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Technoob-help please! Addon domain at Hostgator issue-ACK!

by MizzCindy
13 replies
NOTE - I know this is long. Please don't let that stop you from reading it. I appreciate any help given!

Hi all! I'm hoping someone can help me with this issue, as Hostgator support (while polite and pleasant) has not been of much use in getting this resolved.

I have two domains. One I've had for several months and one I just registered (over 55 hours ago). They are hosted at Hostgator. The second one is set up as an addon domain. I'm sure of this, as I've double checked it.

For example purposes, I'll use 'maindomain.com' and 'seconddomain.com'.

It is my understanding that the addon domain should appear in the browser address bar as a stand alone domain: i.e. seconddomain.com. However, it's showing up as a subfolder of the first domain: i.e. http://www.maindomain.com/seconddomain/

I know it's not a DNS issue, as the DNSs were set over 48 hours ago (more than enough time to propagate).

The first time I called Hostgator support, they said it was too soon after setting the DNSs and to wait for 48 hours, which I did. The second time I called, I got some answers that were...well, they just sounded crazy to me. I think they're just plain wrong - BUT I'm a technoob, so I could be wrong.

Hostgator support said I needed to put an index.html file in my public_html folder of my main domain (not in the addon domain folder). They said that would then cause the web address to resolve to a standalone one instead of showing up as a subfolder of my main domain in the browser address bar: i.e. seconddomain.com.

That sounded like old tosh to me, but I tried it anyway. It did not work.

Also, while I had the fella on the line, I asked where I needed to install the new instance of Wordpress for this domain. He told me to install it anywhere in the public_html folder as well, and that it would then work for the new domain. I really don't think that seems right. To me, it should at least go in the subfolder for the new domain, but what do I know?!

Can anyone throw me a clue - on either or both these issues? I've googled, but everything I've found says the second domain should appear as to be a stand alone to visitors, even thought the server sees it differently.

I'm confused and frustrated, so sorry if this is a rambling mess!

Ever appreciative!
Cindy
#addon #domain #hostgator #issueack #technoobhelp
  • Profile picture of the author KarlWarren
    Hi Cindy...

    technically, an addon domain is just a subfolder - and will appear BOTH ways.

    Direct type in of domain2.com and also domain1.com/domain2

    Once the nameservers are set, and all the DNS stuff has propagated, you should be able to type domain2.com and get straight to the new site. But, you'll still be able to access it using the sub directory.

    Kindest regards,
    karl.
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    • Profile picture of the author MizzCindy
      Thanks for responding, Karl.

      Well, it's been over 48 hours since I set the domain name servers. When I type the new domain name into a browser's address bar, it resolves to the path that makes it look like a subfolder. It never shows up as a stand alone domain.

      Does it take longer than 48 hours for everything to propagate?

      Again, thanks.
      Cindy

      Originally Posted by KarlWarren View Post

      Hi Cindy...

      technically, an addon domain is just a subfolder - and will appear BOTH ways.

      Direct type in of domain2.com and also domain1.com/domain2

      Once the nameservers are set, and all the DNS stuff has propagated, you should be able to type domain2.com and get straight to the new site. But, you'll still be able to access it using the sub directory.

      Kindest regards,
      karl.
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      • Profile picture of the author KarlWarren
        Hi Cindy,

        usually a lot less... if you PM both domain names to me, I should be able to tell you what's up.

        Kindest regards,
        Karl.
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  • Profile picture of the author Steven Fullman
    Cindy,

    Can you confirm...did you buy 2 different domain names?

    i.e. 2 different www's

    I know you said you bought an 'add-on' domain...but if you own the main one, you shouldn't need to buy a subdomain.

    Please feel free to PM me.

    Steve
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    Not promoting right now

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    • Profile picture of the author MizzCindy
      Right, sorry I wasn't very clear.

      I purchased two entirely different domain names at two separate times. The first one several months ago, and the second one over the weekend.

      From what I understand, Hostgator's servers see the second domain (addon domain) as a subfolder off the main domain my hosting account is set up under, but to visitors it should look like a separate stand-alone site.

      I have a baby account, which means unlimited domains (or a high limit of domains) I can host for the one price, but all are controlled through the same cPanel.

      Since I'm pretty new to the tech side of this stuff, I'm not always sure I'm using the terminology correctly.

      Cindy

      Originally Posted by Steven Fullman View Post

      Cindy,

      Can you confirm...did you buy 2 different domain names?

      i.e. 2 different www's

      I know you said you bought an 'add-on' domain...but if you own the main one, you shouldn't need to buy a subdomain.

      Please feel free to PM me.

      Steve
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      • Profile picture of the author Steven Fullman
        Originally Posted by MizzCindy View Post

        Right, sorry I wasn't very clear.

        I purchased two entirely different domain names at two separate times. The first one several months ago, and the second one over the weekend.

        From what I understand, Hostgator's servers see the second domain (addon domain) as a subfolder off the main domain my hosting account is set up under, but to visitors it should look like a separate stand-alone site.

        I have a baby account, which means unlimited domains (or a high limit of domains) I can host for the one price, but all are controlled through the same cPanel.

        Since I'm pretty new to the tech side of this stuff, I'm not always sure I'm using the terminology correctly.

        Cindy
        Cindy,

        What are the 'nameserver' addresses of your new domain name? I'm guessing you haven't changed them...do a search for nameserver wherever you bought the domain name. No need to feel technically embarrassed...

        Steve
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        • Profile picture of the author MizzCindy
          Karl, thanks for looking at this for me! Glad to know they appear to be set up OK. I hope I'll be able to look back on this and laugh someday. Ack!

          Steven, thanks for the kind words! I really hate feeling like a dunder-head.

          I changed the domain name servers to exactly the same addresses used for my first domain when I registered the newest domain. Hostagtor support said that was OK. Here is the format:

          nsXXX.hostgator.com
          nsYYY.hostgator.com

          Should the name servers be different?

          Thanks for your help!
          Cindy

          Originally Posted by Steven Fullman View Post

          Cindy,

          What are the 'nameserver' addresses of your new domain name? I'm guessing you haven't changed them...do a search for nameserver wherever you bought the domain name. No need to feel technically embarrassed...

          Steve
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          • Profile picture of the author KarlWarren
            Hi Cindy

            Everything is definitely set up correctly...

            Nameservers are always the same if you're using addon domains, and from what I can see - you've set up the addon domains correctly.

            The only thing leading to confusion was the lack of index.html on your main domain, which left your directory open - this meant that you could see the subdomain (addon) folder when you typed in site1.com

            As soon as you upload a blank index file on site1, you'll no longer have the issue.

            Kindest regards,
            Karl.
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  • Profile picture of the author JWB
    I also host at Hostgator..I have the main domain and now have 3 add-on domains. i am by no means a tech wizard and am very familar with their tech people who are very good. But what i understand, whenever you do anything Hostgator, your main domain will always show up in any search bars...etc. All add ons come under the main domain..and do not really stand alone..
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    • Profile picture of the author MizzCindy
      Hi JWB,

      Well, I could be mistaken, but I don't think that's right. This is from the Hostgator Knowledgebase:
      An addon domain is a fully functional domain that can be created from your cPanel. Once it's created it will have it's own email, and it's own folder from within the public_html directory.

       Addon domain URLs look like www.domain.com Subdomain URLs look like forum.domain.com, cat.domain.com, etc. domain.com the www is replaced with anything you want. Parked domains are a place holder site. You park it on top of another site and it becomes a single page of the site you park it on.
      Originally Posted by JWB View Post

      I also host at Hostgator..I have the main domain and now have 3 add-on domains. i am by no means a tech wizard and am very familar with their tech people who are very good. But what i understand, whenever you do anything Hostgator, your main domain will always show up in any search bars...etc. All add ons come under the main domain..and do not really stand alone..
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  • Profile picture of the author MizzCindy
    Woohoohoo!

    I think the problem is fixed. According to HG support, the .htaccess file was redirecting the site to the subfolder address. I'm not sure how that happened, since I made no changes to the .htaccess file. They renamed the file and that fixed it by rendering the file useless...BUT...

    I had changed the file (many weeks ago) to deal with the whole canonicalization issue for my main domain. When I asked if that was still functional, they said no. So, someone from HG went back in and rebuilt it to restore that functionality. Hopefully, it's all back up and running correctly.

    A big THANK YOU to everyone who assisted me via this thread and PMs. Warriors rock!

    Cindy

    P.S. @JWB - if you have addon domains that are not showing up as stand alone domains in your address bar, then something is wrong. Perhaps your .htaccess file needs updating as well? Might be worth checking into.
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    • Profile picture of the author Kay King
      The .htaccess problem might have been due to the recent upgrade to php5 at hostgator.

      I know it affected the sites I host there and the problem was a change required in the .htaccess file.

      Possible you did everything perfectly - and HG just had to catch up with you.

      kay
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      • Profile picture of the author MizzCindy
        Originally Posted by Kay King View Post

        The .htaccess problem might have been due to the recent upgrade to php5 at hostgator.

        I know it affected the sites I host there and the problem was a change required in the .htaccess file.

        Possible you did everything perfectly - and HG just had to catch up with you.

        kay
        Kay,

        I just love you for saying that!

        Cindy
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