Two Dashboards for Each Blog

    • Background

    Created a domain based network (sub-domain install) on an add-on domain to the mainsite. Set up a wildcard DNS record and (according to other instructions ) made sure the other domains to be added were parked and NOT redirected. All of that really seemed to have worked — you could access the Dashboard for each site but when you went to visit the site it would resolve to homepage of the mainsite.

    Contacted Hostgator and they said that couldn’t be done. The network setup needed to be path-based and the other domains needed to be changed from Parked to Add-Ons. That Tech person said he was able to make changes to prevent having to do a reinstall. All I had to do was make the changes to the domains, wait for them to propagate and set the network up again.

    Did that. Was instructed to install WP on each of the domains. Did that -although in my understanding that defeats the purpose of MU. But I’m not sure and so I would like to confirm if this is how it should operate:

    * Login as Network Adminstrator, see all the sites (there are just 4 total)
    * Domain mapping is available in tools
    * Can visit each site
    * Can visit each Dashboard
    * Can create pages/posts but nothing changes

    * Log into a site (non superadmin)
    * It’s a different dashboard — it’s asking me to update to the latest WP
    * This dashboard is the one I can edit pages/posts and it publishes the changes
    * No domain mapping tool
    * None of the themes, or other plugins I’ve added to the network are available

    If this is how it’s supposed to work — installing WP for each domain, installing themes and plugins for each domain what is the multiuser advantage?

Viewing 15 replies - 16 through 30 (of 33 total)
  • Thread Starter 785mack

    (@785mack)

    Okaaayyyyy …. so, since I’m trying to get back to how I originally set it up do I make that change and do the other steps I outlined up above? Thanks for your help!

    Moderator Ipstenu (Mika Epstein)

    (@ipstenu)

    ?????? Advisor and Activist

    Like Andrea mentioned, you don’t HAVE to change to subdomains. If you’re just mapping them in the end, it doesn’t matter.

    Thread Starter 785mack

    (@785mack)

    That makes sense to me….where I’m not getting a click is how to correct my current set up so that I only have the 1 install of WP, plugins, themes.

    Should I go ahead an unistall WP for those 3 sites? Then remove them from the network? Should I change them back to parked sites and then add them to the network? Or leave them as addons?

    Moderator Ipstenu (Mika Epstein)

    (@ipstenu)

    ?????? Advisor and Activist

    Where are your sites now?

    I’m confused if they’re already in a network, or if they’re all stand-alones.

    Thread Starter 785mack

    (@785mack)

    You’re confused — imagine how I feel! ??

    I believe what is going on now is both: network + stand alone.

    Hostgator said that I could set up a WP multisite network on an an add-on domain. Setup the addon domain (supernetwork.com). Activated WPMS with subdomain install. Had 3 Parked domain names. Added sites, used the Domain Mapping plugin, all seemed good except for the index pages for each site were going to maindomain.com.

    After trying a number of things on my own to resolve this – without success – I called HG tech support. Now I’m told no you can’t do that you have to create addon domains, change it to path based, etc.

    (Based on this ongoing exercise I think my only problem with the original set-up was not putting supernetwork.com in the CNAME field.)

    Anyway they corrected it on their end and said NOW everything was working right. I added the sites back in, could (can) see them on the network but they didn’t seem to be affected by anything done at the network level: themes, plugins, etc.

    Another call to HG and now I’m told I have to install WP on each of the sites I want in the network. When I said that that seemed to defeat the purpose of WPMS I was essentially told that’s just the way it is.

    And that’s pretty much where we are. If I access Sites 1-2-3 via the network I really can’t do anything. If I log into them individually I can and those changes can be published. Which makes sense (at least to me) because those are the indivdiual installs of WP.

    What’s the best way to get rid of those stand alone sites (1-2-3)?

    Thread Starter 785mack

    (@785mack)

    https://sellmyfurcoat.com is the site set up for MS.

    the other 3 sites are:

    https://repairmyfurcoat.com/
    https://cleanmyfurcoat.com/
    https://storemyfurcoat.com/

    and Test

    https://sellmyfurcoat.com/test/

    Moderator Ipstenu (Mika Epstein)

    (@ipstenu)

    ?????? Advisor and Activist

    https://sellmyfurcoat.com is Multisite, so what you should do is make SUB sites off that:

    https://sellmyfurcoat.com/repair
    https://sellmyfurcoat.com/clean
    https://sellmyfurcoat.com/store

    Then IMPORT all the posts from the related SEPARATE sites into your multisite. Make sure they work.

    Then, and only then, would you install your domain mapping plugin and park the domains on https://sellmyfurcoat.com

    Thread Starter 785mack

    (@785mack)

    nothing to import. these were not live sites — only had the domain names. thought this was the perfect opportunity set up a Multisite.

    so do I:

    Remove them as addon sites (and their WP installations)
    Park them
    Uninstall the domain mappling plugin
    Set them up on the network
    Install the mapping plugin
    Map them

    Moderator Ipstenu (Mika Epstein)

    (@ipstenu)

    ?????? Advisor and Activist

    nothing to import. these were not live sites — only had the domain names. thought this was the perfect opportunity set up a Multisite.

    Awesome ?? Yes.

    1) Remove their separate WP instance, remove add-ons.
    2) Set them up on the network
    3) Install mapping plugin (or if you have it installed, just let it sit)
    4) Park domains
    5) Plugin-map the domains
    6) Beer

    Thread Starter 785mack

    (@785mack)

    OMG — can I start with the Beer first!!

    ok — hopefully this is the final question/confirmation before I this:

    Remove them from the current network too?

    THANK YOU!!

    Moderator Ipstenu (Mika Epstein)

    (@ipstenu)

    ?????? Advisor and Activist

    Remove them from the current network too?

    NO!

    If you already have them ON the network, just set them up as is. Make sure

    https://sellmyfurcoat.com/repair
    https://sellmyfurcoat.com/clean
    https://sellmyfurcoat.com/store

    (or whatever you call them) look right in every way except the domain name.

    Thread Starter 785mack

    (@785mack)

    Alrighty — I’m going in….

    Thread Starter 785mack

    (@785mack)

    First breath of air…

    everything’s deleted, parked,etc. I did have to remove the sites from the network and add them back in to have them work correctly. mapped https://sellmyfurcoat.com/store to storemycoat.com. click on visit site and it takes me to maindomian.com — where I was last week.

    there is a CNAME record for sellmyfurcoat.com.

    a wildcard DNS is set up for sellmyfurcoat.com

    what else should I look for in any of the setups?

    Thread Starter 785mack

    (@785mack)

    just added an ANAME for sellmyfurcoat.com pointing to the right IP address. there is also one for localhost.sellmyfurcoat.com resolving to 127.0.0.1 — should i delete that?

    and there is a *.sellmyfurcoat.com A record

    a wildcard DNS is set up for sellmyfurcoat.com

    \\you do not need this for your mapped domains. It;s irrelevant – espeically since your main site is not even a subdomain setup.

    So you can forget that step.

    you need to park storemycoat.com on top of https://sellmyfurcoat.com.

    Did you do that?

    Don;t mess with the oher dns records. You;re messing yourself up.

Viewing 15 replies - 16 through 30 (of 33 total)
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