Server Disconnected: Are My Sites Down, and What Can I Fix Myself

Disconnected means xCloud cannot reach your server over SSH. It does not by itself mean your websites are down: if the server is running, your sites keep serving visitors, but dashboard actions that need SSH stop working until the connection is back. Most causes are on the server or provider side, and you can fix several of them yourself.

This applies to both xCloud servers and self-managed servers connected to xCloud.

How xCloud decides a server is disconnected

xCloud checks each server over SSH about once an hour. When a check fails on a connected server, xCloud does not raise an alarm straight away. It checks again about 5 minutes later, and marks the server Disconnected only if that second check also fails. A manual Refresh is different: if it fails, the server is marked Disconnected right away. By default, xCloud also emails you, with the subject “Unable to connect to server” followed by your server name.

On the server page, the status badge next to the server name changes from Connected to Disconnected:

A yellow banner below shows how long the server has been disconnected. While a server stays disconnected, xCloud checks it less often: about hourly for the first day, every 6 hours up to 7 days, then daily up to 30 days. After 30 days without a successful connection, automatic checks stop. The Refresh button always runs a check on demand.

Are my sites affected?

Your sites keep working if the server is still running. The Disconnected status is about xCloud’s management connection, not about your web server. Nginx or OpenLiteSpeed, PHP and the database keep serving visitors without xCloud.

To find out which case you are in, open one of your sites in a private browser window:

• The site loads: the server is up, and only the management connection is broken. Continue with fix it yourself.
• The site does not load: the server itself may be off, out of resources, or deleted at the provider. Check the server in your provider’s dashboard first.

While the server is disconnected, anything xCloud has to run on the server over SSH is refused. That includes:

• Magic Login to WordPress (the site itself still works with your normal WordPress login)
• restarting the server or its services from xCloud
• changing PHP settings or extensions, and installing updates
• creating new sites or starting migrations to that server

These actions work again as soon as the server reconnects.

Step 1: Click Refresh

Open the server in xCloud and click Refresh at the top right of the server page. xCloud runs an SSH check immediately.

If the badge turns back to Connected, the problem was temporary (for example a short network outage or a reboot) and you don’t need to do anything else. If it stays Disconnected, work through the causes below, then click Refresh again after each fix.

Fix it yourself

The server is off, rebooting or out of resources

A server that is stopped, stuck during a reboot, or out of memory or disk space cannot answer SSH.

1. Open your provider’s dashboard (for example Vultr, DigitalOcean, Hetzner or Google Cloud) and confirm the server is running. Start or reboot it there if needed: the restart action in xCloud needs a working connection.
2. If the server runs out of memory or disk space, free up space or upgrade the server’s plan. See how to monitor server resource usage.
3. Click Refresh in xCloud.

A firewall blocks SSH

If SSH is blocked, xCloud cannot open a connection, even though your sites may load normally. Check both places a firewall can live:

• The provider’s cloud firewall or network security (for example a Vultr firewall group, a DigitalOcean cloud firewall, or a provider’s automatic DDoS or abuse protection). Allow inbound SSH on your server’s SSH port (22 unless you changed it), and allow xCloud’s IP addresses. See whitelisting xCloud IP addresses.

• The firewall on the server itself. If you can’t connect over SSH at all, open your provider’s web console (the local terminal in its management interface). Allow SSH only from xCloud’s IP addresses and from your own IP address, then allow HTTP and HTTPS again. Run the first line once for each address, and use your custom SSH port instead of 22 if you changed it:

  sudo ufw allow from XCLOUD_OR_YOUR_IP to any port 22 proto tcp
  sudo ufw allow 80
  sudo ufw allow 443
  sudo ufw reload

  Don’t open SSH to every address or turn the whole firewall off to fix a disconnection. If you can’t tell which addresses to allow, or you can’t reach the server safely, contact xCloud Support.

If the disconnection started right after a firewall change, undo that change first, then click Refresh. Also check any rules you added under Firewall Management or SSH Lockdown in xCloud.

Ports 80 and 443 are closed (sites don’t load or SSL won’t renew)

If the server is connected but your sites don’t load, or a free SSL certificate fails to issue or renew, the HTTP (80) and HTTPS (443) ports may be closed. In xCloud’s Firewall Management panel, check the ports for SSH (usually 22), HTTP (80) and HTTPS (443), and test them against the server’s IP address with an online port checker such as Port Checker.

If 80 and 443 are closed but SSH is open, connect over SSH (or use the SSH tool in xCloud), replacing the username, server IP and port with your own:

ssh username@server_ip -p port_number

Then open the two ports and reload the firewall:

sudo ufw allow 80
sudo ufw allow 443
sudo ufw reload

Visit the site’s URL to confirm it loads. For certificate errors that remain, see how to fix a failed free SSL and Cloudflare 522 errors when ports 80 and 443 are closed.

The SSH port was changed

xCloud connects on the SSH port it has on record. If the port was changed on the server directly, or the new port is not open in the firewall, the check fails. Change the port from xCloud instead, and make sure the new port is allowed in both firewalls. See how to update the SSH port in xCloud.

xCloud’s SSH key or password was changed or removed

xCloud logs in with the SSH key or password it set up when the server was connected. If someone removed xCloud’s key from the server, replaced the authorized_keys file, or changed the password xCloud uses, the server answers but rejects xCloud’s login. Restore the old key or password if you can. Otherwise, contact support so the team can reconnect the server.

The server was deleted, or the provider account has a billing problem

If the server was deleted at the provider, or the provider suspended it for an unpaid invoice, xCloud cannot reach it, and your sites are down too. Check the server and the billing status in your provider’s dashboard. For an xCloud-managed server, also check Billing in xCloud.

When to contact support

Contact support if:

• the server is running at your provider and SSH is open, but Refresh still shows Disconnected
• you think xCloud’s SSH key or password was changed
• you use an xCloud server (not a self-managed one) and can’t see why it disconnected

Tell the team the server name, roughly when the disconnection started, and any changes made around that time (firewall rules, SSH port, keys, provider settings). Don’t send passwords or private keys.

Frequently asked questions

Are my websites down when xCloud shows my server as Disconnected?

Not necessarily. Disconnected means xCloud cannot reach the server over SSH. If the server itself is running, your sites keep serving visitors. Open a site in a private browser window to check.

Why do Magic Login and other dashboard actions fail on a disconnected server?

xCloud runs those actions on your server over SSH. While the server is disconnected, actions such as Magic Login, restarting services or changing PHP settings are refused until the connection comes back.

How long does xCloud keep checking a disconnected server?

xCloud checks a disconnected server less often the longer it stays unreachable, and stops automatic checks after 30 days without a successful connection: about hourly for the first day, every 6 hours up to 7 days, then daily up to 30 days. So a server you have fixed can take a few hours to show Connected again unless you click Refresh on the server page, which checks now. Automatic checks resume once a connection succeeds.

Does one failed check mark my server as Disconnected?

Not for the automatic check. When an automatic check fails on a connected server, xCloud checks again about 5 minutes later. The server is marked Disconnected, and you are notified, only if that second check also fails. A manual Refresh that fails marks the server Disconnected right away.

If you run into any issues, feel free to reach out to our support team.