Good afternoon,
I am wondering if there is a temporary url that gets assigned
(ie. www.mydomain.com/~username) when a domain is created? I wish to give this out to users to view their site prior to the dns moving the domain over.
Any thoughts?
Thanks
David

There is no default. I use symlinks from my primary domain but it doesn't allow php execution because I have safe mode and open_basedir set.

There are several ways to do this, most of them are *very* insecure. You can search Plesk forums and also this forum for those...

One way that seems safe is this:

1) create vhost.conf for the domain you need to preview. Put something like this inside:
ServerAlias sub.domain.com

2) create a DNS record under domain.com:
sub.domain.com A 1.2.3.4

3) restart Apache:
'/usr/local/psa/admin/bin/my_apci_rst'

- replace 1.2.3.4 with the IP used for the name-based hosting on your server

- replace sub.domain.com with whatever temporary subdomain you want to give to your customer

Domain.com should of course be your main domain. It really doesn't matter which one is it, as long as it's hosted on your server and its DNS resolves properly. This new subdomain should work instantly after the Apache restart.

Downsides: it isn't automated.

I don't know of any known security issues with this, but use at your own risk. Also, don't forget to remove this after the real domain has propagated - if you don't, the customer can actually steal traffic by linking his files trough your main domain

Ales

Actually I just read what seems the easiest way I've heard of yet to date. It does require they do something on their personal computer.. But... It is not much and almost anyone should be able to do it.

Have them open the file C:windowshosts in notepad or wordpad and then add:

ip.add.ress.of.serv domain.name
ip.add.ress.of.serv www.domain.name

Absolutely works, do that and make it cnn.com to your ip and you'll get your server.

It does require something on the other end, but you should be able to work a help file out that tells them to highight the file, hold shift, right click it, choose open with, wordpad, and the rest is simple..

Yet another way to skin a cat.

Shortz

Another (Better) way would be to have them change their DNS servers on their computer to be your nameservers. This way, they get everything before the world does, and they don't have to worry about changing the "hosts" file if the IPs change.