Why do I receive errors when I try to log in to WebHost Manager after I restore a site in Lightsail from a snapshot?

Short Description

A "Cannot Read License File" error indicates that your cPanel license doesn't recognize the IP address that's associated with your instance. If you launch a new Lightsail instance from a snapshot and don't attach the old instance's static IP address, then WHM returns this error.

Resolution

To troubleshoot a "Cannot Read License File" error, you must first confirm that your cPanel license is valid. Then, you must confirm the IP address.

Confirm that the cPanel license is valid

To confirm that your license is valid for the new public IP address, complete the following steps:

1. Open the cPanel License Verification page on the cPanel website.
2. Enter your new instance's public IP address.
3. Choose Verify License. The cPanel website shows your license's status. If your license is valid, then use the instructions in the following section to confirm the IP address.
   -or-
   If your license isn't valid, then proceed to step 4.
4. If you were using a static IP address on your old cPanel and WHM instance, first attach it to your new instance. Then, use the instructions in the following section to confirm the IP address.
   -or-
   If your old instance doesn't have static IP address, then proceed to step 5.
5. Transfer your cPanel license to your new instance's public IP address. For more information, see How do I transfer my license to another IP address? on the cPanel website.
6. Update the main IP address in WHM:

   /scripts/mainipcheck

   Note: Make sure that there's enough disk space available in the system to complete the update.

Confirm the IP address

To confirm your IP address, complete the following steps:

1. Log in to WHM at https://example-ip:2087.
   Note: Replace example-ip with your server's IP address.
2. Choose Server Configuration.
3. Choose Basic WebHost Manager Setup.
4. Under Basic Config, make sure that your new public IP address is in the IPv4 box.
5. If the IP address in the IPv4 box is incorrect, then enter your new public IP address and select Save Changes.
6. Note: WHM assigns the IP address in the IPv4 box to all new accounts that it creates. For more information, see How to change the shared IP on the cPanel website.