How to setup custom DNS with Azure Websites Preview?

Question

I created a new Azure Website, using Umbraco as the CMS. I got a page up and going, and I already have a .co.nz domain with www.domains4less.com. There's a whole lot of stuff on the internet about pointing URLs to Azure, but that seems to be more of a redirection service than anything (i.e. my URLs still use azurewebsites.net once I land on my site).

Has anybody had any luck getting it to go?

Here's the error I get when I try adding the DNS entry to Azure (I'm in reserved mode, reemdairy is the name of the website):

There was an error processing your request. Please try again in a few moments.

Browser: 5.0 (Windows NT 6.1; WOW64) AppleWebKit/536.5 (KHTML, like Gecko) Chrome/19.0.1084.56 Safari/536.5 User language: undefined Portal Version: 6.0.6002.18488 (rd_auxportal_stable.120609-0259) Subscriptions: 3aabe358-d178-4790-a97b-ffba902b2851 User email address: touchmaniacs@live.com

Last 10 Requests

message: Failure: Ajax call to: Websites/UpdateConfig. failed with status: error (500) in 2.57 seconds. x-ms-client-request-id was: 38834edf-c9f3-46bb-a1f7-b2839c692bcf-2012-06-12 22:25:14Z dateTime: Wed Jun 13 2012 10:25:17 GMT+1200 (New Zealand Standard Time) durationSeconds: 2.57 url: Websites/UpdateConfig status: 500 textStatus: error clientMsRequestId: 38834edf-c9f3-46bb-a1f7-b2839c692bcf-2012-06-12 22:25:14Z sessionId: 09c72263-6ce7-422b-84d7-4c21acded759 referrer: https://manage.windowsazure.com/#Workspaces/WebsiteExtension/Website/reemdairy/configure host: manage.windowsazure.com response: {"message":"Try again. Contact support if the problem persists.","ErrorMessage":"Try again. Contact support if the problem persists.","httpStatusCode":"InternalServerError","operationTrackingId":"","stackTrace":null}

message: Complete: Ajax call to: Websites/GetConfig. completed with status: success (200) in 1.021 seconds. x-ms-client-request-id was: a0cdcced-13d0-44e2-866d-e0b061b9461b-2012-06-12 22:24:43Z dateTime: Wed Jun 13 2012 10:24:44 GMT+1200 (New Zealand Standard Time) durationSeconds: 1.021 url: Websites/GetConfig status: 200 textStatus: success clientMsRequestId: a0cdcced-13d0-44e2-866d-e0b061b9461b-2012-06-12 22:24:43Z sessionId: 09c72263-6ce7-422b-84d7-4c21acded759 referrer: https://manage.windowsazure.com/#Workspaces/WebsiteExtension/Website/reemdairy/configure host: manage.windowsazure.com

message: Complete: Ajax call to: https://manage.windowsazure.com/Service/OperationTracking?subscriptionId=3aabe358-d178-4790-a97b-ffba902b2851. completed with status: success (200) in 1.887 seconds. x-ms-client-request-id was: a7689fe9-b9f9-4d6c-8926-734ec9a0b515-2012-06-12 22:24:40Z dateTime: Wed Jun 13 2012 10:24:42 GMT+1200 (New Zealand Standard Time) durationSeconds: 1.887 url: https://manage.windowsazure.com/Service/OperationTracking?subscriptionId=3aabe358-d178-4790-a97b-ffba902b2851 status: 200 textStatus: success clientMsRequestId: a7689fe9-b9f9-4d6c-8926-734ec9a0b515-2012-06-12 22:24:40Z sessionId: 09c72263-6ce7-422b-84d7-4c21acded759 referrer: https://manage.windowsazure.com/#Workspaces/WebsiteExtension/Website/reemdairy/configure host: manage.windowsazure.com

message: Complete: Ajax call to: /Service/GetUserSettings. completed with status: success (200) in 0.941 seconds. x-ms-client-request-id was: 805e554d-1e2e-4214-afd5-be87c0f255d1-2012-06-12 22:24:40Z dateTime: Wed Jun 13 2012 10:24:40 GMT+1200 (New Zealand Standard Time) durationSeconds: 0.941 url: /Service/GetUserSettings status: 200 textStatus: success clientMsRequestId: 805e554d-1e2e-4214-afd5-be87c0f255d1-2012-06-12 22:24:40Z sessionId: 09c72263-6ce7-422b-84d7-4c21acded759 referrer: https://manage.windowsazure.com/#Workspaces/WebsiteExtension/Website/reemdairy/configure host: manage.windowsazure.com

message: Complete: Ajax call to: Extensions/ApplicationsExtension/SqlAzure/ClusterSuffix. completed with status: success (200) in 0.483 seconds. x-ms-client-request-id was: 85157ceb-c538-40ca-8c1e-5cc07c57240f-2012-06-12 22:24:39Z dateTime: Wed Jun 13 2012 10:24:40 GMT+1200 (New Zealand Standard Time) durationSeconds: 0.483 url: Extensions/ApplicationsExtension/SqlAzure/ClusterSuffix status: 200 textStatus: success clientMsRequestId: 85157ceb-c538-40ca-8c1e-5cc07c57240f-2012-06-12 22:24:39Z sessionId: 09c72263-6ce7-422b-84d7-4c21acded759 referrer: https://manage.windowsazure.com/#Workspaces/WebsiteExtension/Website/reemdairy/configure host: manage.windowsazure.com

message: Complete: Ajax call to: Extensions/ApplicationsExtension/SqlAzure/GetClientIp. completed with status: success (200) in 0.309 seconds. x-ms-client-request-id was: 2eb194b6-66ca-49e2-9016-e0f89164314c-2012-06-12 22:24:39Z dateTime: Wed Jun 13 2012 10:24:40 GMT+1200 (New Zealand Standard Time) durationSeconds: 0.309 url: Extensions/ApplicationsExtension/SqlAzure/GetClientIp status: 200 textStatus: success clientMsRequestId: 2eb194b6-66ca-49e2-9016-e0f89164314c-2012-06-12 22:24:39Z sessionId: 09c72263-6ce7-422b-84d7-4c21acded759 referrer: https://manage.windowsazure.com/#Workspaces/WebsiteExtension/Website/reemdairy/configure host: manage.windowsazure.com

message: Complete: Ajax call to: Extensions/ApplicationsExtension/SqlAzure/DefaultServerLocation. completed with status: success (200) in 0.309 seconds. x-ms-client-request-id was: 1bc165ef-2081-48f2-baed-16c6edf8ea67-2012-06-12 22:24:39Z dateTime: Wed Jun 13 2012 10:24:40 GMT+1200 (New Zealand Standard Time) durationSeconds: 0.309 url: Extensions/ApplicationsExtension/SqlAzure/DefaultServerLocation status: 200 textStatus: success clientMsRequestId: 1bc165ef-2081-48f2-baed-16c6edf8ea67-2012-06-12 22:24:39Z sessionId: 09c72263-6ce7-422b-84d7-4c21acded759 referrer: https://manage.windowsazure.com/#Workspaces/WebsiteExtension/Website/reemdairy/configure host: manage.windowsazure.com

message: Complete: Ajax call to: Extensions/ApplicationsExtension/SqlAzure/ServerLocations. completed with status: success (200) in 0.309 seconds. x-ms-client-request-id was: e1fba7df-6a12-47f8-9434-bf17ca7d93f4-2012-06-12 22:24:39Z dateTime: Wed Jun 13 2012 10:24:40 GMT+1200 (New Zealand Standard Time) durationSeconds: 0.309 url: Extensions/ApplicationsExtension/SqlAzure/ServerLocations status: 200 textStatus: success clientMsRequestId: e1fba7df-6a12-47f8-9434-bf17ca7d93f4-2012-06-12 22:24:39Z sessionId: 09c72263-6ce7-422b-84d7-4c21acded759 referrer: https://manage.windowsazure.com/#Workspaces/WebsiteExtension/Website/reemdairy/configure host: manage.windowsazure.com

Answer 1

I've successfully done this with the exact same setup (Umbraco, running on Azure with a domains4less.co.nz domain). DNS setup with Domains4less can be obtuse - but here's how to setup a CNAME to your app:

From 'Manage Domains', hit 'Setup' on the domain you want. Next page, 'Advanced Control Panel' and login. Expand 'Services', open 'Domain Templates' and click 'Add a domain template'

Give your template a name (e.g 'yourdomain.co.nz'), and scroll down to the CNAME Records section. Click 'Add a CNAME record', Prefix field: www, Destination Address: YOURAPPNAME.azurewebsites.net.. Save.

Open 'Domains' in the left-side menu and click '[edit]' on the domain you want to setup, open the 'Advanced Mode' tab and choose your template from the Template drop-down list. Save, done.

Phew.

Answer 2

Its good that you have Windows Azure Website (Reserve) because only Reserve websites can have CNAME or A record point to your_site.azurewebsites.net.

May I ask what are you setting, CNAME or A Record?

Here is the step by step direction on setting either CNAME (which is suggested for websites and webroles) so please follow and suggest at what step you have an issue:

Configuring a Custom Domain Name in Windows Azure