To register a domain with Salama Hosting:

1. Log in to your customer dashboard
2. Click 'Register Domain' or go to Domains > New Domain
3. Enter the domain name you want (e.g. mybusiness)
4. Select the TLD (.com, .ug, .co.ug, etc.)
5. Click 'Check Availability'
6. If available, add it to your cart
7. Choose a hosting plan (optional)
8. Proceed to checkout and complete payment

Domain registration is usually instant. You'll receive a confirmation email when it's active.

Processing time by domain type:

- .com, .net, .org, .info: Usually instant (within minutes)
- .ug, .co.ug, .ac.ug, .or.ug: 24–48 hours (registry processing)
- Domain transfers: 5–7 business days

You will receive an email confirmation as soon as your domain is active. If it takes longer than expected, open a support ticket.

To renew a domain:

1. Log in to your dashboard
2. Go to Domains
3. Find the domain you want to renew
4. Click 'Renew'
5. Select the renewal period (1, 2, or 3 years)
6. Pay the generated invoice

We send renewal reminder emails at 60, 30, 14, and 7 days before expiry. Domains that expire are placed in a grace period before being deleted — renewing during grace period may incur additional fees.

Domain Only:
You register the domain name (e.g. example.com) but your website files are hosted elsewhere. Useful if you already have a hosting account or want to point the domain to a third-party service.

Domain + Hosting:
You get both the domain name AND a hosting account (cPanel). Your website files, databases, and email accounts are all hosted on our servers. This is the most common option for new customers.

You can always add hosting to a domain-only registration later.

To change your domain's nameservers:

1. Log in to your dashboard
2. Go to Domains > Manage Domain
3. Click 'Nameservers'
4. Enter the new nameserver addresses
5. Save changes

Nameserver changes take 24–48 hours to propagate globally. During this time your website may be intermittently unavailable.

Default Salama Hosting nameservers:
- ns1.salamahosting.com
- ns2.salamahosting.com

To access cPanel:

1. Log in to your Salama Hosting dashboard
2. Go to Domains > Manage Hosting
3. Click 'Open cPanel'
4. You'll be logged in automatically (SSO)

Alternatively, visit: https://yourdomain.com:2083
Use the username and password from your hosting welcome email.

From cPanel you can manage:
- File Manager
- MySQL Databases
- Email Accounts
- DNS Zone Editor
- SSL/TLS
- PHP Settings
- Softaculous (install WordPress, etc.)

To create an email account:

1. Log in to cPanel
2. Go to Email > Email Accounts
3. Click 'Create'
4. Enter the email address (e.g. info@yourdomain.com)
5. Set a strong password
6. Set mailbox quota
7. Click 'Create'

Access your email at:
- Webmail: https://mail.yourdomain.com or https://yourdomain.com/webmail
- Email clients: Use IMAP (port 993 SSL) or POP3 (port 995 SSL)
- SMTP outgoing: port 587 (TLS) or 465 (SSL)

Username is your full email address.

To install WordPress via Softaculous:

1. Log in to cPanel
2. Go to Softaculous Apps Installer
3. Click on WordPress
4. Click 'Install Now'
5. Fill in:
- Installation URL (choose your domain)
- Site name and description
- Admin username and password
- Admin email
6. Click 'Install'

WordPress will be ready within a few minutes. You'll receive the login URL via email.

Admin login: https://yourdomain.com/wp-admin

Your hosting account may be suspended if:

1. An invoice is overdue — Pay all outstanding invoices
2. Your hosting plan has expired — Renew your plan
3. Resource limits exceeded — Upgrade to a higher plan
4. Terms of service violation — Contact support

To unsuspend:
1. Log in and check for unpaid invoices
2. Pay any outstanding balance
3. Your account is automatically reactivated within 30 minutes

If suspended for a TOS violation, you must contact our support team to resolve the issue.

To pay an invoice:

1. Log in to your dashboard
2. Go to Invoices
3. Find the unpaid invoice
4. Click 'Pay Now'
5. Select your payment method:
- MTN Mobile Money
- Airtel Money
- Zengapay
- PayPal
6. Follow the on-screen payment instructions
7. Your service is activated/renewed after payment confirmation

Payment is usually confirmed within seconds for mobile money. PayPal may take a few minutes.

Our refund policy:

- Domain registrations: Non-refundable once the domain is registered with the registry
- Hosting plans: Pro-rated refund for unused months if cancelled within 30 days of purchase
- SSL certificates: Non-refundable
- Setup fees: Non-refundable

To request a refund:
1. Open a support ticket
2. Include your invoice number and reason for the refund
3. Refunds are processed within 5–7 business days

Refunds are issued to the original payment method where possible.

Suspension timeline after invoice due date:

- Day 0: Invoice issued
- Day 7: Payment due date
- Day 14: First suspension warning
- Day 21: Service suspended
- Day 30: Domain/hosting deactivation risk

We send email reminders at each stage. To avoid interruption, pay invoices before the due date.

After suspension, your service can be restored immediately upon payment. After 30 days, recovery may not be possible.

Your invoice contains:

- Invoice Number: Unique reference (e.g. INV-20260601)
- Issue Date: When the invoice was generated
- Due Date: Payment deadline
- Service Description: What you are being billed for
- Billing Period: The period this invoice covers
- Amount (UGX): Total amount due
- Payment Status: Unpaid / Paid / Overdue

Invoices are emailed automatically when generated. You can view all invoices in your dashboard under the Invoices section.

If your website is not loading:

1. Check if your domain has expired (Domains section in dashboard)
2. Check if your hosting is suspended (unpaid invoices)
3. Check server status at status.salamahosting.com
4. Clear your browser cache and try again
5. Test from a different network/device
6. Check DNS at https://dnschecker.org

If none of the above resolve the issue:
- Open a support ticket with your domain name
- Include the error message or screenshot
- Our team will investigate within 2 hours

Email troubleshooting checklist:

1. Verify email account exists in cPanel > Email Accounts
2. Check mailbox quota — if full, emails will bounce
3. Verify email client settings:
- Incoming (IMAP): mail.yourdomain.com, port 993 (SSL)
- Outgoing (SMTP): mail.yourdomain.com, port 587 (TLS)
- Username: your full email address
- Password: your email account password
4. Check spam/junk folder
5. Verify MX records point to your hosting server

For webmail access: https://mail.yourdomain.com

If your domain is not loading:

1. Check nameservers at https://dnschecker.org — they should point to:
ns1.salamahosting.com
ns2.salamahosting.com

2. DNS propagation: After changing nameservers, allow 24–48 hours for global propagation

3. Check if domain has expired in your dashboard

4. Check if hosting is active and not suspended

5. Clear your local DNS cache:
- Windows: ipconfig /flushdns
- Mac/Linux: sudo dscacheutil -flushcache

6. Try accessing the site via a different DNS (e.g. 8.8.8.8)

An SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) certificate encrypts data between your website and visitors. It enables HTTPS and displays the padlock icon in browsers.

Why you need SSL:
- Protects sensitive data (passwords, payments, forms)
- Required for e-commerce and login pages
- Improves Google search ranking (SEO benefit)
- Builds customer trust
- Browsers mark non-HTTPS sites as 'Not Secure'

Salama Hosting offers:
- Positive SSL (single domain)
- Wildcard SSL (all subdomains)
- EV SSL (extended validation — highest trust)
- Multi-Domain SSL (multiple domains on one certificate)

Free Let's Encrypt SSL is also available via cPanel.

To install an SSL certificate on your domain:

Option 1 — Free Let's Encrypt (via cPanel):
1. Open cPanel
2. Go to SSL/TLS > Let's Encrypt SSL
3. Select your domain
4. Click 'Issue'

Option 2 — Purchased SSL:
1. Purchase SSL from Addons section
2. Open cPanel > SSL/TLS > Manage SSL Sites
3. Select your domain
4. Paste your certificate, private key, and CA bundle
5. Click 'Install Certificate'

Option 3 — Request our team to install it:
Open a support ticket with 'SSL Installation Request' and we'll handle it for you.

To change your cPanel/hosting password:

1. Log in to your Salama Hosting dashboard
2. Go to Domains > Manage Domain
3. Click 'Change Password'
4. Enter your new password
5. Click Update

Alternatively in cPanel:
1. Open cPanel
2. Go to Preferences > Password & Security
3. Enter current and new password
4. Click 'Change your password now'

Password requirements:
- Minimum 8 characters
- Mix of uppercase, lowercase, numbers and symbols
- Do not use personal information or common words

To reset your Salama Hosting account password:

1. Go to the login page at salamahosting.com
2. Click 'Forgot Password?'
3. Enter your registered email address
4. Check your email for a password reset link
5. Click the link and set a new password

If you did not receive the reset email:
- Check your spam/junk folder
- Make sure you are using the correct email address
- Contact support and provide your customer code (CUST-#####) for identity verification