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IRC FAQ
Introduction To get you connected to #EternityOnline, what follows is a short quick-connection FAQ, intended to help you get on-line and find your way there. It is not intended as a complete technical reference for IRC; if desired, such can be found at various locations on the WWW and on the pages noted below. 1. Download an IRC clientThe first requirement is to have a program, an IRC-client, to get you connected to an IRC network, in this case "Chatnet". There are a number of programs out there which allow you to do such, but the two most common clients are "mIRC" and "pIRCh", both available for free download from the Web and both are fully supported:
Make sure you download the right client for your computer; for example, there are 16-bit Windows 3.11 and 32-bit Win95/98 versions of mIRC. Further details for downloading are on the pages given. 2. Install the downloaded IRC clientThis entails the mere click of an executable file, which will install the client for you. If you've downloaded an older version of mIRC (for win3.11 for example), should the installation process differ, instructions will be given on the webpage for the client. Also make sure you have the correct version of winsock.dll for your OS and service provider. Check the webpage for the client you've chosen to gain specific instructions or help if you have problems 3. Connecting to IRCTo connect to IRC, you first must be connected to your ISP (ie -- have a currently active on-line connection, just as you would need to browse the web or download e-mail). Start the IRC-client after this by clicking on the proper shortcut or running the correct executable (note: not the installation executable, but one of the files installed by it). Some service providers require special files or "ports" (see below) to be able to connect to IRC. For example, to access IRC through AOL you need to have AOL's winsock.dll. To get it, connect to AOL and go to keyword "winsock", download the file, follow the setup instructions, and make sure to set it up so the .dll will autoload with the AOL dialer in the future. After this, log on to AOL, stay in the pay area, minimize the window, start mIRC and you're ready to go. (This is a fairly quick and painless procedure, I've done it myself in the past) Quick mIRC set-up instructions: (note: I will include pIRCh instructions in the future, however, currently my system and pIRCh have decided they are mortal enemies. I am the only one I know of with this particular problem, and I blame my set-up, not pIRCh, which is a great program. Hence this section is currently devoted to mIRC only) When mIRC opens, a box will open labeled "mIRC setup" (if you don't get this box, close those any that do appear and select "Setup" from the 'File' menu). The highlighted tab should read "IRC servers"; click the small down-arrow by the topmost box and scroll down until the list of "Chatnet" servers is found (for example: "Chatnet: US, SC, Rock Hill"). (Note: AOL users please read section 5 (below) for a list of which servers to use and which ports are required to gain access to Chatnet! Due to AOL's setup, the requirements are slightly different.) Write in your full name or handle and e-mail address in the boxes provided, and choose a Nickname (a "Nick") that you wish to be known by while on IRC. Nicknames can be up to 9 characters long on Chatnet and most other places, no spaces allowed. Realize that someone may already be using the nick you've chosen, in which case you should provide an alternate. If both of your chosen nicknames are in use, you will be prompted to enter another before being allowed to connect. For example, if you are prompted to choose a different nick, typing /nick Raven in the input line of the window (not in the space provided after "Nickname" in the "IRC setup" box) will give you the nick of Raven (assuming it isn't being used). Next, select the "Local Info" tab and make sure the boxes "IP Address" and "Local Host" under "On Connect, Always get :" are checked. (Note: I have heard that checking "Local Host" can cause problems with the DCC feature of mIRC. So if problems do crop up once you've learned about DCC and are trying it out, uncheck this box, close the program and start it up again to see if that fixes things. For now though, just leave it checked.) Finally, select the "Identd" tab and check the box labeled "Enable the Identd Server". Your User ID should already be filled-in; if not, your User ID is the part before the @ in your e-mail address. After "System:" write UNIX; after "Listen on port:" write 113 (assuming these values are not filled in already). Click "OK" and it's ready to go. Select "Connect" under the 'File' menu, or click the lightning-icon in the toolbar and mIRC will attempt to connect you to your chosen Chatnet server. After a short wait of up to 20 seconds a bunch of text will scroll by in the window, with the last line saying "End of MOTD command". This means you are now on IRC. If you get error messages, try connecting to a couple of different servers. If there are any problems, or your service provider requires special settings for any of the above, check the mIRC helpfile on-line at their website. Another way to get onto a random Chatnet server is to type the following on the input line: /server us.chatnet.org or type this to connect to a specific server, (this will connect to the RockHill server): /server RockHill.SC.US.ChatNet.Org However, you still have to fill in the above values under "IRC servers" (though only a Nickname is required) "Local Info" and "Identd" in order for mIRC to work. 4. What to Do Once You're OnOnce you are on-line, type in the following command: /join #EternityOnline This will open another window, the #EternityOnline window, where you can chat with other Immortal players and join us in all the other great things we have planned for the on-line Society Eternity members! In the channel window, the names on the right side column are those people who are currently in the channel; the left window is where the conversation takes place. To join the conversation yourself, type your comments in the single row box at the bottom of the channel's window and hit enter when finished (make sure you don't type them in the input line in the "Status" window or no one will see your comments!). BTW, folks with the funny little @ symbol in front of their names are "Channel Operators" or "chanops"; they run the channel and handle all the little details in the background. 5. List of Chatnet ServersThe following list is provided for use after the /server command, any of these should connect you to Chatnet. For AOL users, the list of available servers smaller. Chatnet's website (http://www.chatnet.org) provides alot more info about the various servers and such, plus useful help files and etc. US --US.ChatNet.Org (Random US ChatNet Server) LosAngeles.CA.US.ChatNet.Org ============================ Europe -- EU.ChatNet.Org (Random EU ChatNet Server) Skien.NO.EU.ChatNet.Org ============================= AOL users must click the "Edit" button listed at the top of the "IRC Servers" tab under the setup window after choosing a server for Chatnet. Once one of the servers from the list following has been chosen and "Edit" clicked, change the listing under "Port(s)" to 7000 or one of the ports listed below for that chatnet server, othewise you will not be able to connect to Chatnet. (For further help in getting on Chatnet with AOL, check the Chatnet homepage)
Typing the server command as listed in section 4 above will not connect an AOL user to Chatnet, the correct port must be chosen, hence AOL users using the /server command must type the following: /server LosAngeles.CA.US.ChatNet.Org 7000 or similar (depending on which server is chosen) (ie -- /server <chatnet server> <port>) AfterwordRemember, if you have any problems, first read the information provided on the mIRC and Chatnet sites, they have a ton of useful info and help files, plus they list all the commands and things you can do with Aliases, Popups and such that this FAQ won't go into. If you've read through all that and you can't seem to figure things out, feel free to e-mail me at weblive@societyeternity.com and I'll see what I can do to help out. -Ravenscrye Grey Daegmorgan |
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