Custom domain mapping

Plans supporting custom domain mapping

Default Domain

When you create a new project in Document360, it automatically assigns a default domain name in this format: project-name.document360.com.

For example, if you name your project Project Greenfield, the assigned domain will be project-greenfield.document360.com.

Editing a default domain

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 edit the default web address,

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

   

2. Click the Edit () icon in the Document360 provided domain field.

   

3. Enter your preferred domain in the field.

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

   • If the domain is already in use, the Update button will remain inactive.

   • 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

You can configure a branded custom domain like help.yourcompany.com for your knowledge base site using the following steps:

1. Add the custom domain in Document360

2. Configure a CNAME record with your domain registrar

3. Verify the 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 error "This site can’t be reached" while configuring a custom domain

Error: This site can’t be reached

This error usually occurs when the CNAME record is not added promptly in your DNS after it's generated in Document360. If there's a delay, the CNAME may expire, leading to a failed domain verification.

Other possible causes include:

• DNS propagation delays

• Duplicate CNAME entries in your DNS

• Missing CAA records for supported SSL providers like Let’s Encrypt, DigiCert, or Google

Steps to resolve:

1. Check when the CNAME was configured

   • Confirm whether the CNAME record was added in your DNS immediately after creating it in Document360.

   • If not, the CNAME might have expired.

2. Remove and reconfigure the custom domain

   • Go to your DNS provider and remove the existing CNAME record.

   • Then, in Document360, delete the existing custom domain entry.

   • Wait 15 minutes before proceeding.

3. Add the CNAME record again

   • Go to Knowledge base portal > Settings () > Custom domain, and create the custom domain again.

   • Immediately copy the CNAME record and add it to your DNS provider with a TTL (Time To Live) of 5 minutes.

   • Return to Document360 and click Verify.

   • Wait a few minutes for the configuration to complete.

4. Check for DNS propagation

   • DNS changes typically take 2–4 hours, but in some cases up to 24 hours.

   • Wait for full propagation before rechecking the domain.

5. Verify DNS using Google Dig tool

   • Use Google Dig tool to check if your DNS records are showing correctly.

   • Look for any duplicate CNAME entries for the same hostname. If found, remove duplicates.

6. Check for CAA record conflicts

   • Use dnschecker.org to view CAA records for your domain.

   • If any CAA records are configured, ensure they allow Document360’s SSL providers:

     • @ IN CAA 0 issue digicert.com

     • @ IN CAA 0 issue letsencrypt.org

     • @ IN CAA 0 issue pki.goog

       Add these CAA entries in your DNS if missing.

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. Deactivate 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. Deactivate your VPN and try accessing the site again:

2. If deactivating 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.

Resolving the “Secure Connection Failed - SSL_ERROR_NO_CYPHER_OVERLAP” error while configuring a custom domain

Error: Secure Connection Failed - SSL_ERROR_NO_CYPHER_OVERLAP

This error usually indicates that the SSL certificate couldn’t be issued due to a mismatch in the CNAME configuration. If the custom domain does not point to the correct Document360 domain, SSL validation fails, resulting in the error.

Steps to resolve:

1. Go to dnschecker.org.

2. In the search bar, enter your custom domain and select CNAME from the dropdown.

3. Verify the result:
   The CNAME value should match the exact CNAME provided in the Document360 portal during domain setup.

4. If the CNAME is incorrect:

   • Remove the current custom domain from your Document360 project.

   • Correct the CNAME record in your DNS provider by adding the one provided in Document360.

   • Wait a few minutes, then reconfigure the custom domain in Document360 and verify again.

Once the correct CNAME is in place and verified, the SSL certificate will be issued successfully, resolving the error.