Knowledge base

This step-by-step guide explains:

• how to transfer a domain name to Infomaniak,
• how to move a website to Infomaniak without interruption,
• how to back up your old emails to manage them with Infomaniak.

If you need help to transfer your site to Infomaniak, don't hesitate to call on our partners.

1. Why use Infomaniak for your domain names, websites and email?

• Expertise: Infomaniak has been hosting websites for over 20 years. We are a recognized worldwide player for hosting and online solutions. Infomaniak is the No. 1 hosting service provider in Switzerland in terms of revenue, and No. 2 in terms of the number of sites hosted.
• Security: all our clients' data is hosted on servers located in Switzerland belonging to Infomaniak. Our solutions are systematically developed and maintained by our engineers in our offices in Geneva, Switzerland.
• Support: with more than 1,000 articles and videos, our knowledge base allows our customers to immediately answer the vast majority of their questions, and our customer service is open from Monday to Saturday. We help our customers get the full potential from our products by telephone and email.
• Responsible: Infomaniak is 100% committed to sustainable, responsible development through concrete actions, such as adopting the ISO 14001 standard, or creating the greenest datacentre in Switzerland. We offset 100% of the CO2 emissions that we generate through our activities and 100% of the energy we use is from renewable sources.
• Passionate: we love what we do and are pleased to offer high-end solutions at affordable prices. We are continually improving and enriching our services, based on market trends and customer needs.

By consolidating your domain names, websites and emails with Infomaniak, you simplify the management of your invoices and services. For example, linking a domain name to your website and your email address will be automatic. That way, you will not need to manually configure your DNS with another registrar.

2. Transferring a domain name to Infomaniak

The domain name is the address you enter in a browser to view a site, such as infomaniak.com

It is possible to transfer a domain name from one registrar to another.

These are the steps to follow to transfer a domain name to Infomaniak:

1. log in with the registrar that currently manages your domain name
2. get the transfer code from your current registrar for the domain name to be transferred (help)
3. order the domain name to be transferredto Infomaniak
4. during the transfer, be sure to keep the current DNS for the domain name
5. enter the transfer code when prompted

3. Moving a website to Infomaniak

All the sites you visit are stored (hosted) with companies usually referred to as web hosts. If you already have a website, it is possible to entrust Infomaniak with the management of its hosting without interrupting the operation of your current site and without inconveniencing your loyal visitors :)

Here are the steps to take in order to move your current site to Infomaniak:

1. using a FTP program, back up all the files on your site with your current web host
2. back up your MySQL databases if you use any
3. order the Infomaniak hosting of your choice with the current domain name of your website
4. create a FTP account via our Manager (help)
5. using a FTP program, send the website files that you saved in step 1 in your hosting's Web folder (you can also use our FTP Manager (help) to upload a .zip of your data and unzip everything from the tool)
6. from our admin console, create a new MySQL database with a user who has full rights to the database (help)
7. from our Manager, import the backup of your database to the database that has just been created (help)
8. in the configuration file of your web app (WordPress, Joomla, Drupal, etc.), adapt the following information based on the settings shown in our Manager (help):
   • the database name
   • the database server
   • the database username
   • the database user's password
9. test your website using the preview address (help)
10. don't forget to follow chapter 5 of this guide to redirect your domain name to your new hosting!

Warning: the procedure described is only valid if the domain name does not change. If this is not the case, you should make the necessary adjustments to your MySQL databases, if you use them. Steps 2, 6, 7, and 8 are not necessary if your site does not use a database.

4. Transferring the management of your emails to Infomaniak

By entrusting the management of your mail to Infomaniak, you can have a WorkSpace account.

WorkSpace is a comprehensive online solution for viewing and managing your emails, contacts, calendars, tasks and bookmarks online. It also enables you to sync your contacts and calendars with a smartphone, tablet or email software.

Here are the steps to take in order to manage your email with Infomaniak:

1. if necessary, order a Mail hosting (help)
2. create the required email addresses via our Manager (help)
3. configure your WorkSpace account (help) or your email software with your new addresses (help)
4. use our synchronization tools (syncimap/imapsync) to automatically copy and transfer the content of the old email address to the new address, box by box or in batches (help)

If WorkSpace is used:

1. import contacts to the address book (help) and import a calendar to the WorkSpace calendar (help)
2. configure the synchronization of contacts and calendars with your smartphone/tablet (help)

5. Enabling your new hosting

Now, you just need to point your domain name to the Infomaniak hosting:

1. open the Manager (manager.infomaniak.com)
2. go to Domain name
3. click on the domain name concerned
4. in the left side menu, click on Managing DNS
5. click on DNS Servers
6. click on Change DNS servers
7. tick the Infomaniak DNS servers box and click on Confirm

6. Wait up to 48 hours and then cancel your old services

Updating the DNS for your domain name can take up to 48 hours. It is therefore possible that your domain will still point to your old web host during this period.

Once that time has elapsed, don't forget to terminate your services (email, website hosting, etc.) with your old hosting service provider.

Congratulations :) Your site and your email is now hosted with Infomaniak.

Thank you for your trust.

And after that?

Install a SSL certificate on your site in order to secure your connections: https://www.infomaniak.com/en/support/faq/2027
Discover our other products: https://www.infomaniak.com/en/support/faq/2190

An alias is a second domain name linked to an existing site.

For example, for the site "example.com" to also be reachable with "www.example.com", you must add it as an alias to the "example.com" domain. In this example, "example.com" is the parent site of the "www.example.com" alias.

Generally, the "www" alias is already added and present but the procedure will also be useful to you when you want to point a second domain name to your site.

Prerequisite

If the domain name (that will become the alias) or its DNS zone is managed by Infomaniak, everything is OK. Otherwise:

• the A Record of the domain name must point to Infomaniak (help)
• to simplify, you can entrust us with the management of your domain name

Adding an alias to an existing site:

1. open the Manager (manager.infomaniak.com)
2. go to Web Hosting
3. click on the hosting/domain name in question
4. under Sites at the lower right, click on the site concerned
5. under Domains at the lower right, click on Add
6. enter the alias domain name(s) to be added, separating them with the Enter key
7. if the alias or its DNS zone is managed by Infomaniak, it is possible to automatically update the DNS entries. If not, make the necessary changes through your registrar or transfer the management of the domain name to Infomaniak: https://www.infomaniak.com/en/support/faq/1814/domain-name-transferring-to-infomaniak
8. click on Confirm to finish the procedure

It can take up to 48 hours for the alias to point to the parent site.

A number of bodies are known to engage in a practice known as "domain slamming", intended either to take over the domain in question or simply to make money off your back. These include: Brandon Gray Internet Services, NameJuice.com  and Global Netsource. In addition, a number of Asian companies are listed here.

The company Domain Registrar of America (DROA) also aims to scam domain name owners by sending them a fax or e-mail for the renewal of one or more domain names two or three months before these are due to expire. This offer appears official and professional and offers extremely competitive prices. 

The catch: by signing, you agree to transfer your domain names to this registrar, with all of the associated risks of your web sites and e-mails being de-activated. Needless to say, you are encouraged to pay by credit card! This company has been subject to lawsuits in the USA, UK and Canada but remains extremely active in Europe.

Actions to be carried out

1. You need to determine who is sending you such a message... Is it a company that you know, which is writing to you from Switzerland or France, in French, etc. or conversely, is it an e-mail in English coming from abroad (USA, United Kingdom, Jamaica, Asia, etc.)? You must also determine what the status of your domain name is and where it currently resides (to do so, begin by performing a whois on www.infomaniak.com/who.is, for example).
2. Above all, do not follow up such e-mails: move them immediately to your trash folder to avoid paying astronomical fees unnecessarily.
3. check the 
   AFNIC Guide  to slamming and other fraudulent practices
4. enable Domain Privacy. To find out more:  https://faq.infomaniak.com/2237

When your domain name is registered elsewhere (supplier/third party registers) and you want to benefit from hosting with Infomaniak, you need to order a DNS zone.

This will also be particularly useful if the provider who manages your domain name does not offer DNS zone management.

Ordering a DNS zone

1. Log in to your admin console
2. Order a domain, indicating the domain name registered elsewhere
3. Make sure that DNS zone management is selected:

This guide explains how to manually pay your invoices and what the accepted payment methods are. If the invoices are not paid within the time specified, the services concerned are blocked, then terminated thereafter. In case of a problem, it is important to respond quickly.

Do you want to simplify your life and automatically renew certain products?

How do I pay an invoice or renew a product?

To renew a product from the admin console:

1. Open the Manager (manager.infomaniak.com).
2. In the top right corner, click Product(s) to renew or invoice(s) to pay.
3. Check the invoices to pay and click on the Pay my selection button.
4. Choose a payment method and complete the process
   (choose IBAN to obtain a pro forma invoice before payment).

How do I pay for a pending order?

1. Open the Manager (manager.infomaniak.com).
2. In the top right corner, click on Pending orders.
3. Click the order to be paid.
4. Click Pay for the order.
5. Choose a means of payment and finish the process.

How do I display or print the invoice for a pending order?

1. Open the Manager (manager.infomaniak.com).
2. In the top right corner, click on Pending orders.
3. Click the order to be paid.
4. Click the Actions button and then See the pro forma invoice.

Accepted payment method

To pay for a new order, a renewal or a change of deal, you can use:

• Visa, MasterCard, Carte Bleue.
• PostFinance card (if the currency is CHF).
• IBAN transfer (any bank fees must be paid by you).
• PayPal.
• The prepaid account (it is possible to use the available balance and pay the rest of an invoice by another payment method).

Accepted payment methods for crediting a prepaid account

• Visa, MasterCard, Carte Bleue.
• PostFinance card (if the currency is CHF).
• IBAN transfer (any bank fees must be paid by you).

Learn more

• Enable or disable automatic renewal.
• Add or change a payment method.
• The deposit limits on a prepaid account are from EUR 0.1 to EUR 9999 or CHF 0.1 to CHF 9999.

To edit the DNS of a domain name managed by Infomaniak:

1. open the Manager (manager.infomaniak.com)
2. go to Domain
3. click on the domain name concerned
4. click on DNS servers in the left side menu
5. click on Edit DNS servers
6. if your website is hosted by Infomaniak, tickInfomaniak Name Servers.
   If not, tick Custom Name Servers
7. these changes may take up to 48 hours before they become effective for you and other users

Learn more about how a domain name works: https://www.infomaniak.com/en/support/faq/2026

This guide explains how to force the display of the hosting name in the browser address bar to point to one of the alias domain names or how to display the main domain in the address bar instead of the alias.

Limiting "duplicate content"

Let's suppose that your-domain.com is hosted by us and you have installed www.aliasdomain.xyz as an alias domain name.

By default, when you type either of these domain names (your-domain.com or aliasdomain.xyz) into your browser address bar, the address that you type is the one that will appear in the address bar.

You thus have the option of forcing an address other than that typed in to be displayed.

Hence, if somebody types aliasdomain.xyz, your-domain.xyz is the address that will be automatically displayed in the address bar.

Some code must be placed in a file named .htaccess, which in turn must be located in the root of your hosting (in the /web folder of your FTP space).

If the file does not yet exist, you must create it on the server.

<IfModule mod_rewrite.c>
RewriteEngine on
RewriteRule ^(.*)$ https://your-domain.com/$1 [R=301,L]
</IfModule>

Replace "your-domain.xyz" with your domain name with the appropriate extension (.com, .fr, .ch, etc.) that you wish to see displayed in the address bar of the visitor's browser. Add www. before your-domain.com if necessary.

Also read about automatic redirecting to https: https://faq.infomaniak.com/1961

This guide explains how to add, change or delete specific entries (A records, MX records, DKIM, CNAME, SRV, etc.) within a DNS zone of a domain name. It may also help you to:

• edit the DNS zone present at Infomaniak for a domain name managed by another Registrar
• link an Infomaniak-managed domain name to a Web/Mail hosting managed by another hosting service provider

Logging into the DNS zone

1. Open the Manager (manager.infomaniak.com)
2. Go to Domain
3. Click the domain name to be modified
4. Click DNS zone in the left side menu
5. The entries currently in place are listed in the Simple Mode table

The DNS present here is only valid and used if the server names are those of Infomaniak. Any modification can take up to 48 hours to become active.

In a nutshell:

• an MX record enables you to indicate where the EMAIL part of your domain should be managed
• an A record allows you to direct a domain name (e.g., your-site.com) or a subdomain name (e.g., example.your-site.com) to a Web server that has a static IP address
• a DKIM record (Domain Keys Identified Mail) is a method of authentication that enables you to know whether an email actually comes from its sender's domain. This standard thus stops spammers from posing as legitimate entities
• an SRV record (Service Resource Records) shows which services are available for a domain. SRV records are often used for XMPP or LDAP protocols, or for the use of Microsoft Office 365.

We also support AAAA, DNAME, CAA, TXT, etc. records.

The Whois details are the contact details linked to a domain name. They provide information about the owner of the domain name, (first and last name, postal address, telephone, email address). the administrator, the technical and billing contacts.

Any modification must be confirmed by the current owner. They automatically receive an email with a validation link valid for two days to approve the change.

Depending on the extension of the domain in question, these operations can incur expenses.

The information in Whois has no link with the contact info of the Infomaniak customer, and will always be used in the event of a dispute on the ownership of the domain.

It is therefore important to keep this information updated, even if you decide to activate Domain Privacy to hide this information.

We call your attention to the fact that a contact file can be linked to several domains. A modification of one file will therefore affect all the domains having the same Whois contact.

Changing the Whois information:

1. Open the Manager (manager.infomaniak.com)
2. Go to Domain
3. Click on the domain name concerned
4. on the left side panel, click on Whois Information

Next, you have several options under Domain Owner:

• Click on the Edit button to edit the postal and telephone contact information immediately
• Click on the Change Owner button to change the other elements, but it is necessary to obtain the approval of both parties before application:
  • Select another existing form (this may be the case if you own other domain names)
  • or click on the Add button to create a new contact form