Going Live

Note: This documentation has been updated as of March 31st 2022 with the new SSL certificate auto-provisioning information.

To help keep our users, the platform, and its data secure all sites on UBC CMS require an SSL Certificate.

If you intend to use the canonical URL (one that has the form something.sites.olt.ubc.ca) then you are already good to go as we have a wildcard SSL Certificate that has you covered.

However, if you wish to use a custom domain (i.e. something.ubc.ca or something.yourfaculty.ubc.ca) then you need to 'domain map' your site.

As of mid 2021, UBC CMS has an automated, free-to-you SSL certificate provisioning system which means that in order to put your site 'live' with your custom domain, you are required to do 3 things. You should allow several days for this process - i.e. do it well ahead of your anticipated go-live date. Step 3 below can be done the moment you wish the site to go live, should you wish as the change made in step 3 is instant.

1. You will need to register your required domain with UBC IT and ask them to point it at UBC CMS's server IP address 206.87.224.50 (normally via a DNS A record) - this may take several days, so do this well in advance of when you want to go live
2. Once your custom domain is pointing at 206.87.224.50 (step 1 above) then you will need to attach that domain to your site. This process is called 'Domain Mapping'.
   • Go to the dashboard of your site and visit Tools > Domain Mapping.
   • Add your custom domain but do NOT make it the primary domain for this site yet. Your site will still be running on the canonical url (something.sites.olt.ubc.ca) but our automated service now knows about your custom domain and will, behind the scenes, generate and install the SSL certificate that is required for all sites on CMS.
   • Do this at least 24 hours before you want to go live with your site. Our automated provisioning system works over night.
3. At least 24 hours after step 2 above is complete your site is ready to go live on your custom domain.
   • When you wish to go live, return to Tools > Domain Mapping on your site's dashboard and make your custom domain the primary domain for your site.
   • Your site will now be available on your custom domain and will be running using the HTTPS protocol and your site is live

Aside: Remember to ensure you allow search engines to crawl your site once you go live should you wish (Settings > Reading from your site's dashboard) so that Google and other search engines can help folks find your site.