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Windows Azure: Configure a custom domain name for a web site

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Introduction

This article will help you in configuring a custom domain name for a website you have on Microsoft Azure.

Prerequisites

 First of all lets talk about prerequisites for this brief tutorial.

  • Domain from any domain provider
  • Microsoft Azure subscription (Not free one)
  • Access to both portals.

Configuring Azure Website

So, you are ready now for configuration of your custom domain. First of all open Microsoft Azure portal when you have deployed your web. 

Click on your website in tab "Websites", now click on "Scale" and check the option of "Shared" there.

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FNP19Z-v1mY/UoE548-W_UI/AAAAAAAAAUk/C1w7Cb7qLUY/s640/scale.PNG

now, go to your "dashboard" option after saving it.

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-30HtFSJFSa4/UoE54uE7aSI/AAAAAAAAAUo/3Fqos-9d2yw/s640/managedomains.PNG

hopefully you would be able to see option for managing the domain.

Managing Domain

 

Before you manage your domains go to your portal. Login there and open your domain manager.

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Ea42rFaRJZo/UoE525yQkVI/AAAAAAAAAT8/J6k9Mur45iQ/s640/godaddy1.PNG

click on "Edit Zone" in case of Godaddy.com , else find option where you can add CNAMEs and manage A Records.

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JgzUK3nZSxM/UoE53SGYSZI/AAAAAAAAAUY/BJUpKbhi4hg/s640/godaddy2.PNG

Wow, here you see portal opened now you got to do do few things.

1) Go to your Microsoft Azure "dashboard" and click on manage domains. 2) At bottom you will find an IP the would be shared for managing A RECORD. 3) Copy that IP 4) Open your domain portal. 5) Add a A Record "@" and point it to the IP you have copied. and click on "save zone".

Great, so you are ready to do more. For pointing the traffic you need to add few CNAMES that are 2 for a web that is deployed on Microsoft Azure.

1) Find option for adding CNAME records. 2) Add a new CNAME "

**   awverify.<domain> [pointing ] awverify.<website name>.azurewebsites.net**

3) Add another CNAME 

**  awverify.www.<domain> [pointing ] awverify.<website name>.azurewebsites.net**

4) You will have to point your www CNAME record to "@".

5) Save the zone file. You will have such result.

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mkf1VKlRgL0/UoE53nw1NoI/AAAAAAAAAUU/GXkfPDobILk/s640/godaddy3-1.PNG

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KFK2n8HNw3g/UoE53uCQMkI/AAAAAAAAAUQ/m6mDd4L8pVs/s640/godaddy3-2.PNG

Checking CNAME Propagation

To check that either you  CNAME records are properly propagated I would suggest you a link where you can check this.

http://www.digwebinterface.com/

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zfbyBNjMYnA/UoE52rJOssI/AAAAAAAAAT4/xlOKiazmoDQ/s640/check.PNG

In above diagram you see that , awverify points to awverify.mydomain. (CNAME)

check for both,

 **  1) awverify.www.<domain> ** **   2) awverify.<domain>**

Adding your Custom Domain

When you are done, go back to Microsoft Azure portal, Dashboard --->  Manage Domains 

add your domain name there , you will find screen as follow,

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4X13V3eHBCY/UoE52pkO4bI/AAAAAAAAAUA/wkRepcA59w8/s640/final+image+tick.PNG

You will see a green check, that notify that your domain is valid to be attached here.

Click on big check, and you are done. So, this was an easy and simpler way to configure a custom domain name for a website deployed on Microsoft Azure. Hope you enjoyed it.

Note

You may find a red sign instead of a green checkbox, that would happen if there is something wrong at CNAME or A records of CNAMEs haven't properly propagated.