Major Additions - CERBERUS: 1 vB4: runs multiple domains with custom styles, forums, universal login

***Attention: This product is currently UNSUPPORTED***

We would like to release an Alpha version of the vBulletin4 Cerberus product. This product allows you to create one vBulletin4 installation which can power unlimited number of domains and sub-domains; while allowing to customize each domain differently to make it look like different sites or sections. Domains will have one universal admincp and user login information.

***Example***
www.supercoolautoforum.com - main site, all forums
ferarri.supercoolautoforum.com - custom style and forums, same login
bmw.supercoolautoforum.com- custom style and forums, same login
honda.supercoolautoforum.com - custom style and forums, same login
supercoolmotorcycleforum.com - custom style and forums, same login

*** Why are you releasing this, I want more features?! ***

This is a very simple product; we believe that the basic functionality provided in this product will satisfy a lot of communities - and since the product is simple - it will be easy to extend it and modify it to work for your custom community requirements.

Overview of Current Features:

• One shared installation of vBulletin 4
• One shared user account on all domains
• Custom Style for each domain
• Custom Forum listing for each domain

Known Issues:

• CMS and Blogs are currently not configured to have special domain-specific categories and sections. CMS is shared across all sites although the appearance will be different for each domain.

Project Contributors: s.lauderdale;m.biddle;a.ahn; anders

[BirdOPrey5]

Just to avoid confusion later I want to point out in iBaker's scenario above you'd still need to buy a separate vB license for each of those domains even if you only has one actual copy of vBulletin installed.

Multiple domains (domain1.com, domain2.com) = multiple licenses, CERBERUS or not.
Sub domains (sub.domain.com, sub2.domain.com) = 1 license only

[KW802]

Originally Posted by iBaker

Also, if I may ask, how have you done your vba CMPS home pages so each domain has a different CMPS Home Page to land on?

Some code that I am using in the vBa CMPS index.php script to identify the domain and then to specify a different default home page per domain as needed. Essentially I created a home page for each of my additional domains, modified them with their own copies of the vBa modules, etc. so that the content shown on each page is unique to the corresponding domain, and then did a little bit of code in the index script so that if I am on Domain A (the master domain) then it is BAU but if I am on Domain B then to use a specified CMPS page as the default page and then if I am on Domain C to use a specified CMPS as the default page, and so on for each domain. Just a small bit of code that works but not polished enough for me to package & post since it requires some edits directly to the CMPS index script.

[iBaker]

Originally Posted by BirdOPrey5

Just to avoid confusion later I want to point out in iBaker's scenario above you'd still need to buy a separate vB license for each of those domains even if you only has one actual copy of vBulletin installed.

Multiple domains (domain1.com, domain2.com) = multiple licenses, CERBERUS or not.
Sub domains (sub.domain.com, sub2.domain.com) = 1 license only

If you can read I did mention it twice in my post that you do need separate licenses...(where's Kirk and the Enterprise when you need it)

[iBaker]

Originally Posted by KW802

Some code that I am using in the vBa CMPS index.php script to identify the domain and then to specify a different default home page per domain as needed. Essentially I created a home page for each of my additional domains, modified them with their own copies of the vBa modules, etc. so that the content shown on each page is unique to the corresponding domain, and then did a little bit of code in the index script so that if I am on Domain A (the master domain) then it is BAU but if I am on Domain B then to use a specified CMPS page as the default page and then if I am on Domain C to use a specified CMPS as the default page, and so on for each domain. Just a small bit of code that works but not polished enough for me to package & post since it requires some edits directly to the CMPS index script.

Thanks KW, I thought it must have been some way of determining the domain. Instead of having to change a cmps source file do you think there would be an opportunity to use htaccess to redirect to a cmps page?

Also, in the addon there is the plugin to disable the archive and as mentioned in earlier posts the errors associated with having it turned on. What do you think was the authors intention of having the archive turned off? Because if you just disable the archive plugin component of the mod the archive works ok although showing all the forums for all domains...so it it possible due to search engines not distinguishing the different domains by using the archive?

[KW802]

Originally Posted by iBaker

Thanks KW, I thought it must have been some way of determining the domain. Instead of having to change a cmps source file do you think there would be an opportunity to use htaccess to redirect to a cmps page?

Not sure about using .htaccess instead. Honestly, if you've seen the CMPS index.php script, you'll see that the file is pretty simple (there is only 20 lines of code or so in it) so modifying it is not really a big deal. Since that file rarely changes, even with CMPS updates, it is not a hassle. I ended up having to modify that file directly because I needed to specify the home page use prior to the point where any plugin hooks are available.

Originally Posted by iBaker

Also, in the addon there is the plugin to disable the archive and as mentioned in earlier posts the errors associated with having it turned on. What do you think was the authors intention of having the archive turned off?...

Only a guess, but likely it was just something that was easier to avoid dealing with. The actual benefits of the vB archive pages in this day & age for SEO purposes is questionable so I don't think most sites will have an impact with it turned off.

[BirdOPrey5]

Originally Posted by iBaker

it does cost more as well because you do need separate vb licenses.

Originally Posted by iBaker

If you can read I did mention it twice in my post that you do need separate licenses...(where's Kirk and the Enterprise when you need it)

Sorry guy but here is where you are wrong. This is why I didn't want someone to be confused. You would need separate licences in either scenario.

[thenetbox]

Is there a way to get people who register on domain1 to be added to usergroup 'domain1 registered' automatically, and people who register on domain2 to be added usergroup 'domain2' automatically?

Excellent mod btw

[KW802]

So has anybody started playing with the mobile style in 4.1.2 yet? If so, you'll haven no doubt realized already that the code to autodetect the browser type does not play nice with Cerberus since Cerberus will override the style to the one specified in the ACP options.

I've got some quick code done today to allow Cerberus to have multiple styles per domain set in the ACP. Still need to work out the mobile style selections though.

For those who have started playing with the mobile style, my question to you is this...

For your multiple domains, in regards to having a 'full' style and a 'mobile' style (well, actually two different mobile styles since you can specify a modern & basic style), are you more inclined to...

a) Have different mobile styles that would be unique to each domain?

... or wold you likely go with:

b) Have a single mobile style that you would use on all of your domains and just would need to change the style logo per domain?

Thoughts?

[Alfa1]

b for me.

And yes, I found out that the skin doesn't play nice with cerberus. Crashed the site and locked me out. I needed tools.php to rebuild forum view and get back in.

How can we hide skins when the mobile skin needs to be set to 'Allow users to select styles' ? That seems not possible currently.

[KW802]

Originally Posted by Alfa1

b for me.

That is what I am thinking of for me as well but before I started the next step of working on any code I figured I'd see what others thought.

Originally Posted by Alfa1

How can we hide skins when the mobile skin needs to be set to 'Allow users to select styles' ? That seems not possible currently.

Currently is the keyword.

If you take a look at my Cerberus test site (CinVin / Verizon Talk / Lower Pottsgrove) for the bottom left style selector, you'll see what I've been up to today. The site is now configured to allow users to change styles. Normally this would be turned off for Cerberus since Cerberus would force a single style. Instead I have it so you can specify multiple style IDs in the Cerberus ACP settings to allow for multiple styles per domain. This will allow admins to have as many styles as they want for each domain to be available to the user.

For those three sites I have four styles 'checked' as being selectable by the user, a unique style for each site and then the (currently) shared mobile style for all sites. That means inside of the ACP Style Manager I have a total of 4 styles turned on that can be selected by the user but I have Cerberus configured to only allow specific styles per domain. That way when a visitor on the CinVin site they can see the CinVin full style and the shared mobile style but none of the other full styles for the other domain. When on VZ Talk the user gets the full style for that site (the red design) and the mobile style but not the CinVin style. Then the same for the last domain. Just like category IDs that can be either unique per domain or shared amongst domains, style IDs can be set the same.

The next step was deciding how much further to take it with the mobile style, whether to allow a unique mobile style setting per domain or to just assume that the same mobile style will be used on all domains but then to add a setting to change the mobile style's log per domain.

At this point in the game I can't see too many admins doing a per domain mobile style, as opposed to a per domain mobile style logo. But... I know, I know, the right thing to do would be to allow for the first option, of a specific mobile style per domain, since that gives the most flexibility. I won't have a chance to work on it again until this weekend so I'll see then what direction it takes me.

... and, yes, the mobile style detection does work if you visit the sites on a mobile device.