First, sorry the description is so lengthy. I'm not familiar with DNS enough to be able to use the correct terminology, so if I try to shorten the question, I'm afraid I might use the wrong terms and make it more confusing for everyone.
I'm working with a non-profit to convert their website from a limited feature "make a website today!" type service to a paid account which allows domain mapping on WordPress.Com. I've finished all of the pages, and it's just about ready for the WordPress.Com site to be turned on and pay for the Wordpress.Com upgrade which allows for "Domain Mapping" and update their domain to point to the WordPress.com site. The current hosting service is also the domain registrar. There are some slightly more complicated details which I want to have a plan for beforehand, so I don't end up testing on a live site.
Wordpress.Com's documents basically say "pay for the domain mapping upgrade, then change your nameservers to the Wordpress.Com nameservers, and you'll be all set." My concern is that this will make some other (critical) features which the non-profit is using which are based on current domain records not work.
Wordpress.com's documentation:
Domain Mapping for already owned domains:
http://en.support.wordpress.com/dom.../#instructions-for-mapping-an-existing-domain
I'm scared of the paragraph about "existing A, MX, and CNAME Records not working after changing to Wordpress.com nameservers."
Wordpress.Com does allow you to set custom DNS records for domains registered elsewhere:
http://en.support.wordpress.com/domain-mapping/custom-dns/
The concern there is that it says you can't set A Records through the Wordpress.com settings, but to set these with the original DNS registrar. That's fine, except the previous link says that A Records at the original DNS registrar will be ignored once the nameservers are changed to the Wordpress.com nameservers. It can't be both, unless I'm misreading this.
I've studied the WordPress.com mapped domain documents (linked above) and I see that they include some notes that changing the nameservers will ignore all other DNS records at the current registrar, but you can apply custom DNS records thru the WordPress dashboard once you've enabled domain mapping (but not A records). The problem here is that I don't have much experience with DNS beyond just setting a nameserver.
The organization owns two domains; one is, let's say, "fullname.org", the other is an abbreviation, let's say "fn.org".
The full name is the "real" domain they prefer. The preferred behavior is browsing to the abbreviated domain immediately transfers the user to the full name domain. (thru DNS, I think) How can I do this after using changing the fullname.org nameservers to the WordPress.com nameservers? A custom "A Record" in the domain setup in the WordPress dashboard (but I think the WordPress support docs say this isn't possible?)? Abbreviated domain should simply go to fullname.org domain without the user seeing anything other than the URL changing immediately after typing the abbreviated name. (I don't think this is an HTTP re-direct with .htaccess) I guess I would update the fullname.org nameservers to the WordPress.Com nameservers, then change something else in a custom DNS record on the abbreviated domain (keeping the same, non-wordpress.com, nameservers, but I don't know specifically what I would change.
They also have email accounts hosted at the current provider. Based on the 'mapping a domain' documents for WordPress.com, I think I can simply add the current MX records to the WordPress domain options after I purchase the Domain Mapping upgrade. Is this accurate? Also, the current setup captures emails sent to both fullname.org and (abbreviated) fn.org by silently redirecting emails sent @fullname.org to @fn.org (the opposite of how the website redirection works).
Summary:
1. About to map a domain to Wordpress.com, but don't want to change the nameservers until I have a plan for all details.
2. I need two different domains to go to the same WordPress blog. Do this via a custom DNS record at the current registrar for the abbreviated name domain? What would that custom DNS record be?
3. Need email sent to either domain to continue functioning. (details above) I have the MX records from the registrar saved, but I don't see how it handles the case where there is redirection from fullname.org domain to abbreviated name domain.
4. Current registrar and hosting service is *********.
Thank you for your time and help (in advance).
If necessary for getting this straightened out, I can provide the actual domain names, but for privacy reasons, I'd rather not.
I'm working with a non-profit to convert their website from a limited feature "make a website today!" type service to a paid account which allows domain mapping on WordPress.Com. I've finished all of the pages, and it's just about ready for the WordPress.Com site to be turned on and pay for the Wordpress.Com upgrade which allows for "Domain Mapping" and update their domain to point to the WordPress.com site. The current hosting service is also the domain registrar. There are some slightly more complicated details which I want to have a plan for beforehand, so I don't end up testing on a live site.
Wordpress.Com's documents basically say "pay for the domain mapping upgrade, then change your nameservers to the Wordpress.Com nameservers, and you'll be all set." My concern is that this will make some other (critical) features which the non-profit is using which are based on current domain records not work.
Wordpress.com's documentation:
Domain Mapping for already owned domains:
http://en.support.wordpress.com/dom.../#instructions-for-mapping-an-existing-domain
I'm scared of the paragraph about "existing A, MX, and CNAME Records not working after changing to Wordpress.com nameservers."
Wordpress.Com does allow you to set custom DNS records for domains registered elsewhere:
http://en.support.wordpress.com/domain-mapping/custom-dns/
The concern there is that it says you can't set A Records through the Wordpress.com settings, but to set these with the original DNS registrar. That's fine, except the previous link says that A Records at the original DNS registrar will be ignored once the nameservers are changed to the Wordpress.com nameservers. It can't be both, unless I'm misreading this.
I've studied the WordPress.com mapped domain documents (linked above) and I see that they include some notes that changing the nameservers will ignore all other DNS records at the current registrar, but you can apply custom DNS records thru the WordPress dashboard once you've enabled domain mapping (but not A records). The problem here is that I don't have much experience with DNS beyond just setting a nameserver.
The organization owns two domains; one is, let's say, "fullname.org", the other is an abbreviation, let's say "fn.org".
The full name is the "real" domain they prefer. The preferred behavior is browsing to the abbreviated domain immediately transfers the user to the full name domain. (thru DNS, I think) How can I do this after using changing the fullname.org nameservers to the WordPress.com nameservers? A custom "A Record" in the domain setup in the WordPress dashboard (but I think the WordPress support docs say this isn't possible?)? Abbreviated domain should simply go to fullname.org domain without the user seeing anything other than the URL changing immediately after typing the abbreviated name. (I don't think this is an HTTP re-direct with .htaccess) I guess I would update the fullname.org nameservers to the WordPress.Com nameservers, then change something else in a custom DNS record on the abbreviated domain (keeping the same, non-wordpress.com, nameservers, but I don't know specifically what I would change.
They also have email accounts hosted at the current provider. Based on the 'mapping a domain' documents for WordPress.com, I think I can simply add the current MX records to the WordPress domain options after I purchase the Domain Mapping upgrade. Is this accurate? Also, the current setup captures emails sent to both fullname.org and (abbreviated) fn.org by silently redirecting emails sent @fullname.org to @fn.org (the opposite of how the website redirection works).
Summary:
1. About to map a domain to Wordpress.com, but don't want to change the nameservers until I have a plan for all details.
2. I need two different domains to go to the same WordPress blog. Do this via a custom DNS record at the current registrar for the abbreviated name domain? What would that custom DNS record be?
3. Need email sent to either domain to continue functioning. (details above) I have the MX records from the registrar saved, but I don't see how it handles the case where there is redirection from fullname.org domain to abbreviated name domain.
4. Current registrar and hosting service is *********.
Thank you for your time and help (in advance).
If necessary for getting this straightened out, I can provide the actual domain names, but for privacy reasons, I'd rather not.
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