#1 – The Problem

When you try to create or modify FTP users in cPanel, you receive: Error. Could not edit /home/username/etc/ftpquota

The only times I have seen this error is when you are transferring a cPanel account over from one web host to another one. The other host is using a non-standard method for the way accounts are set up. In this example, the transfer was coming from SiteGround. Siteground has their users’ etc folders created as Symbolic links as opposed to stored in the users’ home folders.

A quick way to verify if this is your problem is to do an ls. If you see the following, then its a problem:

root@vps [/home/username]# ls -la | grep etc
etc -> /sdb/backup/mails/username/etc

#2 – The Fix

2.1

The best way would be to contact the old hosting company. Ask them to remove the symlink and copy its former destination into your home folder. i.e.:

cp -rfp /sdb/backup/mails/username/etc /home/username/

Once that is finished, transfer the account again like normal.

2.2

In case your old host says no, or you simply want to do it yourself, there is an easy alternative. However, cPanel will no longer recognise any of your previous FTP users, email accounts, or forwarders. You will have to re-create them all.

Delete the symlink and create an etc folder inside your home directory. The beauty of cPanel is that it will automatically create the necessary files inside the new folder when you set up new FTP and mail users.

rm -f etc/
mkdir etc/
chown username:mail etc/

Jacob "Boom Shadow" Tirey

A linux web hosting administrator, a professional production sound man, and a renegade cop without nothing left to lose.... Ok, that last part is made up. In all seriousness, my passion in life is to help people; whether that be with help running their sites or with their productions. The name Boom Shadow was given to me by a great group of filmmakers called Star Wipe Films. back in 2005 and has been with me since. One of these days, I will post the full story, and many more, here. As a side note, I love my mac for video editing, my CentOS for web hosting, and my Windows box for Stepmania. Don't give me any OS hate, cause I don't care :P Also, nano is still the bomb!

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