Before you proceed, there are a few important things you should note.
What does it mean to “launch a website”?
Site launch is the process of connecting your Isomer site to a domain, and making it publicly available on the internet – either through search engines or going to a specific URL.
The site launch process involves deleting old DNS records (if necessary) and adding in new ones provided by Isomer.
You will need to do this using a separate platform called a name server. In most cases, the name server will be IT Service Management (ITSM), which is only accessible by WOG laptops.
Isomer only provides the credentials you need to add to the name server, but cannot update them on your behalf. We do not do domain management.
Preparations before launching
SSL certs will be auto-provisioned by the Isomer team.
If you are unsure of site launch process, it is best to find someone with the technical knowledge to do this process for you.
Loop your ITD in the support ticket.
You must have already bought or own a domain.
If you are using an existing domain to migrate a website to Isomer,
You should check if you have existing CloudFront records tied to your domain. If this is done by an external party, you will need to coordinate time for them to be on standby during the time of launch.
Each domain can only be associated with one AWS account. Isomer cannot launch the site if the domain is still associated with other account.
Set your DNS Time To Live (TTL) to 5mins, at least 24 hours before attempting site launch. This can be done in your name server, usually ITSM.
Ensure that maintenance period is set in WOGAA during launch day (minimally 2 hours is needed, but we recommend going up to 6 hours for large sites)
If it’s a new site, register your site with WOGAA. WOGAA has been integrated with Isomer, you will only need to register with them and it should be up on our sites when launched.
WOGAA will take some time to verify that the installation is successful, so there is no further action needed once you reach this stage.
Flow of site launches
Here’s the standard process for how site launches typically proceed. Please note that this may vary depending on the specific requirements and setup of your site.
2 weeks before launch
Email Isomer support ideally at least 2 weeks before. The required details are:
Time and date
Domain
For existing sites, If coordination is needed with CWP to drop the domain/cloudfront association, you can schedule a call with us. (subjected to availability)
Isomer support will confirm your site's launch date and time. Your site will undergo a baseline accessibility check to ensure it meets the required standards.
3-7 days before launch
DNS records will be provided to you approximately 3-7 days before the launch date.
The DNS configuration process involves two key stages:
First stage (about a week before launch)
Adding a CNAME record for issuing of SSL certificate
Second stage (on launch day)
Adding the remaining DNS records required by Isomer and removing the old records that may conflict with Isomer’s infrastructure
Configure the first window record and update Isomer support.
Launch day
Configure the remaining DNS records that were sent to your email. Set your Time To Live (TTL) to 5 mins.
Update Isomer support that the remaining records have been configured.
Isomer support will verify that the site is up.