Configuring virtual servers without DNS

[James Harvard <james.harvard@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I know I've raised this issue before, but I really need to do 
something about it now.

I've got some domains hosted with Enom, who provide DNS services for 
them, through which I've got the domains pointed at an existing 
server.  I want to repoint the domains at my WebTen server as virtual 
hosts.  I tried to set up the virtual host info so that it would be 
all ready & waiting once I'd changed the server IP with Enom's DNS, 
and users wouldn't notice any difference as the DNS change propagated 
across the net and they started to hit the new server.

HOWEVER...

WebTen in its finite wisdom won't let me set up a virtual host for 
the domain because it trys a DNS lookup and finds that the specified 
IP is not one assigned to my server.  This is rather inconvenient to 
say the least.  It is also, IMHO and as far as I can see with my 
limited knowledge, pointless 'nannying' of the user - after all does 
it really matter if the user creates phantom virual hosts because no 
traffic will arrive for them if the DNS is not configured to point 
that domain's traffic to the server's IP.

Is this 'feature' really necessary, Tenon?  It certainly causes 
problems if you have your DNS elsewhere, as currently I would have to 
change the DNS settings, wait & keep checking for the DNS to update, 
and only then could I set up the virtual host.  In the period between 
the DNS updating and me seeing this, creating the virutal host and 
uploading the content, any visitors would presumably just get my 
default WT home page.  This is not A Good Thing.

I tried fooling WT by switching on WT's DNS, setting up a basic 
primary zone record for the domain and then trying to set the DNS IP 
in the preferences dialogue to the server's own IP.  But it wouldn't 
stick, and kept reverting to the previous IP of my ISP's DNS.

So, now what I'm wondering is this:
Can I bypass the DNS check when setting up a new virtual host by 
adding the virual host manually to the appropriate (httpd.conf?) 
config file, before doing any detailed config via WT's admin server? 
If so, can anyone advise on the best way to do this?  Do I need to 
quite WT before I duplicate & edit the file?  Are there any other 
config files I need to edit?  What is the minimum information I need 
to insert?

Many thanks in advance,

James Harvard
james.harvard@xxxxxxxxxxxxx

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