We would like to update and clarify for everyone an administrative change we implemented not too long ago that you may have noticed with respect to your SiteFarm site names. We would also like to apologize for any concern or confusion this switch may have caused anyone.

When we started the service in 2016, the domain name assigned to your sites looked like:

‘http://SITENAME.ucdsitefarm.acsitefactory.com’

Recently, you may have seen that your existing sites or new sites created have a new domain name:
‘https://SITENAME.sf.ucdavis.edu’

Why the change? 
We’re doing our part to work with campus security to ensure better digital security for the web platform we offer. You’ll notice the old URL uses ‘http’ and the new one has ‘https’; this is the key difference, and we updated the default SiteFarm domain to make it shorter and easier to remember.

We had a site with the old domain and now it’s switched to the new one!
Yes. You’ll notice that if you enter in your original .ucdsitefarm.acsitefactory.com domain name your browser will likely redirect you immediately to the new one, your actual site name remaining the same. We’ve implemented a script through Site Factory to make sure, whether you have an older site or have started a brand new one, your site and your visitors have the benefit of the secure HTTPS protocol.

Development or Live?
Even though the domain looks like a live site, please be assured that so long as you haven’t asked us to associate your official live domain to your site, the https://SITENAME.sf.ucdavis.edu is only a development URL and not visible to the public unless you’ve explicitly shared the URL with others outside your department.

The site is live but I can still go to my dev URL?
Yes. The .sf.ucdavis.edu domain is still a viable option for you and other authorized users in your site to use as a means of logging in. Technically, Site Factory knows your site by both names and recognizes them as belonging to one single site.

Bonus Round
I try to log in to my new site domain but receive a CAS error. What happened?
Chances are your site was not added to the CAS Service Registry when launched. This step should be performed by a Site Manager who has a Duo account as soon as possible. In the meanwhile, if you have to get into your site immediately to make updates, you can still log in through your development URL (.sf.ucdavis.edu). Here is a link to our blog describing the CAS Service Registry and helping you get started with adding your site to the list: https://sitefarm.ucdavis.edu/blog/what-new-cas-service-registry-means-you.