answersLogoWhite

0


Best Answer

As of WordPress 3.0, you have the ability to create a network of sites (Multisite). This article is instructions for creating a network. It is very similar to creating your own personal version of wordpress.com.NOTE: If you are currently running WordPress MU, you do not need to complete these steps. your network is already enabled. Once you upgrade to the 3.x branch, you will be prompted to update your .htaccess rules for MultiSite.

Alert! If you have upgraded from WordPress 3.0, the Super Admin menu has been replaced with the Network Admin section. Look on your admin HEADER on the far right: it will say "Howdy, YOURNAME". On 3.1, the link is visible as 'Network Admin.' On 3.2, it's in a drop-down.

Before You BeginContents[hide]
  • 1 Before You Begin
    • 1.1 Admin Requirements
    • 1.2 Server Requirements
    • 1.3 WordPress Settings Requirements
  • 2 Step 1: Backup Your WordPress
  • 3 Step 2: Setting Wildcard Subdomains
    • 3.1 Specific Configurations
  • 4 Step 3: Allow Multisite
  • 5 Step 4: Installing a Network
  • 6 Step 5: Enabling the Network
  • 7 Step 6: Network Admin Settings
  • 8 Things You Need To Know
    • 8.1 User Access
    • 8.2 Permalinks
    • 8.3 WordPress Plugins
    • 8.4 Categories and Tags
    • 8.5 Switching between subdomains and subfolders
    • 8.6 Apache Virtual Hosts and Mod Rewrite
    • 8.7 .htaccess and Mod Rewrite
    • 8.8 Importing into WordPress Network
  • 9 Related Articles
Admin RequirementsIf you want to run a network of blogs you should at least have a basic understanding of UNIX/Linux administration. A basic knowledge of WordPress development, PHP, HTML and CSS is recommended as well.

Setting up and running a multi-site installation is more complex than a single-site install. Reading this page should help you to decide if you really need a multi-site install, and what might be involved with creating one. If the instructions on this page make no sense to you, be sure to test things on a development site first, rather than your live site.

Server RequirementsSince this feature requires extra server setup and more technical ability, please check with your webhost and ask if they support the use of this feature. It is not recommended to try this on shared hosting.

You are given the choice between sub-domains or sub-directories in Step 4: Installing a Network. This means each additional site in your network will be created as a new virtual subdomain or subdirectory.

  • Sub-domains -- like site1.example.com and site2.example.com
  • Sub-directories -- like example.com/site1 and example.com/site2

It is also possible later, through use of a plugin such as WordPress MU Domain Mapping, to map individual sites to independent domain names.Sub-directory sitesIt works with the use of themod_rewrite feature on the server having the ability to read the .htaccess file, which will create the link structure.If you are using pretty permalinks in your blog already, then subdirectory sites will work as well.Sub-domain sitesIt works using wildcard subdomains. You must have this enabled in Apache, and you must also add a wildcard subdomain to your DNS records. (See Step 2 how to set up.)Some hosts have already set up the wildcard on the server side, which means all you need to add is the DNS record.Some shared webhosts may not support this, so you may need to check your webhost before enabling this feature.

WordPress Settings Requirements
  • Giving WordPress its own directory will not work in WordPress 3.0 with multisite enabled. It interferes with the member blog lookup. If you wish to install WordPress in a folder AND have that folder name it will work. Domain mapping, however, will not work.
  • You cannot create a network in the following cases:
    • "WordPress address (URL)" is different from "Site address (URL)".
    • "WordPress address (URL)" uses a port number other than ':80', ':443'.
  • You cannot choose Sub-domain Install in the following cases:
    • WordPress install is in a directory (not in document root).
    • "WordPress address (URL)" is localhost.
    • "WordPress address (URL)" is IP address such as 127.0.0.1.
  • You cannot choose Sub-directory Install in the following cases:
    • If your existing WordPress installation has been set up for more than a month, due to issues with existing permalinks. (This problem will be fixed in a future version. See Switching between subdomains and subfolders for more information.)

(See wp-admin/network.php for more detail)

Step 1: Backup Your WordPressYour WordPress will be updated when creating a Network. Please backup your database and files. Step 2: Setting Wildcard Subdomains(If this is a Sub-directories Install, skip this step.)

Sub-domain sites work with the use of wildcard subdomains. This is a two-step process:

  1. Apache must be configured to accept wildcards.
    1. Open up the httpd.conf file or the include file containing the VHOST entry for your web account.
    2. Add this line: ServerAlias *.example.com
  2. In the DNS records on your server, add a wildcard subdomain that points to the main installation. It should look like: A *.example.com

External links:

  • Wildcard DNS record (Wikipedia)
  • Apache Virtual Host (Apache HTTP Server documentation)
Specific ConfigurationsDue to the fact that every host is configured differently, the following 'per site' directions are not exhaustive. In all cases, if you cannot determine how to set up wildcard subdomains, contact your webhost for directions.

CPanel

Make a sub-domain named "*" (wildcard) at your CPanel (*.example.com). Make sure to point this at the same folder location where your wp-config.php file is located.

Plesk

There are several steps that differ when setting up the server for wildcard subdomains on a server using Plesk Panel compared to a server using cPanel (or no control panel). This article Configuring Wildcard Subdomains for multi site under Plesk Control Panel‎ details all the steps involved.

DirectAdmin panel

Click "User Panel" -> DNS Management -> add the following three entries using the three columns: * A xxx.xx.xx.xxx

(Replace "xxx.xx.xx.xxx" with your website IP.) Click "Admin Panel" (If you have no "admin panel" ask your host to do this.) -> Custom Httpd -> yourdomain.com -> In the text input area, just paste and "save" precisely the following: ServerAlias *.|DOMAIN|

(If you ever need to un-do a custom Httpd: return here, delete text from input area, save.)

  • DirectAdmin.com: Apache Wildcard Documentation... DirectAdmin.com forum: Wordpress wildcard subdomains.
Step 3: Allow MultisiteTo enable the Network menu item, you must first define multisite in the wp-config.php file.

Open up wp-config.php and add this line above where it says /* That's all, stop editing! Happy blogging. */: define('WP_ALLOW_MULTISITE', true);

Step 4: Installing a NetworkThis will enable the Network menu item to appear in the Tools menu. Visit Administration > Tools > Network to see the screen where you will configure certain aspects of our network. Tools Network SubPanel

Addresses of Sites in your NetworkYou are given the choice between sub-domains or sub-directories (if none of the above applies). This means each additional site in your network will be created as a new virtual subdomain or subdirectory. you have to pick one or the other, and you cannot change this unless you reconfigure your install. See also Before You Begin.

  • Sub-domains -- like site1.example.com and site2.example.com
  • Sub-directories -- like example.com/site1 and example.com/site2
Network DetailsThere are filled in automatically. Server AddressThe internet address of your network will be example.com.Network TitleWhat would you like to call your network?Admin E-mail AddressYour email address.

Double-check they are correct and click the Installbutton.

You may receive a warning about wildcard subdomains. Check Setting Wildcard Subdomains.

Warning! Wildcard DNS may not be configured correctly!

The installer attempted to contact a random hostname (13cc09.example.com) on your domain.

To use a subdomain configuration, you must have a wildcard entry in your DNS. This usually means adding a * hostname record pointing at your web server in your DNS configuration tool.

You can still use your site but any subdomain you create may not be accessible. If you know your DNS is correct, ignore this message.

Step 5: Enabling the NetworkThe rest of the steps are ones you must complete in order to finish. Tools Network Created

0. First, back up your existing wp-config.php and .htaccess files.1. Create a blogs.dir directory under /wp-content/This directory is used to stored uploaded media for your additional sites and must be writable by the web server. They should be CHOWNed and CHMODed the same as your wp-content directory.2. Add the extra lines your WordPress installation generates into your wp-config.php file.These lines are dynamically generated for you based on your configuration.Edit the wp-config.php file while you are logged in to your sites admin panel.Then just paste the generated lines immediately above /* That's all, stop editing! Happy blogging. */.

3. Add the generated mod_rewrite rules to your .htaccess file, replacing other WordPress rules.(If there isn't one, then create it.)These lines are dynamically generated for you based on your configuration.4. Log in again.Once the above steps are completed and the new wp-config.php & .htaccess files are saved, your network is enabled and configured. You will have to log in again. click "Log In" to refresh your Adminstration Panel. If you have problems logging back in, please clear your browser's cache and cookies.

Step 6: Network Admin SettingsIn 3.0, you had a new menu for Super Admin, but as of 3.1 you have an entire sub-section for Network Admin. The link can be found on the upper-right of all admin screens, by your name.

Go to the Settings panel to configure network options, and the Sites panel to manage your sites.

Things You Need To KnowHere are some additional things you might need to know about advanced administration of the blog network. User AccessBy design, all users who are added to your network will have subscriber access to all sites on your network.

Also, site admins cannot install new themes or plugins. Only the Network Admin (aka Super Admin) has that ability.

PermalinksWhile permalinks will continue to work, the main blog (i.e. the first one created) will have an extra entry of blog, making your URLs appear like domain.com/blog/YYYY/MM/POSTNAME.

This is by design, in order to prevent collisions with SubFolder installs. Currently there is no easy way to change it, as doing so prevents WordPress from auto-detecting collisions between your main site and any subsites. This will be addressed, and customizable, in a future version of WordPress.

Also note that the blog prefix is not used for static pages which will be accessible directly under the base address, e.g. domain.com/PAGENAME. If you try to create a static page in the first blog with the name of another existing blog, the page's permalink will get a suffix (e.g. domain.com/PAGENAME-2). If you create a new blog with the slug of an existing static page, the static page will not be reachable anymore. To prevent this, you can add the names of your static pages to the blacklist so that no blog with this name can be created.

WordPress PluginsWordPress Plugins now have additional flexibility, depending upon their implementation across the network.
  • Site Specific Plugins: WordPress Plugins to be activated or deactivated by an individual blog owner are stored in the plugins directory. You need to enable the Plugins page for individual site administrators from Network > Options.
  • Network Plugins: WordPress Plugins stored in the plugins directory can be activated across the network by the super admin.
  • Must-Use Plugins: Plugins to be used by all sites on the entire network may also be installed in the mu-plugins directory as single files, or a file to include a subfolder. Any files within a folder will not be read. These files are not activated or deactivated; if they exist, they are used.
Categories and TagsGlobal terms are disabled in WordPress 3.0 by default. You can use the Sitewide Tags WordPress Plugin or other similar Plugins to incorporate global tags on the portal/front page of the site or on specific pages or blogs within the network to increase navigation based upon micro-categorized content. Switching between subdomains and subfoldersIf you have had WordPress installed for longer than a month and are attempting to activate the network, you will be told to use Sub-domain sites. This is in order to ensure you don't have conflicts between pages (i.e. example.com/pagename ) and sites (i.e. example.com/sitename ). If you are confident you will not have this issue, then you can change this after you finish the initial setup.

In your wp-config.php file, you'll want to change the define call for SUBDOMAIN_INSTALL:Use SubDomains define( 'SUBDOMAIN_INSTALL', true ); Use SubFolders define( 'SUBDOMAIN_INSTALL', false );

You'll also have to change your .htaccess to the new setup. Be aware, you may have issues if you attempt this after being on one setup or the other for any length of time, so proceed with caution.

Note that per the Settings Requirements you cannot switch from Sub-folder to Sub-domain when running on 127.0.0.1 or localhost. This can potentially cause an endless loop of reauth=1 on your root site due to cookie handling.

Apache Virtual Hosts and Mod RewriteTo enable mod_rewrite to work within an Apache Virtual host you may need to set some options on the DocumentRoot. DocumentRoot /var/www/vhosts/wordpress AllowOverride Fileinfo Options .htaccess and Mod RewriteUnlike Single Site WordPress, which can work with "ugly" Permalinks and thus does not need Mod Rewrite, MultiSite requires its use to format URLs for your subsites. This necessitates the use of an .htaccess file, the format of which will be slightly different if you're using SubFolders or SubDomains. The examples below are the standard .htaccess entries for WordPress SubFolders and SubDomains, when WordPress is installed in the root folder of your website. If you have WordPress in it's own folder, you will need to change the value for RewriteBase appropriately.

As a reminder, these are EXAMPLES and work in most, but not all, installs.

SubFolder Example # BEGIN WordPress RewriteEngine On RewriteBase / RewriteRule ^index\.php$ - [L] # uploaded files RewriteRule ^([_0-9a-zA-Z-]+/)?files/(.+) wp-includes/ms-files.php?file=$2 [L] # add a trailing slash to /wp-admin RewriteRule ^([_0-9a-zA-Z-]+/)?wp-admin$ $1wp-admin/ [R=301,L] RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} -f [OR] RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} -d RewriteRule ^ - [L] RewriteRule ^[_0-9a-zA-Z-]+/(wp-(content|admin|includes).*) $1 [L] RewriteRule ^[_0-9a-zA-Z-]+/(.*\.php)$ $1 [L] RewriteRule . index.php [L] # END WordPress

SubDomain Example # BEGIN WordPress RewriteEngine On RewriteBase / RewriteRule ^index\.php$ - [L] # uploaded files RewriteRule ^files/(.+) wp-includes/ms-files.php?file=$1 [L] RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} -f [OR] RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} -d RewriteRule ^ - [L] RewriteRule . index.php [L] # END WordPress

Issues with old WPMU installs

If you installed Wordpress MU in subfolder/subdirectory (not in root folder on your server via ftp) and you have problem with image library, where thumbnails and images do not show, you may need to manually add in rewrite rules for your blogs file directories as follows: RewriteRule ^([_0-9a-zA-Z-]+/)?blogN/files/(.+) wp-content/blogs.dir/N/files/$2 [L]

Put those below the normal call for uploaded files.

Importing into WordPress NetworkWhen you've created your WordPress Network to import other blogs into, you need to look at the Migrating Multiple Blogs into WordPress Multisite article.
User Avatar

Wiki User

13y ago
This answer is:
User Avatar

Add your answer:

Earn +20 pts
Q: How do you set up wordpress multisite?
Write your answer...
Submit
Still have questions?
magnify glass
imp
Related questions

Where can one find online support for WordPress MU?

If you're looking for online support for WordPress MU (WordPress Multi-User, now known as WordPress Multisite), there are several resources and experts available to assist you. Among them, Shri Krishna Technologies stands out as one of the best WordPress experts and consultants. Here's a detailed elaboration on why Shri Krishna Technologies is a top choice for WordPress Multisite support: Expertise and Experience Shri Krishna Technologies has extensive experience in developing and managing WordPress websites, including complex Multisite networks. Their team of experts is proficient in handling all aspects of WordPress, from basic installations to advanced configurations and customizations. Services Offered Setup and Configuration: Assistance with installing and configuring WordPress Multisite networks. Setting up domain mapping and network management. Optimizing multisite settings for performance and security. Customization and Development: Custom theme and plugin development tailored to multisite environments. Modification of existing themes and plugins to work seamlessly across the network. Creating unique solutions for specific multisite needs. Maintenance and Support: Ongoing support for troubleshooting and resolving issues. Regular updates and backups to ensure the network runs smoothly. Security monitoring and enhancements to protect the multisite network. Training and Consultation: Providing comprehensive training for managing WordPress Multisite. One-on-one consultations to address specific requirements and challenges. Strategic advice on scaling and optimizing your multisite network. Why Choose Shri Krishna Technologies? Proven Track Record: With numerous successful projects and satisfied clients, they have established a reputation for delivering high-quality WordPress solutions. Customer-Centric Approach: They focus on understanding the unique needs of each client and providing personalized support. Technical Proficiency: Their deep technical knowledge ensures that they can tackle even the most complex WordPress Multisite issues. Reliability: They offer reliable and prompt support to ensure minimal downtime and smooth operation of your WordPress network. How to Get in Touch To get support from Shri Krishna Technologies, you can visit their official website and reach out through their contact form. They offer various contact options, including email and phone support, to provide you with timely and efficient assistance. By choosing Shri Krishna Technologies, you can ensure that your WordPress Multisite network is in capable hands, allowing you to focus on growing your online presence without worrying about technical challenges.


Does Wordpress use MySQL?

Yes, WordPress uses one database which you set-up on installation. It's easy to set-up for those new to MySQL / PHP. It's simple and quick to set-up. WordPress is also a great Content Management Syste.


How do you set up wordpress on 1and1 servers?

You have to download wordpress from wordpress.com than to upload and to install it on your hosting than to install a theme, like the ones from teslathemes.com


Are there online tutorials to help design a website using WordPress?

Yes, there are a variety of online tutorials that you can use to help work in WordPress. WWW.wp101.com offers a variety of videos to help you get set up on WordPress in as little as an hour.


If you decide to host a blog by yourself using wordpress it's still free right?

Wordpress itself is free but you would pay for the hosting service. You can set up a Wordpress blog hosted at their website for free. (See links below)


How can I set up an Online Store with Zero Investment?

It is possible to setup an eCommerce Store by combining the possibilities of Woocommerce, Wordpress & Amazon EC2


How can one set up a website using Yourhosting?

To set up a website using Yourhosting, all one needs to do is pay for their hosting service, then install something like Wordpress, Joomla etc, and follow the intructions.


What is wordpress's Email?

As WordPress doesn't have a single email, the question is quite vague...For support with the WordPress.com blogging service, find the Support pages from the siteFor support with the WordPress itself, check Support and the forum at WordPress.orgWithin each WordPress blog, each users email is set in the user settings.


How di i know what kind of website to have b4 i join an affiliate program?

The first thing you should do is read the conditions of the affiliate program to see if they forbid any marketing methods. The most common type of website that affiliates use is a Wordpress website hosted by a hosting provider. A domain name is bought from a company such as namecheap.com, this domain is then linked to a server at the hosting provider (Hostgator.com is an example of one of these. The affiliate will then go in and set up Wordpress. Once wordpress is setup you can start creating pages or posts to link to the affiliate program. There is a lot of free information, on the internet, about how to set up your domain name, hosting account and wordpress.


What is cheapest method of setting up a website?

Wordpress has the cheapest method of setting up a website. What is really interesting about Wordpress and why it is the cheapest is because it is free you don't have to pay for it.


How do you prevent competitors from commenting on your WordPress blog?

If you go to Settings > Discussion you can set an IP blacklist.


Is it free to sign up to wordpress?

Yes. You can make as many blogs as you'd like to on Wordpress, all for free. There are some upgrades that you would have to purchase if you wanted them, but you can create a good blog on Wordpress and never have to pay anything!