This guide addresses renaming the Webhosting service. If you need to rename other services, follow the instructions in WebSite 1.0 - Rename (domain change) or Mailhosting - Rename (domain change).
If you need to modify your Webhosting alias, follow the instructions for Webhosting - Aliases.
In this article you will read:
- What is the purpose of renaming
- How to Rename Web Hosting:
- Common problems
- Frequently Asked Questions
Renaming Webhosting
You can use the Rename Web Hosting tool when you wish to change the domain for which the web hosting is maintained. The main reasons for renaming include:
- Releasing the service name: If you want to create a new service under the name of an existing web host (for example, WebSite 1.0 or Mailhosting), you must rename the original service to release the name. In our system, the occurrence of two or more identical service names is forbidden with few exceptions.
- Change the domain of an existing website: If you are changing the domain of an existing website, rename the web host. This change is not enough for some sites - pay special attention to the Renaming an Existing Site section.
- Use of a shut down web hosting: To use an existing decommissioned web host for a new project, you can remove the old data, rename the hosting and use it as a new service.
Renaming procedure
To successfully rename a service, you must first meet the conditions, and then perform the actual renaming of the service in the customer administration.
If you are renaming an existing site, pay special attention to the Renaming an Existing Site chapter. Failure to follow the procedure can result in the site and the steps required to complete the renaming being unavailable.
Conditions for renaming
When renaming your web host, please observe the following conditions:
- The new Web Hosting name must be a valid 2nd or 3rd level domain (domain.tld or sub.domena.tld).
- The new name must not be the name or alias of another Web Host, WebSite, or Mailhost.
- If we are the registrar of a domain that is the new name of the Webhosting, this domain must be in the same customer account with the Webhosting, or it must be an account authorized to this domain.
- Web hosting must not expire.
Renaming an existing website
If you only need to release the service name or use a decommissioned hosting, continue to the Change Service Domain chapter.
During the renaming of an existing website, the functionality of the site, including the administration of the content management system, may be interrupted.
If you are changing the name of an existing site, follow these steps:
- If you are using a content management system (e.g. WordPress), change the site name in the administration of this system.
- If the content of the site is located on the FTP site in the www/domains/initialdomain.tld folder (the name of the last folder corresponds to the name of the original domain), change the folder name to the name of the new domain.
- Continue with the instructions in the chapter Changing the Service Domain.
Change the service domain
To rename the service itself, follow these steps:
- Log in to the customer administration ⧉.
- In the main menu, click on the Hosting Services tab Webhosting.
- In the list of web hosts, select the one you wish to rename.
- Select the Tools link in the left menu.
- In the Enter new name field, enter the name of the domain to which you want to rename the web host.
- Select whether you want to:
- Modify DNS settings - i.e. point the new domain to the renamed webhost. The change will take effect within 1 hour if the new domain uses WEDOS DNS servers.
- Include the new name in the Let's Encrypt certificate - that is, issue a Let's Encrypt certificate for the new domain. If an error occurs in this step, you can complete the certificate setup by following the Webhosting - Manual HTTPS Setup instructions.
- Confirm your selections by clicking Rename.
After the renaming:
- Watch for system messages that tell you if you need to take any further action.
- Change the addresses in the mail clients from the original domain to the new one and make sure you are using the current SMTP, POP/IMAP servers as described in the Emails - SMTP, POP3, IMAP instructions.
- Wait for a configuration change on the webserver (can take up to 30 minutes) and possibly a DNS configuration change (can take up to an hour). During this time, the site may be unavailable.
Renaming Webhosting will change the login names to your email boxes. Update the login credentials in the mail clients.
Common problems
Common problems with renaming Webhosting services include:
- Existing name or alias
- Domain cannot be added to a Let's Encrypt certificate
- The domain is in another account
- The old site is not showing up on the new domain
Existing service name or alias
Problem: An error message is displayed: there is already an (order, service) for the same domain in the system.
Cause: a service with that name already exists for the domain or subdomain you want to rename the webhost to, or the (sub)domain is used as an alias by another webhost.
Solution: Change the name of the conflicting service or remove its alias. Note that after this action, the original service will stop responding to the domain. If it is a foreign web host that you do not have access to, fill out the contact form ⧉ as per the sample below - if you are the domain holder or the domain is in your customer account, we will allow you to rename it.
I request to remove the name or alias of the service (replace this bracket with the new name of your web host) in someone else's account due to renaming.
Problem adding to Let's Encrypt certificate
Problem: The following domains have encountered a problem when adding them to a Let's Encrypt certificate: ...
Cause: the DNS records are not directed to the web host, or the changes have not yet propagated sufficiently.
Solution: Create a certificate later by following the instructions Webhosting - Manual HTTPS Setup.
Domain in another account
Problem: You are getting the error message: domain is in another customer account.
Cause: the domain and webhosting must be in the same customer account for security reasons when renaming.
Solution: Ensure that both services are at least temporarily on the same account. You can do this by moving the domains by following the instructions for Moving Services Between Accounts or Moving Domains Between Accounts Using an Authorization Password. After renaming, you can return the domain to the original account.
The old website does not work on the new domain
Problem: After renaming an existing website, the website does not appear on the new domain.
Cause: The original site was not renamed in its administration or FTP.
Solution: Verify that the website is in the www/domains/novadomena.tld folder, where the novadomena.tld folder name is the same as the new webhost name. If you have forgotten to rename the site in its editorial system (e.g. WordPress administration), the easiest solution is to rename the site back to the original name (make the administration available) and follow the chapter Renaming an existing site.
Frequently Asked Questions
I need to release the Webhost name for another service. What name should I give the current hosting?
If you need to release the domain.tld name, we recommend that you rename the web host to, for example, staryweb.domena.tld. If you want to remove the webhost name completely, log into the customer account containing the webhost and fill in the contact form ⧉ as shown in the example:
Žádám o odstranění názvu nebo aliasu služby (tuto závorku nahraďte názvem Vašeho webhostingu).
What about a new domain that uses WEDOS Protection?
Correct the domain IP address settings in the WEDOS Protection administration ⧉.