Introduction

The Distributed Systems Department at LBNL runs a public Jabber server as a resource for the department and collaborators. This page provides some basic instructions for self-registration and use of this resource.

Preliminaries: getting a Jabber client

There are a large number of Jabber clients available on the Web. For Unix and Windows users, we recommend Gaim. For Macintosh, Gaim will work under X-windows but for an easier install and better user interface we use Adium.

Registering with the server

The details of this will depend on the client. But the basic procedure is the same: choose username and password, and use the following values for our server:

Host

jabber.dsd.lbl.gov

Port

5223 for SSL (encrypted) / 5222 for plaintext (unencrypted)

Self-registration is not only allowed, it's required! Once you are connected, you should add to your "buddy list" the Jabber identifiers (JIDs) of the people you want to chat with. Unlike some other IM systems, Jabber requires that you obtain permission from the the person concerned, so they need to come online and allow you to add them to your buddy list before you can chat with them.

More information

For more details on how to use Jabber refer to your client's documentation or the excellent Jabber User Guide.