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Custom URLs for Pure and the Pure PortalCustom URLs for Pure and the Pure Portal
This guide describes how you can use your own custom domain instead of the default elsevierpure.com domain for your hosted Pure or Pure Portal.
These instructions assume that:
- You are an existing Pure client and are not currently under implementation. Please ask your Implementation Manager for advice about changing URLs during an implementation project.
- Your Pure is currently running under mypure.elsevierpure.com and that it should be changed to run under the custom domain mypure.mycompany.com.
- Your Pure and/or Pure Portal are hosted by Elsevier.
- Elsevier will create the SSL certificates and handle renewals using Let's Encrypt (if you wish to use your own SSL certificates, see SSL Certificates).
Step 1: Configure DNS
The first step is to add a CNAME to the DNS server handling mycompany.com. This CNAME should be for mypure.mycompany.com and it should point to mypure.elsevierpure.com.
Important notes
Step 2: Contact Pure Support
Once the DNS name has been updated, you should contact the Pure Support Team to schedule the URL change for Pure.
We will then:
- Verify that the DNS changes are correct and find a suitable time to make the change. There should not be any noticeable downtime when the change happens.
- Add a redirect from the old URL (mypure.elsevierpure.com) to the new URL (mypure.mycompany.com), so that any users still using the old URL will be sent to the new URL automatically.
SSL Certificates
The default setup when using a custom URL is to use a SSL certificate from Let's Encrypt, with everything relating to creating and renewing the certificate handled by Elsevier. In this case, you do not need to refer to the instructions below.
It is also possible for you to supply your own SSL certificate for use with the custom URL, but in this case there are some conditions:
- You need to supply contact information (Name and Email) for a person that can help with any problems regarding the certificate.
- This named person is responsible for renewing the SSL certificate; they will be contacted when it is time to renew the certificate, so the process can be started before the current certificate expires.
- If a new certificate is not ready when the current certificate expires, we will move the custom URL to use the default setup, as Pure/Pure Portal will stop working in most browsers if the certificate is no longer valid.
You can then choose from one of the two following options:
Option 1: We create the CSR
This is the recommended way of creating the certificate. It is more secure than option 2 because it does not require you to send us the private key.
We can create a CSR and private key on our servers and send the CSR to you.
For us to be able to create the CSR we will need the following information:
- Common Name (the domain name the certificate should be issued for)
- Country
- State (or province)
- Locality (or city)
- Organization
- Organizational Unit (Department)
- Email address (Optional)
When you have received the CSR, you can use it to get the certificate created, and then send it to us including any intermediate root certificates and/or any chain certificates from the certificate issuer.
Option 2: You create everything
You create the CSR and private key yourself, and then get the certificate created.
You then send us the private key, certificate, and any intermediate root certificates and/or any chain certificates from the certificate issuer.
It is important that the private key is kept secret, so it should be sent to us in a secure way.
Written by Claus Poulsen on November 01, 2023
Updated at February 13, 2024