Adding Domain Name to Rackspace Cloud Server : One Server Setup

Adding Domain Name to Rackspace Cloud Server for one Server setup, either for one domain name or multiple domain names is actually not tough. Here is the guide. And this question was actually asked by a visitor through comment in the main guide to Install WordPress on Rackspace Cloud Server. We basically do not mention this step for adding Domain Name to Rackspace Cloud Server in any of our Cloud Server related guide because, many uses, optimized scalable cloud with 5 servers or might use load balancers. We do not know the visitors name (as real name was not provided), but many thanks to him for attracting our attention towards this adding Domain Name to Rackspace Cloud Server part. It is quite reasonable to fear Cloud Server in one Cloud Server Setup by the newbies for this reason and ultimately end up with some pathetic cPanel hosting.

Adding Domain Name to Rackspace Cloud Server : The Basics For All Linux Server

If you using unmanaged service, only in this situation the question of adding Domain Name to Rackspace Cloud Server arrives, for all other managed services like we actually use, there is no need to bother, second point is; adding Domain Name to Rackspace Cloud Server is so basic topic of networking, basically no one writes in step by step guide. We are are taking that, you know nothing, there by this is a guide for adding Domain Name to Rackspace Cloud Server for dummies. Know three things :

Most unmanaged Cloud Server user users use a domain registered from a third party like GoDaddy, I will personally suggest to use Rackspace’s service, which is clickandname by designation and actually of Tucows. The biggest advantages are – you can use custom name server like ours (dns1.thecustomizewindows.com and dns2.thecustomizewindows.com) later and WHOIS privacy and all advanced features are ready by default at $10 per year. Moreover Tucows or Rackspace will not resell or park if you somehow miss an unnoticed expiry date of a domain. However if you use other any register in various situations (like you can not register all domain extensions through them, its mostly for .com, .net etc.) always, for any Rackspace service, if otherwise not mentioned it is dns1.stabletransit.com and dns2.stabletransit.com and you need to change it from your domain register’s control panel. Rackspace support will not charge any unmanaged server user only for asking this question. Support charge is for more advanced setup. There is no need to search here and there for asking these minute questions.
Second is – adding Domain Name to Rackspace Cloud Server fully depends on the web server configuration for VirtualHost, which is Apache2 in most cases. This will almost the same for all Linux and we will elaborate this point in next paragraph.
Third is adding / modifying the domain record from control panel, which is elaborately written by Rackspace :

http://www.rackspace.com/knowledge_center/article/dns-creating-a-dns-record-for-cloud-servers

Regardless of adding Domain Name to Rackspace Cloud Server or not situation, you can work with IP. But once you make the changes, you have to wait for propagation, which is typically within 15 minutes for managed products, we have never used an unmanaged, it should be same but it can take up to 72 hours. You can use any DNS propagation tool to check the propagation of NS :

http://www.whatsmydns.net/

Please search in this website for related articles for troubleshooting of DNS propagation.

Adding Domain Name to Rackspace Cloud Server : The Steps for VirtualHost and Apache2 Setup

This is the elaboration of the second point for adding Domain Name to Rackspace Cloud Server as mentioned in the above paragraph. You will not need if you do not want to use one server for multiple domain / subdomain. That is done from control panel for one server for one domain on the above Rackspace guide (name based virtual hosts). This is for adding VirtualHost. You must be logged in as root user through Command Line Interface to your server (PuTTY in case of Windows, Terminal in case of Unix derivatives including Linux). We are describing for Apache2 on Debian or Ubuntu. Please check the documentation of the OS you are using (OpenSUSE, Red Hat, CentOS etc.) from official website plus Apache’s documentation on :

http://httpd.apache.org/docs/2.0/vhosts/

So you are starting from this black screen (PuTTY) :

We are taking that you will use HTTP url (port 80) not HTTPS (port 443). Open the httpd.conf file to examine :

cd /etc/apache2/

sudo nano sites-available/default

(Take it as Case 1)

The basic understating is important. We are taking Debian / Ubuntu as standard, so the default public folder is /var/www/ ; For one server one domain, all contents will be here. But for one server multiple domains / subdomains, they need separate folders :

cd /var/www
mkdir -p vhosts/domain1.com/htdocs (this is where you will put your contents)
mkdir -p vhosts/domain1.com/log (this will be for your log files)
chmod -R 755 vhosts/domain1.com

For another :

cd /var/www
mkdir -p vhosts/domain2.com/htdocs (this is where you will put your contents)
mkdir -p vhosts/domain2.com/log (this will be for your log files)
chmod -R 755 vhosts/domain2.com

Now repeat the process to open httpd.conf as described in Case 1. You have disable Name Virtual Host by delete the ‘NameVirtualHost *’ line to have hange to ‘VirtualHost’ :

<virtualhost *:80>
 ServerAdmin webmaster@localhost
 DocumentRoot /var/www/
</virtualhost>

Open apache2.conf file and remove the hash (uncomment it) from “Include /etc/apache2/sites-enabled/” from the file :

sudo nano apache2.conf

And reload Apache :

sudo /etc/init.d/apache2 reload

Open domain specific settings :

sudo nano /etc/apache2/sites-available/domain1.com

Enable it :

sudo a2ensite domain1.com

And again Reload Apache. This is all about Adding Domain Name to Rackspace Cloud Server. There can not be more for HTTP / non-ssl domain. People are doing it since many years and you will also do it.