PMPro Hosting servers receive ongoing security updates. Most install without any disruption, but some, especially kernel updates, only take full effect after a reboot. We batch these into short, planned maintenance windows so your members never hit downtime during a busy period.

This page covers why reboots happen, how we pick a time, how to tell us about times to avoid, and what you’ll see during the maintenance window.

Why we reboot your server

PMPro Hosting runs your membership site on a dedicated server (Droplet) that we manage for you. That server’s operating system, web server (Apache), PHP, database (MySQL), Redis, and related packages receive security updates on an ongoing basis.

Many of those updates can install quietly. Some—especially kernel and core library updates—only finish taking effect after a short reboot. Until that reboot happens, the new security fixes are not fully active.

We deliberately do not reboot automatically the moment an update installs. Reboots are batched into planned maintenance so your members are not surprised by downtime in the middle of a busy period.

Why reboots are more common lately

Security updates for the Linux stack that runs modern WordPress hosting (kernel, OpenSSL, glibc, PHP, and related packages) are shipping more frequently than they did a few years ago. Vendors patch faster because attackers move faster. That is good for your site’s security—and it means kernel-level updates (and the reboots that finish them) show up more often than in the past.

You should expect occasional brief maintenance windows rather than rare, large “once a year” outages. Each window is short; the goal is steady, current security—not long gaps between fixes.

How we pick a time

When a reboot is needed, we:

1. Watch real traffic on your server (access logs) and prefer a quiet hour—typically the lowest-traffic period we can find over recent days.
2. Notify you ahead of time when the site is live (support notice + email), with the planned window and what to expect.
3. Take a fresh backup, put up a brief maintenance page, reboot, verify the server is healthy, and bring the site back—usually under about 10 minutes of visible impact.

We would rather reboot at 4 am your members’ time than during a product launch or live event.

Prefer to avoid certain times?

If you have a regular quiet window to protect (e.g., weekly live calls, class start times, flash sales) or a one-off blackout (e.g., conference week, big launch), tell us.

Contact PMPro Hosting support and ask us to record a reboot avoid window in your hosting notes. We’ll store it with your site’s hosting record and honor it when scheduling the next maintenance reboot whenever possible.

Examples of what helps us:

• “No reboots Fridays 4 pm –11 pm America/New_York (live cohort calls).”
• “No reboots 2026-09-10 through 2026-09-14 (annual conference).”
• “Prefer Tue–Thu 03:00–06:00 America/Chicago.”

If an urgent security issue requires a reboot within an avoid window, we’ll contact you and explain why before proceeding whenever possible.

What you’ll see

• No action required from you unless we ask for confirmation on a special case.
• A short maintenance page instead of your normal site during the reboot.
• Normal service again after checks complete.