Point Your Domain Name at Your Domain (DNS Settings)
To ensure visitors to your website (for example, www.example.com) arrive at your NetSuite-hosted domain, you need to configure DNS settings with your domain name provider. DNS settings instruct your domain name provider to send visitors accessing your domain name to the domain hosted on the NetSuite website hosting servers.
In non-technical terms, configuring DNS settings is like setting up a mail redirection when you move house — you tell the post office (domain name provider) to send all letters addressed to your old address (your domain name) to your new address (your NetSuite-hosted domain). The people sending you letters use your old address but you receive them at the new address. The information the post office holds, mapping your old address to your new address, is the equivalent of DNS settings.
Your domain provider uses CNAME records to designate your domain name as an alias for the NetSuite-hosted domains assigned to your account. You can obtain the CNAME records for your domain hosting and DNS verification from the NetSuite Domain record.
When configuring DNS settings with your domain provider, be aware of the following:
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Domain names should always point to a CNAME record. CNAME records must be correctly set up at all times to avoid issues with SSL certificates and securing your domain.
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If you are using CNAME flattening (also known as a dynamic A record or ANAME record), the records must be correctly set up with your domain provider. See CNAME Flattening (Dynamic A Record).
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Avoid setting up wildcard DNS records because they can cause issues with deployment. A wildcard DNS record matches requests for non-existent domain names and are represented with an asterisk in the DNS zone file. For example, *.example.com.
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NetSuite provides CDN and caching services, which must be enabled in NetSuite. Third-party CDN and caching services are not supported and must not be used as they can cause operational issues. See Enable CDN Caching.
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All domain types available in NetSuite must be secured. See Secure Your Domain.
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When using a secure domain, you must also set up a CNAME record for DNS verification with your domain provider. See Set Up DNS Verification.
For more information about the importance of proper DNS setup and the risks of improper DNS setup, see Importance of Proper DNS Setup.
For information about the different types of CNAME records you can set up for your Commerce website, see the following topics:
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Maintenance domain – See Custom Site Maintenance Page.
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DNS verification record – See Set Up DNS Verification.
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DNS hosting record (CNAME) – See Step 3 of the process documented in Set Up a Domain.
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CNAME flattening/Dynamic A record – See CNAME Flattening (Dynamic A Record).
To configure DNS settings with your domain provider:
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Obtain the CNAME records for your domain as described in Step 3 of the help topic, Set Up a Domain.
The CNAME records for your domain will resemble the following example:
Note:The CNAME records assigned to each domain name in each NetSuite account are unique. Ensure you copy the CNAME records for the domain whose DNS settings you want to configure.
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Log in to your domain provider's website to manage DNS settings and to set up CNAME records.
Note:DNS configuration is a task that you complete outside of NetSuite.
Important:Changing DNS settings affects the ability to view your website. Therefore, changes should be made by someone with DNS setup experience. Also, consider consulting with your domain provider before changing your DNS configuration.
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Configure the DNS settings using the instructions provided by your domain provider. Each domain provider has an online help system with detailed instructions for adding and editing CNAME records. Instructions vary depending on the domain provider.
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After you have configured the DNS settings with your domain name provider, you must set up the domain record in NetSuite. For more information, see Set Up a Domain.
If the domain record already exists in NetSuite, go to the Domain record page, click Edit and then click Save. Doing this redeploys the domain record and connects it with your domain name. For more information about deploying a domain, see Deploy Your Domain.
Add or Change a Domain Name
Each time you add a new domain name in NetSuite, you must use the CNAME records displayed for that domain to configure the DNS with your domain provider. The CNAME records are displayed on the Domain record in NetSuite.
Changing your domain name is not supported in NetSuite. If you want to change the domain name, you must delete the old domain and create a new one. Then, configure the DNS settings with your domain provider and use the CNAME records displayed for the new domain on the Domain record in NetSuite.