One server, multiple domains/websites.

jef3189 · 04-04-2009, 05:52 PM

I am running one server, and it's currently setup to host my friends website, www.somesite.com. Now lets say I wanted to host a second site www.someothersite.com on the same server as a virtual host. How would I point the second domain to my server, and how would it work so the server would know which site to display?

ex. if I go to somesite.com how would the server know to display somesite.com and not someothersite.com?

Robhogg · 04-04-2009, 06:09 PM

Assuming you are using Apache, you can set up more than one domain on a single server using name based virtual hosts - see the Apache documentation here.

As for pointing the second domain to your server, for it to be available over the internet, you would have to register the domain - Google for "domain registration", or see the adverts in most IT mags.

jef3189 · 04-04-2009, 07:10 PM

I know of virtual hosts. I have two registered domain names. I guess my question is specifically how the server knows which site to display?

If both domain names resolve to the same IP address (same server), then where does it differentiate between site one and site two?

custangro · 04-04-2009, 07:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jef3189

I know of virtual hosts. I have two registered domain names. I guess my question is specifically how the server knows which site to display?

If both domain names resolve to the same IP address (same server), then where does it differentiate between site one and site two?

If you're asking that question then you don't know of virtual hosts

Take this for example (taken from the link that Robhogg gave...note the bold):

Code:

NameVirtualHost *:80

<VirtualHost *:80>
ServerName www.domain.tld
DocumentRoot /www/domain
</VirtualHost>

<VirtualHost *:80>
ServerName www.otherdomain.tld
DocumentRoot /www/otherdomain
</VirtualHost>

The "ServerName" is the key...if a request comes in (doesn't matter if it "shares" the ip) for www.domain.tld Apache will "route" it to the doc root /www/domain and serve the HTML pages there (the same goes for www.otherdomain.tld).

-C

jef3189 · 04-04-2009, 11:21 PM

ok I get it now. Yeah that makes perfect sense. Thanks for clarifying guys! Now I can host both my friends and my own personal site off the same box.