I need some basic help setting up CNAME and apache correctly

Question

I have the grasp of setting up multiple name-based domains on Apache 2 using virtual hosts. Say I have a domain name called 'domain.com'. I now want to set up a sub domain of this, like 'demo.domain.com' and want this to go to a different folder on Apache to serve up a different website.

How would I set this up exactly? Do I need to set up a CNAME and then a virtual host in Apache? Or do I just setup a ServerAlias in Apache? I'm a little confused.

I'm using Slicehost for my hosting and DNS, if that helps. Using Ubuntu Hardy with Apache 2.

Solution

The DNS and the server configuration are two different things. For the DNS you will either need a CNAME or an A record for your new subdomain so that it will resolve to the correct IP. The difference is that CNAMEs resolve to other hostnames while A records resolve to IPs. For example:

subdomain.example.com CNAME -> example.com

subdomain.example.com A -> 1.2.3.4

Once the DNS is configured correctly you will then need to configure an Apache virtual host for the new subdomain. Check the documentation here:

http://httpd.apache.org/docs/2.0/vhosts/examples.html

Comments

[littlejim84]

Thank you. I wasn't too clear on the differences between CNAME and A records. Also, I still thought it wasn't working, but all I had to do was wait for it to propagate. Have a good day Dave.