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Creating a site on one domain and linking

  • 14-10-2018 9:56pm
    #1
    dory
    Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators Posts: 4,521 Mod ✭✭✭✭


    Hello,

    I'm trying to help my school with their website. It's a bit of a mess in that there's a government agency that gives free hosting, and a terrible domain (www.ourschool.scoilnet.ie) , so we want to use their free stuff, but also have a nice domain (www.ourschool.ie).

    We want to make this as simple as possible. Is there a way for me to build a simple site, then get a company to redirect www.ourschool.ie to the site we built on the long address? Preferably people would never see the long domain.

    At the moment we're trying to use Dreamweaver to upload a Wordpress installation to our site. I've done a lot of basic sites before, and it's always been a case of just logging into my hosting and pressing Install Wordpress. Is what I'm trying even possible? The government way is very awkward and confusing.

    We'd appreciate any help possible! Thanks


Comments

  • #2
    daymobrew
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,532 ✭✭✭daymobrew


    Years ago I helped move a Scoilnet (which is WordPress Multisite) website to its own hosting.

    The school got its own hosting (it already had its own domain name, which pointed to www.ourschool.scoilnet.ie) and I installed WordPress on it (I installed it manually but clicking 'install WordPress' is almost the same).
    I also managed to get Scoilnet to export the database for the school's website. They initially said it wasn't possible but I told them what database tables to export - ping me if you want help figuring what db tables contain your school's data).

    I don't understand how you are using Dreamweaver for this as WordPress uses "themes" which are a combination of PHP files and other assets (images, css files, js files etc).


  • #3
    dory
    Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators Posts: 4,521 Mod ✭✭✭✭dory


    daymobrew wrote: »

    I don't understand how you are using Dreamweaver for this as WordPress uses "themes" which are a combination of PHP files and other assets (images, css files, js files etc).

    I have themes and Dreamweaver because Scoilnet doesn't have a Control Panel like other hostings where you can just press the Wordpress button and have it installed. I had to go an awful roundabout way of installing Wordpress on a local site on my laptop using MAMP software. Then the only way to get that from the localhost to the scoilnet site is through FTP software, and one way is to import this local site to Dreamweaver and upload it through there. It's awful and took hours but seems to be the only way.

    I'll ask a few more teachers what they did before I throw in my little towel.


  • #4
    28064212
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 10,846 ✭✭✭✭28064212


    If you want to use their hosting, you have to use their methods, there's no way around that. Although I'm not sure what Dreamweaver is bringing to the scenario, why aren't you just FTPing the files directly? Are you just using Dreamweaver purely as an FTP client (in which case it's overkill, a simple FTP client like Filezilla would be more suitable)?

    With regards to the domain name, you might just be able to use a CNAME record in your new DNS details. You'd set up a CNAME record for www.ourschool.ie that points at www.ourschool.scoilnet.ie. That way people who visit the shorter address get the content at the longer one.

    However, depending on how scoilnet have their hosting set up, this may not work as expected. It's possible that they require www.ourschool.scoilnet.ie to be in the requesting URL to route the traffic correctly. You're not going to know without either testing it or getting confirmation from scoilnet themselves

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  • #5
    Kenny Logins
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 9,060 ✭✭✭Kenny Logins


    dory wrote: »
    Hello,

    I'm trying to help my school with their website. It's a bit of a mess in that there's a government agency that gives free hosting, and a terrible domain (www.ourschool.scoilnet.ie) , so we want to use their free stuff, but also have a nice domain (www.ourschool.ie).

    We want to make this as simple as possible. Is there a way for me to build a simple site, then get a company to redirect www.ourschool.ie to the site we built on the long address? Preferably people would never see the long domain.

    At the moment we're trying to use Dreamweaver to upload a Wordpress installation to our site. I've done a lot of basic sites before, and it's always been a case of just logging into my hosting and pressing Install Wordpress. Is what I'm trying even possible? The government way is very awkward and confusing.

    We'd appreciate any help possible! Thanks

    Log into the short domain's control panel and set a CNAME record pointing to your Scoilnet domain. Delete the A records (there might be one A record and a CNAME for www so just remove both).

    Then when anyone visits your short domain they will be visiting Scoilnet without even knowing. The Scoilnet address will also still work.


  • #6
    dory
    Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators Posts: 4,521 Mod ✭✭✭✭dory


    Thanks again!

    Ok, so I've downloaded Filezilla and need to do a bit more reading / watching YouTube videos I suppose. Current challenge is getting the required details - I have username / password for my hosting (presume that's the info they're looking for). It's asking for Host, username, password and port.

    Host is the hardest one. IS that my site? Thanks


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  • #7
    Kenny Logins
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 9,060 ✭✭✭Kenny Logins


    Not sure what you're trying to achieve with FTP. If Scoilnet is a Wordpress Multisite, you shouldn't really need FTP access, almost everything can be done with themes and plugins etc. and FTP won't give you database access.


  • #8
    dory
    Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators Posts: 4,521 Mod ✭✭✭✭dory


    Kenny Logins wrote: »
    Not sure what you're trying to achieve with FTP. If Scoilnet is a Wordpress Multisite, you shouldn't really need FTP access, almost everything can be done with themes and plugins etc. and FTP won't give you database access.

    No it's a very pared back version of Wordpress. So I can't upload my own theme, can only use the free themes on Wordpress, so can't change things I want to (lots of Click Here to buy Pro version). I have a subscription to a theme website so would like to use one of them. Where you would usually get a long column of choices down the left hand side on a Wordpress installation, we have about three.
    Scoilnet is a very out-of-date service. The information they provide is for Dreamweaver versions released around 2004 - 2006.

    I'm after finding out that Scoilnet likes WebDav connections, and one can make such a connection directly through the Finder on Mac. So I'm in on that. Now, my old site is there, is a load of html files and folders.

    I'm hoping by simply copying and pasting in my new site (made on a local server on my computer) that it'll magically make it's way to the site??

    Just backing up the old files and will see.


  • #9
    Kenny Logins
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 9,060 ✭✭✭Kenny Logins


    Ah, I see. Is the new site HTML?


  • #10
    dory
    Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators Posts: 4,521 Mod ✭✭✭✭dory


    Kenny Logins wrote: »
    Ah, I see. Is the new site HTML?

    The new site was made on Wordpress, on a local server using MAMP.
    I now have the site mounted on my desktop via Webdav, have all the old files delated, and presumed by just dragging the new Wordpress folder onto my site folder it would upload. No such luck. Can't find any 'Put site' type button on the Webdav thing in the Finder window so it's not updating anything.

    I've downloaded Cyberduck now so will try that...


  • #11
    Kenny Logins
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 9,060 ✭✭✭Kenny Logins


    Won't work without a database.


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  • #12
    daymobrew
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,532 ✭✭✭daymobrew


    Kenny Logins wrote: »
    Not sure what you're trying to achieve with FTP. If Scoilnet is a Wordpress Multisite, you shouldn't really need FTP access, almost everything can be done with themes and plugins etc. and FTP won't give you database access.
    I doubt that Scoilnet will allow you to install a custom theme or even allow you install plugins from wordpress.org. It's very locked down.

    I suggest getting your own hosting (you have the domain) and asking Scoilnet for the db tables for the current school site.


  • #13
    Kenny Logins
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 9,060 ✭✭✭Kenny Logins


    Not really familiar with multisite, never used it. Must be like WordPress.com?
    TBH in this situation, I'd just add shared hosting to the domain. Can't be much more than 50 quid per year and no messing about.


  • #14
    dory
    Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators Posts: 4,521 Mod ✭✭✭✭dory


    Kenny Logins wrote: »
    Not really familiar with multisite, never used it. Must be like WordPress.com?
    TBH in this situation, I'd just add shared hosting to the domain. Can't be much more than 50 quid per year and no messing about.

    Yea I'll be doing that I'd say. Giving up on this current plan! I've my own site as well with a hosting company and it's all very easy. This is awful! Scoilnet's technology seems very antiquated.

    Thanks all!!


  • #15
    daymobrew
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,532 ✭✭✭daymobrew


    Kenny Logins wrote: »
    Not really familiar with multisite, never used it. Must be like WordPress.com?
    TBH in this situation, I'd just add shared hosting to the domain. Can't be much more than 50 quid per year and no messing about.
    That's exactly what I did with my son's school site. I was liberating.

    Scoilnet was grand for what you got but, WordPress Multisite (yes, it's exactly like wordpress.com) prevents you from installing themes and plugins. That's necessary for system stability and security.


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