General questions (and answers)

What is Chatster, anyways?

Maybe this isn't a frequently asked question, but Chatster is a family-oriented chat server run by friendly Christian people. That way, you know it's got to be good!

What all this means is that you can come here and talk with other people online through a text chat -- by typing what you want to say. It might not be as expressive as "real life," but it works in a pinch and you can make a lot of new friends.

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Hey! That sounds really cool! What can I do to start chatting?

Hey, I'm glad you asked. It's really easy, you can go straight to our main web page at www.chatster.org and start chatting right away with the Java applet. If that's not cool enough for you, you can download an IRC client like mIRC or xchat to enjoy (we hope!) a more configurable chatting experience.

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So I've been here a while, and I was wondering what I could do to help out.

Well, that's not really a question, pal, but there are a lot of ways to help. The most important is to help make Chatster a better place just by being here and being friendly. If you know enough about how IRC and our network work, you can come to #irchelp and start helping. If you don't, hang around in #irchelp and learn!

Please, please, PLEASE READ THE RULES and respect them. A bunch of people are giving up a lot of their time and resources in order to make this place as nice as possible, and they would hate to have to make you leave because you weren't following the rules. I'm sure you wouldn't break them on purpose, after all!

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I have a members.chatster.org FTP/WebMail account but can't Upload files.

The number one problem that we see people having problems ftping is they are operating in passive mode (PASV). In most cases you should turn passive mode off on your ftp client. You will need to read the help system or manual for your ftp client to find out how to turn passive mode off. Once you disable PASV, you will see your files and can upload your documents.

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What do I do if my question isn't in the FAQ?

Tell us! Come into #irchelp and ask your question, so we can add it! Please let us know how we can make this FAQ list better; tell us about unclear answers or questions, too!

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Miscellaneous questions (these didn't fit anywhere else)

Why have I been banned for "fake userid - enable ident" when I try to connect?

The K-line message says something like "fake ~userid - enable ident", or "install identd", or WebTV users see "WebTV can't use that service"

If you have no identd, after you connect to the IRC server you will see a ~ (tilde) character before your username when you /whois your own nickname, like "joebob is ~foo@something.com". Most IRC networks often require identd, an identification protocol that verifies your username. (Geek talk: Designed for multi-user UNIX systems, identd is meaningless on single-user PCs which can use any arbitrary username. Unfortunately, certain insecure machines without identd are frequently exploited to cause IRC abuse, hence the ban against those without identd.)

Due to abuse, ident is now required on some chatster.org servers. If you are using our Java applet, you will need to click 'Yes' when it asks for permission. Other clients may have other methods for enabling an ident server; explanations for some are below.

If you are behind a DSL or cable router you may need to configure it to forward ident requests to your computer. You will need to forward the ident port 113 and also make sure ident is enabled on your computer.

In mIRC, you can enable ident in the options menu under Connect, Identd. Be sure to check "Enable Ident server" and enter a user name, see this figure. If you are running a firewall, make sure you can access port 113.

Other clients may vary.

If you are running Windows 95/98/Me and still have problems with identd, you can download identd for windows here. Chatster IRC network or its affiliates cannot guarantee or warantee any 3rd party software; in other words, use at your own risk.

If you are running Windows XP and still have difficulties enabling Identd, please read I need more help on running Identd because Windows XP has a built-in Internet Connection Firewall (ICF) which breaks identd and DCC.

If all else fails, use servers that don't require identd, such as those listed below OR continue reading I need more help on running Identd section for more help and additional free identd programs.

Other random servers for connecting on chatster IRC network are us.chatster.org and eu.chatster.org

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I need more help on running Identd

How you fix your identd depends on what kind of internet connection you have:

• If you have a direct internet connection (no sharing or firewalling that you know of):
  • If you use a PC or Mac IRC client like mIRC, PIRCH, or Ircle, it has identd built in already. In mIRC, check to make sure it is enabled: Alt-O | Connect | Identd, check all 3 boxes, see this figure. Ircle and Snak's identd is always on. If identd is on and doesn't work, you have sharing or firewall issues, see next major section.
  • If you are on a UNIX machine, the administrator must install identd such as pidentd. identd is a good, security-enhancing thing, described in the technical specs RFC 1413.
• If you share or firewall your internet connection, such as sharing a DSL/cable connection among multiple PCs, or connecting through a proxy/hub/router, or running a software firewall program (including the one built into Windows XP), here are your options:
  1. Windows XP has a built-in Internet Connection Firewall (ICF) which breaks identd and DCC. See Microsoft's help page for how to disable it. If you want to keep ICF on, you'll have to modify it, see toidyman's web page on how to configure the firewall to allow identd and dcc.
  2. The proper networking fix is to open up incoming TCP/IP on port 113 for identd and a range of unprivileged ports above 1024 for DCC, and redirect traffic on those ports to your local IP number behind the firewall. (By default, mIRC uses random ports in the 1024-5000 range for DCC, but you can constrain that to something like 1024-1034 in the DCC options, and open up those same ports in the firewall.) Exactly how all this is done depends on your firewall, consult your documentation and irchelp's firewall FAQ at the security web page.
  3. Alternatively, you may have a real computer acting as the gateway/proxy. If you can run an IRC client like mIRC on the gateway machine and identd works fine, then you can try to install a "dummy" identd program on that gateway machine, which will handle all identd requests for the shared machines. It does not help to put identd on the machines behind the gateway. Beware - using a dummy identd may make all your machines appear to be clones with the same user@hostname, which many servers/channels do not allow and can get you banned.
     • If the gateway computer is running Windows or Mac OS, install this Windows identd or Mac OS identd on the gateway machine.
     • If the gateway is a UNIX masquerading firewall, install midentd. For help, try asking on *nix help channels like #unixhelp, #linuxhelp, or #nixhelp.

If all else fails, use servers that don't require identd, such as those listed below.

Other random servers for connecting on chatster IRC network are us.chatster.org and eu.chatster.org

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How do I change my nick?

To change your nick, type
/nick new-nick
Example, if you wanted to change your nick to bob, type
/nick bob

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How do I join a different channel?

To join a channel, type /join #channel. Example, /join #irchelp would take you to the help channel.

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What does it say I need a voice to speak?

Some channels are moderated. This is when the channel is set to mode +m. If this is true, you need a voice to speak. Using this method can close a room when no one is there, or prevent bad people from talking. Some channels close when no operators are there. Be patient and wait for someone to voice you.

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How do I register my nick?

Registering your nick helps prevent unauthorized people from using your nick. To register, type
/msg nickserv register password email
Where password is a password you want to set, and email is your email address. You do not have to put an email, but it is good if you forget your password, you can retrieve it. No information about you will be given out. When you log into Chatster, type /msg nickserv identify password to be identified. Or if you use the java chat on your web site, simply type in your password into the password box.

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What do I do when I lose my password!?

First of all, if you lost a channel password, you don't need it as long as the nick you founded the channel with is still registered. You just need to identify for your nick. But, if you want the password, you can do /msg ChanServ SENDPASS #mychannel to have services send the password to your e-mail address (assuming the address stored with your nickname record is valid, see below.)

If you have supplied a valid e-mail address with your nickname (probably when you registered your nick), you should be able to do /nickserv sendpass nick and get your password through e-mail. Of course, it's always a good idea to change your password after you do this, especially if anyone else could look at your e-mail.

If you didn't supply a valid e-mail address, or it's changed since you registered your nick and you didn't bother to update it, then you're pretty much out of luck. You can either hope to remember it or resign yourself to waiting until your nickname expires and you can reregister it with a password you can remember. Sorry, you're probably out of luck unless you remember it.

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Where can I find a list of IRC commands?

Chatting is nice, but there is a bit more to chatting than there seems. For instance, what if you are in your channel and a rude visitor comes in. In that situation, it would be beneficial to know the command to kick someone. If the visitor came back after he or she has been kicked out, it would be helpful to know the ban command. Commands aren't only to discipline guests, but normal chatters use commands as well when chatting one on one, change nicks, joining a channel, etc. Click here for a list of commands and their descriptions.

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How do I join multiple channels?

At this time, you can not join multiple channels using the Java Chat. If you would like to join many channels, there is a program that lets you do this named mIRC. mIRC has more features than the Java Chat, but is a bit more complicated to use. You may download the latest mIRC here.

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How do I use Chatster with an IRC client like mIRC?

That's easy! Just set up your client to connect to irc.chatster.org on port 6667 and /join a room. Most likely, your IRC client will have advantages like allowing you to join multiple rooms at once and keep records (called "logs") of conversations you have. There are also many scripts available that can let you do more!

If you don't have an IRC client, several good ones are mIRC, x-chat, and pIRCh. Unfortunately, we can't support all of these different programs, but there might be someone in #irchelp who can help solve your problems. Then again, there might not-- but don't be afraid to ask!

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What's Bible? What commands does it have? How can I get it in my channel?

Bible is chatster's Bible bot provided by Eversible.com. It's a special program that can print scriptures out in the chat room for your convenience. You can sign-up for a shell account to have your own Bible bot in your room at Eversible's website.

Some of its commands are:

~versions

Bible will /NOTICE you a list of the versions of the Bible it has on file.

~version [reference]

Bible will print out the specified verses. For example, ~nas John 3:16 or ~kjv Isaiah 53:1-3. There is a limit of 4 verses per request.

~sversion [keywords]

Bible will search for verses with the specified keywords in the specified version.

~seen [nick]

Bible will report the last time it has seen the specified nickname. It's pretty smart.

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Nicks (and other issues having to do with users)

Why does NickServ let someone else use my nick?

First of all, you should make sure your nick is registered. (See this question for information on how to register it if you haven't done so.) Try /msg NickServ INFO nick and see whether it gives information about when the nick was registered or tells you it's not registered.

Second of all, you may have given someone else your password, in which case they could steal your nick from you nick. Chatster's operators cannot help you if you share your password with anyone. Server operators will never ask for your passwords.

Finally, you may need to turn the NickServ KILL option on; this is the option that causes NickServ to change someone's nick if they don't identify for it fast enough. (Try /msg NickServ SET KILL ON after identifying for your nick.) If NickServ does not ask you to identify within 60 seconds, you may want to look into your NickServ ACCESS list (see /msg NickServ HELP ACCESS) - NickServ will never change your nick if you match one of the usermasks on this list.

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Topics relating to channel management

How do I register a channel?

You can start your very own channel. First, you must have operator status (a @ next to your name). Second, your nick must already be registered and you must be identified. next, type /msg chanserv register #channel-name password description. Where #channel-name is the name of your channel, password is a password you create, and a description of the channel. After you register, when you are identified to nickserv, then join your channel, you will be auto op-ed.

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How do I get OP status in my channel? 

First, you must have a registered nick and a registered channel.
If you are using the java web chat, simply type in your registered user name and password, then connect. 
If you are using a client such as mIRC you must first be using the nick you registered with. Next, you type /msg nickserv identify password. Then, to get OPs in your channel, if you have a bot, you may type !op in your channel. If you do not have a bot, you may type /msg chanserv op. 

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How do I create my free JAVA CHAT for my web page?

To get your free Java Chat on your website, go to the following URL to generate your code: http://java.chatster.org/lite. When you are at this page, chose all the options that you would like. When you are finished, click make. To see a preview of what your Java Chat will look like on your website, click preview. When you are done, close the preview window. If you click hilight all, you can then copy the code to your website HTML code.

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How do I assign a bot to my channel?

First, you must be identified to nickserv and chanserv. To see a list of available bots, type /msg botserv botlist . The current bot names you may chose from are: ChatServ, Manager, X. Once you have found a bot you would like, type /msg botserv assign #your-channel BotName. Example: If I have a channel named #myroom and I want X to be my bot, I would type /msg botserv assign #myroom X

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