System Admin

Platform URL, Context name and CNAME Instructions

Introduction

This article explains the components that make up your full HighQ URL and the processes required for your instance of the platform to be accessible.

Glossary

The highlighted items denote the part of the URL that matches the definition. The domain name, resource name, and context name are different for each instance.
  • Domain name - https://platformname.
    clientname.com
    /instance
  • Subdomain/Resource name - https:/
    platformname
    .clientname.com/instance
  • Context name - https://platformname.clientname.com/
    instance
  • URL -
    https://platformname.clientname.com/instance
  • CNAME -
    platformname.clientname.com.cn.highq.com.

Domain name

The domain name is the main realm that the platform will live under. The most common approach for our clients is to use their existing domain e.g.
clientname.com
. However, it is possible to use an entirely different domain for the platform.

Subdomain/Resource name

If you wish to use your existing domain as the main realm for the platform you will need to add a new subdomain, this is also referred to as the resource name at HighQ. The subdomain can go to multiple levels. Most commonly a two-level subdomain is used i.e.
platform.clientname.com
. It is also possible to go to multiple levels but it is generally best practice to limit to the third subdomain i.e.
uk.platform.clientname.com

Context name

The context name is what is shown after the '/' of the platform domain, e.g. https://platformname.clientname.com/
instance
The context name is directly related to the database name of the platform and it must be a unique name. This means that a lot of generic names such as 'collaborate', 'portal', 'hub' etc cannot be used as the context name.
Please be aware that once the context name/database name is set, changing it afterwards is very complex and would likely be a chargeable exercise.

CNAME

Once you have decided on the resource name, the next step is to register the CNAME with your authoritative DNS provider. This provides the path to route requests to the correct instance.
CNAME is the abbreviation for 'Canonical Name record', a resource record in the Domain Name System (DNS) used to specify that a domain name is an alias for another domain.
Below is the full string required for the CNAME registration. As explained earlier in the article, you must replace the placeholder names below with your choices for domain name, resource name and context name.
platform.clientname.com.cn.highq.com.

Multiple instances

If you have purchased multiple instances or you are planning to add an additional instance, there is certain information that you should consider for the domain name and context name.
Three level subdomain
You may have chosen to obtain a second instance so that data is hosted in a different region and therefore data centre. In this scenario, it is prudent to consider presenting the HighQ instances on a three level subdomain. This would allow you to retain a common subdomain name as the key identifier (e.g. collaborate). This is a standard approach for larger companies and it is commonly understood that this normally represents the location for best connection or data centre.
  • uk.collaborate.clientname.com
  • us.collaborate.clientname.com
Multiple context names
Again when possessing multiple instances, it is recommended that you retain similar context names so that an end-user sees as little change as possible. It is important to note the context names must still be unique.
Example
  • clientname1
  • clientname2
OR
  • clientnameuk
  • clientnameus

Unified URL

It is possible to use one domain or subdomain for both of your Collaborate and Publisher instances. The differentiator in this scenario is the context name. Below you will notice that both instances have the same URL but different context names.
Collaborate - https://platformname.clientname.com/
collaborate
Publisher - https://platformname.clientname.com/
publisher
Certain pre-requisites must be adhered to achieve this unified URL scenario:
  • Both the Collaborate and Publisher instances need to be v5.0 or above
  • The Collaborate instance can be either an existing instance or a new instance
  • The Publisher instance needs to be a new instance and must be connected to the Collaborate instance

This article applies to:

  • Product: HighQ
  • Subject: Setup