Configure Virtual Hosts in an Environment

Introduction

Goal

Configure delivery tier virtual hosts after first deployment in an environment.

Background

Hippo's delivery tier supports running multiple sites on different host names with cross-domain linking. This requires that virtual hosts are configured at application level.

Instructions

The virtual hosts configuration is stored in the content repository and managed using the Console application.

Let's assume Hippo has been deployed in a production environment serving one site at https://www.example.com and the CMS application at https://cms.example.com.

1. The starting point is the default virtual hosts configuration of a Hippo project:

   /hst:hst/hst:hosts
       + dev-localhost [hst:virtualhostgroup]
           + localhost [hst:virtualhost]
               + hst:root [hst:mount]
   

   It configures the virtual host localhost for use in a local development environment.

2. Create a new virtual host group production-env by adding a node of type hst:virtualhostgroup:

   /hst:hst/hst:hosts
       + dev-localhost [hst:virtualhostgroup]
           + localhost [hst:virtualhost]
               + hst:root [hst:mount]
       + production-env [hst:virtualhostgroup]
   

3. Add the hst:cmslocation property to the production-env node to specify the URL of the CMS application:

   /hst:hst/hst:hosts
       + dev-localhost [hst:virtualhostgroup]
           + localhost [hst:virtualhost]
               + hst:root [hst:mount]
       + production-env [hst:virtualhostgroup]
           - hst:cmslocation = https://cms.example.com
   

4. If the site is accessed using an explicit port number (e.g. 8080) in the URL add the hst:defaultport property to the production-env node:

   /hst:hst/hst:hosts
       + dev-localhost [hst:virtualhostgroup]
           + localhost [hst:virtualhost]
               + hst:root [hst:mount]
       + production-env [hst:virtualhostgroup]
           - hst:cmslocation = https://cms.example.com
           - hst:defaultport = 8080
   

   If the site is accessed without an explicit port number in the URL, don't specify the hst:defaultport property at all (skip this step).
5. In the production-env virtual host group, create a reverse hierarchy of the www.example.com domain using nodes of type hst:virtualhost:

   /hst:hst/hst:hosts
       + dev-localhost [hst:virtualhostgroup]
           + localhost [hst:virtualhost]
               + hst:root [hst:mount]
       + production-env [hst:virtualhostgroup]
           - hst:cmslocation = https://cms.example.com
           + com [hst:virtualhost]
               + example [hst:virtualhost]
                   + www [hst:virtualhost]

6. Copy the node  hst:hst/hst:hosts/dev-localhost/localhost/hst:root to  hst:hst/hst:hosts/production-env/com/example/www/hst:root to mount the site at the www.example.com virtual host:

   /hst:hst/hst:hosts
       + dev-localhost [hst:virtualhostgroup]
           + localhost [hst:virtualhost]
               + hst:root [hst:mount]
       + production-env [hst:virtualhostgroup]
           - hst:cmslocation = https://cms.example.com
           + com [hst:virtualhost]
               + example [hst:virtualhost]
                   + www [hst:virtualhost]
                       + hst:root [hst:mount]
   

   The copied hst:root node contains two properties hst:channelpath and hst:mountpoint which can be left as they are and therefore are left out above.
7. Add the two Boolean properties hst:showport and hst:showcontextpath, both with value false, to the hst:root node:

   /hst:hst/hst:hosts
       + dev-localhost [hst:virtualhostgroup]
           + localhost [hst:virtualhost]
               + hst:root [hst:mount]
       + production-env [hst:virtualhostgroup]
           - hst:cmslocation = https://cms.example.com
           + com [hst:virtualhost]
               + example [hst:virtualhost]
                   + www [hst:virtualhost]
                       + hst:root [hst:mount]
                           - hst:scheme = https
                           - hst:showport = false
                           - hst:showcontextpath = false
   

   Use hst:scheme = https in HTTPS-only scenarios (recommended). Alternatively, use hst:scheme = http for HTTP-only, or hst:schemeagnostic = true to support both HTTP and HTTPS.

   The properties  hst:showport and  hst:showcontextpath when set to false make sure that the context path and port are not included in links generated by the delivery tier. They can be specified at any level in the virtual hosts configuration and are inherited by child configuration nodes.

8. Write changes to the repository.