GitHub Pages

(This page discusses serving a CSAIL domain from GitHub Pages. Of course, you can also just redirect to GitHub Pages from a CSAIL domain.)

GitHub Pages (external link) is a popular hosting option, especially for people who are already using GitHub for their code, or want a Git-based workflow for updating their site. By default, GitHub Pages sites are served from domains ending in .github.io, but you can easily configure it to serve a CSAIL domain.

Setting up a GitHub Pages site on a CSAIL domain is a three-part process:

1. Create the site in GitHub Pages. (At this point it will have a regular something.github.io domain so you can test it.)
2. Configure it to know about the CSAIL domain name you want. (external link). (At this point the something.github.io domain it used to have will stop working until TIG has finished the next step.) This step is explained in more detail below.
3. Send mail to TIG asking us to set up a DNS entry (a CNAME entry) for the CSAIL domain you want pointing at the original something.github.io domain you were using in step 1. Once TIG creates the domain and the DNS change propagates, the new CSAIL domain will start working.

Prerequisites

Before you start,

• You will need a GitHub account and at least one repository, and you should be familiar with checking things into GitHub.
• You should make sure the CSAIL domain you want to use is not already in use. (You can check that with the host or dig commands, or by checking WebDNS.)

Configuring your GitHub site to know about its new CSAIL domain

Once you have the repository with your GitHub site, this GitHub documentation describes how to configure it to answer for a CSAIL domain. You’ll want the “Configuring a subdomain” section, since you’re configuring it for a subdomain (like myproject.csail.mit.edu) of csail.mit.edu.

In summary, go to the Settings page for your repository, then go to Pages > Custom domain, and enter yourcustomdomain.csail.mit.edu and click Save.

Then send us mail at help@csail.mit.edu and ask us to create a CNAME record pointing yourcustomdomain.csail.mit.edu (which, again, you’ve already checked does not exist) to the old *.github.io domain for your site (for instance, yourgithubusername.github.io).

We’ll let you know we’ve done that, and within an hour or so after that the new domain should start working.

After you leave

If you authenticate to GitHub with non-MIT credentials, you’ll be able to continue to maintain your site exactly the same way after you leave MIT. (If you use MIT’s GitHub Enterprise license and authenticate with your MIT credentials, you’ll lose access if you leave MIT without transfering the repository.)

You should, however, make sure that anything served with a CSAIL domain is consistent with CSAIL’s status as a research institution. If we find a CSAIL domain used for a commercial endeavor, for instance, we might have to delete the DNS record and break your site to avoid the impression the commercial use is affiliated with CSAIL or MIT.