Procédure
Panels concerned: LWS Panel, ISPConfig
Level: intermediate
This guide explains how to associate a domain name with your ISPConfig VPS server. The domain can be registered with LWS or with another provider.
You can use the automatic tool offered by LWS, point only the website to the VPS IP address, or entrust all DNS zone management to ISPConfig.
The choice mainly depends on where you want to manage the domain DNS zone and e-mails.
Use automatic configuration
This method is recommended if you are looking for the simplest solution.
The tool available in the LWS Panel automatically adds the domain in ISPConfig and creates the main associated services, including an e-mail inbox, an FTP account and a database.
When the domain is managed at LWS, its DNS servers are also automatically adjusted to point it to the VPS.
Point only the website to the VPS
Choose this method if you want to:
You will only modify the DNS records used by the website, usually the entries corresponding to the main domain and www.
Manage the entire DNS zone in ISPConfig
This method lets you manage from ISPConfig:
It requires more checks, because changing the DNS servers switches all domain services to the zone created on the VPS.
Make sure you have:
The VPS IPv4 address and hostname are available in your LWS customer area, in the Servers section, after clicking Manage for the relevant server.
If the domain is already in use, keep a copy of its current DNS zone before modifying it. In particular, note the records related to e-mails, subdomains and external services.
If e-mail addresses are already being used with the domain, do not change the DNS servers before recreating the mailboxes and the required records in the new configuration.
An incomplete DNS zone can interrupt the website, e-mails or certain subdomains.
This method is recommended if you want to quickly create the main domain services in ISPConfig. It allows you to add the website and automatically prepare the associated resources, such as an e-mail address, an FTP account and a database.
Requirements for automatic configuration
The domain must not already be configured, even partially, on the VPS.
Before launching the tool, make sure that no website, mail domain, DNS zone or other configuration for this domain is already present in ISPConfig. An existing or incomplete configuration can prevent the tool from completing its action correctly.
If the domain has already been added manually in ISPConfig, back up the files, databases, e-mails and settings you want to keep, then delete its configuration before relaunching the automatic tool.
The LWS Panel must also be able to connect automatically to the VPS to perform the various operations.
This connection works when:
If the password was changed directly from ISPConfig, the LWS Panel no longer knows the information needed to connect automatically to the server. The domain configuration then fails.
In that case, reset the password from the VPS management section in the LWS Panel. You can choose a new password or reassign the same one. The important thing is to perform the operation from the LWS Panel so that it can use the automatic connection again.
For the tool to also automatically modify the domain name configuration, it must meet these two conditions:
If the domain is managed with another provider or in another LWS customer area, the tool will not be able to intervene automatically on the DNS servers or DNS Zone. You will need to complete the pointing from the interface that manages the domain.
Launch automatic configuration
www, http:// or https://.
The tool adds the domain in ISPConfig and automatically creates an e-mail inbox, an FTP account and a database.
If the domain is managed by LWS in the same customer area
The LWS Panel acts on both the VPS and the domain. The DNS servers are automatically adjusted to link the domain to the server.
After DNS propagation, you can move on to the Check that the domain works section.
If the domain is external or managed in another LWS customer area
The tool can configure the required services on the VPS, but it cannot modify the domain automatically.
You must complete the association from the customer area or panel that manages the domain, by choosing one of the following methods:
The domain is with LWS, but its DNS servers have not been changed
Check that the domain and the VPS are attached to the same LWS customer area.
A domain managed by LWS in another customer area is considered an external domain with respect to the LWS Panel from which the VPS configuration is launched. The panel therefore cannot automatically modify the DNS servers.
Log in to the customer area that contains the domain, then manually point it to the VPS. You can also transfer the domain into the same customer area as the server if this setup suits your needs.
The domain must be declared in ISPConfig so the server knows which website to display when it receives a visit.
In the Domain (1) field, enter only the domain name, for example:
mywebsite.com
Do not add www, http:// or https://.
www.yourdomain.fr.The PHP version must be suited to your website. An outdated version may present security risks, while a version that is too recent may not be compatible with certain themes, extensions or applications.
If you want to limit the disk space used by your website, fill in the Harddisk Quota section with the number of MB desired. Only this section allows the restriction to be set. The equivalent section in the FTP user creation form is not active.
When you check Let’s Encrypt SSL, ISPConfig automatically checks the SSL option.
Do not check Let’s Encrypt SSL if the domain or its www address does not yet point to the VPS. Certificate creation may fail.
You can enable this option after completing DNS pointing and waiting for propagation.
The domain now appears in the list of websites managed by ISPConfig. This operation does not modify its DNS zone.
This method keeps the DNS zone with its current manager. It allows you to host the website on the VPS without moving the e-mails or other services for the domain.
Use it:
When the domain and VPS are managed in the same LWS customer area, the automatic tool already performs this pointing.
Settings to apply
The values are identical whether the DNS zone is managed at LWS or by another provider.
For the main domain, modify or create a record with the following values:
| Type | Name | Value |
|---|---|---|
| A | @ |
VPS IPv4 address |
For the www address, use one of the following configurations:
| Type | Name | Value |
|---|---|---|
| CNAME | www |
Main domain name |
or:
| Type | Name | Value |
|---|---|---|
| A | www |
VPS IPv4 address |
Example with the domain mydomain.fr:
@ points to the VPS IPv4 address (e.g. 8.8.8.8);www points to mydomain.fr.Do not modify the MX, SPF, DKIM or other e-mail-related records if you want to keep your e-mails with their current provider.
If the DNS zone is managed at LWS
Log in to the customer area containing the domain, then modify its DNS zone with the values indicated above.
For the full procedure, see the help article: How do I point my domain to an external IP address?
If the domain is in a different customer area than the VPS, the modification must be done from the customer area that contains the domain.
If the DNS zone is managed by another provider
Make the same settings from the provider interface that supplies the DNS servers used by the domain.
If you do not know how to modify the DNS zone, contact its support and give them the following instructions:
www to the main domain with a CNAME record or to the same IPv4 address with an A record;Check for a possible IPv6 record
If the DNS zone contains an AAAA record, it allows visitors using IPv6 to access the website.
Check that it matches your VPS IPv6 address. An old IPv6 address can send some visitors to the wrong server.
Only delete or modify this record if you know which IPv6 configuration to use.
Use this method if you want the domain’s complete DNS zone to be managed from your VPS.
ISPConfig will serve as the primary DNS. The dns2.lws-hosting.com service will be used as the secondary DNS.
Create the DNS zone in ISPConfig
www;vpsXXXXX.serveur-vps.net (same as the Server value);dns2.lws-hosting.com;
The new zone appears in ISPConfig.
Check the created records
Open the DNS zone by clicking the record line and verify that the entries match the services you will use.
The zone must include in particular:
www (CNAME type);
The wizard creates a basic configuration, but it cannot know all services previously associated with your domain.
Allow transfer to the secondary DNS
The secondary DNS must be able to retrieve a copy of the zone created on the VPS.
Add the following IP address in the Allow zone transfers to these IPs and Also notify fields (2):
185.98.131.49
This authorization allows the LWS secondary DNS server to retrieve and update the zone.
Declare the domain on the LWS secondary DNS
The secondary DNS can now retrieve the zone from your VPS.
Change the DNS servers of an LWS domain
If your domain is managed by LWS, follow this procedure:
vpsXXXXX.serveur-vps.net);dns2.lws-hosting.com.The request may be refused if the zone does not yet exist, if the secondary server is not correctly declared, or if the specified servers do not respond for the domain.
Change the DNS servers of an external domain
If your domain name is not managed by LWS, follow this procedure:
Log in to the provider's panel where the domain is registered.
Open the section for changing DNS servers, name servers or nameservers, then enter:
vpsXXXXX.serveur-vps.net;dns2.lws-hosting.com.Then validate the change from the provider panel.
Changing DNS servers does not only affect the website. The entire domain configuration will now depend on the DNS zone created in ISPConfig.
Before validating, check that this zone contains the records for the website, e-mails, subdomains and other used services.
A record change or a DNS server change may take up to 24 hours to be visible everywhere. In some cases, caches from internet providers or devices may keep the old configuration longer.
During this period:
Avoid making multiple changes while propagation is still in progress.
After propagation and activation of the Let's Encrypt certificate, perform the following checks:
Open the main domain in a browser:
https://mydomain.ext
Also test the address with www:
https://www.mydomain.ext
dns2.lws-hosting.com as the secondary DNS.Configuration is complete when the main domain and its www address display the expected website and the other domain services, especially e-mails, still work.
Automatic domain configuration fails
First check that the domain is not already configured, even partially, in ISPConfig.
Look for a configuration using this domain in the following sections:
If the domain is present, back up the files, databases, e-mails and settings you want to keep. Then delete the elements related to the domain and relaunch the automatic tool from the LWS Panel.
An earlier attempt may have created only part of the services. So check all ISPConfig sections, even if no website seems to be configured.
Configuration fails after a password change
The LWS Panel must know the information needed to connect automatically to the VPS.
If the admin password was changed directly from ISPConfig, the LWS Panel can no longer perform this connection and the automatic tool fails.
From the LWS Panel, use the VPS password change procedure. You can set a new password or reassign the current one.
Once this operation has been performed from the LWS Panel, relaunch the automatic domain configuration.
I cannot completely remove an old configuration
Check that all elements associated with the domain have been deleted in the Sites, E-mail and DNS sections, as well as in FTP accounts and databases.
If the VPS contains no other domain, website, e-mail, file or database to keep, you can reinstall it with the ISPConfig template to start again from a blank configuration.
Reinstallation completely resets the VPS. It deletes the files, databases, e-mails, certificates, accounts and settings present on the server.
Only do this if no data needs to be kept or if you have a complete, usable backup.
Once the VPS is reinstalled, check that you can access ISPConfig, then relaunch automatic configuration from the LWS Panel.
My domain still shows the old website
DNS propagation may not be complete yet.
Check that the A record is using the VPS IPv4 address or that the new DNS servers are active. Also test the domain from another connection, for example with your phone's mobile network.
If the change was just made, wait up to 24 hours before doing it again.
A default page is displayed instead of my website
The domain probably reaches the VPS, but ISPConfig has not yet associated it with the correct website.
In ISPConfig, open Sites, then Websites and check:
www, http:// or https://;The website works without www, but not with www
The DNS record for www is probably missing or incorrect.
In the active DNS zone, add one of the following:
www pointing to the main domain;www using the VPS IPv4 address.Also check the value of the Auto-subdomain field in the ISPConfig website configuration if this option is present.
The external domain does not work after automatic configuration
The LWS tool can create the services in ISPConfig, but it cannot modify DNS servers managed by another provider or if the domain is on a different LWS customer account than the VPS.
Log in to that provider's panel (or the LWS customer account managing the domain) and do either:
My e-mails no longer work after changing the DNS servers
The new ISPConfig zone probably does not contain all the necessary mail records.
Check in particular:
If mail must remain with the old provider, copy into ISPConfig the records they provide.
The new DNS servers are refused
Check the following points:
dns2.lws-hosting.com is entered as the secondary DNS;185.98.131.49 is allowed;Some registries also apply controls specific to the domain extension.
The Let's Encrypt SSL certificate does not activate
Before requesting the certificate, check that:
www also points to the VPS if you want it included in the certificate;Once these points are corrected, restart certificate activation in ISPConfig.
Bonjour,
Oui tout à fait.
Après avoir ajouté votre domaine à votre VPS, voici une documentation pour configurer votre domaine nouvellement ajouté : https://aide.lws.fr/a/1285
Bonjour,
Merci de votre retour.
C'est assez déconseillé de publier votre site après\pendant transfert d'un domaine, mais c'est tout à fait possible.
Je vous remercie de votre attention et reste à votre disposition pour toute autre question ou complément d'information.
Nous vous invitons à contacter notre service support à travers votre espace client, afin de vous apporter une aide si vous rencontrez des difficultés quelconque. (Contacter le support LWS)
Cordialement, L'équipe LWS
Bonjour,
Pour lier votre nom de domaine sur votre Serveur NAS par exemple pour auto-héberger votre site Internet, vous devez effectivement configurer l'enregistrement de Type A de la Zone DNS de votre domaine pour le faire pointer sur l'IP du Serveur.
L'IP à renseigner est dans le cas le plus courant l'IP Publique de votre connexion Internet. Veillez à bénéficier d'une IP Fixe auprès de votre opérateur, sinon vous devrez refaire le réglage à chaque changement d'IP.
Ensuite, vous devrez configurer votre Box qui sert également généralement de routeur pour configurer que les connexions entrantes depuis votre nom de domaine soient redirigées vers votre serveur NAS. Enfin, vous devrez configurer votre serveur NAS pour traiter les connexions entrantes via votre nom de domaine.
Comme ces configurations dépendent du modèle de Box Internet et du modèle de Serveur NAS, je vous invite à vous reporter au mode d'emploi de ces deux appareils pour vérifier ou mettre en place votre configuration.
Cordialement, L'équipe LWS
Bonjour,
Le nom de domaine et le VPS sont deux services distincts.
Si votre nom de domaine arrive prochainement à expiration, il sera nécessaire de le renouveler afin de conserver sa propriété et d'éviter toute interruption de service.
Vous pouvez tout à fait souscrire à un VPS dès maintenant, mais cela n’inclura pas automatiquement le renouvellement de votre nom de domaine sauf indication contraire dans l’offre choisie.
Je vous remercie de votre attention et reste à votre disposition pour toute autre question ou complément d'information.
Cordialement, L'équipe LWS
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