Sharing file resources accross multiple websites

Hi there.
I have a problem in design I need to address.

I have 6 websites which all provide identical content, except that the
they are branded differently, ie each website is for a different city. I
have the city name in the web config for each website, and thus the
value is simply read from the WebConfig and brands each website differently.

Unfortunately every time I make a change to one of the pages for one
website I have to upload it to the six different locations (even though
the content is the same apart from the city name).


All of the websites are hosted on the same server and I have direct
access to IIS. Is there anyway I can simplify this so that I can store
the content in one location on the server, yet share it across Six
different domains and still keep my branding in each website via the
webConfig (or other means?). Ultimately I want each website to behave
seamlessly as a separate domain, especially in the eyes of Google for
ultimate SEO potential.

http://forums.asp.net/p/1027123/1401854.aspx

AndyGarcia

On Dec 23, 9:47*am, AndyGarcia <dgl...@hotmail.com> wrote:
> Hi there.
> I have a problem in design I need to address.
>
> I have 6 websites which all provide identical content, except that the
> they are branded differently, ie each website is for a different city. I
> have the city name in the web config for each website, and thus the
> value is simply read from the WebConfig and brands each website differently.
>
> Unfortunately every time I make a change to one of the pages for one
> website I have to upload it to the six different locations (even though
> the content is the same apart from the city name).
>
> All of the websites are hosted on the same server and I have direct
> access to IIS. Is there anyway I can simplify this so that I can store
> the content in one location on the server, yet share it across Six
> different domains and still keep my branding in each website via the
> webConfig (or other means?).

Why don't you use one website under IIS with 6 host headers? In this
case in the application you can identify each site using its domain
name, for example:

if (HttpContext.Current.Request.Url.Host.ToLower() ==
"www.domain1.com")
{
.....
}
else
....

Alexey Smirnov

Alexey Smirnov wrote:
> On Dec 23, 9:47 am, AndyGarcia <dgl...@hotmail.com> wrote:
>> Hi there.
>> I have a problem in design I need to address.
>>
>> I have 6 websites which all provide identical content, except that the
>> they are branded differently, ie each website is for a different city. I
>> have the city name in the web config for each website, and thus the
>> value is simply read from the WebConfig and brands each website differently.
>>
>> Unfortunately every time I make a change to one of the pages for one
>> website I have to upload it to the six different locations (even though
>> the content is the same apart from the city name).
>>
>> All of the websites are hosted on the same server and I have direct
>> access to IIS. Is there anyway I can simplify this so that I can store
>> the content in one location on the server, yet share it across Six
>> different domains and still keep my branding in each website via the
>> webConfig (or other means?).
>
> Why don't you use one website under IIS with 6 host headers? In this
> case in the application you can identify each site using its domain
> name, for example:
>
> if (HttpContext.Current.Request.Url.Host.ToLower() ==
> "www.domain1.com")
> {
> ....
> }
> else
> ...

Because this is not my exact problem. I've copied a very similar one
from asp.net forum.

It's a website that has an offer of items and management for those.
Other many sites will be resellers of those items and access the very
same database.
Items have pictures (many) and all other sites need access to those
images (same as database, but database is easy to share).

I got an idea to make normal directory and a virtual one for each of
those sites pointing to the original one.

Any better solution?

Or linking photos via url?

AndyGarcia

On Dec 24, 12:22*am, AndyGarcia <dgl...@hotmail.com> wrote:
> Alexey Smirnov wrote:
> > On Dec 23, 9:47 am, AndyGarcia <dgl...@hotmail.com> wrote:
> >> Hi there.
> >> I have a problem in design I need to address.
>
> >> I have 6 websites which all provide identical content, except that the
> >> they are branded differently, ie each website is for a different city. I
> >> have the city name in the web config for each website, and thus the
> >> value is simply read from the WebConfig and brands each website differently.
>
> >> Unfortunately every time I make a change to one of the pages for one
> >> website I have to upload it to the six different locations (even though
> >> the content is the same apart from the city name).
>
> >> All of the websites are hosted on the same server and I have direct
> >> access to IIS. Is there anyway I can simplify this so that I can store
> >> the content in one location on the server, yet share it across Six
> >> different domains and still keep my branding in each website via the
> >> webConfig (or other means?).
>
> > Why don't you use one website under IIS with 6 host headers? In this
> > case in the application you can identify each site using its domain
> > name, for example:
>
> > if (HttpContext.Current.Request.Url.Host.ToLower() ==
> > "www.domain1.com")
> > {
> > ....
> > }
> > else
> > ...
>
> Because this is not my exact problem. I've copied a very similar one
> from asp.net forum.
>
> It's a website that has an offer of items and management for those.
> Other many sites will be resellers of those items and access the very
> same database.
> Items have pictures (many) and all other sites need access to those
> images (same as database, but database is easy to share).
>
> I got an idea to make normal directory and a virtual one for each of
> those sites pointing to the original one.
>
> Any better solution?
>
> Or linking photos via url?

Ok, let me understand this. One common database, one common directory
of images, the same ASP.NET application, and many domain names, right?
So, why my suggestion will not work then? I think it should work. Of
course, a virtual directory could help too, but this would be probably
more or less the same solution. And for that matter, a SEO potential
could be not that high, I would say. All resellers sites would have
the same content and especially by Google it can be a problem. Plus
all sites will be on the same IP

Alexey Smirnov

Alexey Smirnov wrote:
> On Dec 24, 12:22 am, AndyGarcia <dgl...@hotmail.com> wrote:
>> Alexey Smirnov wrote:
>>> On Dec 23, 9:47 am, AndyGarcia <dgl...@hotmail.com> wrote:
>>>> Hi there.
>>>> I have a problem in design I need to address.
>>>> I have 6 websites which all provide identical content, except that the
>>>> they are branded differently, ie each website is for a different city. I
>>>> have the city name in the web config for each website, and thus the
>>>> value is simply read from the WebConfig and brands each website differently.
>>>> Unfortunately every time I make a change to one of the pages for one
>>>> website I have to upload it to the six different locations (even though
>>>> the content is the same apart from the city name).
>>>> All of the websites are hosted on the same server and I have direct
>>>> access to IIS. Is there anyway I can simplify this so that I can store
>>>> the content in one location on the server, yet share it across Six
>>>> different domains and still keep my branding in each website via the
>>>> webConfig (or other means?).
>>> Why don't you use one website under IIS with 6 host headers? In this
>>> case in the application you can identify each site using its domain
>>> name, for example:
>>> if (HttpContext.Current.Request.Url.Host.ToLower() ==
>>> "www.domain1.com")
>>> {
>>> ....
>>> }
>>> else
>>> ...
>> Because this is not my exact problem. I've copied a very similar one
>> from asp.net forum.
>>
>> It's a website that has an offer of items and management for those.
>> Other many sites will be resellers of those items and access the very
>> same database.
>> Items have pictures (many) and all other sites need access to those
>> images (same as database, but database is easy to share).
>>
>> I got an idea to make normal directory and a virtual one for each of
>> those sites pointing to the original one.
>>
>> Any better solution?
>>
>> Or linking photos via url?
>
> Ok, let me understand this. One common database, one common directory
> of images, the same ASP.NET application, and many domain names, right?
> So, why my suggestion will not work then? I think it should work. Of
> course, a virtual directory could help too, but this would be probably
> more or less the same solution. And for that matter, a SEO potential
> could be not that high, I would say. All resellers sites would have
> the same content and especially by Google it can be a problem. Plus
> all sites will be on the same IP

No, no...

- one common database
- one common directory of images
- one management ASP.NET application

- many "client" ASP.NET applications using common database and common
directory of images

- common database
and
- common directory of images

would just be providers of part of the data in client website offers.

Yes, those would "interpret" data a bit differently to enhance SEO, but
essentially it's the very same data in major part.
Sites would be on different IPs, even differently geo-marked IPs (COM,
EU, FR, TK, DE, CO.UK...)

AndyGarcia

On Dec 26, 12:02*pm, AndyGarcia <dgl...@hotmail.com> wrote:
> Alexey Smirnov wrote:
> > On Dec 24, 12:22 am, AndyGarcia <dgl...@hotmail.com> wrote:
> >> Alexey Smirnov wrote:
> >>> On Dec 23, 9:47 am, AndyGarcia <dgl...@hotmail.com> wrote:
> >>>> Hi there.
> >>>> I have a problem in design I need to address.
> >>>> I have 6 websites which all provide identical content, except that the
> >>>> they are branded differently, ie each website is for a different city. I
> >>>> have the city name in the web config for each website, and thus the
> >>>> value is simply read from the WebConfig and brands each website differently.
> >>>> Unfortunately every time I make a change to one of the pages for one
> >>>> website I have to upload it to the six different locations (even though
> >>>> the content is the same apart from the city name).
> >>>> All of the websites are hosted on the same server and I have direct
> >>>> access to IIS. Is there anyway I can simplify this so that I can store
> >>>> the content in one location on the server, yet share it across Six
> >>>> different domains and still keep my branding in each website via the
> >>>> webConfig (or other means?).
> >>> Why don't you use one website under IIS with 6 host headers? In this
> >>> case in the application you can identify each site using its domain
> >>> name, for example:
> >>> if (HttpContext.Current.Request.Url.Host.ToLower() ==
> >>> "www.domain1.com")
> >>> {
> >>> ....
> >>> }
> >>> else
> >>> ...
> >> Because this is not my exact problem. I've copied a very similar one
> >> from asp.net forum.
>
> >> It's a website that has an offer of items and management for those.
> >> Other many sites will be resellers of those items and access the very
> >> same database.
> >> Items have pictures (many) and all other sites need access to those
> >> images (same as database, but database is easy to share).
>
> >> I got an idea to make normal directory and a virtual one for each of
> >> those sites pointing to the original one.
>
> >> Any better solution?
>
> >> Or linking photos via url?
>
> > Ok, let me understand this. One common database, one common directory
> > of images, the same ASP.NET application, and many domain names, right?
> > So, why my suggestion will not work then? I think it should work. Of
> > course, a virtual directory could help too, but this would be probably
> > more or less the same solution. And for that matter, a SEO potential
> > could be not that high, I would say. All resellers sites would have
> > the same content and especially by Google it can be a problem. Plus
> > all sites will be on the same IP
>
> No, no...
>
> - one common database
> - one common directory of images
> - one management ASP.NET application
>
> - many "client" ASP.NET applications using common database and common
> directory of images
>
> - common database
> and
> - common directory of images
>
> would just be providers of part of the data in client website offers.
>
> Yes, those would "interpret" data a bit differently to enhance SEO, but
> essentially it's the very same data in major part.
> Sites would be on different IPs, even differently geo-marked IPs (COM,
> EU, FR, TK, DE, CO.UK...)

Well, then I think using a virtual dir is the only way to fix this.

Alexey Smirnov

Alexey Smirnov wrote:
> On Dec 26, 12:02 pm, AndyGarcia <dgl...@hotmail.com> wrote:
>> Alexey Smirnov wrote:
>>> On Dec 24, 12:22 am, AndyGarcia <dgl...@hotmail.com> wrote:
>>>> Alexey Smirnov wrote:
>>>>> On Dec 23, 9:47 am, AndyGarcia <dgl...@hotmail.com> wrote:
>>>>>> Hi there.
>>>>>> I have a problem in design I need to address.
>>>>>> I have 6 websites which all provide identical content, except that the
>>>>>> they are branded differently, ie each website is for a different city. I
>>>>>> have the city name in the web config for each website, and thus the
>>>>>> value is simply read from the WebConfig and brands each website differently.
>>>>>> Unfortunately every time I make a change to one of the pages for one
>>>>>> website I have to upload it to the six different locations (even though
>>>>>> the content is the same apart from the city name).
>>>>>> All of the websites are hosted on the same server and I have direct
>>>>>> access to IIS. Is there anyway I can simplify this so that I can store
>>>>>> the content in one location on the server, yet share it across Six
>>>>>> different domains and still keep my branding in each website via the
>>>>>> webConfig (or other means?).
>>>>> Why don't you use one website under IIS with 6 host headers? In this
>>>>> case in the application you can identify each site using its domain
>>>>> name, for example:
>>>>> if (HttpContext.Current.Request.Url.Host.ToLower() ==
>>>>> "www.domain1.com")
>>>>> {
>>>>> ....
>>>>> }
>>>>> else
>>>>> ...
>>>> Because this is not my exact problem. I've copied a very similar one
>>>> from asp.net forum.
>>>> It's a website that has an offer of items and management for those.
>>>> Other many sites will be resellers of those items and access the very
>>>> same database.
>>>> Items have pictures (many) and all other sites need access to those
>>>> images (same as database, but database is easy to share).
>>>> I got an idea to make normal directory and a virtual one for each of
>>>> those sites pointing to the original one.
>>>> Any better solution?
>>>> Or linking photos via url?
>>> Ok, let me understand this. One common database, one common directory
>>> of images, the same ASP.NET application, and many domain names, right?
>>> So, why my suggestion will not work then? I think it should work. Of
>>> course, a virtual directory could help too, but this would be probably
>>> more or less the same solution. And for that matter, a SEO potential
>>> could be not that high, I would say. All resellers sites would have
>>> the same content and especially by Google it can be a problem. Plus
>>> all sites will be on the same IP
>> No, no...
>>
>> - one common database
>> - one common directory of images
>> - one management ASP.NET application
>>
>> - many "client" ASP.NET applications using common database and common
>> directory of images
>>
>> - common database
>> and
>> - common directory of images
>>
>> would just be providers of part of the data in client website offers.
>>
>> Yes, those would "interpret" data a bit differently to enhance SEO, but
>> essentially it's the very same data in major part.
>> Sites would be on different IPs, even differently geo-marked IPs (COM,
>> EU, FR, TK, DE, CO.UK...)
>
> Well, then I think using a virtual dir is the only way to fix this.

Yes, that is the way I did it. Seemed most logical to me.

AndyGarcia