Domain Mapping and WordPress MU

When I try to update I get this error:

Warning! Problem updating https://NEWDOMAIN.MAINDOMAIN.com. Your server may not be able to connect to sites running on it. Error message: Couldn’t resolve host ‘NEWDOMAIN.MAINDOMAIN.com’

Looking for resolutions now.

Did you setup wildcard subdomain support on your server?

So my host doesn’t support wildcard subdomain support but I was able to manually set up some subdomains. I am able to access those subdomains (Right now they have the placeholder text from my webhost) but I’m still running into issues while mapping them. I am not able to access the dashboard for any of these subdomains.

In the sites I see some of the websites set up to:
Domain: SUBDOMAIN
Mapping: ANOTHERDOMAIN.COM

When I try to go to the dashboard for that subdomain it just provides a 404 error.

Is this an issue with the mapping?

So my host doesn’t support wildcard subdomain support but I was able to manually set up some subdomains.

No, that will not work. The wildcard subdomains in question here are virtual (i.e. they should not exit at all), and WordPress uses it’s own voodoo powers to bring up the right site. Manually creating sub-domains will not work (to the best of my knowledge anyway).

At this time you have two options:

1) Start over and use sub-directory installation, instead of sub-domains. This setup does not require any DNS or Apache kung fu, and works fine with the domain mapping plugin you’re trying to use. I have this same setup for one of my clients in an ancient hosting environment where wildcard and many other basic stuff are not supported.

2) If you really must use sub-domain, your only option left is to switch hosts.

Thanks George, I’ll look into a Sub Directory installation. Is there a good tutorial online?

So my host doesn’t support wildcard subdomain support but I was able to manually set up some subdomains.

No, that will not work.

Actually YES it will.

You can TOTALLY manually map the subdomain, you just have to make sure you map it to the /public_html/ location and NOT /public_html/subdomainname

At this point I’m starting to get very frustrated at this setup process. I could have installed 30 wordpress installations on 30 different domains at this point, but I am still looking forward to getting everything working on one installation as I think it will be better in the long run. I also appreciate the help.

The path in my web host is like this
/home/www/MAPPINGDOMAIN.MAINDOMAIN.com

It looks like I can edit anything after the www.
As far as mu-plugins, is that required for this installation?

I am still running into problems when access the dashboard for any of my mapped subdomains: The page cannot be found! The page you have requested cannot be found on this server. HTTP 404 – File Not Found

UPDATE:
Ok it looks like when I make the web host path:
/home/www/MAINDOMAIN.com I am able to access all the features of the sub domain. Although when I try to go to the MAPPINGDOMAIN.COM it is just loading an html page I put there, not the database. Is this a dns issue?

The path in my web host is like this
/home/www/MAPPINGDOMAIN.MAINDOMAIN.com

I’m not sure why you have that…

Where’s WP installed? In /home/www/ right?

Your subdomains should be created pointing there. What kind of control panel are you using? Cpanel? Plesk?

Edited to add: By the way, you should really concentrate on getting WordPress up and running as Multisite FIRST. Make sure that works. Then we can look at mapping domains ??

Let’s start giving names to things. I have a blog, sweet.com, wordpress is installed there, I have also begun installing wordpress multisite there. I have another website, sour.com and I have set up sour.sweet.com. I am able to access sour.sweet.com, and wordpress is working there fine.

For a domain registrar I’m using “vDeck 4” as the ui and for a host I’m using “AttractZetta Panel” which seems to be similar to cpanel.

I have wordpress up and running as a multisite, and now I need to get to the domains part 8) How do I go to the next step?

I am able to access sour.sweet.com, and wordpress is working there fine.

To be clear, I’m going to assume that sour.sweet.com is a SUBSITE of sweet.com. Otherwise you’re in the weeds and I have no idea how to get you out.

Basically all you do is

1) Point the records for sour.com to your sweet.com server IP or the CNAME. To quote otto:

Every host is different, and you’ll have to talk to your host to make them able to point the domain name at your existing site. How to do this varies from host to host, but the important thing is that when you visit your new domain (before you do this!) then you want it to go to your main site, as is.

2) Turn on the domain mapping plugin.

3) Add sour.com as the domain for sour.sweet.com

4) Beer.

For step 1, what are the settings I need to use?

MX Records:
Priority 30
Host @
Points to 100.100.100 (My ip)

Priority 30
Host *
Points to 100.100.100 (My ip)

A records: Everything is pointing to my IP.

Nameserver, pointing to my hosting name server.

For Step 2, I am still unable to set up the mu-plugins folder successfully. If I put domain_mapping.php in that folder the website goes “White”

For step 3, I have already mapped the website, do steps 1-2 need to be done before this step, or can I just do a network update?

Step 4, What type of beer would you recommend?

I don’t know what YOU need to set it for, for step 1. I said it was different for everyone. All I did was get a domain, and point the DNS to my server.

When you try to go to sour.com, where do you end up?

For Step 2, I am still unable to set up the mu-plugins folder successfully. If I put domain_mapping.php in that folder the website goes “White”

You’re doing it wrong.

Re-read the directions. Especially this part:

Illustrated installation instructions can be found here but you can ignore the instructions to place domain_mapping.php in mu-plugins. Thanks Otto.

And yes, you MUST do step 1 and 2 before 3, because step 3 is done with the plugin you have not yet installed.

vFor Step 2, I am still unable to set up the mu-plugins folder successfully. If I put domain_mapping.php in that folder the website goes “White”

likely you are copying over the file from plugins, making TWO instances of the file, and thus causing a white screen.

leave it in plugins. network activate it.

When I go to sour.com it displays the index.html page uploaded to the sour.com server on my ftp, not the sour.sweet.com page I’d ultimately want.

Let’s take a look at the installation steps:
Install the plugin in the usual way into the regular WordPress plugins folder. Network activate the plugin.
**Done, although I currently can’t see the plugin in sweet.com but I can access super admin in sweet.com/wp-admin/network/

Move sunrise.php into wp-content/. If there is a sunrise.php there already, you’ll just have to merge them as best you can.
**Done, sunrise is in that folder for sweet.com

Edit wp-config.php and uncomment or add the SUNRISE definition line. If it does not exist please ensure it’s on the line above the last “require_once” command. define( ‘SUNRISE’, ‘on’ );
**Done, right at the bottom it reads:
/** Sets up WordPress vars and included files. */
define( ‘SUNRISE’, ‘on’ );
require_once(ABSPATH . ‘wp-settings.php’);

As a “super admin”, visit Super Admin->Domain Mapping to create the domain mapping database table and set the server IP address or a domain to point CNAME records at.
**Done, I have chosen to set the server IP. Should I try to set a CName instead?

Make sure the default Apache virtual host points at your WordPress MU site or WordPress 3.0 network so it will handle unknown domains correctly. On some hosts you may be required to get a dedicated IP address. A quick check: in a web broswer, type in the IP address of your install. If you are using CPanel, use the Park a Domain menu to set the mapped domain to your main installtion.
**This step I’m having trouble on, when I plug in the ip address, it doesn’t populate with anything but a 404.