Custom Domain Names

What is a custom domain name?

A custom domain name is a domain name that has different URL format than the Sites@GeorgiaTech default URL format (sites.gatech.edu/<site name>/)

What kinds of sites are allowed a custom domain name?

The website that uses a custom domain name must represent a Georgia Tech unit such as department, school, college, research, lab, and organization.

Any campus unit can request a custom gatech domain name at no charge. However, there are differences in domain name formats and brand standards that you need to consider.

Who can request a custom domain name for their Sites@GeorgiaTech site?

The custom domain name requester must be an active Georgia Tech full time employee (Staff and Faculty members). For Student Organization website, faculty/advisor/full time staff needs to submit a request for students.

What custom domain names are supported?

1. Sub-domains (or nested sub-domains) of gatech.edu
2. Non-gatech.edu domain names, such as .org/.com

Requirements and considerations

1. If the site belongs to a specific unit, it needs to use that unit’s subdomain. Examples:
   • A research lab under the School of Mathematics: site.math.gatech.edu
   • An annual event hosted by the Office of Information Technology: site.oit.gatech.edu
   • A special initative coordinated by the College of Engineering: site.coe.gatech.edu
2. Student Organizations need to use the gtorg.gatech.edu subdomain, unless they already have a special exemption through Institute Communications.
3. *.gatech.edu subdomains and non-gatech.edu domain names are considered Vanity Domain Aliases, which require additional approval and steps to use.
4. Due to the technical limitations of the service’s wildcard certificate and the vendor requirement to keep supplemental Let’s Encrypt certificates under a certain count, custom domain names do not typically include WWW: if the custom domain name needs WWW support, it will need to be reviewed as an exception

How are Vanity Domain Aliases handled?

A Vanity Domain Alias is any domain name that:

• Is a “first-level” subdomain of gatech.edu, such as example.gatech.edu
• Is a non-gatech.edu name, such as example.org or example.com

The use of a Vanity Domain Alias must first be approved by Institute Communications, according to the brand criteria.

Important: When submitting the Custom Domain Name request form, select “Yes” if the name you are requesting is a Vanity Domain Alias. This will route the request to Institute Communications for approval.

About non-gatech.edu names

If the non-gatech.edu name is not managed through GT DNS, then the requestor is responsible for managing the name’s DNS records. OIT Web Hosting will provide the required DNS record details, and the requestor will need to add the DNS records.

If the non-gatech.edu name is not managed through GT DNS, but you would like it to be, then submit a help request directed to the GT DNS team about how you might be able to set up delegated management for the domain.

• Only domain name providers that support the configuration of custom nameservers are compatible with delegated management.

Can I have multiple custom domain names for a site?

No. Only one custom domain name is supported for each site.

Can I have a non-public site with a custom domain name?

Yes. But the URL will change to the sites.gatech.edu URL format after logging in due to how the non-public settings are configured.

Why can’t I see my custom domain as a link when editing my site?

If you are editing some pages on your site , and see that the links are defaulting to the sites.gatech.edu/<site name> path instead of your custom domain, this is an expected behavior for a site with a custom domain name.

When a user is logged in they will always see the original domain. When they are logged out they will always see the mapped domain.