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

[karlm]

Originally Posted by GeorgeB85

See hacks like this would be awesome, but it is beyond stupid to have a valid vbulletin license for each subdomain like sub.maindomain.com. It is still on the maindomain.com domain, so there should be no need for licenses for each subdomain.

I think that you've misunderstood. It doesn't require a license for a sub.domain.com as it falls under the domain.com url - but if you have a different-domain2.com then that is where you need a second license.

Personally, I think it's very wrong that two domains need a separate license when the installation is only one and one database.

[Jeromedia603]

okay so I have my vbulletin 4 hosted on my primary domain with my web host. I have 2 other addon domains that I have on the same host. How do I get those domains to work with the same vbulletin that my primary domain is using? I don't get how this works

[Jeromedia603]

Originally Posted by Stabatha

Working great for me. I was getting ready to start 2 new forums, so used them as a test..

http://www.worldofcataclysm.net/ and http://www.hoosierforums.com/

I must say well done! I like how each domain can even use it's own facebook connection API. A helpful feature for someone like me as my two sites would have nothing in common would be able to tie Admin accounts to select which username to post under. Also custom profile fields based on domain would be amazing.



I'm gonna guess based on the "cookiedomain=.domain-1.com" in the config for each domain, that stuff based on domains don't share same cookies, but things like user profile do since it is a unique global.



Yes, all domains share same WoL and account profile.

How do you have it set so that each forum has it's own forum categories etc..? I have set up two domains using the same vb4 forum but I cannot make it so that each forum has it's own separate categories...

[sticky]

Originally Posted by Jeromedia603

How do you have it set so that each forum has it's own forum categories etc..? I have set up two domains using the same vb4 forum but I cannot make it so that each forum has it's own separate categories...

How come? You are supposed to be able to set up different forums as well as shared forums.

[sticky]

Originally Posted by Jeromedia603

okay so I have my vbulletin 4 hosted on my primary domain with my web host. I have 2 other addon domains that I have on the same host. How do I get those domains to work with the same vbulletin that my primary domain is using? I don't get how this works

Have your host help you if it seems to complicated. This isn't supposed to be an easy mod and it isn't one that is supported.

We all want a tutorial and so forth but just be patient and let's be happy we have anything at all.

[iBaker]

I don't believe it....IT WORKS

I setup one domain and installed a default vb
Imported the plugin
Added a new forum category and a new forum in that category - this gave me the default Category (id1) and Forum plus 1 more Category (id4) and Forum
Went to the admin CP - Settings and at the bottom was the settings for this mod
Entered the following for 2 domains (1 master and 1 slave) - using domainx as a substitute for my domain with 2 different extensions:
[domainx.com]
bbtitle=Domain X Home
bburl=domainx.com
homeurl=domainx.com
catids=1
styleid=1
cookiedomain=.domainx.com
facebookappid=Your_appid_here
facebooksecret=Your_fb_secret_here

[domainx.com.au]
bbtitle=Domain X Australia
bburl=domainx.com.au
homeurl=domainx.com
catids=4
styleid=1
cookiedomain=.domainx.com.au
facebookappid=Your_appid_here
facebooksecret=Your_fb_secret_here

I then followed the cpanel steps in https://vborg.vbsupport.ru/showpost....8&postcount=30

Tested and it worked...even sent a PM to a user from one domain and he got it in the other domain.

My BIG question now is SEO...how does the search engines see this setup? Having separate domains with different threads and posts come up really good in Google with searches often listing both sites one after the other if the search word is in both domains content. Will Google see the different domains? Will Google penalise you for duplicate content if you make some forums viewable in both domains?

These answers to these SEO questions will make or break this mod...I really hope that the answers are favourable

[BirdOPrey5]

Originally Posted by iBaker

These answers to these SEO questions will make or break this mod...I really hope that the answers are favourable

With all due respect SEO will NOT "make or break" this mod. This mod will make or break itself- it is one of the most requested mods by far and it doesn't need approval from Google to be told how great it is. SEO should never be put ABOVE the usability of your forums and your users... SEO is second to the user experience- a strong second but a definite second none the less.

[iBaker]

Originally Posted by BirdOPrey5

With all due respect SEO will NOT "make or break" this mod. This mod will make or break itself- it is one of the most requested mods by far and it doesn't need approval from Google to be told how great it is. SEO should never be put ABOVE the usability of your forums and your users... SEO is second to the user experience- a strong second but a definite second none the less.

I beg to differ mate...you can sit there and look at really nice forums that no one knows exist OR you can create a forum that gets known and used.

I tried an experiment recently with 2 identical sites with different domain names...1 with no SEO optimisation and 1 with extensive SEO optimising...guess which one started getting used and which one still today only has just a handful of users and posts.

So, yes this mod is fantastic but if it comes at the cost of your site not getting used and known to its full potential or getting blackbanned by Google etc then it isn't good now is it?

As I said I really do hope that there are no SEO impacts as I very much want this mod to work and like many others are screaming for it but if it does come at an SEO cost then site owners, like me, need to know this to make up our own minds if we want a multi site as one to look at or separate sites that get used but with more work.

With this being an IB mod I guess asking if you are going to do an Xenforo version is out of the question?

[sticky]

Originally Posted by BirdOPrey5

With all due respect SEO will NOT "make or break" this mod. This mod will make or break itself- it is one of the most requested mods by far and it doesn't need approval from Google to be told how great it is. SEO should never be put ABOVE the usability of your forums and your users... SEO is second to the user experience- a strong second but a definite second none the less.

Thank you sir for this post, I could not have said it any better, right on.

[BirdOPrey5]

Originally Posted by iBaker

I beg to differ mate...

Whatever... if you are that worried then don't share forums between domains- just keep all the forums unique per domain and there'd be nothing to worry about.