FAQ

If your department is using NS5.hku.hk or is managing a departmental DNS server to manage department domain, please configure the domain name by adding 1 “CNAME” record. For example: abc.its.hku.hk

abc 1800 IN CNAME wpcms-its.hku.hk.

Please note there is a “.” after “wpcms-its.hku.hk.“
If the domain name is a root domain of NS5, please configure the domain name by adding below 1 “A” record. For example: its.hku.hk

(empty) 1800 IN A 147.8.6.9

Yes, you can. However, some of the major steps have to be done by ITS and the web master together:

1. Web master to add a new DNS record for the new domain name. ITS will then update and route the new domain name traffic to the corresponding WordPress sites. A new SSL certificate may also be required.
2. Web master to perform the backup work.
3. Web master to install and activate DB search and replace plugin. Use the plugin to search for “OLD DOMAIN NAME” and replaced it with “NEW DOMAIN NAME”, and GUIDs, and select all tables. It will convert the existing domain name into the new one in the database.

If you fail to publish post / page, and see a warning “Updating Failed. Error message: The response is not a valid JSON response” popped out. Please try to login HKUVPN and then publish the post / page again as the contents in the post/page may have triggered the firewall protection .

No, WordPress CMS service is a pure web-based service. There is no OS account nor SSH service. You may install some file manager plugins to browse the directories inside dashboard.

WordPress uses a concept of Roles, designed to give the site owner the ability to control what users can and cannot do within the site. A site owner can manage the user access to such tasks as writing and editing posts, creating Pages, creating categories, moderating comments, managing plugins, managing themes, and managing other users, by assigning a specific role to each of the users. Please refer https://wordpress.org/support/article/roles-and-capabilities/

• Administrator (slug: ‘administrator’) – somebody who has access to all the administration features within a single site.
• Editor (slug: ‘editor’) – somebody who can publish and manage posts including the posts of other users.
• Author  (slug: ‘author’)  – somebody who can publish and manage their own posts.
• Contributor (slug: ‘contributor’) – somebody who can write and manage their own posts but cannot publish them.
• Subscriber (slug: ‘subscriber’) – somebody who can only manage their profile.

Besides WordPress’s default role, there are 5 HKU custom roles, which are assigned and updated when user login via HKU Portal. You don’t need to update the role. It is used for protected page . The HKU custom roles can co-exist with any other WordPress roles

• HKU staff
• HKU student
• HKU department
• HKU retiree
• HKU honorary

Select “Users” -> Add UID of the new HKU user as username, and enter user HKU email address (UID@hku.hk for staff and UID@connect.hku.hk for student). Select user role per your requirement. Then, the new user can login the your WordPress site via HKU Portal and does not require extra password.

There are several plugins to do WordPress backup. As ITS bundles several plugins, must-use plugins, and themes together in the in-house WordPress CMS System for HKU, web master does not need to backup those plugins / themes. He or she can re-download them if needed.

One of plugin for backup purpose is “All-in-One WP Migration“. Here is the setting procedure:

1. Dashboard -> side bar -> Plugins -> Add New -> Search for “All-in-One WP Migration”. Install and activate it.
2. During restoration of backup processes of a big file, the system may timeout and lose some of the data. ITS will backup data in the database and media files in two batches to minimize the opportunity of data-lost.

No, ITS will keep upgrade WordPress version to minimize vulnerability issue. However, you can request ITS to defer the upgrade for 1 month to cope with the problem of plugins’ compatibility.

“Media” -> “Add New“, the free disk space left will be shown next to “Maximum upload file size“. The disk quota shared among the wordpress’ “content” directory and the Mariadb data directory.

Yes, you can have custom domain name but you need to provide / purchase a SSL certificate for ITS to install

Please read this (required HKU Portal login)