Setting Up Custom Domain Hosting

This article describes how to set up Custom Domain Hosting for your FORTH account. It was developed for FORTH account administrators and IT specialists configuring custom domain DNS settings for CRM and Client Portal sites.

This article is organized into the following sections:

• Overview
• Prerequisites
• How to Access
• How it Works
  • Add the Security Record (Domain Control Validation / DCV)
  • Add the Connection Record (Forwarding)
  • Submit Configuration Details for Setup:
• Troubleshooting

• Assistance

   

Overview

Custom Domain Hosting enables your team to access FORTH using your company domain (such as crm.yourcompany.com) instead of the default web address. This helps maintain brand consistency across your CRM and Client Portal sites while applying secure domain routing. Setting up Custom Domain Hosting establishes automated SSL certificate management through Cloudflare, eliminating the need to purchase or upload yearly security certificates.

Prerequisites

• Active Custom Domain Hosting enhancement (contact sales@setforth.com to enable this service).
• Administrative access to your domain registrar (such as AWS Route53, GoDaddy, or Namecheap) to manage DNS CNAME records.
• Standard user access to the FORTH CRM.

How to Access

1. Log in to the FORTH CRM.
2. Access your external domain registrar account (such as AWS Route53, GoDaddy, or Namecheap) and open the DNS Management or DNS Settings page.

How it Works

To host a custom site, you must create two CNAME records in your domain registrar DNS settings for every hosted site.

Add the Security Record (Domain Control Validation / DCV)

Creates a digital Let's Encrypt (SSL) certificate to keep your site, used by the client and FORTH's web traffic, secure.

1. Log in to your domain registrar and navigate to DNS Management or DNS Settings.
   
2. Create a new CNAME record.
3. Complete the Host / Name and Value Target fields as displayed in the table below. Replace subdomain with your specific site name, such as crm or portal).

   Field Name	Value to Enter	Example
   Type	CNAME	CNAME
   Host / Name	_acme-challenge.<subdomain>	_acme-challenge.crm
   Value / Target	<fulldomain>.b6ac64a870f2da4d.dcv.cloudflare.com	crm.example.com.b6ac64a870f2da4d.dcv.cloudflare.com

4. Save the record. 

Add the Connection Record (Forwarding)

The Connection Record points your custom domain to our hosting environment (i.e., servers).

1. Create a second CNAME record in your DNS settings.
   
2. Enter the  Host / Name and Value / Target information as shown in the tablebelow based on whether you are a FORTH customer or a CTX customer.

   Field Name	Value to Enter	Example
   Type	CNAME	CNAME
   Host / Name	<subdomain>	crm
   Value / Target	For FORTH Customers:   scweb.forthcrm.com For CTX Customers:     scweb.centrexsoftware.com	scweb.forthcrm.com

3. Save the record.

[INSERT SCREENSHOT: Domain registrar DNS Management interface displaying configured DCV CNAME and Forwarding CNAME records.]

Submit Configuration Details for Setup:

1. For a CRM site (such as crm.example.com): Provide your domain (e.g., thednsway.com), subdomain (e.g., crm), and Flexmonster Key.
2. For a Portal site (such as portal.example.com): Provide your domain (e.g., thednsway.com), subdomain (e.g., portal), and portal site type (Debt Settlement, Tax Resolution, Student Loans, Business Loans, or Debt Validation).

Examples

Here are examples of setting up the DCV CNAME and regular CNAME.

For a CRM site, such as crm.example.com. 

1. DCV CNAME
   1. CNAME: _acme-challenge.<subdomain>
      1. In our example domain, it would be: _acme-challenge.crm.example.com
   2. CNAME Value: <fulldomain>.b6ac64a870f2da4d.dcv.cloudflare.com
      1. In our example domain, it would be: crm.example.com.b6ac64a870f2da4d.dcv.cloudflare.com
2. Forwarding or Pointing CNAME
   1. CNAME: CRM
      1. In our example domain, it would be: crm.example.com
   2. CNAME Value:
      1. For FORTH Customers: scweb.forthcrm.com (see example below)
      2. For CTX Customers: scweb.centrexsoftware.com
3. Jira Ticket

   1. Give Domain (thednsway.com)

   2. Give Subdomain (crm)

   3. Flexmonster Key

For a Portal site,

1. DNS Entries

   1. DCV

      1. CNAME: _acme-challenge.portal

      2. CNAME Value: <portalname>.thednsway.com.b6ac64a870f2da4d.dcv.cloudflare.com

   2. Forwarding CNAME

      1. CNAME: portal

      2. CNAME Value: scweb.forthcrm.com

2. Jira Ticket

   1. Give Domain (thednsway.com)

   2. Give Subdomain (portal)

   3. Give Portal site type; Debt Settlement, Tax resolution, Student Loans, Business Loans, Debt Validation

Troubleshooting

Where do I add CNAME records in my domain registrar?

Registrar navigation varies by provider. Look for interface links named DNS Management, DNS Settings, or Manage Zone Files. Refer to your domain registrar's support documentation if you cannot find the record creation form.

Why is my custom domain not working immediately?

DNS changes take up to 48 hours to propagate across the internet, though updates usually resolve much faster.

Do I still need to provide yearly SSL certificates?

No. The DCV CNAME record automates SSL certificate issuing and renewal through Cloudflare, removing the need to buy or upload yearly SSL certificates. 

Assistance

For further assistance, reach out to support@setforth.com.