I have been building websites for the last 10 years, but i am quite new to Server world.
I’ve figured out how to create new hosting / cPanel accounts for new clients via WHM, however i am struggling to get an understanding of what is required from the domain side.
Can anyone help with the steps required for the following two scenarios.
01 - i’ve bought a new domain name for my client, and now i need to link it to the hosting / cPanel account that i have just created for them
02 - my client has purchased a domain name else where, and i now need to link it to the hosting / cPanel account that i have just created for them
There’s not a lot to do, really—but in both situations, you need to log into the domain host’s control panel and point those domains to your hosting account. For example, when you or your client buys a domain, it usually points to the domain host’s name servers by default, something like this:
Name Server 1: ns1.hostdomain.com
Name Server 2: ns2.hostdomain.com
Your hosting account will have its own name servers, which you would have been told about in the information sent to you. So you may just need to change the above to something like this:
Name Server 1: ns1.myhostingaccount.com
Name Server 2: ns2.myhostingaccount.com
There’s a little more to it if the sites each have their own dedicated IP address, but the above situation is very common.
In layman’s terms, you have a domain name (which is like your personal name), and your website is located out there on a computer somewhere (just like you have to live somewhere). When someone wants to visit your site and enters your website’s domain name into their browser (just like they might want to visit you at your home), a request for your site is sent out onto the web. There needs to be information out there of where your site is located—or what computer it’s stored on, so that it can be retrieved and downloaded to the requesting browser (just like there needs to be a public directory of names and addresses for where you live). The name servers for your website are essentially like your home address, indicating where you live.
You overlooked step 0.5 where the domain is added in the cPanel as an Add-on domain. The INTERNAL links are then setup for the directory where the files will be held AND cPanel will accept the requests forwarded by the dns settings at the registrar(s) which you covered.
Hah, so far as I know I’ve never had to do anything like that with CPanel, so was just describing what I do. Have you used WHM? That kind of sits above the various CPanel accounts and is where I set up each site on a VPS. I guess whatever I do in WHM is the equivalent of (or does in the background) what you are describing.
Of course! My dedi includes Intelligent Platform Manager (sits above WHM), WHM and cPanel.
I missed the part where oo7ml specified where he was setting up the domain and, for a new account, WHM would be the logical place (separated from all other domains) so, as you say, that’s the place for this member to go (for a new account). I typically just add domains to an existing account so cPanel’s AddOn domains takes care of the linkage with the local name server. In either case, the WHM/cPanel sets up the A records for the local name server to establish the domain.
I am also using WHM to create my client’s new hosting / cpanel accounts.
Before i had got my new VM, i was used to pointing domains to various name servers, however i’ve been told that i need to do a lot more when it comes to managing domains with a VM set up… i’ve been told to do the following… do these steps sound right to you?
01 - log into domain panel
02 - click dns tab > dns records
03 - add ‘a’ record with blank field (no domain name) and point to your new server
04 - add ‘a’ record with www and the domain name (www.domain.com) and point to your new server
05 - add ‘a’ record with * and the domain name (*.domain.com) and point to your new server
06 - add ‘mx’ record with blank field (no domain name), with high priority and set mail exchanger to mail.clientdomain.com
I’ve two questions on this:
A - does the above seem right to you
B - how come i never have to do this before when just pointing a domain name to a new names server
It’s been a LONG time since I’ve setup a new account using WHM BUT I have no recollection of having to get into the DNS and create A or MX records. That’s the job of the WHM/cPanel (for the simple reason that you must be EXACT with your settings or you’ll disable your domain name)! The ONLY times I’ve had to get into the DNS settings (DNS Records) is when a client wanted me to host their website but they wanted their e-mail handled elsewhere.
Login to WHM
Click on Reseller Center
Add/Remove Reseller Accounts - enter your domain name and click OK
At that point, WHM will perform the DNS magic for you and give you the info for the new account.
If it was this host who gave you the bum information, DO NOT use the above! Go find a reputable host and use their WHM instead.
That answered A for you and serves to answer B, too.
THEN, as Ralph said, merely use the WHM’s cited dns servers to update the DNS records AT THE DOMAIN NAME REGISTRAR for this domain. All set!
Recommendation: If the host has provided you with PRIVATE domain name servers (using your WHM’s registered domain name, i.e., dns1.yourname.com and dns2.yourname.com), use those at the registrar. That way, if you need to switch hosts, you can simply take the private domain name servers along with you and not need to update each domain individually.
Yep, I agree with @dklynn here. I’ve never had to do what you listed and I think I have the same setup as you. As dk said, WHM will perform the DNS magic for you. The only time I’ve had to do a little more at the domain host end was when the site had its own IP addresses, but even then, it’s quite straight forward.
In terms of email, you don’t need to do anything in regard to that unless you want the email hosted elsewhere (say on Google’s servers), in which case you’d then alter the MX records in CPanel.