How To Connect to MSU's IRC (Internet Relay Chat) Server for 'Virtual Office Hours'

How To Connect to MSU's IRC (Internet Relay Chat) Server for 'Virtual Office Hours'

After the first few weeks of the semester, I'll be holding "virtual" office hours as well as my regular office hours. This is for the convenience of students who cannot make it during my regular office hours (note: for my regular office hour schedule, see the Syllabus for your course; they vary from semester to semester).

Of course, you can still always email me for any help you need. You can also telephone me at 973-655-7305, during my regular office hours.

But 'Virtual Office Hours' may be more convenient for you, if you are at home, or in a Computer Lab, or not near a phone. It's up to you.

Here are the "bare-bones" directions you'll need for our"virtual" office hours. It would be a good idea for you to print out these directions, so you can consult them while on-line.

3. You'll see a little screen inside the larger mIRC screen. This is the "welcome" screen with the photo of the programmer who made it up. Find the little box at the upper left corner of this little box and click on it to find "Close". Careful not to close mIRC altogether (i.e. don't go to the upper left-hand box of the LARGE mIRC screen behind this little one).

4. You'll be presented with a screen that says "mIRC Setup." Make sure that CHSS is highlighted. This is the server chss2.montclair.edu -- the one we will all be connecting to.

[NOTE: if you're using mIRC32 (or any other IRC client program), make sure the port for chss2.montclair.edu is 6667. This is important -- because, if you are using the Java applet on a Web browser, you use port 8080 -- the address is: http://chss2.montclair.edu:8080]

That is because the little Java applet that acts as a very basic interface with our CHSS2 IRC server is on port 8080.

When this page loads, click on the graphic that says "Conference Board". This loads a Java applet (a little program that runs on the Web) that provides you with a very basic IRC client.

From here on, directions for "basic" IRC use are the same for either the dedicated IRC client mIRC or the Java applet client (mIRC and other dedicated IRC clients have many more commands, but we will not be using them here)

For "Nickname" please use your real first name, or real first name and first initial of your last name, whichever. Forget the "Alternate" box. So, if your name is "Fred Smith", please make your "nick" fred or freds.

If you connect successfully, you'll see a message to that effect. It'll look something like this:

You'll also see a little screen which gives you a choice of "channels." CLOSE this screen.

You can use the Java applet interface exactly as described above, once you are connected to the Internet.

If you want to download mIRC -- it is free -- go to the mIRC Home Page or to Tucows or Download.com, and look for your operating system (Mac or PC, Windows 3.1 or Windows 95/98, etc.). Then download mIRC.

NOTE: These are general IRC commands. They'll work on all IRC clients, like mIRC, and (most of them) on our bare-bones IRC Java client that runs on the Web browser (not all clients support all IRC commands -- mIRC supports most of them).

You'll need the simplest of commands. ALL COMMANDS BEGIN WITH THE FORWARD SLASH, /.

You'll enter your commands on the bottom line, so make sure you have a cursor there. If you don't, put the mouse there and click to create one.

NOTE: If we are having a virtual class, you'll know what channel to join by which of my classes you are in: #wl is "World Literature"; #vn is "Vietnam War"; #mel is "Middle English Literature"; #ch is "Chaucer"; #int is "Internet for English Majors"; #fc is "Freshman Composition"; #spl is "Social Protest Literature"; #gh is "General Humanities," and so on.

You won't need any more than this! If you do, ask during class and I will help you.

http://chss.montclair.edu/english/furr/ircdirections999.html | furrg@alpha.montclair.edu | last modified 13 Sep 99