Verifying Service Availability

You can use the Telnet program to verify that Chat Service is accepting connections and responding to IRC commands. This allows you to determine whether a problem is caused by the service or by the client.

Before using Telnet, verify network connectivity using PING.

To connect to Chat Service using Telnet:

1. From the Start menu, click Programs, click Accessories, and then click Command Prompt.
2. At the command prompt, type the following command:
   
   

   telnet [hostname port#]
   

   where:
   • hostname is the DNS host name or IP address (or both) of the computer on which Chat Service is running.
   • port# is 6667, the default TCP port number used for chat client connections.
3. In the Telnet window, type the following commands, including the periods:
   
   

   USER user_name . . .
   

   NICK nickname
   

   where user_name is a valid user name on the server, and nickname is a chat user nickname. For more information on the User and Nick commands, see Request for Comments (RFC) 1459, "Internet Relay Chat Protocol."

   • If the service is accepting anonymous IRC client connections, you receive the Chat Service welcome message, the message of the day, and statistical information, such as the number and type of chat users currently connected to the service.

   • If you receive a Class denied access message from Chat Service, you are a member of a user class whose connections are being denied. Start the Chat Service Manager utility and check the restrictions in the user classes on the server.

   • If you receive a No more connections message from Chat Service, the server is accepting connections only from authenticated users.

4. To end your Telnet session, at the Microsoft Telnet> prompt, type quit.

If you can connect to the server and successfully run the User and Nick commands, the problem is not with the server.

If you cannot connect to the server, the problem is probably with the service. Verify the port number and other Chat Service configuration settings.