Note: This feature is only enabled on premium workspaces.
If you're interested in this feature, but have questions about upgrading, please check out the Billing section of this manual.
Main Use of a Custom Domain
The Custom Domain feature is best used by public workspaces, that have no need for SSL authentication. It's a good way for users of your main website to be directed towards your public documentation, without having them stray too far away from your main website. However, if the majority of your users need to log in, it is not advisable to use the Custom Domain.
Administrators, Writers, and Editors of your website should always log in with the PBworks.com domain. Additionally, all workspaces with a Workspace Security setting of "Only people I invite or approve" for both viewing and editing the workspace should not use a Custom domain.
The reason for this limitation is that all logins require SSL authentication, and the security certificate is always set to PBworks.com. When a browser encounters the PBworks.com certificate, the browser checks to see if the URL in the browser and the URL in the certificate match. If there is no match, then a very serious error message is revealed, warning the user that the site could be a forgery. This kind of error usually does indicate a forged security certificate, however, in this situation, the reason for the mismatch is known.
Unfortunately, PBworks cannot issue a new certificate for every custom domain workspace, so if you use this feature, please make sure that your users that need to log in are aware of this limitation.
Basic Concepts
What is a domain?
A domain is the name that people use to find a website. For example, the website you are reading this on right now is "PBworks.com." Any person in the world that has a web browser and connects to PBworks.com will have access to the same information, because it's coming from the same source. Domain names are registered with a domain name registrar and are unique to the person or organization that buys them. So, every time you go to google.com, or yahoo.com, you will always connect to the same site, since those domains are owned by their respective companies. As a result, it is impossible for any other person or organization to register an identical domain.
How can I buy a domain?
Domains are available from a wide variety of websites, and they usually charge an annual fee for registering your domain. It's probably best to buy a domain from a well established company, since they probably have the best support and services for your needs. Below is a list of some companies that offer domain name registration:
GoDaddy.com
1and1.com
Register.com
Yahoo! Small Business
What is DNS?
DNS, (which stands for Domain Name System), is the network of computers on the internet which translate domains into IP addresses. When you type a domain into a web browser, the browser first contacts a domain server, which is part of DNS. The domain server then provides the web browser with an IP address, which the browser uses to connect to the right server and get the right website.
When a new website, with a new domain, is created the registrar submits the name and the IP address of the server to DNS. This information is then automatically shared with all other DNS servers. This process usually takes about 24-48 hours. Then, the website is accessible from any web browser in the world.
What is a subdomain?
A subdomain is a domain that is part of a larger domain, and is indicated by the word that precedes the domain. For example PBworks.com is the domain, but the controls to edit your notification settings for any workspace are available at the subdomain of "my" (http://my.pbworks.com).
Additionally, any time you create a workspace, you're actually creating a new subdomain for PBworks.com. So "usermanual" is the PBworks.com subdomain that this workspace is using. Because of this, only one account is allowed to own any given workspace name, since each subdomain must be unique. That's why it may take a few tries before you can create a workspace, the exact workpace name you want may already be in use.
Depending on the package you get when you buy your domain, you'll probably have the opportunity to create a number of subdomains. Before buying any domain, you should probably check to see how many subdomains you can register, and if that number is right for you.
What is the advantage of using my own domain for my workspace?
The biggest advantage of using your own domain with PBworks is that it takes the "pbworks.com" out of the URL for your workspace. So, when people visit your workspace, if it's connected to a larger site that they want to access, they'll naturally go to your own domain, and not pbworks.com.
Another big advantage to using your own domain is that the subdomain assigned to your workspace by pbworks.com becomes immaterial. When you create a new workspace, you must choose a name for it that doesn't yet exist on pbworks.com. For example, if you wanted to name your workspace "demosite," you could not, because demosite.pbworks.com has already been taken. However, once you set a custom domain on your workspace, you can assign whatever name you want in the subdomain, since it's under your own domain. So, while you may name the site on PBworks as "xyz123456," with the URL being xyz123456.pbworks.com, the subdomain on your own site could still be "demosite" because it would be on a different domain, yours.
Finally, using a custom domain makes a lot of sense if you're trying to make the site your own. Along with the premium Customization features, you can take all mentions of PBworks.com out of your workspace for normal viewers of the site.
Setting your workspace's Custom Domain
Step 1: Set up a subdomain with your domain name registrar
This first step may be unnecessary if you would like the default site to be your workspace. However, if you'd like your workspace to be an optional section of your website, and not the default place people get to when they enter in your domain into their web browser, then it is necessary to set up a subdomain. Unfortunately, you cannot set your workspace to use a sub folder of your main website, only a subdomain.
Go Daddy.com
1and1.com
Register.com
Yahoo! Small Business
Step 2: Set a CNAME record
Once you've created your subdomain, you must create a CNAME record in the Advanced DNS settings of your domain manager. This CNAME record must point to the URL your PBworks workspace is actually hosted at. For example, if your PBworks is demosite, then the CNAME record must point to "http://demosite.pbworks.com". Here are some links to help you get started setting a CNAME record for the most popular domain name registrars.
Go Daddy.com
1and1.com
Register.com
Yahoo! Small Business
Note: If you need your custom domain to be the root of the domain (like www.mydomain.com), please contact the support of the domain registrar first to see if it is possible to set up a CNAME record for the "WWW" subdomain, and if it's possible to redirect your naked domain (mydomain.com) directly to "WWW". Popular domain name registrars do allow this, but all services are different, and some lesser-known domain registrars may not.
Step 3: Wait
Once the CNAME record is set on your domain, you must wait at least 24 hours for the change to propogate inot the DNS system worldwide. However, once the change has propagated, it will be set and will not have to be set again, unless you'd like to change the subdomain at some point in the future.
Step 4: Set the custom domain in your workspace's settings
Now that the CNAME record has propogated worldwide, go into your worspace's settings by clicking "Settings" in the upper right corner and then clicking "Custom Domain" on the left hand side, under Advanced settings. If you don't see Custom Domain on the left hand side of the page, then your workspace package does not include the Custom Domain option.
On the Custom Domain settings page, there is a box for you to enter in the complete subdomain you've assigned to your workspace. Enter this complete URL (with the subdomain and the main domain) into this box and then click Add Domain.
Step 5: Verify the change worked
Once you set the custom domain, the domain should appear in the lower part of the custom domain settings as successfully working.
The exact domain has been obscured, but the gray text beneath the domain should indicate that the domain is working properly.
If there is a problem with the domain, then you'll see the following error:
This domain is not set up properly. If you see this error for any of your domains, then you must remove the domain by clicking
the "Remove" button to the right. Leaving an error like this may result in loss of access for some of your users.
Troubleshooting Custom Domains
If you do encounter problems with your Custom Domain, the best way to troubleshoot is to go to the "pbworks.com" domain of your workspace. Even if you set a custom domain, the PBworks.com domain will still work. Once logged in as the Administrator, you can remove the domain from your workspace if it is showing an error.
An incorrectly set custom domain will produce a number of errors on your workspace. Here are some symptoms that are indicative of an incorrectly set custom domain:
- Notification emails contain broken links
- When users click on the site from their my.pbworks.com page, the site doesn't load
- Invite emails sent to users contain broken links
- Request access emails sent to adminstrator contain broken links
This feature has a video tutorial
This feature is a premium feature
This feature is new/improved