Merlot Digital changelog
Merlot Digital changelog
merlot.digital

DNS: Managed Clusters cutover (cP-to-DA)

We replaced the WHM-era Nameserver Clusters with DirectAdmin-era machines, and at the same time migrated Adelaide instances to Perth due to our provider there closing down their business. Our options for clients are:

  1. Brisbane & Perth
  2. Adelaide & Perth
  3. Singapore & Perth

For data residency, we recommend option #1 or #2, though some need #3.

rspamd: Drop-in SpamAssassin replacement

 

Improvement

  

As part of our revitalisation, we've adopted the far better rspamd drop-in swap in-place of SpamAssassin (which has served us well for MANY years).

rspamd-interface.png

Learn more about rspamd here: https://www.rspamd.com/#features

MariaDB: Upgraded v10.6 LTS to v10.11 LTS

Due to the forthcoming EOL in June 2026, we have completed the upgrades from v10.6 to v10.11, both of which are LTS versions. We upgraded by 1x LTS.

You can read more about MariaDB v10.11 here: https://mariadb.com/docs/release-notes/community-server/10.11/what-is-mariadb-1011

DirectAdmin: Replaced cPanel+WHM GUIs

 

Improvement

  

Our engineering crew have re-deployed all client machines from cP over to DirectAdmin for a range of long-standing reasons. The key improvements this brings from day 1 beyond how extensible and configurable the platform is:

  • NGINX to OpenLiteSpeed
  • SpamAssassin to rspamd
  • Mailman to Majordomo
  • MariaDB v10.6 to v10.11
  • by-domain public_html
  • ea-PHP to CL’s alt-PHP
  • White-label branding!

logo-da.svg

Learn more about DA (est. 2003): https://www.directadmin.com

Spam Filters: Updated from v8.2.x to v9.0.x

 

Improvement

  

The major upgrade from Debian Bookworm to Trixie has been carried out for our Spam Filters, both corporate and client (anyone with >1 server is entitled to a complimentary open-source dedicated Spam Filtering VM - get in touch)

  • New Quarantine UI on mobile, based on Rust-based Yew framework.
  • Sync the conf templates of the core postfix with the latest upstream.
  • Make the SpamInfo text selectable in the Spam Quarantine interface.
  • Allow selecting multiple mails in the postfix queue administration GUI.

Webmail: Roundcube launched (VM-agnostic)

 

New addition

  

We've now deployed a server-agnostic webmail platform: https://webmail.au This allows you to view emails online 24/7 without remembering a server URL.

Roundcube-LoginGUI.png

📻 Internet Radio: MediaCP Upgraded (v2.14.9)

 

Fix / Remedy

  

We've upgraded our Media Control Panel systems from v2.14.8 to v2.14.9 https://www.mediacp.net/release-notes/mediacp-2-14-9-release-notes/

This included fixes to 2x security problems within the software:

  • MCP-2969 PXSS Low privilege user to administrator
  • MCP-2970 RXSS Unauthenticated users

🌐 Core Routers: Minor Version Upgrades

We've applied updates to our core internet routers, and have rebooted each of them twice - the 1st to upgrade OS, the 2nd to upgrade their bootloader.

These were successfully applied, and provides more functionality & security.

👨‍💻 DIY Server Toolbox: v2.0.10 released

🚀 Feature

  • AJAX-powered actions with modal feedback
  • Complete rewrite from Perl CGI to modern PHP
  • Reseller access control (only see owned accounts)
  • Sexy new dark-themed responsive UI with gradients etc.
  • Real-time server stats dashboard (Load, RAM, CPU, Disk, Uptime)
  • More tabs with more options: Added what you need where you need it
  • Refresh countdown timer and enhanced Apache connection details

💅 Polish

  • Mobile-responsive design
  • Visual feedback during operations
  • Tabbed interface for better organisation
  • Self-Restore now requires email; client gets outcome

Note: These release notes incorporate v2.0.0 through v2.0.10 together.

👨‍💻 TNC Toolbox (for WP): v2.1.2 released

🚀 Feature

  • Selective Cache Purging: Integration with ea-nginx-cache-purge module!
    • When updating a post, only that page and related archives are purged
    • New "⚡ Purge This Page" button in admin bar when viewing posts
    • Falls back to full cache purge via cPanel API when module N/A
  • Settings: New checkbox to enable selective cache purging
  • Slack Alerts for Mail Failures: Receive Slack alert when wp_mail fails
    • New "Slack Webhook URL" field in plugin settings
    • Alerts include site name, recipient, subject, and error details
    • Uses WordPress wp_mail_failed hook for reliable detection

🐛 Bug Fix

  • Cache Purge Detection: Fix false positive module detection
    • Detection now requires response signatures from the module
    • Generic NGINX 301/404/405 responses no longer trigger FP
  • Detection Caching: Fix stale detection cache preventing discovery
    • Settings page now always performs fresh detection check
    • No HTTP requests on regular page loads (uses cached result)

Note: These release notes incorporate v2.1.0, v2.1.1 and v2.1.2.

https://wordpress.org/plugins/tnc-toolbox/