Help with my www's and other rascally rabbits

  • Resolved Jenny Beaumont

    (@jennybeaumont)


    10 years, 4 months ago

    Hi folks,

    Could really use some domain mapping help. My troubles started with just needing to get my www sub-domains to work, but I fear I broke something else in the process.

    Basic scenario is I just converted my site jennybeaumont.com into multisite, to accommodate a new blog icodeandicook.com and a new site for the hubs emf-immigration-consulting.com

    The site is hosted at OVH, while the latter two domains are registered at Gandi.

    The multisite install went fine, the sites are created.
    The domain mapping plugin install went fine (tho I had a brief moment with w3 cache that doesn’t seem to be compatible so I disabled it), and at first both domains were correctly mapping to their designated spots.

    But only without the www sub-domain, which I prefer. Both versions, with and without www, are declared with the host, and I tried several combinations of declaring the domains in the domain mapping settings: both, one, the other, alternating primaries. But in no case could I get the www version to redirect – it always takes me back to a landing page at Gandi.

    Then I started mucking with the CNAME record (for emf-immigration-consulting.com only) . By default, Gandi has the www CNAME record defined as webredir.vip.gandi.net.
    I tried setting it to emf-immigration-consulting.com, then I tried using the IP address). Nothing worked, and even got worse creating an endless loop of redirects. I’ve now put it back to its default, but it longer works at all. I’ve let 24hr pass, so things should be updated.

    So my first question: how do I achieve www’s?
    And second: how can I reset my CNAME experiment screw up?

    Sorry this is so lengthy, but I figured the more info the better.
    Appreciate your help,
    -jennyb

    http://wordpress.org/plugins/wordpress-mu-domain-mapping/

Viewing 11 replies - 1 through 11 (of 11 total)
  • Plugin Author Ron Rennick

    (@wpmuguru)

    10 years, 4 months ago

    it always takes me back to a landing page at Gandi.

    Whenever that happens it’s something in your webserver config. The request isn’t getting to your WP install. The best thing to do is contact your host’s support.

    Thread Starter Jenny Beaumont

    (@jennybeaumont)

    10 years, 4 months ago

    Thanks for your reply, Ron.

    So you do mean host and not registrar then?

    Because in my missing www scenario, I get redirected to the registrar page for a parked domain.

    In the case of my other domain gone bonkers after I mucked with the CNAME, both with and without www redirects to the main site of the network 🙁

    thanks again,
    -jennyb

    Plugin Author Ron Rennick

    (@wpmuguru)

    10 years, 4 months ago

    Because in my missing www scenario, I get redirected to the registrar page for a parked domain.

    In that case it is your DNS that’s not correct.

    Thread Starter Jenny Beaumont

    (@jennybeaumont)

    10 years, 4 months ago

    Hi Ron (or anyone who’d like to chime in :)),

    I’m still having trouble with this. Under Tools > Domain mapping for each site it says,

    “If your domain name includes a hostname like “www”, “blog” or some other prefix before the actual domain name you will need to add a CNAME for that hostname in your DNS pointing at this blog URL.”

    By blog URL, does it mean the main address with subdirectory? Can you clarify this please?

    many thanks,
    -jennyb

    Moderator Ipstenu (Mika Epstein)

    (@ipstenu)

    🏳️‍🌈 Advisor and Activist

    10 years, 4 months ago

    Blog URL: The URL by which one accesses your site.

    Example: Go to http://www.wordpress.org

    Does it STAY on www or redirect to wordpress.org?

    The one it lands on is the blog URL 🙂

    Thread Starter Jenny Beaumont

    (@jennybeaumont)

    10 years, 4 months ago

    Hey, thanks Mika. I’m going totally batty over here.

    Yes, but which site 🙂

    So, based on various and conflicting information I’ve gotten about how to handle my why-do-things-the-easy-way situation, this is what I’ve got :

    At my registrar, for one of the domains in my network I’ve got
    @ A = IP address
    www CNAME = the registrar’s auto redirect

    At my host, I’ve got with and without www declared. The domain is mapped correctly without www but not with. The www redirects to my registrar.

    With the 2nd domain – the one I’ve been testing different mapping configurations with – I’ve got
    @ A = IP address
    www A = IP address

    then at my host, I’ve got both versions declared (multi domain), and I’ve completed an extra step – as per instructions I’ve found online – to also “add” the domain to my host. Really not sure what this means and how it is different that declaring the multi domain, except that it gives me DNS zone access on the host end.

    This domain (both versions), after emptying my DNS cache and waiting patiently, now redirects to the main network site (i.e. not where I want it to go).

    I’m obviously doing something wrong, but feel like I’ve tried every combination possible. Though I learned about DNS cache emptying late in my trials. Any insight about the right way to handle this (besides waiting to be able to transfer the domain to the host, still have 30+ days to go), would be greatly appreciated!

    best,
    -jennyb

    Thread Starter Jenny Beaumont

    (@jennybeaumont)

    10 years, 4 months ago

    Just had my host on the phone. They suggest that there is no need to define a CNAME or A type for the www, and to wait for the DNS to update…

    waiting…

    Moderator Ipstenu (Mika Epstein)

    (@ipstenu)

    🏳️‍🌈 Advisor and Activist

    10 years, 4 months ago

    You’re over thinking all this. Stop. Take a DEEP breath 🙂

    Okay. The way the mapping plugin works is REALY straightforward and simple: It says “http://domain2.com will pull data from http://subsite.maindomain.com”

    Hold on to that for a second.

    When you say you want to use http://www.domain2.com then you have to make sure of two things:

    1) http://www.domain2.com works at all – If that, WITHOUT WordPress Domain Mapping, does not redirect to domain2.com then the issue is outside of WP.

    2) You map http://www.domain2.com in the WP dashboard to point to your desired subsite.

    Because in my missing www scenario, I get redirected to the registrar page for a parked domain.

    That’s not even pointing AT where you installed WP, and is totally outside of WP.

    www CNAME = the registrar’s auto redirect

    And that’s what was not right 🙂

    Thread Starter Jenny Beaumont

    (@jennybeaumont)

    10 years, 4 months ago

    *deep breath*
    Yes, I think my confusion has been “people” telling me that I need to define a CNAME for the www, when it may turn out that deleting it altogether may be the solution. Also the wait time and caching in between configuration changes does not help. But yes again, I’m aware that my issue is with my DNS config and not with WP or the mapping plugin.

    Will check back in tomorrow when I can be sure my latest changes are up to date.

    thanks again for your time! 🙂
    -jennyb

    Moderator Ipstenu (Mika Epstein)

    (@ipstenu)

    🏳️‍🌈 Advisor and Activist

    10 years, 4 months ago

    Sometimes you need a cname, and sometimes you need an A record, and much of that depends on how your host set up the name servers :/

    There are few absolute answers in domain mapping, because a lot is “It depends on your host setup” – and yeah, we find that horribly difficult too!

    Thread Starter Jenny Beaumont

    (@jennybeaumont)

    10 years, 4 months ago

    Finally got it worked out. Seems that defining the A type using the name * and removing the @ and any www redirects did the trick. *happy dance*

    cheers!
    -jennyb

Viewing 11 replies - 1 through 11 (of 11 total)
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