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Connect your custom domain

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Connect your custom domain to CONTENTdm (new version) with auto-renewing HTTPS. Follow the DNS steps for CAA, validation, and CNAME records.

Your CONTENTdm site can use a web address you own, such as digital.yourlibrary.org. OCLC issues and automatically renews the security certificate (HTTPS) for you. You don't send us certificate files, and there's nothing to do at renewal time.

To set this up, someone on your side who can edit your domain's DNS records needs to add a few records. The steps below say exactly what to add and when.

Step 1: Choose your domain and send it to OCLC

Please send the following information to your OCLC contact:

  • The specific domain you wish to use (e.g., {"digital.yourlibrary.org"}). 
    • You can use one domain per site. Both www.yourlibrary.org and yourlibrary.org are considered two distinct domains, so choose one.
    • OCLC recommends using a subdomain (such as digital. or collections.). If you prefer to use your root domain (yourlibrary.org), your DNS provider must support ALIAS, ANAME, or CNAME flattening.
  • Your site's current address (e.g., https://140655-2.h1.contentdm.oclc.org).
  • A technical contact: The name and email of the person responsible for managing your DNS (Domain Name System).
  • Whether the domain is live right now, for example, serving your current CONTENTdm site. If it is, OCLC will plan the switch so there's no downtime.

Step 2: Check your CAA records (before OCLC starts)

CAA records indicate which companies are authorized to issue security certificates for your domain.

  1. Check for CAA records related to your domain as well as all its parent domains. For digital.yourlibrary.org, check both digital.yourlibrary.org and yourlibrary.org.
    • Command line: dig CAA digital.yourlibrary.org and dig CAA yourlibrary.org
  2. If there are no CAA records: Please refrain from taking any action and simply respond with "No CAA records."
  3. If there are any CAA records: Add all four records simultaneously to the existing CAA records while keeping your current records unchanged.
    Type Name Flags Tag Value
    CAA (your domain) 0 issue amazon.com
    CAA (your domain) 0 issue amazontrust.com
    CAA (your domain) 0 issue awstrust.com
    CAA (your domain) 0 issue amazonaws.com

    Please inform us when all four records have been added. OCLC will start the certificate request only after this step.

Step 3: Add the validation record (proves you own the domain)

Once OCLC begins processing your request, we will send you a record that resembles the following:

Type Name Value
CNAME _<long-random-string>.digital.yourlibrary.org _<long-random-string>.<xxxx>.acm-validations.aws
  • Please add the record exactly as it is provided. Some DNS providers automatically append your domain to the end of the name. If that happens, enter only the portion before your domain.
  • You must add it within 72 hours. If you miss the window, the request expires, and we have to start over.

 Caution: Do not delete this record. It is checked each time the certificate is renewed. If it is removed, the renewal process will fail, and your site may eventually display security errors.

OCLC will confirm when the certificate has been issued, usually within an hour of the record being visible.

Step 4: Point your domain to your CONTENTdm site

 Caution: Wait until we confirm Step 3 is complete. Pointing your domain at OCLC before the certificate is issued causes security warnings for your visitors.

Then add:

Type Name Value
CNAME digital.yourlibrary.org 140655-2.h1.contentdm.oclc.org (your site's address, which OCLC will provide)
  • For a root domain, use the ALIAS, ANAME, or flattened CNAME option with the same value.
  • If the domain currently points to another location, this change will direct your visitors to the new site. Please make this change at the time you’ve agreed upon with OCLC.
  • DNS changes may take time to propagate based on the record's time-to-live (TTL) setting. Reducing the TTL one day prior to the switch speeds up this process.

Step 5: Confirm your site works

Visit https://digital.yourlibrary.org. Ensure your site loads with a padlock in the browser and no security warnings. Please inform us if it doesn't.

Ongoing

  • Keep the validation record (Step 3) and the CAA records (Step 2) in place for as long as you use the domain.
  • If you change or discontinue your domain, please notify us before deleting any DNS records.