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Question: domain pointing to CGI application

smeadows
Dabbler
Posts: 14
Registered: ‎30-07-2007

Question: domain pointing to CGI application

I have been looking around and I don't seem to find a response - feel free to direct me to the relevant documentation.
In a nutshell, what I try to do is to point a domain (registered outside PlusNet) to a web application under my CGI space (the new one...). If necessary, the domain could be registered at PlusNet...
Basically I have registered mydomain.com and I want it to have as the root of an installation of (Wordpress/Joomla/Concrete5/...) which is installed at http://ccgi.xxxxxxxx.plus.com/application. I don't want the visitor to see the ccgi.xxxxxxxx.plus.com address anywhere in the URL.
How can I do this? Is there an idiot's guide on how to do it? Is it even possible?
At the moment, I have a "URL Frame" set up at my registrar (I use domainpanel.com), but the solution is not satisfactory and I'm sure there should be a better way.
Many thanks in advance for any help or documentation.
20 REPLIES 20
spraxyt
Resting Legend
Posts: 10,063
Thanks: 674
Fixes: 75
Registered: ‎06-04-2007

Re: Question: domain pointing to CGI application

I think the steps you need to follow to get the domain overlaid onto your ccgi webspace are as follows.
The first stage is to move hosting to Plusnet (domain registration can stay where it is). The process for doing this is described in section 2 of the How to Transfer a Domain guide. Costs will depend on your product, and may be free.
Once the domain is hosted with Plusnet you'll need domain alias records set up on the new cgi server pointing to your ccgi username webspace. These will point to the document root (/public) in this webspace. If required set up .htaccess rules to direct urls to the required folders. Then update domain details in the application control panels so that links in those applications use your domain name and not the username url.
David
David
smeadows
Dabbler
Posts: 14
Registered: ‎30-07-2007

Re: Question: domain pointing to CGI application

Thank you, David: I've started the process to transfer the domain and I'm now waiting to hear back from PlusNet.
When you talk about the "domain alias records" I assume you mean the configuration in .htaccess, is that so? I remember doing it in the past and will have to dig out the instructions...
Many thanks,
-- Marco
bobpullen
Community Gaffer
Community Gaffer
Posts: 16,869
Thanks: 4,950
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Registered: ‎04-04-2007

Re: Question: domain pointing to CGI application

Hi Marco,
I've just sorted this out for you.

Bob Pullen
Plusnet Product Team
If I've been helpful then please give thanks ⤵

spraxyt
Resting Legend
Posts: 10,063
Thanks: 674
Fixes: 75
Registered: ‎06-04-2007

Re: Question: domain pointing to CGI application

Quote from: smeadows
When you talk about the "domain alias records" I assume you mean the configuration in .htaccess, is that so?

Hi Marco,
No, defining the domain alias is part of the server configuration, which Plusnet have to do. This is part of what Bob will have set up for you. Smiley
David
David
smeadows
Dabbler
Posts: 14
Registered: ‎30-07-2007

Re: Question: domain pointing to CGI application

Thank you, David & Bob (also replied on the ticket). I can see the domain now in my domain list, but still something isn't right. My new domain (roxyaward.com) now points to mpmagic.co.uk, while it should be pointing to ccgi.mpmagic.co.uk/roxyaward. This - I suspect - has to be done with changes to .httpaccess.
I've tried to set up a redirection 301 in the "domain forwarding" page (see attached) but no luck... navigating to roxyaward.com still takes me to mpmagic.co.uk.
What am I doing wrong? I had this working with another domain (hauntiques.com) that was only plain HTML (not CGI) and had some rules set up in .htaccess (and it's still working...) and I suspect I have to do something with the .htaccess, but not sure what  Embarrassed
spraxyt
Resting Legend
Posts: 10,063
Thanks: 674
Fixes: 75
Registered: ‎06-04-2007

Re: Question: domain pointing to CGI application

Doing a DNS lookup for roxyaward.com shows three A records, two pointing to the homepages servers and one pointing to the ccgi server. For www.roxyaward.com there is a CNAME record pointing to roxyaward.com.
For mpmagic.co.uk DNS has A records pointing to the homepages servers, www.mpmagic.co.uk.has a CNAME record pointing to homepages.plus.net which is homepages and ccgi.mpmagic.co.uk has a  CNAME record pointing to ccgi.plus.net which is the ccgi server.
Were you expecting the roxyaward.com settings to mirror those for mpmagic.co.uk because at present they don't?
Once these DNS entries are sorted out, and the appropriate ccgi domain alias entry added on the ccgi server the URL ccgi.roxyaward.com should go to /public on ccgi.mpmagic.co.uk. You would then  create mod_rewrite entries in .htaccess to internally redirect to /public/roxyaward/
I suggest deleting the redirect from the Hosting Control Panel, that is not what is needed.
David
David
smeadows
Dabbler
Posts: 14
Registered: ‎30-07-2007

Re: Question: domain pointing to CGI application

Hi David,
Many thanks for the help you're giving. I think there is something mis-configured with my DNS records at PlusNet... I've been with PlusNet for 14-15 years and went through all the CGI changes they implemented, with domains left, right and centre...
I have 5 domains in my domains list (see below) and this is confusing enough.

  • mpmagic.co.uk should point to the homepages: it is a static site and it is fine.

  • roxyaward.com is a CGI site, so it should point to one of the "cgi" domains... but which one??? I've got three!


I don't use cgi.smeadows.plus.com and two of my DBs are in ccgi.mpmagic.co.uk. I have another db (a very old one...) on ccgi.smeadows.plus.com - which I should probably move to ccgi.mpmagic.co.uk.
I think that the DNS records for roxyaward.com should point to ccgi.mpmagic.co.uk and definitely not to the homepages... am I right?
Many thanks,
-- Marco
bobpullen
Community Gaffer
Community Gaffer
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Re: Question: domain pointing to CGI application

Quote from: spraxyt
Doing a DNS lookup for roxyaward.com shows three A records, two pointing to the homepages servers and one pointing to the ccgi server. For www.roxyaward.com there is a CNAME record pointing to roxyaward.com.

Oops! That's my fault Embarrassed
I've removed the two records that point to the Homepages server. You'll need to allow 24 hours or so for DNS to do its thing.

Bob Pullen
Plusnet Product Team
If I've been helpful then please give thanks ⤵

smeadows
Dabbler
Posts: 14
Registered: ‎30-07-2007

Re: Question: domain pointing to CGI application

Hi Bob,
Many thanks: this solved the issue and I've sorted out my .htaccess files. I've also closed the support ticket.
All the best,
-- Marco
spraxyt
Resting Legend
Posts: 10,063
Thanks: 674
Fixes: 75
Registered: ‎06-04-2007

Re: Question: domain pointing to CGI application

Quote from: smeadows
I think that the DNS records for roxyaward.com should point to ccgi.mpmagic.co.uk and definitely not to the homepages... am I right?

Now that the unwanted references to homepages have been removed the roxyaward.com A record pointing to ccgi has taken effect and the URL works now.
The DNS records direct the URLs to the correct server. Once there which files are served depends on the domain alias settings set up in the server configuration.
I think you will have just one filespace on ccgi - ccgi.smeadows.plus.com - and your other domains/subdomains on ccgi are aliased to that. You then use .htaccess directives to redirect into appropriate folders. I'd expected you would hide the directory names in  the URLs by doing internal redirects rather than 302 external ones (though technically I think they should be 301 permanent moves). However what you have now works fine. Smiley
David
David
oliverb
Grafter
Posts: 606
Registered: ‎02-08-2007

Re: Question: domain pointing to CGI application

In the simple case that I have a domain something.com already with plusnet and I want to use ccgi.something.com do I just add a CNAME DNS record for ccgi.something.com to point to "ccgi.plus.net." (I remember the trailing dot was important)? Does it need a help ticket to complete it?
I looked at a domain I have already configured and it says that but back when it was set up you did have to raise a ticket.
bobpullen
Community Gaffer
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Registered: ‎04-04-2007

Re: Question: domain pointing to CGI application

That depends whether or not you can see the ccgi subdomain in the domain management drop-down in the Hosting Control Panel. If you can, then the CNAME /should/ be sufficient. If you can't, then you'll need to raise a support ticket.

Bob Pullen
Plusnet Product Team
If I've been helpful then please give thanks ⤵

smeadows
Dabbler
Posts: 14
Registered: ‎30-07-2007

Re: Question: domain pointing to CGI application

I asked PlusNet a few days ago to configure the records for another domain transfer as per the  How to Transfer a Domain guide and have been told this is not possible??? Shocked Is it just me or has this feature been removed in the past few days?
Bob, the ticket number, if it helps, is 90895596
Many thanks,
-- M.
bobpullen
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Re: Question: domain pointing to CGI application

Sorted.

Bob Pullen
Plusnet Product Team
If I've been helpful then please give thanks ⤵