Knowledge base

This guide allows you to create subdomains with web hosting, including Cloud Server. However, this function is not possible with Starter hosting (the 10 MB hosting included with each domain name).

Subdomains make it easier to organize hosting. For example, the address vlog.domain.xyz is a shortcut for the address domain.xyz/vlog. In other words, the address vlog.domain.xyz points to the vlog folder located at the root of the website domain.xyz. In this example, vlog is the subdomain of domain.xyz.

Step 1: Add the Subdomain as an Alias for Your Website

1. Follow the alias adding procedure but please read points 2 and 3 below carefully
2. In the Alias domain name field, enter the complete subdomain address (e.g., vlog.domain.xyz)
3. If your domain or its DNS zone is managed by Infomaniak, enable the following two options: Update DNS entries for this domain and Replace existing entries. If not, create an A record with your registrar with the following information:
   • Field: the complete URL of the subdomain (e.g., vlog.domain.xyz)
   • Target: the IPv4 address (A record) of your site (how to display your site's A record)

Step 2: Modify the htaccess File of Your Website

Important: The following instructions are provided for reference only. You may need to adapt the code to make it work in your situation.

Using your FTP software or our FTP Manager, add and adapt the following code to the htaccess file located at the root of your website:

RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} ^(.*)\.domain\.xyz [NC]
RewriteCond %{DOCUMENT_ROOT}/%1/ -d
RewriteCond %1::%{REQUEST_URI} !^(.*?)::/\1/?
RewriteRule "^(.*)$" "%{DOCUMENT_ROOT}/%1/$1" [L]

Explanation for the third line: https://stackoverflow.com/a/15981056

Replace on the first line:

• domain with your domain name
• xyz with the extension of your domain (ch, fr, etc.)

Now, the address vlog.domain.xyz should display the content of the vlog folder located at the root of your website. If it doesn't, check if the vlog folder exists at the root of your website.

This guide explains how to add or modify one or more A and AAAA records in the DNS zone (of a domain) managed on Infomaniak's Manager.

Type A and AAAA

This type of record allows you to point a domain name to a static IP address (typically a server), with A for IPv4 and AAAA for IPv6.

This is the method commonly used to redirect your domain name to the IP address of the web server hosting your website. In fact, we automatically use this type of pointing to link your domain name to your website if they are in the same place and under the same customer account.

You should only modify this type of record in cases where you have a specific configuration to set up (e.g., pointing a subdomain to an external application).

Editing the DNS Zone

Refer to this guide (click here) to learn how to manage records in a DNS zone.

This guide details the peculiarities of the .swiss domain name extension, which is subject to special conditions.

Registering a .swiss Domain

By submitting your request now, Infomaniak will immediately submit your request to the Federal Office of Communications for examination.

As for registration for businesses, it is not immediate, and the waiting period of several weeks is independent of Infomaniak. Your requests will be rejected if they do not meet certain conditions.

Learn more: nic.swiss and dot.swiss

Why Register a .swiss Domain?

• A unique opportunity to reserve your family name or brand
• Unlike .ch, which is accessible to everyone, the .swiss extension is subject to validation by the Federal Office of Communications (OFCOM)
• The .swiss certifies your presence in the Swiss market and sends a strong and credible signal to your Swiss and international partners
• Get a free email address with your .swiss domain, a standard kSuite user which includes all our productivity applications with 15 GB of storage
• Infomaniak offers the best price for .swiss, even after the first-year promotion

Conditions for Individuals and Sole Proprietorships

You must be a natural person residing in Switzerland or a Swiss citizen.

Swiss citizens living abroad can also apply for a .SWISS domain for private, charitable, or associative purposes.

The desired .SWISS domain must contain one of the following elements relative to the person applying for registration:

• One of the official names or other names registered in the civil registry
• One of the first names
• A last name
• A registered partnership name
• A name received in a religious order
• An artist's name under which the person is known
• A name related to a distinguishing mark (e.g., a registered trademark) on which the applicant has rights

The complete conditions are specified during the order.

This guide presents commands that can be executed to test a connection or a network in order to further specify the possible source of error.

Performing a Telnet

TELNET allows testing the connection to a server without taking into account all the additional settings of a mail client or an FTP client in order to determine the origin of a problem. If the connection fails on an SMTP server, you may need to check if your firewall is blocking port 587 or 465, for example.

on macOS

1. search for Network Utility
2. go to the Ping, Lookup, or Traceroute tab depending on what you want to test
3. you can also use Terminal and in the window that opens, depending on what you want to test, type:
   traceroute [server]
nc [server] [port]
   Replace [server] with the server name or its IP address, same for [port]

on Windows

Activate Telnet beforehand if necessary.

1. open Run and type cmd
2. in the window that opens, depending on what you want to test, type:
   tracert [server]
telnet [server] [port]
   Example: telnet mail.infomaniak.com 587 (tests the SMTP port if your email software does not allow sending emails)

on Android

1. use the free Simple Telnet Client application, which allows very simple testing via 2 fields to fill in (e.g., mail.infomaniak.com and port 143 or 993).

Performing a PING

PING allows knowing if a machine is accessible over the Internet. You can also check with this tool if you are addressing the correct machine, for example during a DNS change, by looking at the obtained IP address. It is possible to ping a domain name, a hostname, or an IP address.

This guide explains what to consider if you have received a letter, by email, mail, or fax, from an unknown company or pretending to be Infomaniak (or a competitor) and mentioning the domain names you own, and requesting payment for related fees.

Slamming Attempts

Several organizations are known to engage in domain slamming, with the aim of forcibly taking over a domain name or simply making money at your expense. Among them: Brandon Gray Internet Services, NameJuice.com, and Global Netsource. Additionally, Asian companies are listed here.

The company called Domain Registrar of America (DROA) also aims to scam domain name holders by sending a fax or email about renewing one or more domain names 2 to 3 months before their expiration date. This offer appears official and professional and offers competitive prices.

The catch: by signing, you agree to transfer your domain names to this registrar, with all the risks of deactivation of your websites and emails. Of course, you are encouraged to pay by credit card! This company has been subject to legal action in the USA, UK, and Canada, but it remains very active in Europe.

Some Recommendations

To avoid being scammed, Infomaniak recommends:

1. determine who is sending you such a message... is it a company you know, writing to you from Switzerland or France, in French, etc., or conversely, a letter from abroad (USA, United Kingdom, Jamaica, Asia, etc.), in English, etc.?
2. determine the status of your domain name and where it is currently located (to do this, start by doing a whois lookup on infomaniak.com/whois, for example)
3. do not respond to these letters... destroy them or risk paying unnecessarily astronomical amounts
4. consult the AFNIC Guide on slamming and other fraudulent practices
5. activate Domain Privacy for added peace of mind
6. report these messages

This guide explains how to force the display of the web hosting name in the browser's address bar to one of the installed alias/synonym domain names or how to display the main domain in the address bar instead of the alias.

Limit "duplicate content"

Assuming you have the hosting your-domain.com with Infomaniak and that as a synonym domain you have installed www.synonymdomain.xyz.

By default, when you type either of the domain names (your-domain.com or synonymdomain.xyz) in your browser's address bar, the one you typed will be displayed in the address bar.

You have the option to force the display of an address other than the one that was typed. 

So if someone types synonymdomain.xyz, your-domain.com will automatically be displayed in the address bar.

A code is to be entered in a file called .htaccess that must be located at the root of your hosting (in the /web folder of your FTP).

If this file does not yet exist, you need to create it on the server.

Then insert these directives into the file:

RewriteEngine on
RewriteCond %{HTTP:X-Forwarded-Proto} !https
RewriteRule (.*) https://your-domain.com/$1 [R=301,L]

Adjust the code above according to these instructions:

• replace your-domain.com with your domain name with the appropriate extension (.com, .fr, .ch, etc.) that you want to display in the visitor's browser address bar. Add www. before your-domain.com if necessary.
• replace the second line of the above code with "RewriteCond %{HTTPS} off‍" if a loop error occurs, this means that HTTP/2 is active for this site

Also read the automatic redirection to httpS.

If your domain is crucial for your business, then Renewal Warranty ensures you never lose it. As a leading registrar, we deal with clients every day who couldn't renew their domains in time. Their websites and email addresses become inaccessible, often causing significant harm to their business.

It's Easy and Costly to Lose a Domain
 

A domain name is registered for a specified period, after which it must be renewed to retain ownership. When a domain is not renewed, it goes into a redemption period and then becomes public and available for a new owner.

The redemption phase is a grace period during which it's still possible to claim ownership of your domain. However, this ultimate measure comes with consequences and additional costs. In the best-case scenario, it leads to the interruption of your website and email addresses for many hours while you urgently remove your domain from redemption.

In the worst-case scenario, if no action is taken to reactivate the domain, it's lost.

Renewal Warranty, the Assurance of Never Losing a Domain Again
 

With this warranty, Infomaniak commits to renewing your domain in case of need (payment issues, missed renewal emails, prolonged absence, etc.), and will personally contact you via email, SMS, phone, and mail to ensure you keep it.
 

Renewal Warranty is a unique solution designed to prevent the unintentional expiration of your domains. You, of course, remain the sole owner of your domains and can stop Renewal Warranty or cancel your domains whenever you choose.

Activate Renewal Warranty for an Existing Domain

Renewal Warranty can be activated in seconds:

To access your domain names:

1. Log in to the Infomaniak Manager (manager.infomaniak.com) from a web browser like Brave or Firefox.
2. Click on the ‍ icon at the top right of the interface (or navigate using the left sidebar menu, for example).
3. Choose Domains (in the Web & Domain section).
4. Click directly on the name of the relevant item in the displayed table.
5. Activate Renewal Warranty from the dashboard
   

This guide explains how to configure DNSSEC with Cloudflare for a domain registered with Infomaniak.

Prerequisites

• the domain's DNS zone must be managed by Cloudflare (learn more)

Configure DNSSEC with Cloudflare

To manage DNSSEC on Cloudflare:

1. open the Cloudflare dashboard (https://www.cloudflare.com/login)
2. go to the DNS tab
3. click on Enable DNSSEC
4. open the Infomaniak Manager (manager.infomaniak.com)
5. go to Domain
6. click on the relevant domain name
7. enable DNSSEC from the Information section of the Dashboard
8. provide the required information with the data provided by Cloudflare
   • Key = Key Tag
   • Algorithm = Algorithm
   • Digest Type = Digest Type
   • Digest = Digest
9. click Enable

Cloudflare Data to Enter in the Infomaniak Manager

The information to copy is in red:

Please enter the points on your admin console while activating DNSSEC:

The information under 1  goes under HASH

The information under 2 goes under DIGEST TYPE

The information under 3 goes under ALGORITHM

The information under 4 goes under KEY

In the case of a domain with the .eu extension, the information may be slightly different:

The information under FLAGS goes under FLAGS

The information under PUBLIC KEY goes under PUBLIC KEY

This guide explains how to obtain the authorization code (EPP code) for a domain name managed by Infomaniak. You will need this authorization code to transfer domain management to another registrar.

The terms EPP code, authcode, transfer code, and authorization code all refer to alphanumeric sequences specific to the domain whose main purpose is to verify the owner's authorization before a transfer between registrars.

Obtaining the authorization code for a domain

To obtain the transfer authorization code:

1. Log in to the Infomaniak Manager (manager.infomaniak.com) from a web browser like Brave or Firefox
2. Click on the icon at the top right of the interface (or navigate using the left side menu, for example)
3. Choose Domains (Web & Domain universe)
4. Click directly on the name of the object concerned in the displayed table
5. Click on the Manage button
6. Click on Transfer to another registrar
   
7. Check the box to disable the Domain Privacy option (if necessary) to authorize the transfer
   
8. Click on the Unlock this domain button (if necessary) to authorize the transfer
9. Click on the Send Code button

Specifics of certain extensions

• .de domains (trustee)
• .be and .lu domains

What's next?

Once you have provided the authorization code to the third-party provider and the outgoing transfer has started, we will no longer intervene.

Check with the new registrar to find out the transfer time during which the domain name will still be visible in your Infomaniak interface. Unfortunately, we cannot intervene in any operation that would accelerate the outgoing transfer.

This guide is relevant to you if you encounter the The web host does not exist error when visiting a website hosted on Infomaniak Web Hosting.

Origin

Most of the time, this occurs because your domain name is not correctly linked to your site (your domain likely points to the wrong IP address).

Solution

To get your site back online, check your domain name's DNS zone, especially its A records, and correct them as necessary by specifying the IP address of your hosting.

For this, the easiest way is to use our DNS Diagnostic tool to automatically fix the pointing, first by grouping products into the same organization if necessary.