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This guide explains how to modify the contact details associated with a domain name, namely the details of the owner/contact person.
Indeed, the peculiarity of domain names is that they all have an owner whose details are specific to the domain itself, independent from the client account managing the product with the host or registry.
Understanding Whois Contact Details
The contact details associated with the domain name are called Whois details and indicate details such as first name, last name, postal address, email address, etc. They have no connection with Infomaniak client account details.
They can be viewed online through Whois services (whois.infomaniak.com or whois.nic.swiss, for example), and additional private details may sometimes exist upstream.
These off-Whois public information is never visible and/or communicated by Infomaniak without prior authentication!
They will always prevail in case of a dispute regarding domain name ownership, so it is important to keep this information up to date even if you activate Domain Privacy to hide this information.
Modify Whois Information
Any modification of Whois contact details must be validated by the current contact. The latter will receive an email with a validation link valid for two days to validate the changes.
The change will not be made if all actions are not performed fully and before the expiration of the deadline!
To access your domain names:
- Log in to the Infomaniak Manager (manager.infomaniak.com) from a web browser like Brave or Firefox
- Click on the icon in the top right corner of the interface (or navigate through the left side menu, for example)
- Select Domains (Web & Domain universe)
- Click on the name of the relevant object in the displayed table
- Click on Whois Information in the left side menu
Then, several possibilities are available to you under Domain Owner:
- Click on the Edit button to edit the postal and telephone details immediately
- Click on the Change Owner button to modify other elements but with the need to obtain agreement from both parties before application:
- Choose another existing contact record (this may be the case if you own other domain names)
- or click on the Add button to create a brand new contact record
You can also do this for multiple domains at once: a contact record can be linked to multiple domains; thus, modifying a record will automatically affect all domains with the same Whois contact.
This guide explains what a web host is and what its role is. Will it, for example, be able to help in designing a website or resolve a bug which has appeared on a user’s computer?
Infomaniak, a host since 1996
According to Wikipedia, a web host is a company which provides an online hosting service for various IT systems for people or entities who do not want to do this themselves.
No intervention on the content of the products hosted
As a web and email host, Infomaniak's main activities involve installing, securing, and updating servers, in particular to protect them from malicious attacks.
We also take care to improve our web interfaces (Manager) and our infrastructures constantly based on customer feedback, the latest technologies, and market needs. Finally, we are also here to accompany our customers in the various stages of using our products.
However, we do not intervene with regard to the content of servers or the development of websites. The creation or maintenance of a website is a different profession. We have webmasters and developers for our own website, our own apps & tools.
Find a webmaster
For help with regard to the content of your website or the organisation of your mailboxes, you can contact one of our partners.
Issue a call for tenders
The Infomaniak call for tenders platform lists more than 1,000 verified companies in Switzerland, France, Belgium, Italy and Spain. It is the quickest means of finding a webmaster, a UX designer, an IT technician, a web agency or a communication and marketing agency near you ; or browse the directory.
This guide presents the DNS Diagnostic tool, which allows you to verify that the relationships between domain names and Infomaniak's Mail Service and/or Web Hosting are correct so that Mail/Web traffic is directed to the right place. This involves checking MX, A, CNAME, etc. records. The tool allows you to intervene in the configuration if needed.
You can thus detect and correct certain Mail or Web problems, especially if they are related to DNS (name servers, technical information that essentially determines where Web or Mail traffic should be directed) by acting at the level of your domain.
Diagnosing a DNS Problem
To access the DNS diagnosis of your domain name:
- Log in to the Infomaniak Manager (manager.infomaniak.com) from a web browser like Brave or Firefox
- Click on the icon at the top right of the interface (or navigate through the left sidebar menu, for example)
- Select Domains (universe Web & Domain)
- Click directly on the name of the relevant object in the displayed table
- Click on DNS Diagnostic in the left sidebar menu
- If DNS problems are detected, they will be indicated in red on the table
- Correct each entry individually (1) or all entries at once (2), or if necessary and you are sure about it, ignore these warnings (3):
Also see the diagnosis of DNS records related to messaging.
This guide explains how to order a DNS zone from Infomaniak.
Why Order a DNS Zone?
Owning the DNS zone with Infomaniak is useful if your domain name is registered elsewhere (third-party provider/registrar) and you want to easily link this domain with Infomaniak products.
Indeed, it is not enough to have a site domain.xyz with Infomaniak and to indicate our 2 DNS addresses at the domain name registrar (if it is not Infomaniak) to make the site display when you type domain.xyz in a browser. You must add a DNS zone in the same place as the hosting to make the site work easily.
This will also be particularly useful if the service provider managing your domain name does not offer DNS zone management.
Ordering a DNS Zone
- Go to the Shop (shop.infomaniak.com)
- Enter the name of the domain registered elsewhere
- Click on the action button â‹® on the right and select Order a DNS zone
An alias is a second domain name linked to an existing website.
For example, to make the site "domain.xyz" also accessible with "www.domain.xyz," you need to add it as an alias to the domain "domain.xyz." In this example, "domain.xyz" is the parent site of the alias "www.domain.xyz."
In general, the "www" alias is already added and present, but the procedure will also be useful when you want to point a second domain name to your site.
Prerequisites
If the domain name (intended to become an alias) or its DNS zone is managed by Infomaniak, everything is fine. If not:
- The A record of the domain name must point to Infomaniak
- For simplicity, you can entrust us with the management of your domain name
Add an alias to an existing site
To access Web Hosting to add an alias to a site:
- Log in to the Infomaniak Manager (manager.infomaniak.com) from a web browser like Brave or Firefox
- Click on the icon in the top right of the interface (or navigate using the left side menu, for example)
- Select Hosting (in the Web & Domaine universe)
- Click directly on the name of the relevant item in the table that appears
- Click on the respective site (in the Sites section)
- Click on the blue Add button (in the Domains section)
- Enter the desired alias domain name(s), separating them with the Enter key
- If the alias or its DNS zone is managed by Infomaniak, it's possible to automatically update the DNS entries. Otherwise, make any necessary changes with your registrar or transfer the domain name management to Infomaniak
- Click Validate to complete the procedure
It can take up to 48 hours for the alias to point to the parent site.
To set the alias as the main domain: https://faq.infomaniak.com/2070
This guide explains how to register a domain name with Infomaniak. With a new domain name or an additional one, many possibilities open up for you, such as:
- using free services related to the domain you order:
- using your Mail Service or existing website with a different spelling
- hosting a website with a third-party hosting provider
- etc.
Ordering...
... a first domain name
To do this:
- if necessary, create a user account
- open the Manager (manager.infomaniak.com)
- click on Domains (which is grayed out because you don't own one yet) to open the Shop
- once in the Shop, enter the domain name to register:
- check or uncheck the additional extensions offered
- click Next
- choose the desired options on the following pages, such as any Mail Service associated with the domain name:
- choose the desired options on the following pages, such as any web hosting associated with the domain name:
- complete the purchase, making sure to read and accept the Terms (the checkbox may require scrolling down on the page):
- wait a few hours for the setup (and, in broad terms, the propagation of your domain name to Internet Service Providers (ISPs) worldwide)
... an additional domain name
To do this:
- open the Manager (manager.infomaniak.com)
- click on Domains
- click on the cart to Order an additional domain:
- follow the first guide above from step 4
Check the availability of a domain name
This page allows you to quickly check if a domain is available for registration or not.
There are at least 3 main indications:
- Available — in this case, you're good to reserve it
- Transferable — you must own it with another provider to transfer it to Infomaniak
- Unavailable — unfortunately, it won't be possible to order it until it's released by its current owner
This guide explains how to have multiple denominations (everything that comes after the @ symbol of your email address) for an existing Mail Service by adding associated domain names to it.
Email addresses (existing and future ones) are automatically valid with all associated domains.
To completely transform and change the domain names of a Mail Service, read this guide (click here). To modify the part of your email address coming before the @ symbol, read this guide (click here).
Also note that you can rename your product in the Infomaniak Manager, but changing the name of a Mail Service has absolutely no impact on its emails. You need to act on the domain name.
Prerequisites
- Own the new domain name (if necessary, create it beforehand)
- Familiarize yourself with the instructions in this guide (click here) and apply the relevant instructions based on your situation (to ensure the domain name works when linked to your Mail Service)
Add a Domain Name to the Mail Service
Once the new domain name is ready to be used alongside the old one, you need to add it to the Mail Service:
- Login to the Infomaniak Manager (manager.infomaniak.com) using a web browser like Brave or Firefox
- Click on the icon in the upper right corner of the interface (or navigate using the left sidebar menu, for example)
- Choose Mail Service (under Collaborative Tools)
- Click on the name of the relevant object in the displayed table
- Click on Domain Management in the left sidebar menu
- Click on Domains linked to the service in the left sidebar menu
- Click the blue button Add a linked domain
- You can:
- Search for an existing domain within the organization you're connected to — this will link and automatically update the DNS zone of the added domain
- Add a domain name or subdomain to manually specify the domain name or subdomain to use (ideal if the domain name is hosted elsewhere)
- Buy a new domain name (read the prerequisites above)
a: the domain exists within the organization
- Click on the proposed domain name
- Click the blue button Link this domain
It's done; the Mail Service now responds to a second domain name.
b: the domain exists elsewhere
- Enter the domain name to add
- Enable DNS entry updates (if the domain name situation allows it, the DNS zone of the domain name will be automatically updated)
- If point 2 above is active, then activate the replacement of potentially existing entries
- Do not activate domain name reversal unless you want to set this new domain name as the primary one (this is mainly an administrative matter rather than technical)
- Click the blue button Link this domain
Usage Example
The email contact@super-family-business.com is a long email address. The synonymous domain contact@usef.com is shorter and easier to remember.
By adding the "usef.com" domain to the "super-family-business.com" Mail Service, you allow all messages sent to contact@usef.com (the linked domain) to arrive alongside the messages that the contact@super-family-business.com address already receives.
This guide explains the difference between the terms Synonym and Alias in the context of the Domain product offered by Infomaniak.
Synonym Domain, Alias Domain
A synonym domain and an alias domain can both serve as secondary domain names to another domain.
For example, the domain names apple.xyz (alias) and banana.xyz (synonym) can redirect to the domain name fruits.xyz (the main domain).
The difference between a synonym and an alias domain is technical in nature:
- A synonym domain is based on the DNS of the main domain
- An alias domain has its own DNS
apple.xyz (alias) ns1.customizable.ch ns2.customizable.ch | ⇢ | DNS Zone Record A Record MX etc. | Web Hosting Mail Service |
fruits.xyz (main) ns1.infomaniak.ch ns2.infomaniak.ch | } | DNS Zone Record A Record MX etc. | |
banana.xyz (synonym) retrieves DNS from the main domain (fruits.fr) |
Learn More
This guide explains how to link a domain to an Infomaniak Mail Service.
Where is your domain name located?
At Infomaniak, same organization
If your domain name is registered with Infomaniak and is in the same user account or organization as your email, then there is nothing to do.
- Check and correct any errors using this guide (click here)
At Infomaniak, different organization
If your domain name is registered with Infomaniak but in a different user account or organization, then you need to:
- edit its DNS zone by specifying Infomaniak's MX records (+ SPF) and then wait for a maximum of 48 hours
OR
Elsewhere, with external DNS
If your domain name is registered with another registrar and the DNS is not Infomaniak's, then you need to:
- Edit the current DNS zone (if necessary, consult the provider's help) by specifying Infomaniak's MX records (+ SPF) and then wait for a maximum of 48 hours
OR
- Change the current DNS (if necessary, consult the provider's help) by specifying Infomaniak's DNS (this requires having a DNS zone with Infomaniak; it will be configured correctly, but check and correct any errors using this guide)
Elsewhere but you want to transfer it
If your domain name is registered with another registrar and you want to transfer it to the same place as your Infomaniak email, you need to:
- transfer the domain name to Infomaniak (it will be configured correctly, but check and correct any errors using this guide)
This guide allows you to create subdomains with web hosting, including Cloud Server. However, this function is not possible with Starter hosting (the 10 MB hosting included with each domain name).
Subdomains make it easier to organize hosting. For example, the address vlog.domain.xyz is a shortcut for the address domain.xyz/vlog. In other words, the address vlog.domain.xyz points to the vlog folder located at the root of the website domain.xyz. In this example, vlog is the subdomain of domain.xyz.
Step 1: Add the Subdomain as an Alias for Your Website
- Follow the alias adding procedure but please read points 2 and 3 below carefully
- In the Alias domain name field, enter the complete subdomain address (e.g., vlog.domain.xyz)
- If your domain or its DNS zone is managed by Infomaniak, enable the following two options: Update DNS entries for this domain and Replace existing entries. If not, create an A record with your registrar with the following information:
- Field: the complete URL of the subdomain (e.g., vlog.domain.xyz)
- Target: the IPv4 address (A record) of your site (how to display your site's A record)
Step 2: Modify the htaccess File of Your Website
Important: The following instructions are provided for reference only. You may need to adapt the code to make it work in your situation.
Using your FTP software or our FTP Manager, add and adapt the following code to the htaccess file located at the root of your website:
RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} ^(.*)\.domain\.xyz [NC]
RewriteCond %{DOCUMENT_ROOT}/%1/ -d
RewriteCond %1::%{REQUEST_URI} !^(.*?)::/\1/?
RewriteRule "^(.*)$" "%{DOCUMENT_ROOT}/%1/$1" [L]
Explanation for the third line: https://stackoverflow.com/a/15981056
Replace on the first line:
- domain with your domain name
- xyz with the extension of your domain (ch, fr, etc.)
Now, the address vlog.domain.xyz should display the content of the vlog folder located at the root of your website. If it doesn't, check if the vlog folder exists at the root of your website.