ticket (logged in) — open Support tickets on the FOSSBilling client portal, then New ticket. Use this for invoice changes, suspected platform issues, or anything that needs a threaded reply tied to your account.

Quick start

I just ordered a plan - what happens first?
Provisioning creates your panel user, web space, and mail slots according to the published tier. DNS for new domains usually starts at your registrar: point nameservers or A/AAAA records as the welcome checklist in billing describes, then log into the hosting panel to add the domain and request TLS once DNS resolves.
Where do I manage invoices and upgrades?
Always on billing.offplanet.ca - that keeps disk, bandwidth, and renewal dates aligned with what you pay.
“Login to control panel” opens 127.0.0.1 or connection refused
That means the portal is sending your browser to a loopback address (your own PC) instead of the hosting server. Open a support ticket so we can correct the panel hostname/IP on your account record. Until then, sign in directly at your hosting panel URL if we have already sent you one (e.g. https://panel.offplanet.ca:8083 — use the link and port we gave you).
Where do I manage files, databases, and cron?
In your hosting control panel (Hestia). Use File Manager or SFTP, phpMyAdmin or CLI for MariaDB, and the Cron UI for scheduled jobs - stay within the published limits for your tier.

DNS & SSL

Nameservers vs A record at the registrar - which should I use?
Either works. Nameservers delegate the whole zone to the panel DNS; A/AAAA (and CNAME for www) keep DNS at the registrar but must mirror every record the panel expects (mail, DKIM, ACME challenges). Pick one style per domain and avoid mixing stale NS with new A records.
Certificate fails right after DNS change
Wait for full propagation, remove conflicting CNAMEs on www if you need apex + www on separate records, and retry Let's Encrypt from the panel after the authoritative answers match what the panel shows.
Force HTTPS without redirect loops
Enable HTTPS in the panel first, then add application-level redirects (WordPress siteurl/home, or server rules) so you do not bounce HTTP to HTTPS twice.

WordPress & PHP

Which PHP version should I pick?
Match the highest version your theme and plugins certify; bump in a staging copy first. The panel lists available minor versions per domain.
Cron for WP-Cron or real system cron?
Disable noisy wp-cron.php traffic on busy sites and call wp cron event run from a single system cron line in the panel instead - fewer surprises under load.
Composer or wp-cli on shared tiers
Run heavy installs from your workstation or CI, then deploy artifacts. Long-running CLI jobs can hit wall-time limits on shared hosting - batch imports.

Billing & account

Why do promos show on billing but not on the marketing site?
So dollar amounts stay in one system of record. The apex page explains limits; checkout copy on billing tracks coupons and cycles.
I need a VAT- or company-legal invoice tweak
Open a ticket from the client area on billing with the exact legal name and address you need printed - finance replies through that thread.

Migration process

Use support chat with this checklist in hand so humans (when escalated) see the full picture on the first message.

  1. Inventory - domains, mailboxes, databases, cron jobs, external webhooks, and SSL expiry dates.
  2. Export - database dumps, wp-content or app tree, and DNS zone file or screenshots from the old provider.
  3. Stage - restore to a scratch hostname on Offplanet, fix paths and PHP version, run smoke tests.
  4. Cutover - lower TTLs a day ahead, switch DNS, monitor mail queues, then decommission old hosting after you confirm traffic and backups.
  5. Post-cutover - warm up DKIM/SPF monitors, re-point webhooks, and schedule a backup policy in the panel.

Storefronts & AI

How do AI drafts stay off production until I approve?
Treat the model output as staging copy: paste into drafts, run your checklist (legal, inventory, shipping copy), then publish. Hosting quotas stay predictable because inference usually happens off-server.
PSP and PCI scope
Use hosted checkout from your processor when possible so card data never touches your PHP runtime. We keep TLS and cron boring; scope decisions stay with your PSP agreement.

Tickets & escalation

How do I open a support ticket?
Sign in to billing.offplanet.ca. In the sidebar choose Support, then New ticket. You can also land on the list from Support tickets. Please skim the matching FAQ section first so your ticket can reference steps you already tried.
When does a human step in?
The on-site chat and this FAQ cover repeatable hosting paths first. For account-specific work (invoice changes, edge-case migrations, suspected platform faults), open a ticket from the portal so the thread stays auditable and tied to your services.
Outage or urgent production down
Check the relevant FAQ section, then open a ticket with domain, last change, and error strings or traceroute output. That gives the team everything in one thread on Support tickets.