Custom domain mapping

Plans supporting custom domain mapping

When you create a new project in Document360, the system automatically generates a default web address for your knowledge base, like project-name.document360.com. However, you can create a more personalized web address, that reflects your brand and preference by editing the default web address or setting up a custom domain, such as help.yourcompany.com, which makes it easier for users to find and remember your site.

To access the custom domain mapping option, navigate to Settings() > Knowledge base site > Custom domain.

NOTE

A new Document360 project will use the project name as the domain. For example, if you have named your project as Project Greenfield, the autogenerated domain by Document360 will be project-greenfield.document360.com.

Editing a default domain

To edit the default web address,

1. Navigate to the Custom domain page in Document360 settings.

2. Click the Edit icon next to the default web address.

3. Enter your preferred domain in the available field.

   • If your preferred domain is unavailable, the Update button will be disabled. You will need to try a different domain.

   • If your preferred domain is available, the Update button will be enabled.

4. Click Update to update the web address of your Knowledge base site.

Creating a custom domain

To create a custom domain for your Knowledge base site instead of the default domain provided by Document360, you need to:

1. Adding custom domain in Document360

2. Configuring the CNAME in your domain registrar

3. Verifying the custom domain in Document360

Adding a custom domain in Document360

1. Navigate to Settings () > Knowledge base site > Custom domain > Custom domain mapping.

2. Enter the custom domain in the Domain configuration field.

3. Click Add domain.

4. Once the custom domain has finished setting up and configuration is complete, the records for the custom domain will be generated, and you will be notified in the Knowledge base portal.

Configuring the CNAME record in your domain registrar

Once the domain is added in Document360, you'll need to configure a CNAME record within your domain registrar to link your custom domain to Document360’s servers.

To configure the CNAME record,

1. Log in to the domain registrar where you purchased your domain (e.g., GoDaddy, Namecheap, Google Domains).

2. In the domain management panel, navigate to DNS settings.

3. Add a new CNAME in the DNS settings.

   1. Enter your preferred custom domain in the Name/Host field (e.g., help.yourcompany.com).

   2. Enter the CNAME provided by Document360 in the Points to/Value field.

4. Enter the details for any other relevant fields and save the new CNAME.

Example for configuring a CNAME record

This is an example to demonstrate the CNAME mapping for domains registered with Hostinger.

1. Go to Hostinger's domain manage page.

2. Open the Domains section and select your domain.

3. Now click on the DNS/Nameservers on the left and select the DNS records tab.

4. Choose the type of record from the dropdown (CNAME).

5. Paste the value copied from Document360 in the Points to field.

6. Add the TTL (Time-To-Live) value and click on the Add record button.

Verifying the custom domain in Document360

After you configure the CNAME, follow the below steps to complete the custom domain mapping configuration.

1. Go back to Document360’s Custom domain settings.

2. Select the checkbox that says, "I've added the records".

3. Click the Verify button, and the verification process is initiated.

4. If the verification is successful, you will get a success toast message.

After mapping the custom domain, click the Go to your knowledge base site icon to view the change in the site URL.

Post mapping issues

'Deceptive site ahead' message while accessing the site after successful custom domain mapping.

This means that Google has flagged the custom domain you have mapped as unsafe for browsing.

• To check the flagged status, use the Safe Browsing site status by Google.

• Type in your mapped domain and check if there are any issues.

• Resolve and fix the issues detected (Phishing attacks, malware-infested, violating community guidelines, etc.).

• Submit a review request from Google Search Console. Google will update the status and remove the warning from your website.

Here is a help article from Google support.

Load balancer

A load balancer distributes incoming traffic evenly across multiple servers, ensuring that your Knowledge base site remains fast and reliable, even during high traffic periods. This helps prevent any single server from being overloaded and enhances the overall performance and security of your site.

Upgrading the load balancer can provide additional benefits, such as improved security features and better traffic management.

Upgrading the load balancer

1. Navigate to Settings () > Knowledge base site> Custom domain > Custom domain mapping.

2. Click Upgrade.

3. Verify the custom domain mapping configuration in Document360.

4. Copy the CNAME record generated in Document360.

5. Set up the CNAME record in your domain registrar.

6. Verify the custom domain mapping configuration in Document360.

NOTE

• This upgrade does not cause any downtime. However, we recommend this upgrade during your off-business hours

• This upgrade is entirely free of cost

Please contact our support team for assistance.

Configuring a custom domain for Apex domains

When configuring a custom domain for Document360, you may want to use your Apex domain (root domain), such as abc.com without a subdomain like www. While configuring subdomains is straightforward, configuring Apex domains requires some extra steps, especially regarding DNS records.

DNS flattening is a method that allows you to use a CNAME record at the Apex (root) domain level, which not all domain registrars support. If your registrar does not support DNS flattening, you won’t be able to add a CNAME record for your Apex domain.

Configuring Apex Domains

If your domain registrar doesn't support DNS flattening (for example, GoDaddy), you can opt for a DNS provider that does, such as Cloudflare. Cloudflare offers free plans that include DNS flattening, enabling you to configure your custom domain for the Apex domain successfully.

For example, let’s say you're using GoDaddy, which does not support DNS flattening. In this case, switching to a DNS provider like Cloudflare will allow you to add a CNAME record for your Apex domain.

NOTE

For more information, read the article on CNAME Flatting from Cloudflare.

Using a custom SSL certificate

Use the SSL certificate provided by Document360 for your domain to ensure secure connections, as it offers automatic and seamless renewal for a smooth experience. Provide the following details to process your request to install a custom SSL certificate:

• Common Name (CN): The fully qualified domain name for the certificate.

• Organization (O): The legal name of your organization.

• Organizational Unit (OU): The department or division within your organization.

NOTE

The certificate is typically valid for 90 days. You will have to renew the certificate on time and provide us with the updated certificate so we can install it on your domain.

Troubleshooting

Domain verification failed

If you are having issues verifying your custom domain, ensure that the CNAME matches the domain host.

There are chances for any other record to be mapped in the place of CNAME (such as AAAA records). This would also cause an error.

Suggestion: To view your domain's CNAME, and other DNS information, use Digwebinterface or Google's DNS lookup, or any other DNS lookup tool available on the web

Once the correct CNAME is mapped; it might take up to 24 hours for successful mapping.

Wait time after DNS records are updated

If the CNAME match, and the domain verification issue persists, the TTL (Time-To-Live) can be a possible reason.

If you're updating an existing DNS Record value, it may take time for the configured TTL to reflect globally. If the TTL is set to 3600 for a DNS record; then, it may take up to 1 hour (3600 seconds) to reflect the DNS record value for the DNS Name server globally.

CAA restriction set by the domain registrar

Some domain registrars set a restriction that the SSL certificate should be provisioned by the specific CAs (Certificate Authority).

For example, if a CAA DNS record has a value of 0 issues "letsencrypt.org", then only the Let's Encrypt (CA) will be able to generate a certificate for the particular custom domain. Other Certificate Authorities (DigiCert in our case) would see this configuration and would deny generating an SSL certificate.

Check if you have any CAA records configured in the DNS configuration for the custom domain.

Resolving the “This site can’t be reached” error while accessing the Knowledge base site

While accessing the Knowledge base site, you might encounter errors such as “This site can’t be reached”. In such cases, follow the below troubleshooting steps:

1. Verify when the record was configured and confirm whether it was added immediately after receiving the required values.

2. Ensure propagation has been completed. (DNS records typically take 2-4 hours to propagate, but it is advisable to wait 24 hours for the changes to fully take effect.) If 24 hours have passed, move to the next step.

3. Use the Google Dig tool to verify the DNS records. Check for any duplicate entries associated with the same hostname.

   a. If duplicate records are found, remove them and test again.

   b. If no duplicates exist, proceed to the next step.

4. Check the CAA record entries in https://dnschecker.org/

5. If there are any CAA entries for the domain, ensure that CAA entries for our SSL providers are also added.

6. Our SSL providers are Lets Encrypt, Digicert, and Google.

7. Add the following CAA records for SSL providers:

   @ IN CAA 0 issue digicert.com

   @ IN CAA 0 issue letsencrypt.org

   @ IN CAA 0 issue pki.goog

Resolving errors such as “Your connection is not private” or “Your connection is not secure” while accessing the Knowledge base site

This error typically occurs due to the following reasons:

1. Issue: SSL certificate expired

1. Check if the SSL certificate has expired.

2. Visit the Knowledge base site and click the View site information option in the URL bar.

3. Click Connection is secure to view the SSL certificate details.

B. If the SSL Certificate has not expired, then try the below troubleshooting steps:

1. Try accessing the site from a different browser to rule out browser-specific issues.

2. Disable any website extensions in your browser and check again.

3. Verify if all users are experiencing the same issue to identify if it is user-specific or system-wide.

4. Clear your browser cache or switch to another browser, as this often resolves the problem.

C. VPN connection

1. Disable your VPN and try accessing the site again:

2. If disabling the VPN resolves the issue, the VPN might be causing the problem.

3. Contact your IT team for further assistance.

D. DNS records issue

There may be issues with the DNS resolver if the DNS records have not been updated successfully.

1. Use a DNS checker (e.g., DNS Checker) to verify the DNS records.

2. Confirm if all the records have been updated successfully.

3. If the records are not properly synced, contact your DNS provider or domain registrar to ensure the DNS zone is correctly configured and synced for the domain.