Set up a web address for your site

User level: Site Owner; Site Administrator

 

The page outlines the different web address options available on Oxford Mosaic, explains the technical details behind these and outlines the rules relating to each option.

Domain registration and hosting is separate to web-hosting and is largely managed independently of the Mosaic platform. So acquiring a custom domain and configuring it to work in coordination with your Mosaic site is a 5-step process. 

     0. Decide if the default platform address is suitable for your website - if not then you will need to go through all the steps on this page  

  1. Ensure that the address you wish to use complies with University Policy and local web governance arrangements
  2. Request registration of the new domain or transfer-in an existing domain
  3. Request the Mosaic service team to activate platform security for your custom domain address and allow us to validate it
  4. Add the custom domain address to your Mosaic site settings
  5. Configure the custom domain address to point to the Mosaic platform server

The steps must be done in order, and completed in advance of when you want to launch the custom domain.  If you are migrating to Mosaic from an existing website then step 5 should be scheduled for when you want your site to go live.  

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When a new website is created on the Oxford Mosaic platform it is provisioned with a platform address of:

<prefix>.web.ox.ac.uk

where <prefix> has the value that was supplied on the Site Request form.

This address is suitable to be used as a public web address for your site. Using <prefix>.web.ox.ac.uk as your URL means the site is automatically covered by the Mosaic Platform's main SSL Security Certificate which supports HTTPS by default. In this case, there is no need to register another address and you are good-to-go in putting your site live whenever you are ready to do so.

However, in some cases it is desirable to have a web address that is more tailored, e.g.

  • To associate a site as a part of an existing Oxford University domain, i.e. <prefix>.<existingdomain>.ox.ac.uk
  • To create a new Oxford University domain, i.e. <newdomain>.ox.ac.uk and use a web address of either <newdomain>.ox.ac.uk or www.<newdomain>.ox.ac.uk
  • Or, if the site is for a multi-institution project or partnership, to use an external domain outside of *.ox.ac.uk, e.g. <newdomain>.org.uk

If you are replacing a website that already has its own custom web address, this address can be set up with Mosaic platform security in preparation and then be configured to point to your Mosaic website when you are ready to go-live.

When choosing a custom domain for any website that will be published on University web systems then it must comply with University DNS Naming Policy.  This includes local University policy (web pages should be within the web structure of the department responsible whenever possible) and also policies laid down by the appropriate domain registries and domain registrars (i.e. for .com, .org, .net, .uk) and JANET policy (for .ac.uk). 

Please follow all advice here: https://help.it.ox.ac.uk/dns-naming-policy

Approval for new domains

Please note that new domain names must be approved by the appropriate Head of Department or Head of House. Some requests may have to be referred to other bodies within the University, for example to Legal Services – see https://help.it.ox.ac.uk/dns-domain-registration.

 

 

Pre-requisite: The domain or subdomain must be registered in the University's DNS - this means externally-registered domains need to be transferred in to the University's DNS

To register a new domain or transfer-in an existing externally registered domain, contact domains@it.ox.ac.uk. Ensure that your request has been appropriately approved before making the request. 

If you are transferring-in a domain name from an external registrar, you should supply details of that registrar so that the Domains team can organise the transfer. 

If the domain is already registered/transferred in, and you want your new custom domain address to be <prefix>.<existingdomain>.ox.ac.uk you will need to contact the local web manager of the existing domain in the first instance. Management of unit sub-domains is often devolved to local IT managers who will be able to deal with your request, liaising with the central Domains team as needed on your behalf.

See the IT Help page about domain name registration for more information.

Oxford Mosaic supports HTTPS-only. As a consequence, when any custom domain is added to a Mosaic website, it must also have an SSL security certificate created for it on the Mosaic platform. If this is not done, when viewed using the custom domain, the website will display security alerts in web browsers.

To add a custom domain to Mosaic's security configuration and firewall  — whether as part of a site’s go-live or at any other time — use the 'Request a change to a Mosaic site' form on the Contact page.

The Mosaic platform security configuration is updated every two weeks. When the request is received, the domain will be added to a list of domains waiting to be added, and if validated in time, its SSL certificate will be created in the next update.

If you want to add your custom domain to the security config but you are not sure whether you will be ready to use the domain by the following update period, let us know anyway. We can create a certificate for it in advance, and it won’t take effect until the domain is pointed to your site.

Notice about adding a domain to the Mosaic security configuration

To be added, the parent domain must be registered by the University Domain Registrar.

Please note: six-part custom domain addresses are not supported. For example, you would not be allowed www.astrophysics.physics.ox.ac.uk

Please note: We will create up to two extra SSL certificates for each Mosaic website.  It is best to only have one custom domain address, as this improves Search Engine Optimisation, however some websites may have a historical reason for needing two addresses to resolve. 

Please note: An address with www prefix requires a separate SSL certificate from the same address without www. You should only add the www if advised by your local IT team that they are already using the parent domain as a "bare domain".  This means they already have DNS records set up to use the domain for email addresses or other apps and would prefer not to use it as a website address. Please specify the exact domain you intend to use on the website.

Examples of bare domains vs fully-qualified domains:

  • (bare) example.ox.ac.uk | (fully-qualified) researchlab.example.ox.ac.uk
  • (bare) project.ac.uk | (fully-qualified) www.project.ac.uk
 

Adding a custom domain address to your site tells Mosaic which site to route requests to once they arrive at the platform. This can be done at any time in relation to the other steps. 

This needs to be done by a Site Owner or Site Administrator in the Site Settings > Domains tab:

screenshot of the Domains section within Site Settings.

Site settings - domains

 

The tab displays the current primary domain of the site: until your custom domain is added this will be the Platform address.

Once you add a custom domain to use on your site, you need to set your preferred address as the Primary domain – this will be the one used in links back to the site, e.g. in the Search results list. Normally, you will want your new custom domain address to be the Primary domain. 

  •  Add the domain address into the Domain Name box in the form of example.ox.ac.uk. Do not include http:// or a trailing slash 
  •  Check the box against the 'Is primary domain?' option 
  •  Save the settings 

After you hit Save Settings, it will take around 20-30 seconds for the page to respond whilst the hostname is entered onto the platform and associated to your site. 

The domain needs to be configured to point to the Mosaic platform server, so that when a web user follows a link or bookmark containing the domain, they are taken to the Mosaic platform. 

Once this configuration is done, hits on your domain name will be routed to your Mosaic site. You should therefore only request this when you are ready to launch the site – you should allow time to complete the related go-live steps and ensure that the security configuration for the domain has been completed on the Mosaic platform.

The configuration of DNS updates is devolved to University units, so requests to point domains to Mosaic need to be sent to your local IT Support Staff (ITSS). If you are unsure who your ITSS is, ask an administrator in your unit.

DNS updates are made on the hour, however, with notice, you may be able to ask your local ITSS to queue this work for a specific hour.

If you are adding a fully-qualified domain (see the information about domains in Step 3) to your Mosaic site, you will need to provide your ITSS with a specific request: Click here to be emailed the configuration details 

We recommend against using a bare domain as it may be needed for non-website uses, but if your ITSS team have considered this and still want to use one then we will have discussed this with you during step 3 and advised on the best way to configure it.